Latest / Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons / New Year's Day 2024 Service - True Contentment

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New Year's Day 2024 Service - True Contentment · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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Well, it's good to be together today.
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A beautiful day outside, the first day of a new year,
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and it's better still to begin,
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gathered together in a place of worship,
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seeking God's presence and his favor over us.
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And we come to worship God.
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We'll sing to his praise.
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We'll begin by singing Psalm 103,
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in the Sing Psalms version, page 135 of the psalm book.
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Psalm 103, we'll sing from verse 1 to verse 11.
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The tune is before the throne.
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Praise God, my soul, with all my heart.
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Let me exalt his holy name.
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Forget not all his benefits,
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his praise, my soul, in song proclaim.
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We'll sing from verse 1 to 11 to God's praise.
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Praise God, my soul, with all my heart.
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Let me exalt his holy name.
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Our gift of all his benefits,
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his praise, my soul, in song proclaim.
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The Lord gives you all your sins,
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And his grace, my soul, in song proclaim.
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Your life he rescues from the grave,
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And grinds you in his tenderness,
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And grinds you in his tenderness.
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He's a despise, your deep desires,
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Of his unending stores of good.
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So that just like the being of strength,
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Your youthful anger is renewed.
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The Lord is known for righteous acts,
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And justice to tantroded ones,
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To Moses he made known his ways,
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His mighty deeds to Israel's sons.
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The Lord is merciful and kind,
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To anger slow and full of grace,
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He will not constantly reprove,
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For in his anger hide his face.
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He does not punish our misdeeds,
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Or give our sins their just reward,
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Our greatest love has high as ten
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Towards all those who fear the Lord.
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Let's bow our heads in a word of prayer.
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Let us pray.
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Lord our gracious God,
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As we begin our time of worship at this,
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The beginning of a new year,
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We thank you for the privilege that is ours,
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The freedom we have to come together this day,
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In this way,
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To lift up our voices in praise to you,
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To sing of your great steadfast love,
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To sing of your great goodness to us,
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And to come, O Lord,
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Seeking to praise you as our God with all our soul,
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To seek to worship you as you are worthy of,
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And we thank you that this psalm reminds us of your great goodness,
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Your mercy towards us.
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As it goes on,
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That we didn't sing,
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As far as east is from the west,
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So far his love has borne away our many sins and trespasses.
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And we thank you, Lord,
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That it is a wonderful psalm to remind us,
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At the beginning of a year,
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Of how we are to live.
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We are to live as a people who give all praise and glory to you.
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And we thank you, Lord,
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That your mercy is so great,
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That you have not turned away from us,
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But that you are still a God who looks down upon your people,
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A God who looks, O Lord,
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For a people to turn to you,
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To come to you,
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To find rest and joy and salvation,
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And all that you offer us through your Son,
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Christ Jesus.
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And we pray today, Lord,
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As we hear your word,
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And as we begin in worship a new year,
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That has all the uncertainties that lie ahead of us,
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We thank you that you are our constant companion,
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That you are the one who prepares the way for his people,
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That you are the one who goes before us,
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And that we can be assured and confident,
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That whatever is in store for us,
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Whether it be times of joy or trouble,
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That we have you there with us.
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And so, Lord,
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We pray that you will bless us as a people,
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In our homes,
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In our families,
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In our congregation as a whole,
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That you will make your face to shine upon us,
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That we will know your glory,
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Your presence with us,
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Day after day.
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And we thank you, Lord,
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That around the world today,
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As a people take in a new year,
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As we see much celebration going on around the world,
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We see, too,
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How many are in a lost state,
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How many are without Christ,
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How many are perishing in this world.
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But we thank you that your gospel is mighty and powerful,
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And that you have your people to all ends of the earth,
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That your people gather
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In so many different parts of the world today,
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Lifting up their voices to you as we have,
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And will do us well,
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Lifting up our praise and our prayers to you,
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Asking for your goodness and your mercy
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To be upon us as a people,
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Asking for you to intervene in ways,
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O Lord,
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That are so outwith of our control,
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When we see, O Lord,
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All the troubles of this world,
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The situations that we cannot impact ourselves,
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Whether it's in the large-scale matters of this world,
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Or even in our own individual lives,
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Or the lives of others,
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Lord,
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There are so many things that we feel helpless in,
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So many things that we cannot impact ourselves,
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But yet we thank you for the joy and the privilege of prayer,
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For we know we can depend on you,
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As the one who is able to do what we cannot,
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What is impossible with man is possible with God,
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And so help us in our prayers day after day,
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To come in faith,
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To come in dependence,
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To come in joy to you,
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As the one who has opened the way for us,
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That we come in the name,
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Above every name,
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The name of our Lord and Saviour,
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Jesus Christ,
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The one through whose death we see a way opened up,
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When the curtain was torn in two,
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As your word describes,
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As Jesus was on the cross,
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That we saw the way opened up to you,
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As our Father in heaven,
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That we come through our great high priest,
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The Lord Jesus Christ,
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And so hear our prayers,
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Lord,
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And answer according to your will,
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And may you bless your word to us today,
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As we hear it,
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And as we share it together,
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And wherever it's shared today,
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Lord,
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We pray that you would bless it to all ends of the earth,
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For your word is mighty and powerful,
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It goes out with power,
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Lord,
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It is able to melt the hardest of hearts,
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And we pray,
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Lord,
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That in every place where your word is proclaimed,
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That you will give ears to hear and to understand,
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We thank you for those who will gather in a short time,
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At the Islay Memorial,
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For a service of remembrance there,
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We thank you,
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Lord,
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For the peace of this day today,
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That they'll be able to gather there,
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And yet in so many ways,
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Oh Lord,
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It brings even more sadness to that occasion,
