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God Calls Abram · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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We're going to begin our worship by singing to God's praise. We're singing in Psalm 16,
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in the Sing Psalms version, Psalm 16 on page 16. We're going to sing from verse 1 to verse 7.
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Protect me, O my God, you are my refuge through. I said, you are my Lord, I have no good apart
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from you. The godly in the land for holiness renowned, they are the glorious ones in whom
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all my delight is found. We'll sing from verse 1 to verse 7, and the tune is Selma.
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Amen.
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My Lord, I have no good apart from you. The godly in the land for holiness renowned, they are the glorious ones in whom
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all I delight is found. Their sorrows will increase, who on force God's divine.
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I will not sacrifice to them, their worship I define.
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O Lord, you are to me, my cup and portion sure. The shame that is assigned to me, you God and he,
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the Lord, I have no good apart from you. The Lord, I have no good apart from you. The Lord, I have no good apart from you.
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The Lord, I have no good apart from you. The Lord, I have no good apart from you. The Lord, I have no good apart from you.
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the appointed
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To me is God divine.
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I'll praise the Lord my God, whose counsel guides my choice.
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And be there in the land of my heart, bring all the expressions of joy.
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Let's bow our heads in a word of prayer. Let us pray.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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our people to yourself. And so we thank you that as your call is here this evening, it is also all
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around us, that you are a God who is calling our people near and far to come and follow you. For we
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see that your voice is heard, not just through your word as we have it before it, although we
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acknowledge that that is your special revelation to us. But we thank you too that you reveal
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yourself to us through your very creation, through the heavens and the earth and all that we see of
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your glory around us. For it reminds us that you are our maker, that you are our keeper, that you are
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the one who has made all things, that you are the one who will call all things to an end, that you are
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the one who has given our days to number them and to be wise with them. And so we pray this night,
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O Lord, that as we see and hear your call to us, that you will give us the heart to be obedient to
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that call, to hear it and to follow you. To follow you, Lord, through whatever paths you have in store,
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to follow you in whatever work you have for us, to call you above all to look to Jesus and to put
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our trust in him. And to know in him the one who is our security and our salvation,
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now and for eternity. And so we praise you for your call. We praise you for your word. And we ask
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your blessing anew on it this evening, that you will speak to each of us, not just collectively as a
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congregation, but individually, whether we are sitting here in the building, whether we are listening
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online, whenever we might hear your voice, that you would give us an ear to hear and a heart to respond.
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And so we pray, Lord, that you would bless us and watch over us as a people. We do pray, O Lord,
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that as we go forward from here, that you will be a God who leads us and guides us. We thank you for,
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as we come to your word this evening, the reminder of Abraham, who was one who you called,
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but also one who you led, one who you showed the way he was to go, the one who was able to look,
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not to the cities of this world, but to a city whose maker and builder was God. And we ask, O Lord,
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that you will give us the eyes of faith that Abraham had, and so many like him as well, that we would
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continue to fix our eyes on you, that you would be the one that would guide our every step and lead us
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in every way. And especially as we enter into a period of change as a congregation, as we think of a time
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of vacancy and the need to be led by you, we pray that you will give us a spirit of prayer,
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that you will fill our hearts, O Lord, with that longing to know you, to worship you, first and foremost,
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and then to seek you and to know your guidance, to know your help, to know you speaking to us as a
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people, as a congregation, as a community, that you would guide us, O Lord, that the vacancy would be
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filled in your time and by your person. So we ask, O Lord, that in all things we will look to you,
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and we thank you for all that we have around us to help and to encourage, that you give us that
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spirit of prayer, that spirit of unity, that bondness of encouragement to one another and
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loving one another. And we pray that you will increase these things in our midst, so that we
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will be a congregation that would be said of, that see how they love him, see how they love Christ,
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and how they love one another. And so we pray, Lord, for you to lead us in these ways. And we pray
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for the Reverend Colin McLeod as he will become into the moderator. We ask, O Lord, for help and
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strength to him in his own congregation and back, and also as he assists here as well. May he know your
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help and your strength throughout these days and months ahead. We pray too, Lord, for our leadership as
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a Kirk session and as a deacon's court. We pray, Lord, for you to give us wisdom and guidance
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and help in all our discussions going forward as well. We pray that you will unite us together.
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We pray for a vacancy committee as it's formed. We ask, O Lord, for your wisdom in that
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and for guidance among all of us as a congregation to consider prayerfully who will come and preach,
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who we would long to have among us, who would be a shepherd over us. So, Lord, we pray for your
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blessing and your help in that. We thank you, Lord, that your promise is that you will be with us, and we
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pray that we will keep hold of your promises at all times. And we ask above all, Lord, for your ministry,
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for your gospel work to flourish in our midst. As was once said, there is no such thing as a vacant
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congregation when God is in their midst. And we thank you for that, that your work goes on,
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that we are a people serving you in the gospel. And we pray that that good news, that glorious news
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of Jesus will be proclaimed by us all far and wide, that throughout our homes and our communities, that we
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will share that word with one another and those who come around us as well, whether it's in our homes,
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in our workplaces, in our communities at large, even those who pass us by at times, who we maybe only
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see for a glimpse in a moment. Give us that boldness to speak. As we think of the gospel needs that are
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around us, Lord, we thank you for all who serve in our midst, and we pray that you will strengthen
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and encourage men and women, boys and girls who help in so many different ways. We thank you for
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that willing spirit in our midst, and we pray that that will increase all the more, that we will be
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united together for your cause here. We pray for your wider churches as well. We thank you for
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your kingdom as it is being built. We pray for congregations throughout our own presbytery,
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each one, O Lord, that they may know your blessing and your presence in their midst. We particularly
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remember other congregations coming into vacancy at this time as well. We remember the congregation
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in Grava. We ask your blessing on them, that they will again know your leading and guiding in these
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days ahead. We pray for Reverend David McLeod, who is to be intermoderated over them. May you bless
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them and uphold him. May you guide them and bless them too. And we remember Iamacritchie and his
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induction on Friday evening, last Friday evening, to Greyfriars and Inverness. We thank you for that
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occasion as we enjoyed our time here, that they enjoyed that time as well. And we pray for him
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as he takes up the ministry there, and that the congregation and preacher would be blessed by you.
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May you encourage them and be with them throughout these days ahead as well. We pray for our
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denomination as a whole, O Lord. We pray for the ministry of your word throughout our land and far and
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wide, that you would bless it to all ends of the earth, that the promises of your word would be
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fulfilled to all ends, to the north, the south, the east and west, that you would call a people to
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yourself. Remember all who minister in so many different ways. We think of Muriel in Cambodia.
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We again commit her to your care and keeping. Thankful for the opportunities to meet with her over the
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soon. We pray for that meeting on Tuesday, God willing, that you will bless it, that you will
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bless her and hear our prayers for her and answer according to your will. Remember all our people,
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and especially our schools and children at this time, as a time of holiday is upon us. May you watch
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over people as they travel to and fro, our own as they go away, and visitors who come into our midst.
