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Gospel Concern and Confidence · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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our worship by singing to God's praise in Psalm 46 in the Scottish Psalter.
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Psalm 46, we'll sing from verse 1 to verse 7, the tune of Stroudwater.
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And we're going to sing at the beginning there, God is our refuge and our strength and straights
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a present deed. Therefore, although the earth remove, we will not be afraid. We'll sing
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from verse 1 to 7 and we stand to sing to God's praise.
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What is the refuge and our strength, in states a present deed?
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Therefore, although the earth remove, we will not be afraid.
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The hills and lakes the seas because, O waters' roaring bay,
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and troubled, we gave all the hills by swearing seeds to shame.
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I've lived by the hills, who sins to man, the city of our God, the holy place.
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When the Lord most dying is abode.
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But in the place of earth doth dwell, the king shall now renew.
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The Lord to have an help, a will, a love by the very blue.
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The heart of heaven and give place.
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Therefore, if you watch the sea, the kingdom's rud naj部分.
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If you Bros. one cum you and me are not be afraid.
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The one dic ai Carl, ror ten High-vez-z�zffeост, in verse 1.
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The guy best temps, in verse 1.
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The Lord of God, that in His voice, the earth did mend for fear.
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The Lord of hosts upon our side, doth constantly lead.
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The Lord of Jesus, that refuge has saved me to make Him.
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We'll unite our hearts together in a short word of prayer. Let us pray.
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Amen.
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Lord our God, we thank You as we come to worship You this day, that we are reminded in the words that we sang,
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that You are a refuge and a strength to Your people, that You are one who is there to call upon.
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And we just thank You that You have that promise to us, that as we gather here in Your name today, that You are with us.
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And may we know that in a real way. May we know You speaking in Your word to us,
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and may we know Your peace and presence with us, still as before You at this time, as we look to You as God and Lord of all.
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We do thank You for all who are here today and all who are tuning in online.
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We thank You for young and old alike, that together we come to worship Your name.
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And we do pray for our holiday tweenies and the creche going on over this holiday time.
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We thank You for the young ones who have been so regular and so faithful attending over these summer months.
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And we pray for our young people, Lord, that You will bless them and be with them.
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Thank You for all who help in the creche and tweenies over these weeks as well,
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and that together they would know Your blessing and Your presence with them.
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And we think of schools going back in this coming week.
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We pray for the teachers, the staff, and all the children, Lord, that Your blessing and peace would be on the day schools as well,
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as they begin a new session, a new term of teaching, and especially as children move up classes,
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maybe beginning primary school for the first time or secondary school for the first time.
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And we pray for Your help and Your protection over each one.
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And that as a church family, they would be in our prayers at all times,
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that You would look down upon us and bless us.
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So hear our prayers and continue with us now as we continue to worship You
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and as we continue to seek to hear from You.
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We ask all these things in our prayers in Jesus' name for His sake and glory.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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It's good to see young ones here today.
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We do remember you in prayer.
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As you go back to school this week, I know you won't want to be reminded of going back to school.
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And maybe you're thinking already that come Thursday morning,
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you'll be thinking, maybe what excuse could I make not to go to school?
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Maybe you're starting to think of that.
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Maybe the teachers are starting to think of what excuse they could make not to go to school.
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And we always think about times when we make excuses.
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Excuses for different things.
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So maybe you're thinking, well, on Thursday morning, I could make an excuse not to go to school
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because I'm not feeling well.
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Or maybe it's an excuse, oh, the weather's too bad for going to school.
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Or all these kinds of things.
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But even as adults, as we grow up, we make excuses for different things as well.
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We make excuses if we lose a football match or any sports game.
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We maybe blame it was the referee's fault.
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That's our excuse.
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That goal was offside.
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That's the excuse for losing.
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Or maybe you like to go fishing.
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I like to go fishing.
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And I've got a big, big book of excuses for not catching fish.
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And I just delve into it from time to time.
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And most times when I go out fishing, I need an excuse so it's either too bright or too dark.
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It's too warm or it's too cold.
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There's not enough water or there's too much water.
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There's always an excuse for not catching a fish.
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But we're always making excuses.