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When we think of so many years ago,
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When so many perished,
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So much sadness and sorrow our island experienced,
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And that great loss,
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We thank you that we can look back in remembrance,
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Giving thanks,
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Oh Lord,
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That through all the years,
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Through all the generations,
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You are a God who has been faithful,
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That you are a God who is able to heal the hurts,
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That you are a God who is able to build up,
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Even from such disasters,
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And we pray,
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And we pray,
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Lord,
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That as your word is preached there,
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As Reverend James McKeever will minister to the people,
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That you will bless him and uphold him in that,
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And give him the words to speak,
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And oh Lord,
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As this time of year is always a time of reflection,
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Looking back,
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We think of many who,
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As we heard last evening,
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Are going through so many difficulties and trials,
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There's much sorrow in reflecting,
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Looking back,
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There may be much anxiety looking forward as well,
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But we pray,
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Lord,
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To know your peace,
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To know that peace that passes understanding,
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To know your presence and your blessing upon us,
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So Lord,
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We pray that you will crown our year with your bounty,
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That you will do us good,
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Oh Lord,
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In all the days ahead,
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That as we commit ourselves into your hands,
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We would know you with us in every way,
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We come again confessing our sins,
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We confess,
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Oh Lord,
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How far short we fall,
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But again,
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As we have sung,
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We are reminded,
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Lord,
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That you are able to cast our sins away,
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And we pray,
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Lord,
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For your forgiveness over us as a people,
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As a nation,
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As a world,
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As we confess,
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Oh Lord,
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How far from you we have gone,
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We pray,
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Lord,
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That you will bring healing,
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And restoration,
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And your great day of salvation to us once again,
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So Lord,
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Hear us,
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We pray,
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Go before us,
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Bless us,
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And hear us in all these things,
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As we ask it in Jesus' name,
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For his sake and glory,
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Amen.
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We're going to sing again to God's praise,
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In Psalm 23,
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In the Scottish Psalter,
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Psalm 23,
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Again,
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A psalm that reminds us of our constant need of the Lord,
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That he would be our shepherd,
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That he would be our shepherd,
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In this year ahead,
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The Lord's my shepherd,
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I'll not want,
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He makes me down to lie,
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In pastures green,
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He leadeth me,
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The quiet waters by,
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My soul he doth restore again,
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And me to walk doth make,
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Within the paths of righteousness,
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Even for his own name's sake.
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We'll sing the whole of this psalm,
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The tune is St.
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Columba,
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And we stand to sing to God's praise.
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The Lord's my shepherd,
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For God's sake,
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For God's sake,
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For God's sake,
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He leadeth me,
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He makes me down to lie,
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In pastures green,
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He leadeth me,
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The quiet waters by,
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My soul he doth restore again,
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And me to walk doth make,
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Within the paths of righteousness,
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In pastures green,
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In pastures green,
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In pastures green,
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In pastures green,
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In pastures green,
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Yet will I fear not ill,
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For thou art done,
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For thou art done,
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Yet will I fear none ill,
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For Thou art with me and I will,
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And staffed me not for still.
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My table, Thou art, has furnished it,
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In presence of my foes,
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My head the dust with o'er anoint,
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And my cup overflows.
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Goodness and mercy on my life
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Shall surely follow me,
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And in process forevermore
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My dwelling place shall be.
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Well, we can read together in the New Testament,
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Paul's letter to the Philippians.
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We're going to read in chapter 4,
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From the beginning of that chapter,
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We can read the whole of this chapter together.
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Philippians chapter 4.
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At the end of chapter 3,
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Paul is speaking to the Philippians
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About striving on towards the goal.
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We heard a little of that last evening,
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The forgetting what lies behind
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And straining forward to what lies ahead.
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I press towards the goal for the prize
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Of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
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That's in verse 14 of chapter 3.
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And then in chapter 4,
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He begins with these words,
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Therefore, my brothers,
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Whom I love and long for,
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My joy and crown,
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Stand firm thus in the Lord,
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My beloved.
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I entreat you,
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And I entreat Syntyche,
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To agree in the Lord.
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Yes, I ask you also,
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True companion,
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Help these women
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Who have laboured side by side
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With me in the gospel,
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Together with Clement
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And the rest of my fellow workers,
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Whose names are in the book of life.
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Rejoice in the Lord always.
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Again, I will say,
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Rejoice.
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Let your reasonableness
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Be known to everyone.
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The Lord is at hand.
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Do not be anxious about anything,
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But in everything,
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By prayer and supplication.
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With thanksgiving,
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Let your requests be made known to God.
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And the peace of God,
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Which surpasses all understanding,
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Will guard your hearts and your minds
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In Christ Jesus.
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Finally, brothers,
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Whatever is true,
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Whatever is honourable,
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Whatever is just,
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Whatever is pure,
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Whatever is lovely,
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Whatever is commendable,
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If there is any excellence,
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If there is anything worthy of praise,
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Think about these things.
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What you have learned,
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And received,
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And heard,
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And seen in me,
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Practice these things,
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And the God of peace
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Will be with you.
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I rejoiced in the Lord greatly,
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That now at length
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You have revived your concern for me.