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We pray for safety and blessing. We pray for refreshing and encouragement in these weeks of
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holiday. We thank you for our schools, and we thank you for all the teachers. We pray for each one of
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them, Lord, to know your spirit upon them, to know your goodness with them. We pray for our schools to be
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a place of refuge, a place of your spirit abiding and the beauty of the Lord being seen. We know we hear
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so often different stories, but Lord, we pray that you'd be pleased to visit us in our communities in
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a special way, to watch over our young people, to draw them to yourself. We ask, O Lord, that you would
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bless us now as we continue in our worship, remember us in all our needs, in our homes and families,
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those who are unwell, those who grieve and mourn, those who are heavy in heart or cast down in spirit
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at this time, those who feel discouraged or even dismayed. We pray, O Lord, for your spirit to be
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with them, for your love and your grace to surround them, and your peace to be upon them. And Lord,
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we ask you'll continue with us now in our time of worship as we open up your word, as we sing your
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praise. May we do all to your glory and help us to hear you speaking to us as we ask all confessing
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our sins anew, seeking your goodness and mercy to be upon us as we ask everything in Jesus' precious
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name and for his glory. Amen.
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We'll again sing to God's praise this time in Psalm 89 in the Scottish Psalter, page 344.
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Psalm 89 on page 344. We'll sing from verse 1 to verse 5. The tune is New London.
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Psalm 89 at verse 1. God's mercies I will ever sing, and with my mouth I shall. Thy faithfulness
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make to be known to generations all. For mercy shall be built, said I, forever to endure. Thy
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faithfulness even in the heavens thou wilt establish sure. We'll sing from verse 1 to 5 to God's praise.
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God's mercies I will ever sing, and with my mouth I shall. Thy faithfulness came to the Lord, to be warm, to be
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my God's merciful. The Lord's mercies I will ever sing, and with my mouth I shall. Thy faithfulness came to be born, to be
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to generations on.
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For mercy shall be blessed
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and I forever to endure.
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Thy faithfulness yield in the hands
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thou wilt be sadly sure.
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I with my chosen one have made
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a covenant gracious thee.
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And to my servant
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whom I love
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to thee is for my.
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But I thy seed is salvation
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forever to remain.
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And will to generations of life
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both build and maintain.
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The gracious hope I want
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for the heavens shall express.
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And in the congregation
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all sakes my faithfulness.
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Can we turn together to read God's word
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now in the book of Genesis?
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The first book of the Bible, Genesis.
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And we'll take up our reading in chapter 11
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and at verse 27.
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Genesis chapter 11, taking up our reading
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at verse 27, we read down into chapter 12
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and verse 9.
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Now these are the generations of Terah.
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Terah fathered Abram, Nahor and Haran.
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And Haran fathered Lot.
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Haran died in the presence of his father Terah
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in the land of his kindred
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in Ur of the Chaldeans.
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And Abram and Nahor took wives.
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The name of Abram's wife was Sarai.
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And the name of Nahor's wife Milcah,
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the daughter of Haran,
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the father of Milcah and Iscah.
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Now Sarai was barren.
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She had no child.
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Terah took Abram his son
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and Lot the son of Haran,
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his grandson,
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and Sarai his daughter-in-law,
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his son Abram's wife.
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And they went forth together
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from Ur of the Chaldeans
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to go into the land of Canaan.
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But when they came to Haran,
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they settled there.
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The days of Terah were 205 years,
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and Terah died in Haran.
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Now the Lord said to Abram,
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Go from your country
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and your kindred
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and your father's house
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to the land that I will show you.
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And I will make you a great nation.
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And I will bless you
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and make your name great
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so that you will be a blessing.
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I will bless those who bless you.
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And him who dishonors you
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I will curse.
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And in you all the families
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of the earth
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shall be blessed.
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So Abram went
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as the Lord had told him.
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And Lot went with him.
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Abram was 75 years old
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when he departed from Haran.
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And Abram took Sarai,
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his wife,
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and Lot,
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his brother's son,
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and all their possessions
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that they had gathered,
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and the people
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that they had acquired in Haran.
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And they set out
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to go to the land of Canaan.
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When they came
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to the land of Canaan,
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Abram passed through the land
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to the place at Shechem,
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to the oak of Moreh.
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At that time,
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the Canaanites were in the land.
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Then the Lord appeared
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to Abram and said,
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To your offspring
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I will give this land.
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So he built there
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an altar to the Lord
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who had appeared to him.
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From there he moved
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to the hill country
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on the east of Bethel
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and pitched his tent
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with Bethel on the west
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and I on the east.
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And there he built
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an altar to the Lord
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and called upon
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the name of the Lord.
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And Abram journeyed on,
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still going towards the Negev.
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And so on.
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May God bless that reading
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from his word.
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Before we turn back
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to this passage,
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we're going to sing again
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to God's praise.
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This time Psalm 105
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in the Scottish Psalter version.
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Psalm 105, page 375.
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We'll sing from verse 6
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to verse 10.
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And the tune is Glasgow.
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O ye that are of Abraham's race,
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his servant well approved,
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and ye that Jacob's children are,
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whom he chose for his own,
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because he and he only is
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the mighty Lord our God,
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and his most righteous judgments
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are in all the earth abroad.
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We'll sing from verse 6
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down to verse 10
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to God's praise.
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Amen.
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O ye that are of Abraham's race,
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his servant well approved,
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and he that Jacob's children are,
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and he chose for his own.
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Because he and he only is,
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the mighty Lord our God,
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and his bosque's wife with his own.
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And his bosque's life with her dr hár,
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and his use of water.
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And his bosque'sesis are,
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God bless you.
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The word he did, O my.
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Which covenant he firmly laid
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With faithful Abraham.
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And unto Isaac by his soul
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He did renew the same.
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And unto Jacob for a law
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He made it firm and true
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A covenant to Israel
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Which ever should endure
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We can turn back to our reading in Genesis chapter 12.
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And the beginning of that chapter, we'll look at verse 1 to 4 together this evening.
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Genesis chapter 12.
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And here we have God's call to Abraham.
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We can just read at the beginning there.
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Now the Lord said to Abraham,
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Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.
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And I will make you a great nation.
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And I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
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I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse.
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And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
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So Abraham went, as the Lord had told him.
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There's a question we're often asked when we meet somebody, especially for the first time.
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And that question is, where are you from?
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It's one of the most natural questions to ask.
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But the response you give will depend where you are when you're being asked,
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or maybe who you are speaking to.
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If you just meet someone locally around the town,
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the question might be focused just on Stornoway itself or another village in the island.
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It might be, you know, what street are you from?
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Where's your house?
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What house do you belong to?
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Maybe you're speaking to someone who's just from another part of the island.
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It'd be, what village are you from?
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Or if you're in Scotland, maybe you're away from the island.
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They'd be asking, where are you from?
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They might just say the Isle of Lewis or the Western Isles.
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Or if you're abroad and someone hears your accent
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and ask, where are you from?
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You might just respond, Scotland.
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There's all kinds of answers that we can give to the question,
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depending on our circumstances.
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That question, where are you from?
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Tonight we're looking at this passage where God calls Abram.
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And as we're looking at this passage,
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we're considering Abram and God's call to him.
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And just thinking of Abram, we could ask that question of him.
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Who is he?
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And where is he from?
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You often hear Abraham mentioned.
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Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
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These names keep appearing throughout the scriptures.
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Abram is seen as the father of the faith.
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As we sang in Psalm 105 there in verse 6,
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it speaks of Abram.
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O ye that are of Abram's race,
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his servant well approved.
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He's faithful Abram.
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He's described as there in that psalm as well.
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He's such an important figure in the scriptures.