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But in the Bible, we read about a time when people made excuses.
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And it was an excuse for not coming to a great banquet, to a feast.
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And there was three different people who made excuses.
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We read of it in Luke chapter 14 at verse 17 through to verse 20.
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It was a time of a great banquet.
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And the master sent out a servant to invite people to come.
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And it says, but they all alike began to make excuses.
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They all had excuses.
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One said, I've bought a field.
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I must go and see it.
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Please excuse me.
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Another said, I've bought a yoke of oxen.
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I've bought cattle.
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I'm going to examine them.
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Please excuse me.
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Another said, I've just got married.
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And therefore, I cannot come, making an excuse not to come to a great banquet.
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When we think of the Bible and what it's saying to us, it's inviting us.
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It's inviting us to come to this banquet, to come to this feast, this feast of believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Think of invitations to church as we think of inviting people along back to church Sunday.
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It's an invitation to come and hear the word of God, to come and hear about this wonderful Savior.
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And so often we make excuses.
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I'm too tired to go to church.
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I'm too busy to go to church.
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I'm too young to go to church.
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I'm too old to go to church.
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We all make excuses.
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But it's reminding us here that we are to come.
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There's no excuse not to come to Jesus.
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We all make excuses for different things.
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Trying to cover up where we fall short at times.
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But with Jesus, there's no excuse.
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He's inviting us all to come.
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Let's not make an excuse.
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But let's come and find in him one who is so precious, so wonderful, a Savior for us.
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So there's no excuses for us.
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We're going to say the Lord's Prayer together now.
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Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
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Thy kingdom come.
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Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
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Give us this day our daily bread.
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And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
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And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
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For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever.
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Amen.
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Well, let's sing again to God's praise.
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And during this singing, if the young ones are going out to 20s, they can do so then.
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We're going to sing in Psalm 52.
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Sing Psalms Version, page 69.
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We're singing from verse 5 down to verse 9.
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And the tune is St. Andrew.
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Psalm 52 at verse 5.
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But God will surely bring you down to ruin and disgrace.
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He will uproot you from your tent and from your dwelling place.
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The psalmist here is speaking about those who are not trusting in God.
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But then in verse 8, you see this change.
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But I am like an olive plant in God's house growing free.
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I trust in God's unfailing love to all eternity.
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We'll sing from verse 5 to verse 9 to God's praise.
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But God will surely bring you down to ruin and disgrace.
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He will have fruit you from your chains and from your dwelling place.
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He will snatch you from the land of life.
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The psalmist here is speaking about those who are not trusting in God.
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The psalmist here is speaking about those who are not trusting in God.
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He will not trusting in God.
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And the psalmist here is speaking about those who are not trusting in God.
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He will not trusting in God.
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The psalmist here is speaking about those who are not trusting in God.
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The righteous keep in this world dear, then they will laugh and sing.
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It is the man who for this reign of God did not rely.
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He trusted in his wealth and power to raise himself on high.
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But I am like a royal man in course us growing free.
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I just ignores the giving love to all eternity.
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I'll praise you ever for your peace.
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My hope is in your name.
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And in the mansions of your sins, I will rest all your things.
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Amen.
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We'll turn together now to read God's word.
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We're going to read in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2.
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1 Thessalonians chapter 2, taking up our reading at verse 17.
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And then we read into chapter 3 down to the end there.
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You find this around page 1188 or thereabouts.
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1 Thessalonians chapter 2 at verse 17.
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Paul writing here from prison.
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They're writing to the church in Thessalonica where he had been for a time, set up a church,
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and now he's writing to them.
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And we see in verse 17 how he describes that he was torn away from them.
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But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person, not in heart,
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we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face,
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because we wanted to come to you.
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I, Paul, again and again.
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But Satan hindered us.
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For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming?
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Is it not you?
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For you are our glory and joy.
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Therefore, when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone.
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And we sent Timothy, our brother and God's co-worker in the gospel of Christ,
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to establish and exhort you in your faith that no one be moved by these afflictions.
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For you yourselves know that we are destined for this.
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For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction,
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just as it has come to pass, and just as you know.
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For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith,
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for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you, and our labor would be in vain.