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You were indeed concerned for me,
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But you had no opportunity.
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Not that I am speaking of being in need,
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For I have learned,
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In whatever situation I am,
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To be content.
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I know how to be brought low,
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And I know how to abound.
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In any and every circumstance,
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I have learned the secret
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Of facing plenty and hunger,
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Abundance and need.
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I can do all things
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Through him who strengthens me.
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Yet it was kind of you
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To share my trouble.
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And you Philippians yourselves
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Know that in the beginning
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Of the gospel,
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When I left Macedonia,
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No church entered into partnership with me
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In giving and receiving
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Except you only.
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Even in Thessalonica,
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You sent me help
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For my needs once and again.
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Not that I seek the gift,
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But I seek the fruit
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That increases to your credit.
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I have received full payment and more.
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I am well supplied,
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Having received from Epaphroditus
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The gifts you sent.
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A fragrant offering,
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A sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.
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And my God will supply
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Every need of yours,
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According to his riches
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In glory in Christ Jesus.
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To our God and Father
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Be glory forever and ever.
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Amen.
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Greet every saint in Christ Jesus.
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The brothers who are with me greet you.
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All the saints greet you.
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Especially those of Caesar's household.
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The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
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Be with your spirit.
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Amen.
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And may God bless that reading
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From his word.
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Before we turn to look at some of these verses,
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We'll sing again
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To God's praise in Psalm 19.
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Psalm 19 in the Scottish Psalter.
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We're going to sing from verse 7
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Down to verse 11.
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Page 223 of the psalm books.
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Psalm 19 at verse 7.
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Page 223.
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It reminds us of the wonder of God's word
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And how precious it should be to us.
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The more than gold,
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Ye much find gold to be decided,
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Are the psalmist says.
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God's law is perfect and converts.
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The soul in sin that lies.
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God's testimony is most sure
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And makes the simple wise.
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So tune us in Moravia
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And we'll sing from verse 7 to 11.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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God's law is perfect and converts.
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The soul in sin that lies.
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God's testimony is most sure
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And makes the simple wise.
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The statutes of the Lord are white
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And who rejoice the heart
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The Lord's covenant is pure and a light
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To the eyes impart
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Unspaughted is the fear of God
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And who rejoice the Lord
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And who rejoice the Lord
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And who rejoice the Lord
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The Son of God
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The love of God
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And who rejoice the Lord
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Are true and righteous
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All together
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They more than gold, yea, much fine gold, to be decided are.
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That honey, honey, from the cold, that trumpet sweeter far.
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Born over they thy servant war, that he his life should reign.
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And with reward provided for them that keep the same.
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We can turn back to reading the passage we had in Philippians chapter 4.
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And we're going to look at verse 10 to verse 13.
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Philippians chapter 4, reading again at verse 10.
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I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at length you have revived your concern for me.
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You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.
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Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content.
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I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound.
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In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.
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I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
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I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content.
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Beginning of a new year, New Year's Day is always a time of mixed emotions.
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There's a sense of newness and excitement, maybe about what lies in store for the year ahead.
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It's also a time of sorrow and sadness in many ways.
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There may be anxieties looking ahead.
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There may be emotions looking back.
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We go through so many different emotions at this time of year.
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But there's something that's often highlighted for us at this time of year as well.
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And it's a people who we often see talking about New Year's resolutions.
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When people look at their lives, often it's what is missing or what's wrong in life that they focus on.
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And they see a need for change.
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I need to take action.
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I need to do something.
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And so many make resolutions that this coming year is going to be different.
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That things are going to change in whatever different kinds of ways.
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It's so often the case that January sees a great increase in the number of people joining gyms, taking up memberships in gyms.
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And yet by February or March, the numbers are starting to dwindle once again.
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Because so often we give these things thought, and yet nothing really changes.
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And yet as we go into a new year, yes, there is a need to look at things that need to change.
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There's no harm in that if there's things we could do better, if there's things we can change in our own lives.
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But above all, it's to look at, well, what is it to be content?
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There's a lot of discontent.
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There's a lot of anxiety and worry about different things.
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But what is it to be content?
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Do you know what it is to be content?
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Are you feeling content today as you start a new year?
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Contentment often makes us think, well, what is contentment?
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Where is contentment found?
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What is our view of contentment?
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Some people speak of contentment, defining it as a state of peaceful happiness.
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And yes, there's a sense of contentment in that.
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If you're at peace and you're happy, there is a sense of contentment.
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But what if you're not?
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What if there isn't peace around?
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What if you're not feeling full of the joys, as it were, full of happiness?
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Does that mean you're not content or cannot be content?
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Well, as Paul is writing to the church at Philippi,
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Paul himself is here speaking about contentment.
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And it's not contentment that's just a sense of peaceful happiness.
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That all is well.
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Paul is writing from a prison cell.
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He's writing in his own old age.
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He's writing in the uncertainty that lies ahead of him of what his own life entails.
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His uncertainty about his future is a likelihood that he may be put to death very soon.
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Is that a peaceful happiness?
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He's writing to a people who are being persecuted for their faith,
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who are suffering great loss in so many different ways.
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Is that a peaceful happiness?
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Well, not in the way that the world would define it.
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There are many struggles going on.
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And the same may be true for ourselves as well.
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As we begin a new year, it's not just a sense of a peaceful happiness.
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Yes, it's great if it is.
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But we can find that there is contentment.
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When we see what is behind contentment and where our contentment is truly found and what it really means.