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The covenant that was made with him,
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that God made with him,
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the promise that God gave to him,
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as you see in Genesis 12 through to Genesis 17.
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Abram is a father figure,
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an important figure in the scriptures,
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referred to again and again in the Old
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and into the New Testament.
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But who is he?
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And where is he from?
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He would be one who would be blessed by God
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and through whom blessings would come.
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But if you were to meet Abram in his time
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and ask him,
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where are you from?
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I wonder what kind of answer he would have given.
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Because as you read of him,
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you often find that he is someone
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who is constantly on the move.
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He's a wanderer in so many ways.
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And the question to Abram is not so much,
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where are you from?
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But ultimately,
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where are you going?
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And that is perhaps the way Abram would answer.
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That where he is going.
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We think of our own culture
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and how many songs have been written
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about our homeland,
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our town,
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our villages,
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our islands.
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Through generations of people
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having to leave our island,
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whether it's for work
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or moving to another country,
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so many songs were written
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looking back to the place
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they would call home.
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The Durukin on Friday night
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is always full of requests
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from people who have moved away
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or who are living away now,
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requesting songs about where they have come from,
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remembering home.
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A longing for home
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is something that is instilled
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in so many people.
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But what about where we are going?
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For ourselves and for Abraham,
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that's a question that we have to ask ourselves as well.
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Not just where are we from,
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but ultimately,
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where are we going?
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And as we read of Abraham here,
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we see that through faith,
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he went forward.
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He left, as it were,
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his home place behind
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because God called him
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to go to another place.
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And it's amazing how it is described
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as you go through the Scriptures
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that it becomes not just a place
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looking to this world,
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but a place beyond.
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For he longed for a place
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that one day he would see
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in all its fullness
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and all its glory.
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A place that many others
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since then have longed for
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and to this day long for as well.
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And you read of this,
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especially in the book of Hebrews.
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And in that amazing chapter,
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chapter 11 of Hebrews,
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where it speaks about the people of faith.
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And just hear what it says about Abraham.
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In chapter 11 of Hebrews,
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verse 8,
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By faith, Abraham obeyed
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when he was called to go out
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to a place that he was to receive
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as an inheritance.
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And he went out,
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not knowing where he was going.
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By faith, he went to live
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in the land of promise,
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as in a foreign land,
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living in tents
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with Isaac and Jacob,
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heirs with him
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of the same promise.
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But then it says this,
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For he was looking forward
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to the city
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that has foundations,
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whose designer
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and builder
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is God.
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That was not just a city
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here,
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but an eternal city.
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A city whose designer,
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whose maker
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and builder
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is God.
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So it wasn't just about
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where he was from.
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You see there,
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he was a wanderer.
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He lived in tents.
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But he was looking forward.
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He was looking forward
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to a city
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whose maker
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and builder
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is God.
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And what about
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for ourselves?
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When we consider
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where we're from,
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when we think to ourselves,
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well,
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where are we going?
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And what does that mean
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to us
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this evening?
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Where are we going?
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Where are our lives
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taking us?
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Not just in the sense
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of here in this world,
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but eternally.
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And how do we find
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our way?
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Well,
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how would Abraham
33:34
find this city?
33:36
How would Abraham
33:37
find this home
33:38
for himself
33:39
and for all of God's people?
33:41
Well,
33:42
we see it here.
33:45
How he would come
33:46
to enjoy it.
33:47
How he would come
33:48
to find it.
33:50
It's through God's
33:51
gracious call.
33:54
God calling him
33:55
and the promise
33:56
of his covenant
33:58
of grace
33:58
to him
33:59
that we see
34:00
beginning here
34:01
in chapter 12
34:02
of Genesis
34:03
and it really goes through
34:04
to chapter 17
34:05
of Genesis
34:06
as well.
34:07
But ultimately
34:08
we see it
34:08
running through
34:09
scripture.
34:11
The seed is here
34:13
but it bears
34:14
its fullness
34:15
in Jesus Christ.
34:18
And it is through
34:19
faith
34:19
in him
34:21
and listening
34:22
to his call
34:23
to us
34:25
that we experience
34:26
and know
34:26
the blessings
34:27
promised
34:28
to Abraham
34:29
here.
34:30
And as we read,
34:31
he would make it
34:32
a blessing
34:33
to all the nations,
34:34
to all the families
34:35
of the earth
34:36
shall be blessed
34:37
through him.
34:40
It's an amazing promise.
34:42
It's an amazing call.
34:44
It's an amazing experience
34:45
that God would call
34:46
his people
34:47
to himself.
34:49
And we just want
34:49
to look at this call
34:50
to Abraham
34:51
and see
34:51
how the blessing
34:53
flows to ourselves.
34:54
We want to see it
34:55
in four ways.
34:57
First of all,
34:57
just to see
34:58
Abraham's background
34:59
and then the call
35:01
to Abraham
35:02
and then the blessing
35:04
to Abraham
35:04
and then the blessing
35:06
through Abraham.
35:08
I want to go through
35:09
these four things.
35:10
And first of all,
35:11
the background
35:12
of Abraham.
35:15
We read at the end
35:16
there of chapter 11
35:17
which kind of
35:18
sets the scene
35:19
for us
35:20
when we read
35:21
the generations
35:22
of who his father was
35:24
and brothers
35:25
and family.
35:26
And we read
35:27
a number of names
35:28
there.
35:29
And there we find
35:30
the background
35:31
of Abraham,
35:32
where he lived
35:33
and how he moved.
35:34
But more importantly
35:36
maybe,
35:37
the kind of people
35:38
that they were.
35:41
And the immediate
35:42
context of chapter 11
35:44
is the Tower
35:46
of Babel.
35:48
If you read
35:48
in verse 4
35:50
of chapter 11,
35:51
there it says,
35:52
Then they said,
35:53
Come,
35:54
let us build
35:56
ourselves
35:56
a city
35:57
and a tower
35:57
with its top
35:58
in the heavens
35:59
and let us
36:01
make a name
36:01
for ourselves.
36:03
This is where
36:04
the people were at
36:05
and this is not long
36:06
after the flood.
36:08
You see,
36:08
the people's heart
36:09
were still inclined
36:10
to make a name
36:12
for themselves
36:12
and not praise
36:14
the name
36:14
of God.
36:17
But in the midst
36:18
of this,
36:18
God came.
36:20
Came into the midst
36:21
and scattered them.
36:23
Scattered them
36:23
to all ends
36:24
of the earth.
36:26
It was not about
36:27
making their name
36:28
great.
36:28
But that God's name
36:30
would be made great.
36:33
And so this was
36:33
a time when
36:34
the people
36:35
had been scattered
36:36
to all ends
36:37
of the earth.
36:39
And Abraham
36:40
finds himself
36:42
along with his family
36:43
in Ur of the Chaldeans.
36:46
Now you maybe
36:47
think of Abraham.
36:49
You hear this name,
36:51
Mighty Abraham,
36:52
Faithful Abraham,
36:53
Abraham,
36:54
the servant of God,
36:56
a godly man,
36:57
you say to yourself.
36:58
And he was.
37:00
But where was he from?
37:03
Well, you think
37:03
he must have had
37:05
a godly family.
37:07
He must have come
37:08
from a godly line.
37:10
And yet what you find
37:11
as you look into it,
37:12
as you see
37:13
his father
37:14
who was Terah,
37:15
what you find is
37:17
that Terah lived
37:18
among a people
37:19
who had no word
37:20
of God.