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But now that Timothy has come to us from you,
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and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported,
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that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you.
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For this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction,
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we have been comforted about you through your faith.
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For now we live if you are standing fast in the Lord.
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For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you,
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for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God,
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as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face,
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and supply what is lacking in your faith.
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Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you,
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and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all,
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as we do for you,
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so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness
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before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
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and so on.
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And may God bless that reading from his word.
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I will again just unite our hearts in a word of prayer.
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Let us pray.
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Our Father in heaven, as we read these words,
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we are reminded not of Paul's concern for a church in Thessalonica alone,
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but for your great concern for your church,
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your church down through every generation and through every place in this world.
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We thank you that you are a God who remembers your people near and far,
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that you are one who has a desire for your people to grow in faith and knowledge of you
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and the wonder of your grace and salvation that there is in Christ Jesus,
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and that you would see others being drawn to you as well.
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And we thank you for the church in the world that is the light of hope.
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We thank you that the gospel is there to lead and to guide
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and to show us in all our needs that there is a Savior,
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that there is one who we can come to,
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one who is able to bring us from darkness into your wonderful light.
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And so we pray for your gospel as it goes out today,
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as it goes out here and far and wide,
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that it will be a word blessed by you,
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that you would be pleased to accompany it by the power of your Spirit,
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that you would minister to our hearts,
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that you would minister to our very soul and being,
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that the excuses that we so often make in our hearts,
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that you would help us to see that they are so meaningless before you,
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but that the way is prepared, the banquet is set,
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and that we are to accept that wonderful invitation to come
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and find our rest and find peace with our Lord Jesus Christ.
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So bless us today, Lord, as we worship you.
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Bless us as we offer up our prayers to you,
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prayers for one another,
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prayers for our communities and our nation and the world in which we live.
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when we see, O Lord, the distress around us,
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when we see our own nation and all the different places
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that have been affected by riots in this week,
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turmoil near and far,
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we do pray, Lord, for you to come in your power.
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When we have turned away from you,
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we see the serious consequences
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of rejecting God as our Lord and as our God,
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of not having you rule over us.
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We do pray, Lord, that you will bring us to that place.
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We would say that God is our refuge and our strength,
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that we would hear that echoed throughout our nation once again,
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that you would draw us to see our great need
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and yet a great saviour that you are.
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We pray, Lord, for your peace and your help
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in the midst of all of these things.
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We pray that for our world, O Lord,
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in so many different parts of it
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and yet we thank you that the gospel is a truth
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that still goes out in power,
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that you are indeed building your church,
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that there are so many people near and far
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being drawn to you in the midst of affliction.
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Even as we have read of in this wonderful letter
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to the Thessalonians,
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we thank you that in their affliction
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that they were still trusting and growing in faith.
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We thank you that as true for people near and far today,
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that in times of great need,
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in times of great uncertainty,
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that there are people who are fully trusting
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and growing in their faith and knowledge of you.
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May you continue to hear the prayers of your church,
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that you would do us good, O Lord,
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that you would send your spirit upon us to bless us.
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We do thank you as a congregation here
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that we can look to you in all things,
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that you are one who is with us
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in all our different needs.
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You are with us as a people collectively
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and also in our homes and in our families.
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In all our different needs, Lord,
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they are known to you.
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We thank you that in prayer
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we have that access to the one who is able,
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the one who is able to do abundantly more
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than all that we ask or imagine.
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And so, Lord, give us that faith to approach you
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and to commit ourselves, our loved ones,
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and our church and community as a whole into your hands.
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We do pray for blessing over your church here
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and throughout our islands.
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We pray your blessing on all our endeavors
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to reach out with the gospel.
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We think of our communion season coming up,
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not just here, but throughout our island.
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We pray much blessing upon the preaching of your word
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and the fellowship of your people.
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We thank you, too, for opportunities to invite people,
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whether it's to the church day out
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or to the back to church Sunday.
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We do pray for your leading and your guiding in that.
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We ask, O Lord, that you will guide us
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in these things by your Spirit.
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And we do pray, O Lord,
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for all the different aspects of our congregation.