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You see, contentment is not just based on peace and happiness.
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It is not about having what we want or having everything that we feel we want in this world.
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It's about having what we need and seeing what our greatest need is.
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And to have that need fulfilled is to know through contentment.
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And that's what we find Paul telling us about here.
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What this contentment is.
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Where it's found.
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And what it brings to us.
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To experience that true contentment can only be found in rejoicing in the Lord Jesus Christ.
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In knowing the joy of the Lord as our strength.
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This is a wonderful letter by Paul writing with much thanksgiving to the church at Philippi.
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To the people at Philippi.
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And it's full of joy.
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It's full of a sense of rejoicing.
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As we read earlier in chapter 4, verse 4.
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Rejoice in the Lord always.
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Again, I will say rejoice.
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It's a wonderful letter full of gospel hope.
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The joy of Christ as our strength.
28:20
That has Paul's motto for life.
28:23
For me to live is Christ.
28:25
And to die is gain.
28:27
He knows the joy of the Lord.
28:30
And that is where his contentment is found.
28:33
And that's what he's sharing with the church at Philippi.
28:36
Sharing with ourselves today.
28:39
The great theologian Augustine once said,
28:41
You have made us for yourself, O Lord.
28:45
And our heart is restless until it rests in you.
28:51
Our heart is restless.
28:53
There's a sense of discontent until our hearts rest in Christ.
29:00
And then we know what true contentment is.
29:04
And so Paul is just showing us some things about this contentment that we can know in Christ here.
29:11
And just for a few moments, I want to think about three things that we see regarding this contentment in these verses.
29:19
And the first thing we want to think about is the search for contentment.
29:25
If Paul is writing here about contentment, that he has learned in whatever situation to be content,
29:34
it's a process that he's gone through.
29:37
It's something that he's been searching for in his own life.
29:40
And something that he knows so many people in Philippi are searching for.
29:45
So many people down through all the generations are searching for this sense of contentment.
29:51
We see it all around us.
29:53
A search for contentment.
29:55
People are restless.
29:57
People are unsettled.
29:58
When we're discontent, there's always something that's agitating us.
30:02
Always something that's making us look for something more, something extra.
30:07
But the question is, where are we looking?
30:11
Where are we looking for our contentment today?
30:14
Where are we looking for our contentment as we begin a new year?
30:18
There was a pilot once.
30:22
He was flying a passenger plane over some mountain range that he was very familiar with.
30:29
It's where he'd grown up.
30:30
And he was looking down out of the window of the plane this day with his co-pilot beside him.
30:35
And he was looking down and he pointed and said,
30:38
See that little lake down there?
30:40
When I was a young boy, I used to go out there fishing, sitting on a boat, fishing, spending my days on that lake.
30:50
And I used to look up into the sky and I'd see the planes passing by overhead.
30:55
And he would say, I used to long for being the pilot of one of these planes.
31:01
That was my greatest desire.
31:03
And he turned to his co-pilot and said,
31:05
Now I look down and wish I was in a boat fishing on the lake.
31:11
And it's just that kind of life that we live,
31:14
where we're always looking beyond and looking for something else.
31:19
The search for contentment in his life,
31:21
it almost leads us so often to just going round and round in circles.
31:26
No direction and no focus.
31:29
We're chasing after the end of the rainbow.
31:33
We're never going to find it.
31:35
It's like the writer to the Ecclesiastes speaks of again and again,
31:40
speaking about vanity, vanity, all is vanity.
31:44
Living life under the sun is just a chasing after the wind.
31:48
This cycle that goes on and on.
31:51
Because we're looking in the wrong place.
31:54
But as Paul is writing to the church at Philippi here,
31:58
he's writing as someone who has experienced this himself.
32:03
He's experienced this search for contentment,
32:06
seeking, as he was in his own life,
32:09
to honor God as he saw it.
32:12
And his life has always seemed to have a direction,
32:15
but it was a wrong direction.
32:17
Until the Lord Jesus took hold of him.
32:21
And so here he is writing now a changed man.
32:26
And what has changed him is the gospel.
32:29
The glory of the Lord Jesus appeared to him,
32:32
blinding him and bringing him to know salvation in him
32:36
and what true contentment is.
32:40
And here he's speaking of this contentment.
32:43
He's saying,
32:44
I know what it is to be content in whatever situation I am in.
32:49
And as he's writing to the church,
32:52
to the people at Philippi,
32:53
he's writing thanking them for their concern towards him.
32:57
But he's also almost defending himself,
33:00
saying,
33:00
you've been very generous to me.
33:02
You've given me a very precious gift,
33:05
a very acceptable gift,
33:07
as he says in verse 18,
33:09
a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.
33:12
So they've given him out of their own poverty,
33:16
as it were,
33:16
they've given much to Paul.
33:19
But he wants to write back and say,
33:21
this is not what's important to me.
33:25
What's important to me is not that I've received this gift,
33:28
but your willingness to give it.
33:32
He's rejoicing in this because,
33:34
as he says there in verse 10,
33:36
I rejoiced in the Lord greatly,
33:38
that you have shown concern for me.
33:42
Because what this reminds him of is that they have come to know Christ more and more,
33:48
that they are growing in their knowledge of Christ.
33:52
They're seeing how precious Christ is compared to anything else in this world,
33:57
and they're willing to give out of their little,
33:59
they're willing to give to Paul.
34:02
They didn't have much themselves,
34:05
but what they had they were willing to share.