37:21
in chapter 24
37:23
of Joshua,
37:25
just a wee bit
37:25
further on
37:26
in the scriptures,
37:27
it says that
37:28
Terah,
37:28
the father of Abraham
37:29
and Nahor,
37:30
just as we have here,
37:32
it says that they lived
37:33
in this place
37:35
out of the Chaldeans.
37:36
But what does it say?
37:37
It says,
37:37
they served
37:39
other gods.
37:41
They didn't live
37:42
in a place
37:43
where God
37:44
was worshipped.
37:45
They lived in a place
37:46
that worshipped
37:48
other gods.
37:50
And Ur of the Chaldeans
37:51
was a place
37:52
known for this.
37:54
It was known
37:54
for moon worshipping.
37:56
It was known
37:57
for idols
37:58
and a place
37:58
of many gods.
38:00
And yet that is
38:00
where Abraham
38:01
was from.
38:03
That is his background.
38:06
And he was in the midst
38:07
of all of that.
38:10
But doesn't that
38:11
remind us
38:12
of how remarkable
38:14
God's grace is?
38:16
Of how remarkable
38:17
God is
38:18
in the abundance
38:19
of grace
38:20
he shows to people.
38:22
That no one
38:23
is too far
38:25
from God
38:26
to be saved.
38:28
Here is Abraham
38:29
caught up
38:30
in all of this.
38:32
Gods of all kinds
38:33
all around.
38:35
And yet God
38:35
calls him.
38:39
It's an amazing
38:40
thing to think
38:41
that when we think
38:42
of our own
38:43
place today,
38:44
our own nation today,
38:45
how God
38:46
can be calling
38:47
people,
38:48
not just who sit
38:49
under his word,
38:51
but even people
38:52
who are out there
38:53
with no thought
38:54
of God
38:54
at this time.
38:56
When you think
38:57
of even ministers
38:58
and preachers,
38:59
of the gospel,
39:01
future ministers
39:02
may be tonight
39:03
sitting in a pub
39:04
watching the football.
39:07
They may have
39:07
no thought
39:08
for God
39:09
and in our eyes
39:10
they are far
39:11
from God
39:12
and yet God
39:13
may be calling
39:14
them.
39:16
That is the wonder
39:17
of God's grace.
39:19
That is the abundance
39:20
of God's grace.
39:22
Here we see it
39:23
with Abraham.
39:24
We think Abraham
39:24
must have been
39:26
from a godly
39:27
background,
39:27
a godly family,
39:28
and yet they
39:29
were so far
39:30
from God
39:31
and yet God
39:32
calls them.
39:35
And that is the
39:36
beauty of the
39:37
scriptures.
39:39
It's not about
39:40
our ability
39:41
to make things
39:42
great,
39:43
but it's about
39:44
God's ability
39:45
to make a people
39:46
great,
39:47
to make a people
39:49
believe.
39:51
That is the grace
39:52
that is seen
39:54
through Abraham.
39:58
His background
39:59
is maybe not
40:00
what we expect.
40:02
And when we look
40:03
at our own
40:03
background,
40:05
did we expect
40:06
God to call us?
40:08
So often
40:09
not.
40:11
But yet God
40:12
is a God
40:13
of promise.
40:15
He is a God
40:16
who remembers
40:17
his people,
40:18
who calls
40:19
his people,
40:19
and who promises
40:21
to be with
40:22
them.
40:24
And so this
40:25
Abraham,
40:26
who lived
40:27
in our
40:27
of the
40:28
Chaldeans,
40:29
he became
40:29
the father
40:30
of the faith.
40:31
One who
40:32
God's covenant
40:32
came through,
40:33
God's promise
40:34
came through.
40:37
It's a
40:38
remarkable thing
40:39
and a
40:40
remarkable
40:41
reminder
40:41
of the
40:42
God
40:43
of all
40:43
grace.
40:45
It doesn't
40:46
matter
40:46
our
40:47
background.
40:48
when God
40:49
calls,
40:51
we are
40:51
to listen.
40:55
And that's
40:55
the second
40:56
thing we want
40:56
to see here
40:57
as well,
40:58
is the
40:58
call
40:59
to Abraham.
41:02
So here
41:02
he was,
41:03
the background
41:03
is basically
41:05
in the midst
41:06
of idolatry
41:07
and worshipping
41:08
false gods.
41:09
But into
41:09
this comes
41:10
the call
41:11
of Abraham.
41:13
And to be
41:14
part of
41:14
his covenant
41:15
of grace,
41:16
there was
41:17
to be
41:18
obedience
41:19
from
41:20
Abraham.
41:23
God's
41:24
covenant
41:24
as it
41:25
was made,
41:26
God keeps
41:27
his side
41:27
at all
41:28
times.
41:29
It's not
41:30
like a
41:30
contract
41:31
that we
41:31
might make
41:32
where if
41:33
one side
41:34
of the
41:34
party
41:34
fails in
41:36
payments
41:36
or repayments,
41:37
the contract
41:38
is broken.
41:40
God's
41:40
covenant
41:40
is different.
41:42
God
41:43
will always
41:43
keep
41:44
his side.
41:45
but it
41:46
does
41:47
call
41:47
for
41:48
obedience
41:49
on
41:49
Abraham's
41:50
side
41:50
here
41:50
and
41:50
our
41:51
side
41:51
tonight
41:52
as well.
41:54
God
41:55
calls
41:56
Abraham
41:56
and you
41:57
might
41:58
expect
41:59
that call
42:00
would maybe
42:00
come once
42:01
Abraham
42:02
has sorted
42:03
his life
42:03
out,
42:04
once he
42:04
has maybe
42:04
moved away
42:05
from out
42:06
of the
42:06
Chaldeans
42:07
and moved
42:07
into a
42:08
better place,
42:09
moved away
42:09
from idols
42:10
and false
42:11
gods
42:11
and false
42:12
worship.
42:13
But no,
42:15
it comes
42:16
right into
42:17
the midst
42:17
of where
42:18
he is.
42:19
In verse
42:19
1 of
42:20
chapter 12,
42:21
Now the
42:21
Lord said
42:22
to Abraham,
42:24
Go from
42:25
your country
42:25
and your
42:26
kindred
42:26
and your
42:26
father's
42:27
house
42:27
to the
42:28
land
42:28
that I
42:29
will show
42:30
you.
42:32
His
42:33
God
42:33
comes
42:34
in the
42:35
midst
42:35
of all
42:36
that was
42:37
happening
42:37
in his
42:38
life.
42:40
And that's
42:41
so often
42:41
the case.
42:43
We think
42:43
to ourselves
42:44
we have
42:45
to sort
42:46
ourselves
42:46
out before
42:47
God will
42:48
speak to
42:48
me.
42:49
We have
42:49
to sort
42:50
our lives
42:50
out before
42:51
God can
42:51
use me
42:52
or call
42:53
me to
42:53
something
42:54
else.
42:56
But God
42:56
says here
42:57
to Abraham
42:58
in the
42:58
midst of
42:58
everything,
42:59
Go from
43:00
your country
43:01
and your
43:02
kindred and
43:02
your father's
43:03
house to
43:04
the land
43:04
that I
43:05
will show
43:06
you.
43:07
And later
43:07
on in
43:07
scripture in
43:08
the book
43:08
of Acts
43:09
chapter 7,
43:10
we see a
43:10
little more
43:10
of this.