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We think of families in need of times of ill health,
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of sorrow and grief,
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but also times of joy and gladness.
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As we think of a wedding in this coming week
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connected to our congregation,
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we pray for Mark Morrison and Leah Duncan
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and their families.
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We ask your blessing to be over them, O Lord,
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as they unite together in this way.
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We pray that you will lead them and guide them
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and watch over them each day,
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and that you would bless them abundantly.
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We do pray for our nation as well,
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as we have mentioned,
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the assisted suicide bill
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and the dangers it brings.
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Lord, we commit that to you, O Lord,
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that there will be a good response against it,
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that we will be able to represent
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not just ourselves,
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but your word and your truth,
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that life is precious,
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and that we are to see that in every way,
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that you are the giver of life.
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And we pray, Lord,
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that we would realize
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that our lives are in your hands
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and help us and help those who need you
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in particular ways in this sense, O Lord,
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to know your presence and your help.
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So we pray for our government
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as they make decisions over it, Lord.
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Give wisdom, give help,
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give your spirit to them
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to know what is right and what is good.
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Lord, we ask all these things dependent upon you
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and thankful for your grace that is always sufficient.
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So may you hear our prayers.
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May you go before us.
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May you do us good in all things
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as we ask all with the forgiveness of our sins.
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In Jesus' name, amen.
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We'll again sing to God's praise
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this time in Psalm 106
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in the Scottish Psalter,
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page 378.
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Psalm 106.
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We'll sing from verse 1 to verse 5,
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the tune is Huddersfield.
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Give praise and thanks unto the Lord,
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for bountiful is he.
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His tender mercy doth endure unto eternity.
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We'll sing from verse 1 to 5
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to God's praise.
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Amen.
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Give praise and thanks unto the Lord,
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for bountiful is he.
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His tender mercy doth endure unto eternity.
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God's mighty words to God express,
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God's mighty words to God express,
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God's holy word of his praise,
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blessed are they that judgment keep,
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and just be pure, O praise.
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Remember me, Lord, with the love,
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which thou divine just may,
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with thy salvation, O my God,
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to listen to me, Lord, hear.
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And thy thy chosen's will be see,
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and in their joy rejoice,
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and in their joy rejoice,
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triumph with cheerful voice.
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Amen.
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We can turn back to our reading in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2.
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We're going to look at these last verses of chapter 2,
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verse 17 to verse 20,
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although they're all connected with what we're reading.
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In the whole of chapter 3 as well,
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where Paul is showing us his great concern
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for the people of Thessalonica and what's happening with them, concern for their faith,
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and he has this encouraging report that comes from Timothy, as you see in chapter 3, verse 6,
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to the end. But we want to think about where that concern comes from and the confidence it brings to
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him as well. And we're going to do that this morning and then connect it with this evening as
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well. We're going to think about a theme. Have you ever been speaking to someone, maybe about a book
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you've read or a film or a TV series you've watched and you've thought that book was excellent, was just
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so good, or that TV show was just brilliant, and they're asking you, well, what reason would you
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give me? What it's about and why I should watch it or why I should read it? And you start maybe just
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trying in a few words to explain to the people, this is why you should read it. Maybe you're
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describing the kind of theme that there is, maybe a romantic novel or a movie, maybe it's a comedy or
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an action thriller or a real life story. And you try and describe maybe a few of the characters in it
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and just the outline of the storyline or if there's an evil villain, as it were, in it as well. You're
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trying to just in a few words sum up a reason why they should engage, why they should read, or why
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they should watch. But what about if you were asked about the Bible? We think about maybe our back to
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church Sunday, an invitation to come to church, and someone asks you, well, why? Why should I engage
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with the Bible? What's it about? How would you sum it up as to why someone should take it seriously?
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Why someone should seriously consider an invitation to come and hear the Word of God? What's it telling
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us? What's the story? What's it about? And so today I want us to consider this in two different ways.
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This morning as we're looking at Thessalonians here, we're going to think about it in summary as it is,
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sinners in need of salvation. That's what this book is about, sinners in need of salvation,
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and that salvation is found in Christ. And then this evening we're going to be looking at Isaiah chapter
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40. I'm thinking of another way of summarizing what the Word of God is saying and the weary
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given strength. It's the way that we're looking at it this evening, the weary given strength in the Lord.