34:09
And so what he's seeing here is the contentment in Christ is not material things.
34:16
Contentment in life is not material things.
34:19
It's the peace of Christ.
34:20
And he speaks about that so much through this letter as well.
34:27
The peace of God that passes understanding.
34:31
In verse 9 it says,
34:33
Practice these things and the God of peace will be with you.
34:37
The peace of God is where contentment is found.
34:43
And that's what Paul has learned in his own life.
34:46
And it's a remarkable life as you look at the life of Paul.
34:51
Through all the different challenges he's gone through,
34:54
he speaks here of being,
34:57
I know how to be brought low,
34:58
I know how to abound.
35:00
He's been through so many different situations.
35:04
I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger,
35:07
abundance and need.
35:10
He knows all these different experiences in his life.
35:13
And his search for contentment has brought him down many different paths.
35:20
But he's found that contentment is found in the strength
35:24
or the one who gives him strength in all of these situations.
35:31
Our lack of contentment in this world shows itself in so many different ways.
35:38
We see it in such a high rate of debt in our society today
35:43
where people feel they need to borrow more and more money
35:46
to be satisfied, to get everything that they need in life.
35:49
They need more and more money and they end up going into debt
35:52
and more misery.
35:53
They can't afford to repay the money,
35:56
the anxiety and pressure that that brings.
35:58
That's not where contentment is found.
36:04
Our lack of content is seen,
36:06
being content is seen in the demands that people make for their rights.
36:11
Now, I don't know if you saw it in the news just this past week.
36:15
There's a woman in America
36:16
and she's suing a chocolate company,
36:20
Hersey Chocolates.
36:22
She's suing them for $5 million.
36:26
Why?
36:27
Because she bought a chocolate
36:29
that on the front showed a chocolate that had a face on it.
36:34
But when she opened the chocolate,
36:36
it looked nothing like it did on the packet.
36:39
And she's so offended and upset that she's been misled
36:42
that the chocolate inside wasn't what was shown on the package.
36:46
So she's suing them for $5 million.
36:52
We say it often, the world is going madder all the time.
36:57
But people are looking for contentment, fulfillment, satisfaction
37:02
in all the wrong ways.
37:04
And all we want is never fulfilled.
37:07
It's never enough.
37:10
And that's what Paul is reminding us here.
37:13
As we begin a new year,
37:14
what is it that we are searching?
37:17
Where are we searching for our contentment?
37:20
What is it that we feel is going to make the greatest difference for us
37:25
in this year that lies ahead?
37:29
Well, the second thing we see here is
37:31
the worth of contentment that Paul speaks about.
37:37
Has your own view of what it is to be content
37:40
changed over the years?
37:43
I hope it has.
37:46
That as the years go on,
37:48
it teaches us what it truly means to be content.
37:53
And especially as we think of being a people
37:56
who trust in the Lord.
37:59
For some, it'll be content with what we have.
38:05
For others, it'll be seeking contentment
38:08
and maybe not truly knowing what it is.
38:13
Well, Paul, as he says here,
38:15
as he's speaking of the search for contentment,
38:17
he says in verse 11,
38:19
I am not speaking of being in need,
38:21
for I have learned in whatever situation I am
38:24
to be content.
38:27
It's something that's been shaping him
38:29
throughout his whole life.
38:32
And it's something that we should be letting God
38:35
shape in our lives too.
38:38
Learning what it is to be truly content.
38:43
Paul thought he knew what contentment was
38:46
in the past.
38:48
And what he was doing was seeking
38:50
to destroy the Christian church.
38:54
He thought he was serving God in that end.
38:58
But when the Lord changed his life,
39:00
he realized that was worthless.
39:04
Worthless comparing to knowing
39:06
the surpassing worth of Christ Jesus
39:09
as he speaks about in chapter 3.
39:12
Nothing else compares
39:14
comparing to knowing the Lord Jesus Christ.
39:19
The worth of contentment in him
39:22
is everything.
39:25
And as he's going on in life,
39:28
he is learning more and more
39:30
about what it is to be content.
39:33
And that's something that we all learn too.
39:37
That we all need to learn as we go on.
39:40
What it is to be content in Christ.
39:44
That we can do all things through him
39:46
who strengthens us.
39:49
Again, that text itself,
39:51
it's one of these ones that
39:52
is so misrepresented.
39:54
It's not just to say we can do anything.
39:56
We can do anything through Christ
39:59
who strengthens us.
40:00
It's facing up to the circumstances
40:03
that Paul is speaking about here.
40:06
Whether we're in plenty or hunger,
40:09
abundance or need.
40:11
That's what he's speaking about.
40:13
I can face up to these situations.
40:16
I can be content in all of these situations
40:19
because I know the strength of Christ
40:22
with me.
40:24
And isn't that a great assurance
40:26
and reassurance for ourselves too?
40:30
That as we go into a new year,
40:33
as we look ahead,
40:34
we don't know what lies ahead for us.
40:37
None of us do.
40:39
We don't know whether it'll be times
40:40
of plenty or times of hunger.
40:43
We don't know whether it'll be times
40:44
of abundance or times of need.
40:48
But we can know for sure
40:50
that whatever it is,
40:52
we can go through them
40:53
with the strength of Christ with us.
40:58
Paul has learned to be made humble
41:00
before the Lord.
41:03
And he's shading that with the Philippians here.