43:11
It says
43:11
in verse
43:12
2 of
43:13
Acts 7,
43:13
The God
43:14
of glory
43:15
appeared
43:15
to our
43:16
father
43:16
Abraham
43:17
when he
43:17
was in
43:18
Mesopotamia
43:18
before he
43:19
lived in
43:20
Haran and
43:20
said to
43:21
him,
43:22
Go out
43:22
of your
43:22
land and
43:23
from your
43:23
kindred and
43:24
go into
43:24
the land
43:25
that I
43:25
will show
43:26
you.
43:26
Then he
43:27
went out
43:27
from the
43:27
land of
43:28
the
43:28
Chaldeans
43:29
and lived
43:30
in Haran.
43:31
The God
43:31
of glory
43:32
appeared.
43:34
He appeared
43:35
to him
43:35
here in
43:36
the hour
43:37
of the
43:37
Chaldeans,
43:38
this place
43:39
of idolatry.
43:40
He appeared
43:41
to him
43:41
there.
43:44
And there's
43:44
a wonderful
43:45
reminder to
43:45
ourselves,
43:47
even here
43:47
this evening
43:48
or wherever
43:49
we might
43:49
hear this
43:50
message,
43:50
that God
43:51
speaks to
43:52
us in
43:52
our very
43:53
circumstances
43:54
here and
43:54
now.
43:56
Whatever our
43:57
lives are
43:58
like,
43:58
whatever is
43:58
going on
43:59
around us,
43:59
whatever is
44:00
going on in
44:01
our hearts,
44:02
God is
44:02
calling.
44:03
God is
44:05
calling us
44:06
to come
44:07
and follow
44:08
him.
44:10
He doesn't
44:10
wait for us
44:11
to sort
44:11
our lives
44:12
out.
44:13
He doesn't
44:13
wait for us
44:14
to make
44:14
ourselves
44:15
better,
44:16
because his
44:17
grace is
44:17
realizing we
44:18
are dead in
44:19
our trespasses
44:20
and sins,
44:21
like we were
44:21
thinking of
44:22
this morning
44:23
in Habakkuk.
44:26
Our sins,
44:27
they are
44:28
many,
44:28
but his
44:28
mercy is
44:29
more.
44:30
And he
44:33
has come
44:33
to give us
44:34
life.
44:36
And so here
44:36
we see
44:37
Abraham is
44:38
called to
44:39
leave his
44:39
home,
44:40
his people,
44:41
his father's
44:41
house,
44:42
and there's
44:42
a great
44:42
challenge in
44:43
this,
44:44
a challenge
44:45
to Abraham
44:46
here.
44:46
He is to
44:47
leave everything
44:47
behind and
44:48
trust God,
44:50
to listen to
44:51
God and
44:51
think,
44:52
well,
44:52
can this
44:53
God provide?
44:54
Can this
44:55
God keep
44:55
me?
44:56
Can this
44:56
God really
44:57
fulfill all
44:58
these promises
44:59
that he's
44:59
telling me
45:00
about through
45:00
me and
45:01
my wife
45:02
Sarah?
45:03
Sarah,
45:04
who it
45:04
says is
45:05
barren,
45:07
and yet
45:07
God is
45:07
saying,
45:08
I will
45:08
bless you
45:09
and make
45:10
you a
45:10
great nation.
45:12
His
45:12
trust is
45:13
put to
45:13
the test
45:14
straight
45:15
away.
45:17
And that's
45:18
a challenge
45:18
to ourselves
45:19
as well.
45:19
Do we
45:20
trust God?
45:21
Do you
45:22
trust God
45:23
this evening
45:23
with your
45:24
whole heart,
45:25
with your
45:25
whole life,
45:26
to say,
45:27
Lord,
45:27
I cannot
45:28
do this
45:28
by myself.
45:29
If I
45:29
cannot go
45:30
forward in
45:31
this way,
45:32
I have
45:32
my doubts,
45:33
I have
45:33
my fears,
45:34
I have
45:35
my questions.
45:38
But when
45:39
God calls,
45:40
it's decision
45:40
time.
45:42
It's
45:43
something we
45:43
face in
45:44
this world
45:44
again and
45:45
again when
45:46
God calls
45:47
us.
45:48
And we
45:48
so often
45:48
weigh things
45:49
up and
45:50
we think
45:50
of,
45:51
well,
45:51
what will I
45:52
lose out
45:53
and what
45:53
will I
45:53
miss,
45:54
what will I
45:54
gain?
45:54
We weigh
45:55
things in
45:56
the balance.
45:59
And tonight,
46:00
if you're not
46:00
heeding this
46:01
call,
46:01
what is
46:02
keeping you
46:03
back?
46:04
What is
46:05
keeping you
46:05
back from
46:06
being a
46:06
part of
46:07
the same
46:07
promise to
46:08
Abraham,
46:09
the promise
46:10
that he
46:10
says,
46:11
and you
46:11
all families
46:12
of the
46:12
earth will
46:13
be blessed,
46:15
the same
46:16
promise that
46:16
was given
46:17
to him,
46:17
that by
46:18
faith he
46:19
would see
46:19
these promises
46:20
fulfilled.
46:21
What is
46:22
keeping you
46:22
back tonight?
46:25
Do you
46:25
not trust
46:26
God to
46:26
be able to
46:27
fulfill all
46:28
these promises?
46:31
In the
46:31
New Testament
46:32
Jesus met
46:33
with a man
46:34
who was
46:34
called the
46:35
rich young
46:35
ruler and
46:37
Jesus challenged
46:38
him, you
46:40
know, go
46:40
and sell all
46:42
that you have
46:42
and then come
46:43
and follow
46:44
me.
46:45
And he
46:46
weighed it
46:46
up and he
46:47
says I've
46:47
got too
46:48
much to
46:48
lose.
46:49
He was
46:50
just looking
46:51
at it in
46:51
the temporal
46:52
things of
46:53
this world
46:53
and not
46:53
the eternal
46:54
things of
46:55
this world.
46:57
And he
46:57
decided no,
46:59
my wealth
46:59
is too
47:00
great,
47:01
the cost
47:02
is too
47:02
dear to
47:03
leave all
47:04
that behind
47:04
and follow
47:05
Jesus.
47:08
And it's
47:08
something we
47:09
have maybe
47:10
done or
47:10
maybe something
47:11
we are doing
47:11
right now,
47:12
we are saying
47:13
no, I
47:13
have too
47:14
much to
47:14
lose in
47:15
this world.
47:17
Well, you
47:18
have more
47:19
to lose
47:19
in
47:20
eternity.
47:24
What
47:24
shall it
47:25
profit a
47:25
man to
47:27
gain the
47:27
whole world
47:28
and yet
47:29
lose his
47:30
soul?
47:33
Abraham is
47:34
challenged
47:34
here.
47:36
The Lord
47:37
said to
47:37
Abraham,
47:38
go from
47:39
your country,
47:41
trust me
47:42
and go
47:42
forward with
47:43
me.
47:44
The burden
47:45
on Abraham
47:46
was,
47:47
will you
47:48
go?
47:50
And what
47:50
was his
47:51
response?
47:52
Well, you
47:53
see it in
47:54
verse 4,
47:54
so Abraham
47:55
went as
47:57
the Lord
47:57
had told
47:58
him.