41:05
He's saying to them,
41:06
it doesn't matter what we have,
41:08
whether it's status,
41:09
whether it's material things,
41:11
power, health, wealth.
41:13
All of these things can be taken from us.
41:17
But God is faithful.
41:20
And God is sufficient.
41:23
He has learned in every situation.
41:26
He's learned in his plenty
41:28
as well as his need.
41:30
When he writes to the 1st Timothy
41:33
in chapter 6,
41:35
he's there speaking about
41:36
the love of money.
41:38
And again,
41:39
the love of money is where people
41:39
chase after contentment so much
41:42
is through money,
41:43
through riches.
41:45
But he speaks about it
41:46
in chapter 6 of 1st Timothy.
41:49
In verse 10,
41:49
he says,
41:50
for the love of money
41:51
is a root of all kinds of evil.
41:54
It is through this craving
41:55
that some have wandered away
41:56
from the faith
41:57
and pierced themselves
41:58
with many pangs.
42:01
Again,
42:01
it's just this idea
42:02
that contentment is found there,
42:03
not when it brings you away
42:05
from the faith.
42:06
In verse 17,
42:09
in 1st Timothy 6,
42:11
he goes on to say,
42:12
as for the rich
42:13
in this present age,
42:14
charge them not to be haughty,
42:16
not to set their hopes
42:18
on the uncertainty of riches,
42:19
but on God,
42:21
who richly provides us
42:22
with everything to enjoy.
42:24
Again,
42:25
it's just a wonderful reminder.
42:27
Don't search for contentment
42:28
in the riches of this world.
42:31
It's uncertainty of these riches,
42:33
but on God,
42:36
God who richly provides us
42:38
with everything to enjoy.
42:41
And if we don't see our worth
42:43
or the worth of what God
42:45
has provided for us,
42:47
then we don't see God
42:49
as the one who is able
42:50
to help us in all our needs.
42:53
His provision
42:56
is for everything
42:58
that we need.
43:00
His provision provided for us
43:02
through Christ.
43:05
And now,
43:05
before these verses
43:07
in 1st Timothy,
43:09
in verse 6 and 7,
43:11
Paul says this,
43:12
Now there is great gain
43:15
in godliness
43:16
with contentment.
43:19
For we were brought,
43:20
we brought nothing
43:21
into the world
43:22
and we cannot take anything
43:24
out of the world.
43:26
So everything that he says
43:27
about the riches
43:29
and the dangers of riches
43:30
are based on these words
43:32
before it.
43:33
There is great gain
43:34
in godliness
43:35
with contentment.
43:38
And that is where
43:39
contentment is found.
43:42
Godliness
43:43
with contentment.
43:46
Faith
43:47
in our Lord Jesus Christ
43:49
to be with us
43:50
and to go before us.
43:52
And so the question is,
43:54
as we go into a new year,
43:55
where is our worth
43:57
and our value found?
43:59
Where is
43:59
our true contentment found?
44:03
John Newton,
44:04
he wrote these words,
44:05
and I think they're great words
44:07
even as we think of
44:08
going into a new year.
44:11
May the grace of Christ
44:12
our Savior
44:13
and the Father's
44:14
boundless love
44:16
with the Holy Spirit's favor
44:18
rest upon us
44:20
from above.
44:21
Thus may we abide
44:23
in union
44:23
with each other
44:25
and the Lord
44:26
and possess
44:27
in sweet communion
44:28
joys which earth
44:30
cannot afford.
44:33
Wonderful words,
44:34
just to think of where
44:35
our contentment
44:37
is found.
44:38
may we enjoy
44:39
and possess
44:39
in sweet communion
44:41
joys
44:42
which earth
44:43
cannot afford.
44:47
To know
44:48
that contentment
44:50
in Christ,
44:52
godliness
44:53
with contentment
44:54
is great gain.
44:57
That is where
44:58
we are to look
44:59
for our contentment.
45:01
And that's where
45:02
we just want to finally
45:02
just focus on
45:03
for a few moments.
45:04
that source
45:06
of contentment.
45:10
I can do all
45:11
things
45:11
not by myself,
45:14
not with the help
45:15
of others.
45:16
I can do all
45:17
things
45:18
through him
45:19
who strengthens
45:21
me.
45:22
Paul is not
45:23
Superman.
45:25
Paul is not
45:26
some kind of
45:27
hero who can
45:27
face up to
45:28
any situation
45:29
through his own
45:30
strength,
45:31
but through
45:33
the joy
45:33
of the Lord
45:34
as his strength.
45:36
Through the strength
45:37
that he gives
45:38
through Christ
45:39
to his people.
45:41
Through him
45:41
who gives
45:43
me strength.
45:45
Paul begins
45:45
this section
45:46
with a sense
45:48
of rejoicing
45:48
in verse 10.
45:49
I rejoiced
45:50
in the Lord
45:50
greatly
45:51
that they
45:52
had provided
45:53
for him.
45:54
And in verse 13
45:55
there's this sense
45:56
of joy as well.
45:58
Joy in that
45:59
I can do all
45:59
things
46:00
through him
46:01
who strengthens
46:02
me.
46:02
Joy that he
46:02
is sharing
46:03
with the people
46:04
at Philippi
46:05
who are giving
46:06
out of their
46:07
poverty.
46:07
They're giving
46:08
to him.
46:09
He mentions
46:09
in verse 16
46:11
that even
46:12
in Thessalonica
46:13
you sent me
46:13
help for my
46:14
needs once
46:15
and again.
46:16
Why make
46:16
that point?
46:17
Because
46:18
Thessalonica
46:18
is a rich
46:19
place,
46:19
a place
46:20
of plenty,
46:21
and yet
46:22
the Philippians
46:23
they were
46:23
sending even
46:24
there to
46:25
help him.
46:28
So there
46:28
is this joy
46:29
in serving
46:31
the Lord,
46:31
joy in
46:32
knowing the
46:32
strength
46:33
that he
46:34
gives.
46:34
So whether
46:35
it's a year
46:36
of plenty
46:37
or poverty,
46:38
whether we're
46:38
well fed
46:39
or hungry,
46:40
whatever lies
46:41
ahead for us,
46:43
our contentment,
46:44
our peace,
46:46
our strength
46:47
is found
46:48
in Christ.
46:50
And that is
46:51
what we want
46:52
to know
46:52
for ourselves
46:53
surely
46:54
as we
46:55
go forward.
46:56
To go
46:56
forward
46:57
in his
46:58
strength.
47:00
To go
47:00
forward
47:01
knowing
47:02
his
47:02
peace
47:03
and his
47:04
presence.
47:06
That
47:07
verse,
47:07
verse 13,
47:08
I can do
47:08
all things
47:09
through him
47:10
who strengthens
47:11
me.
47:12
There's two
47:12
dangers for
47:13
us in
47:14
these verses,
47:16
in this
47:16
verse.
47:17
One is to
47:17
say the
47:18
focus is on
47:19
us.
47:19
I can do
47:21
all things.
47:24
We don't
47:24
lean one
47:25
way in
47:26
that sense.
47:28
But there's
47:28
a second
47:29
danger and
47:30
it says
47:30
through him
47:31
who strengthens
47:32
me.
47:34
Where we
47:34
just wait
47:35
as it were.
47:36
Wait for
47:37
the Lord.
47:39
The two
47:40
go hand
47:40
in hand.
47:42
I can do
47:43
all things.
47:44
I can go
47:44
through all
47:45
of these
47:45
things through
47:47
him who
47:47
strengthens
47:48
me.
47:49
Just like
47:50
we had
47:50
on the
47:51
notice sheet
47:52
yesterday on
47:53
the back
47:53
of it,
47:53
that poem
47:54
by
47:56
Minnie
47:57
Harkins.
47:58
I said
47:59
to the
47:59
man who
48:00
stood at
48:00
the gate
48:01
of the
48:01
year,
48:01
give me
48:01
a light
48:02
that I
48:02
may
48:02
tread
48:03
safely
48:03
into
48:03
the
48:04
unknown.
48:04
And he
48:04
replied,
48:06
go out
48:06
into the
48:06
darkness
48:07
and put
48:07
your
48:07
hand
48:08
into
48:09
the
48:09
hand
48:09
of
48:09
God.
48:10
That
48:11
shall
48:11
be
48:11
to
48:12
you
48:12
better
48:12
than
48:13
light
48:13
and
48:14
safer
48:14
than
48:15
a
48:15
known
48:15
way.
48:16
So I
48:17
went
48:17
forth
48:17
and finding
48:18
the
48:18
hand of
48:19
God
48:19
throgged
48:20
gladly
48:20
into
48:21
the
48:21
night
48:21
and
48:22
he
48:22
led
48:22
me
48:23
towards
48:24
the
48:24
hills
48:24
and the
48:25
breaking
48:25
of the
48:25
day
48:26
in the
48:27
lone
48:27
east,
48:28
going
48:29
hand
48:29
in
48:30
hand
48:30
with
48:31
God
48:31
trusting
48:32
ourselves
48:33
to
48:34
him.
48:35
May
48:35
this
48:35
be a
48:36
year
48:36
when we
48:37
go on
48:38
learning
48:38
more of
48:39
what it
48:40
is to
48:40
be content,
48:42
learning
48:42
more of
48:43
what it
48:44
is to
48:45
know the
48:45
strength
48:45
of the
48:46
Lord
48:46
through
48:47
all our
48:47
different
48:48
ways of
48:49
life,
48:50
whatever it
48:50
entails,
48:52
through
48:52
plenty or
48:53
hunger,
48:53
through
48:54
abundance
48:54
need,
48:56
that we
48:56
will go
48:57
forward
48:57
in his
48:59
strength.
49:01
He is the
49:01
sovereign one
49:02
to whom I
49:04
must submit.
49:06
He is the
49:06
saviour
49:07
whom I
49:08
must serve.
49:09
He is the
49:10
sufficient one
49:11
whom I
49:12
must trust.
49:14
That's how
49:15
somebody
49:15
once put it.
49:17
And if we
49:18
know all
49:18
of these
49:19
things,
49:20
we will
49:21
know
49:21
godliness
49:22
with
49:23
contentment,
49:24
which is
49:25
great gain.
49:27
So may
49:27
we go
49:28
forward
49:28
with these
49:29
words to
49:30
ourselves.
49:31
I can
49:31
do all
49:31
things
49:32
through
49:33
him
49:33
who
49:34
strengthens
49:35
me.
49:36
Let us
49:37
pray.