47:59
Abraham
48:00
went.
48:03
How do
48:04
we respond
48:05
to God's
48:06
call?
48:07
Will you
48:08
go?
48:10
Abraham
48:10
went.
48:12
When you
48:12
think of the
48:12
disciples and
48:14
Jesus called
48:15
them and
48:15
said, lay
48:16
down your
48:16
nets, leave
48:18
them behind
48:18
and come
48:19
and follow
48:20
me and I
48:20
will make
48:21
you fishers
48:21
of men.
48:23
They dropped
48:23
them there
48:24
and then.
48:25
They left
48:25
them behind
48:26
and they
48:27
followed
48:27
Jesus.
48:29
Has
48:29
anybody ever
48:30
lost out
48:31
in doing
48:31
that?
48:32
No.
48:34
And if you
48:35
have any
48:35
doubts this
48:36
evening as
48:37
to the cost
48:37
of losing
48:38
out on
48:39
anything and
48:39
following
48:40
Jesus,
48:41
you will
48:42
only lose
48:42
out if you
48:43
don't.
48:43
the call
48:45
is to
48:46
come and
48:47
follow.
48:48
The question
48:49
is, will
48:51
you go?
48:52
Will you
48:53
go with
48:54
him?
48:56
Well, Abraham
48:57
went.
48:59
And what we
48:59
see then is
49:00
the blessing
49:01
to Abraham.
49:03
Blessing
49:04
follows
49:05
obedience.
49:06
We hear
49:06
that phrase.
49:08
But too,
49:08
often we think
49:09
of blessings
49:10
as everything
49:10
is going to
49:11
be well
49:12
in life.
49:13
But blessing
49:14
is knowing
49:15
that God
49:16
is with
49:17
you through
49:17
all things.
49:20
Honor me
49:20
and I
49:21
will honor
49:22
you, God
49:22
says.
49:23
And Abraham
49:23
went in
49:25
obedience.
49:26
And as he
49:27
went in
49:27
obedience, he
49:28
found every
49:29
promise of
49:30
God to be
49:31
true.
49:32
How God
49:33
would provide.
49:34
It wasn't
49:34
always easy.
49:35
There were
49:35
challenges along
49:36
the way.
49:37
But God
49:38
provided for
49:39
him.
49:41
In verse
49:41
two,
49:42
here it
49:43
says,
49:43
I will
49:43
make you
49:44
a great
49:45
nation.
49:46
And I
49:46
will bless
49:47
you and
49:47
make your
49:48
name great
49:49
so that
49:49
you will
49:50
be a
49:51
blessing.
49:52
This is
49:53
the very
49:53
thing that
49:55
they were
49:55
looking for
49:56
in Babel
49:57
in chapter
49:58
11,
49:58
verse 4.
50:00
They said,
50:00
come, let
50:01
us build
50:01
ourselves a
50:02
city, a
50:03
tower with
50:04
its tops
50:06
in the
50:06
heaven, and
50:06
let us
50:06
make a
50:07
name for
50:08
ourselves.
50:09
themselves.
50:10
They wanted
50:11
to make a
50:12
name for
50:13
themselves.
50:14
But here
50:14
in verse
50:14
2, we
50:16
see Abraham
50:18
here.
50:20
His name
50:20
is going
50:21
to be
50:21
made
50:22
great.
50:23
I will
50:23
bless you
50:24
and make
50:25
your name
50:26
great.
50:28
God will
50:28
do it.
50:30
This time,
50:32
both here in
50:32
the UK and
50:33
also in
50:34
America,
50:35
politics is
50:35
all to the
50:36
fore.
50:36
all these
50:38
slogans
50:38
come out
50:39
just now
50:40
of how
50:40
Britain is
50:41
going to
50:41
be great
50:42
once again,
50:43
or how
50:44
America is
50:45
going to
50:45
be great.
50:46
Put your
50:46
trust in
50:47
these people
50:48
and they
50:48
will make
50:49
the nation
50:49
great again.
50:51
That is the
50:51
promises that
50:52
are being
50:52
put out
50:53
there.
50:54
But all
50:54
it is,
50:54
it's like
50:55
the Tower
50:55
of Babel
50:56
back in
50:57
these days.
50:58
They want
50:58
their name
50:59
to be
51:00
great.
51:01
But the
51:02
answer to
51:02
greatness for
51:03
a nation
51:04
and for
51:04
a people,
51:05
it's not
51:05
about making
51:06
our name
51:07
great,
51:07
but making
51:08
God's
51:09
name
51:09
great.
51:10
Because only
51:11
God can
51:12
make a
51:12
nation
51:13
great and
51:13
a people
51:14
great.
51:15
And God
51:16
will humble
51:17
the proud
51:17
and he'll
51:18
exalt the
51:19
humble.
51:21
And so we
51:21
need to
51:21
humble
51:22
ourselves
51:22
before God.
51:24
And in
51:25
many ways
51:25
what Abraham
51:26
is doing
51:27
here is
51:27
humbling
51:28
himself
51:29
before God.
51:30
Being
51:31
obedient to
51:32
God.
51:33
Go from
51:34
your country,
51:35
your kindred,
51:35
your father's
51:36
house to
51:36
the land
51:37
that I
51:37
will show
51:37
you.
51:38
And I
51:38
will make
51:39
you a
51:39
great nation
51:40
and I
51:41
will bless
51:41
you and
51:42
make your
51:42
name great
51:43
so that
51:43
you will
51:44
be a
51:44
blessing.
51:46
And so
51:46
Abraham
51:47
went.
51:50
But when
51:51
you look at
51:51
Abraham as
51:52
he goes
51:52
on,
51:53
as he's a
51:54
blessing to
51:54
many,
51:55
you still
51:55
see him
51:55
traveling
51:56
around,
51:57
moving from
51:58
one place
51:58
to another,
51:59
living in
51:59
tents.
52:00
And yet
52:01
he knew
52:01
the blessing
52:02
of God
52:03
as he
52:03
worshipped
52:04
him.
52:05
He knew
52:06
the presence
52:06
of God
52:07
and God
52:08
blessed him
52:09
and a
52:10
people
52:10
through him.
52:12
He was
52:12
a man of
52:12
faith and
52:14
God
52:15
rewards that
52:16
faith as
52:17
we see in
52:17
Hebrews 11.
52:20
And what
52:20
was his
52:21
greatest
52:21
reward?
52:23
His
52:23
greatest
52:24
reward was
52:26
to be
52:26
looking forward
52:27
and to see
52:28
that city
52:29
that has
52:30
foundations,
52:31
whose
52:32
designer and
52:33
builder is
52:34
God.
52:36
That is
52:37
what faith
52:37
rewards,
52:39
to bring us
52:40
into the
52:40
presence of
52:42
God.
52:44
I was
52:45
going round
52:45
the castle
52:46
grounds this
52:47
week,
52:47
walking down
52:48
by the
52:49
Creed.
52:50
And as I
52:50
was walking
52:51
down,
52:51
there was a
52:52
group of
52:52
four tourists
52:53
who had
52:54
obviously come
52:54
off one of
52:55
the cruise
52:55
ships that
52:55
were in.
52:57
And they'd
52:57
come round
52:58
the new
52:58
pathway there
52:59
across the
53:00
bridge on
53:00
the Creed
53:00
and they
53:01
were
53:01
standing at
53:02
a sign
53:02
with a
53:03
map on
53:03
it.
53:05
And as
53:05
you come
53:05
over the
53:05
bridge,
53:06
there's three
53:06
ways to
53:07
go.
53:08
You can
53:08
go left,
53:09
you can
53:09
go right,
53:10
and you
53:10
can go
53:10
straight ahead.
53:12
And they're
53:12
looking at
53:12
this map and
53:13
they're seeing
53:13
me coming
53:14
towards them
53:15
and they
53:15
stop me and
53:16
they ask
53:16
me,
53:17
excuse me
53:18
sir,
53:18
could you
53:18
tell us
53:19
the way to
53:19
the city?
53:21
I say,
53:22
well I'm
53:22
not sure
53:22
where you
53:23
think you're
53:23
going,
53:24
but Stornow
53:24
is not
53:25
much of a
53:25
city compared
53:27
to some of
53:27
the cities
53:27
that you've
53:28
seen.
53:29
But I
53:30
said,
53:31
I can
53:31
point them
53:32
in different
53:32
directions here.
53:33
They're looking
53:34
at the map
53:34
and probably
53:35
thinking,
53:35
the shortest
53:36
way is
53:36
straight ahead,
53:38
but it's
53:39
just going
53:39
into the
53:40
woods.
53:40
And I'm
53:40
thinking,
53:41
if they go
53:42
in there and
53:42
they find
53:43
more ways
53:44
to go,
53:44
they're just
53:45
going to
53:45
end up
53:45
lost.
53:47
So I
53:47
said,
53:47
well your
53:47
best way
53:48
is to
53:48
follow the
53:49
river down
53:50
to the
53:50
mouth and
53:51
then follow
53:52
around the
53:52
path along
53:53
by the
53:53
sea.
53:55
At least
53:55
you'll have
53:55
something to
53:56
keep you
53:56
right.
53:57
But as I
53:58
left them
53:59
behind,
54:00
I thought to
54:00
myself,
54:01
what a
54:01
question that
54:02
is.
54:03
Can you
54:03
tell me the
54:04
way to
54:05
the city?
54:07
And that's
54:08
the question
54:08
that's behind
54:09
Abraham here
54:10
as well.
54:11
And the
54:11
question that's
54:12
behind our
54:12
own thinking
54:13
tonight,
54:14
what is the
54:15
way to
54:16
the city?
54:17
And what is
54:18
the city
54:19
that we are
54:20
looking for?
54:22
We think of
54:23
where we're
54:23
from,
54:25
but what
54:25
about where
54:26
we're going?
54:27
they may
54:29
have been
54:30
disappointed,
54:30
I hope not,
54:31
when they
54:31
came into
54:32
the town
54:32
of Stornoway.
54:34
But there's
54:34
one thing
54:35
for sure,
54:36
that if we
54:37
find this
54:38
city whose
54:39
maker and
54:39
builder is
54:40
God,
54:41
there will
54:42
be no
54:42
disappointment.
54:45
There will
54:45
be no
54:46
regret of
54:47
leaving anything
54:48
behind,
54:49
because we
54:50
will truly
54:51
see that
54:51
faith in
54:53
God and
54:54
in Christ
54:55
has a
54:56
great reward.
54:58
No matter
54:58
our journey
54:59
through this
55:00
life,
55:00
no matter
55:01
the ups
55:01
and downs
55:02
along the
55:03
way,
55:04
we are to
55:05
look to
55:06
a city
55:06
whose
55:08
maker and
55:09
builder
55:09
is God.
55:11
That is
55:12
the blessing
55:12
that Abraham
55:14
knew.
55:16
And just
55:16
as we
55:16
conclude,
55:17
just briefly,
55:18
I want to
55:18
think of the
55:19
blessing through
55:20
Abraham.
55:22
I will
55:23
bless those
55:24
who bless
55:25
you,
55:26
and in
55:26
you all
55:27
families of
55:28
the earth
55:29
shall be
55:30
blessed.
55:31
There is
55:32
an ongoing
55:32
promise
55:33
here,
55:35
that through
55:36
his covenant
55:37
with Abraham,
55:39
God would
55:40
bless all
55:42
families of
55:43
the earth,
55:45
all who
55:46
put their
55:46
trust in
55:48
him.
55:51
Go back
55:53
to the
55:53
question,
55:54
where are
55:54
you from,
55:56
and who
55:57
do you
55:58
belong to?
56:00
I
56:01
mentioned
56:02
how often
56:03
we hear
56:04
songs sung
56:05
in our
56:06
own culture.
56:08
And one
56:09
of the songs
56:09
that will
56:10
always catch
56:11
my attention
56:12
is the
56:13
song about
56:13
Shobost.
56:15
Shashiabost
56:16
is
56:16
Boehelam.
56:18
And there's
56:18
one line,
56:20
or some
56:20
lines in
56:21
that song
56:22
that speak
56:23
about a
56:24
generation of
56:25
people who
56:26
are no
56:26
longer living.
56:28
But yet you
56:29
still see
56:30
their mark
56:31
left behind.
56:33
The gardens
56:34
and the
56:35
fields,
56:37
they speak
56:37
of a
56:38
people no
56:39
more.
56:40
The marks
56:41
that are
56:41
there.
56:42
And we
56:43
think of
56:43
them as we
56:43
see it
56:44
around our
56:45
island in
56:46
so many
56:46
different
56:46
places.
56:47
You think
56:47
of the
56:48
lazy beds.
56:50
You see
56:50
them everywhere
56:51
throughout our
56:51
island and you
56:53
think, how on
56:54
earth did
56:54
something grow
56:55
there?
56:56
And yet they
56:57
are a mark
56:58
to us of
56:59
the life
57:00
that once
57:00
was.
57:02
Or the
57:02
peat banks
57:03
that so many
57:04
now are not
57:04
used.
57:06
They're a
57:06
reminder to
57:07
us of what
57:07
people relied
57:09
on in the
57:10
past.
57:11
But they're a
57:11
reminder to us
57:12
of the
57:12
potential that
57:14
is still
57:14
there.
57:17
Places that
57:17
are now
57:18
overgrown.
57:21
And yet
57:21
when we
57:21
think of
57:22
that in
57:22
light of
57:23
God's
57:24
covenant
57:24
with Abraham,
57:26
it can be
57:27
something we
57:27
think is
57:28
forgotten.
57:30
Something that
57:31
in many ways
57:31
that we have
57:32
left to the
57:32
side and
57:33
has become
57:34
overgrown.
57:35
And yet
57:36
the marks
57:37
are still
57:37
there for
57:38
us.
57:40
The wonder
57:40
of God's
57:41
grace is
57:42
still there
57:43
for us.
57:44
And at
57:45
the heart
57:45
of this
57:46
is the
57:47
fulfillment
57:47
of this
57:48
covenant
57:48
in Christ.
57:51
And where
57:52
we see
57:52
the marks
57:53
on Christ.
57:56
The marks,
57:56
the wounds
57:57
that bore
57:58
our sin
57:59
on the
58:00
cross.
58:02
And the
58:02
promise that
58:03
Abraham had
58:04
of a rich
58:05
land,
58:06
a blossoming
58:07
land,
58:08
that is the
58:09
promise that
58:10
is ours
58:10
in Christ.
58:13
Of a
58:14
greater
58:14
place,
58:15
a better
58:16
place,
58:18
a place
58:18
that Jesus
58:19
said in
58:19
John 14,
58:21
I go
58:22
to prepare
58:23
a place
58:24
for you.