49:39
Our
49:40
Father in
49:41
heaven,
49:42
we thank
49:42
you for
49:43
every
49:43
circumstance,
49:44
for every
49:45
situation
49:45
that we
49:47
find
49:47
ourselves
49:48
facing up
49:48
to,
49:49
that we
49:50
have you
49:51
on our
49:51
side,
49:52
that we
49:52
have you
49:52
as the
49:53
one who
49:54
is able
49:54
to make
49:55
us content,
49:56
the one
49:57
who is able
49:57
to give
49:58
us strength
49:59
to go
49:59
through all
50:00
that we
50:00
face up
50:01
to,
50:01
whether it
50:02
is time
50:02
of plenty
50:04
or time
50:04
of hunger,
50:05
time of
50:05
abundance
50:06
or time
50:07
of need.
50:08
May we
50:09
know the
50:09
strength of
50:10
the Lord
50:10
as our
50:11
help in
50:12
all the
50:12
days that
50:13
lie ahead.
50:14
May you
50:14
bless us,
50:15
Lord,
50:15
and give
50:16
us your
50:17
contentment,
50:18
your peace
50:19
that passes
50:20
all understanding
50:21
that we
50:22
will be able
50:22
to lean
50:23
upon and
50:24
rest on
50:24
you for
50:25
all of
50:26
these things.
50:26
Continue
50:27
with us,
50:27
we pray,
50:28
throughout
50:29
this day
50:29
and in
50:30
all the
50:30
days ahead,
50:31
Lord,
50:31
as we
50:32
seek your
50:33
will and
50:33
seek your
50:34
blessing on
50:34
us.
50:35
We ask,
50:36
O Lord,
50:36
that you
50:36
would go
50:37
before us,
50:38
guiding our
50:39
steps,
50:39
our thoughts,
50:40
and all our
50:41
actions to
50:42
be for your
50:42
glory and
50:43
for the
50:44
greater good
50:44
of all
50:45
around us,
50:46
that your
50:46
light would
50:47
shine upon
50:47
us,
50:48
that your
50:48
truth be
50:49
known.
50:50
So hear our
50:50
prayers and
50:51
pardon our
50:52
sins as we
50:53
ask it all in
50:54
Jesus' name.
50:55
Amen.
50:55
We're going to
51:00
conclude by
51:01
singing to
51:02
God's praise
51:03
in Psalm 65
51:04
and the
51:05
Sing Psalms
51:05
version,
51:07
page 82
51:08
of the
51:09
psalm book.
51:12
Psalm 65
51:13
page 82
51:15
will sing from
51:16
verse 9 down
51:17
to the end
51:18
of the
51:19
psalm.
51:19
psalm.
51:23
It's a
51:24
psalm of
51:24
praise to
51:25
God as
51:26
the psalm
51:26
begins,
51:27
and
51:27
Sion
51:27
praise
51:28
awaits
51:28
you,
51:29
Lord,
51:29
to you
51:29
our
51:29
vows
51:30
will
51:31
pay.
51:32
But then
51:32
towards the
51:33
end of
51:33
the psalm,
51:34
verse 9
51:34
to 13,
51:35
it reminds
51:36
us that
51:36
everything
51:37
that we
51:38
have is
51:38
from the
51:39
hand of
51:40
God.
51:40
And verse
51:41
11 especially
51:42
speaks about
51:43
our situation
51:44
today.
51:45
You crown
51:46
the year
51:46
with
51:47
fruitfulness,
51:47
your
51:48
harvests
51:48
overflow,
51:50
the
51:50
grassland
51:51
flourishes
51:51
again,
51:52
the hills
51:52
with
51:53
gladness
51:54
glow.
51:55
That's our
51:56
prayer as we
51:57
go on to
51:57
a new
51:59
year that
51:59
the Lord
51:59
would crown
52:00
the year
52:01
with his
52:02
fruitfulness
52:02
and everything,
52:03
not just
52:04
the abundance
52:05
of the
52:05
grassland
52:06
flourishing,
52:07
but as we
52:07
think of
52:08
the harvest
52:08
that we
52:10
see before
52:10
us in
52:11
our day
52:11
and our
52:12
age,
52:13
a people
52:13
in need
52:14
of Christ,
52:15
the Lord
52:15
would crown
52:16
his year
52:17
with a
52:18
fruitful
52:19
harvest of
52:19
those who
52:20
would praise
52:21
the Lord.
52:22
We'll sing
52:23
from verse
52:23
9 to
52:24
13,
52:25
the tune
52:25
is Glasgow
52:26
and we
52:27
stand to
52:28
sing.
52:28
Amen.
52:29
Amen.
52:30
Amen.
52:31
Amen.
52:32
Amen.
52:33
Amen.
52:34
Amen.
52:34
Amen.
52:35
Amen.
52:41
Amen.
52:41
Amen.
52:43
Amen.
52:43
Amen.
52:43
Amen.
52:44
Amen.
52:44
Amen.
52:44
Amen.
52:45
Amen.
52:45
Amen.
52:46
Amen.
52:46
Amen.
52:46
Amen.
52:46
Amen.
52:47
Amen.
52:48
As you ordained, your streams are full to get the people's bread.
53:02
You page the parables of the land, you level of the ground.
53:19
You soften it with showers of rain, and make its crops a land.
53:36
You've done the year with fruitfulness, your harvest overflow.
53:51
The grass that flourishes again, the hills with gladness flow.
54:08
The pastures green with lots are clothed, the meadows covering.
54:24
The valleys, they themselves with corn, they shout for joy and sing.
54:43
After the benediction, I'll go to the main door.
54:47
We'll close with a benediction.
54:48
Now may grace, mercy and peace from God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit
54:54
rest upon and abide with you all now and forevermore.
54:59
Amen.