58:25
And if I
58:26
go to
58:26
prepare a
58:27
place for
58:27
you,
58:27
I will
58:28
come again
58:29
and take
58:29
you to
58:29
myself,
58:30
that where
58:31
I am,
58:32
you may
58:32
be also.
58:33
a city,
58:36
a place
58:37
whose
58:38
maker and
58:39
builder
58:40
is God.
58:42
So the
58:43
question for
58:43
us tonight
58:44
is not
58:46
just where
58:47
are you
58:48
from,
58:49
the question
58:50
is where
58:52
are you
58:52
going?
58:55
And do
58:55
you long
58:56
for that
58:57
place?
58:58
Are the
58:59
things of
59:00
this world
59:00
taking hold
59:01
of your
59:01
heart so
59:02
that your
59:02
heart is
59:03
overgrown
59:04
with all
59:05
the pressures
59:06
of this
59:06
world?
59:08
Or are
59:08
you hearing
59:09
the call
59:10
of God
59:10
as it
59:11
was to
59:12
Abraham?
59:14
In the
59:14
midst of
59:15
idolatry
59:16
and everything
59:16
else that
59:17
was going
59:17
on around
59:18
him,
59:18
God called
59:19
him out
59:20
of that
59:20
place and
59:22
gave him
59:22
the promise
59:23
of a
59:24
blessing to
59:24
him and
59:25
being a
59:25
blessing to
59:26
others and
59:27
a faith
59:28
that had
59:29
its reward.
59:31
Abraham,
59:32
was a
59:33
man,
59:34
just a
59:36
person like
59:36
you and
59:37
I,
59:38
and yet
59:38
God called
59:39
him in
59:40
the same
59:41
way as
59:41
God calls
59:42
us,
59:42
each one
59:43
of us.
59:44
Abraham may
59:45
be seen
59:46
as the
59:47
father of
59:48
the faith,
59:49
but through
59:50
him and
59:51
ultimately
59:52
through his
59:52
seed,
59:53
through Christ
59:53
Jesus,
59:55
there is a
59:55
blessing to
59:56
all the
59:56
families of
59:58
the earth.
59:59
If we have
1:00:00
faith that
1:00:01
we too
1:00:02
will see
1:00:03
this city
1:00:04
whose
1:00:05
maker,
1:00:05
whose
1:00:05
designer
1:00:06
and builder
1:00:07
is God.
1:00:10
Tell me
1:00:11
the way
1:00:11
to the
1:00:12
city.
1:00:13
The way
1:00:14
to the
1:00:14
city is
1:00:15
by faith
1:00:16
in Christ.
1:00:18
So let's
1:00:18
hear his
1:00:19
call and
1:00:21
let's
1:00:21
follow him.
1:00:22
Let us
1:00:23
pray.
1:00:26
Our
1:00:26
father in
1:00:27
heaven,
1:00:27
we do
1:00:28
thank you
1:00:28
for your
1:00:29
word and
1:00:29
for the
1:00:29
promises we
1:00:30
find in
1:00:31
them.
1:00:32
We think
1:00:32
of the
1:00:33
fear that
1:00:34
these names
1:00:34
can so
1:00:35
often put
1:00:35
in us.
1:00:36
Abraham,
1:00:37
Isaac and
1:00:38
Jacob and
1:00:38
how unworthy
1:00:39
we are.
1:00:41
And yet
1:00:41
when we
1:00:41
see their
1:00:42
background,
1:00:42
when we
1:00:43
see where
1:00:43
they're
1:00:43
from and
1:00:44
ultimately
1:00:45
where they're
1:00:45
going,
1:00:46
we thank
1:00:47
you that
1:00:47
it reminds
1:00:48
us that
1:00:48
your call
1:00:49
is the
1:00:49
same to
1:00:49
us.
1:00:50
To heed
1:00:51
the call
1:00:51
of God
1:00:52
and to
1:00:53
follow you
1:00:54
that we
1:00:55
might by
1:00:55
faith see
1:00:56
that great
1:00:57
city whose
1:00:58
maker and
1:00:59
builder is
1:00:59
God.
1:01:00
So Lord,
1:01:01
guide us
1:01:02
along the
1:01:02
way,
1:01:02
keep us
1:01:03
and protect
1:01:03
us and
1:01:05
give us
1:01:05
ears to
1:01:05
hear and
1:01:07
to respond
1:01:07
to your
1:01:08
call as
1:01:09
we ask
1:01:09
it all in
1:01:10
Jesus'
1:01:10
name.
1:01:11
Amen.
1:01:15
We're
1:01:15
going to
1:01:16
conclude by
1:01:16
singing to
1:01:17
God's
1:01:18
praise in
1:01:18
Psalm 16
1:01:20
in the
1:01:20
same
1:01:20
psalms,
1:01:21
the same
1:01:21
psalm as
1:01:22
we had at
1:01:22
the start,
1:01:24
page 17
1:01:25
of the
1:01:26
psalm
1:01:26
books.
1:01:29
Psalm 16
1:01:32
at verse
1:01:32
8,
1:01:33
we'll sing
1:01:34
down to
1:01:34
the end
1:01:34
of the
1:01:35
psalm,
1:01:36
the tune
1:01:36
is Golden
1:01:37
Hill.
1:01:38
It's a
1:01:39
psalm that
1:01:39
reminds us
1:01:40
of our
1:01:40
ultimate,
1:01:41
our blessing
1:01:42
in God
1:01:43
as we
1:01:43
set the
1:01:44
Lord always
1:01:44
before us.
1:01:46
Because he
1:01:46
is at my
1:01:47
right hand,
1:01:48
I'll not
1:01:48
be overthrown.
1:01:49
Therefore,
1:01:49
my heart
1:01:50
is glad,
1:01:51
my tongue
1:01:52
with joy
1:01:52
will sing,
1:01:53
my body
1:01:53
too will
1:01:54
rest secure
1:01:55
in hope
1:01:56
unwavering.
1:01:58
We'll sing
1:01:58
from verse
1:01:59
8 to
1:01:59
11 to
1:02:00
God's
1:02:00
praise.
1:02:01
Amen.
1:02:26
God's
1:02:27
love
1:02:28
and my
1:02:28
right hand,
1:02:31
I'll not
1:02:33
be overthrown.
1:02:39
Therefore,
1:02:42
my heart
1:02:44
is glad,
1:02:47
my tongue
1:02:50
with joy
1:02:52
will sing,
1:02:55
my body
1:02:58
too will
1:03:01
rest secure
1:03:04
in hope
1:03:08
unwavering.
1:03:12
For you
1:03:15
will not
1:03:18
die
1:03:20
my soul
1:03:24
in death
1:03:25
to stay
1:03:29
nor will
1:03:32
you leave
1:03:35
your holy
1:03:37
one
1:03:39
to see
1:03:41
the
1:03:42
wounds
1:03:44
decay.
1:03:45
you
1:03:56
are
1:03:59
lost
1:03:59
…
1:03:59
to me
1:04:03
Which shall I go at your right hand?
1:04:14
Joy come, your face will shine.
1:04:23
After the benediction, I'll go to the door to my right.
1:04:26
We'll close the benediction.
1:04:27
Now may grace, mercy and peace from God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon and abide with you all now and forevermore. Amen.