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But this morning we're thinking of sinners in need of salvation. And what we see as Paul is writing
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to the church at Thessalonica is just that. He's writing to sinners in need of salvation.
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They've been saved, you could say. The church has been established there, but still they are sinners,
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just as we all are. Sinners in need of salvation. But that that salvation is in Christ.
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And that is what keeps us going. And so what we see with Paul here as he's writing to them is this
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gospel concern. He has this concern for them. But he's also got this confidence. This confidence.
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Now put yourself in this situation. You have to go away from home. Maybe for different reasons,
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but you have to go away from home for a time. What would you miss most? What would fill your mind and
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your thoughts most as you're thinking back to home? It could be maybe a certain food you enjoy that you
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can't get where you are. It could be something that you wish you had. Maybe you're missing something
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that you had at home that you no longer have. Maybe it's the weather, although it's unlikely here.
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Hopefully you'd have better weather somewhere else. But there's always things that if we have to go away
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from home that we would miss. But the most likely thing that we would miss when we're away from a place
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is people. People. So whether it's moving away, whether it's working away for a time, whether it's
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studying away, we're going to miss people. And here as Paul is writing to the Thessalonians,
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it's because of that very fact. It's the exact situation that Paul finds himself in. He is missing
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the people of Thessalonica. He's had to leave them behind. It says here he's been torn away
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from them. There's a sudden removal from them. He's been torn away and he's missing these people.
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He's concerned for these people. And so that's where this letter comes from, a letter to encourage
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them, to strengthen them, to find out how they are, to find out how they are going on. He's remembering
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these sinners in need of salvation. A people he loves and a people he's concerned for. There were some who
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were saying in Paul's day that he was writing to them or there with them to make a name for himself
32:29
or for praise that he might get. But as you read through this letter, you see there's a genuine love
32:37
for the people that he's writing to. A people that he's missing, that he's longing for.
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And when we think of ourselves as a church and as a people, is this something that we have as well?
32:54
This longing for one another, this longing for those around us, this gospel concern for those around us,
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maybe even sitting beside us, a gospel concern for people as we all are sinners in need of salvation.
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Paul here gives us the realities of what life is like in the faith. As he's writing this letter,
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he's writing encouragement, he's writing motivations to them, he's writing about the afflictions that
33:26
they will suffer. There's all of these things and that they are to have a vision of God in the midst
33:30
of it all. They are truths that we can rely on. But in these verses, in verse 17 to 20, we see what's at
33:38
the heart of it all is a gospel concern. And we see three things in these verses. There's a gospel
33:46
concern, there's a gospel challenger, but there's a gospel confidence. We just want to look at these
33:54
three things for a short time. The gospel concern that we see first of all. There's a great hope in
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the gospel. If you've come to believe in Christ, you realize how empty life was before and how much
34:11
difference that the Lord Jesus makes in our lives day by day, not just when we come to worship, not just
34:18
as we join together on the Lord's day, but every day of life, the difference it makes to know Christ
34:24
Jesus as our Lord. And we realize this hope, this hope as Paul has, and has seen many in Thessalonica
34:33
come to know this hope in Christ, and how this hope goes on and works in our lives. And we realize
34:43
it works in our emotions and in our experience as well, how the Lord changes our whole outlook,
34:51
our whole being. And as we see this, we realize too that our concerns for other things, they don't
35:00
just vanish. They don't just go. As Paul said here that there were afflictions that he had told them
35:06
about, that they would be real. And yet he's still showing them that there is this hope. But he's
35:13
concerned for them. He's concerned for them. And you see that in verse 17. We've been torn away from you,
35:22
brothers, for a short time. In person, not in heart. We endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you
35:32
face to face. What a wonderful love there was for Paul to these people.
35:41
Torn away in person, but not in heart. They were still very much in his heart, even though there was a
35:49
distance. And there's this longing to see them because of this gospel concern. To see how they are going,
35:58
to see how they are growing, to see how they are going on in the midst of their afflictions. He's got
36:05
this concern for them. They're not forgotten. They are constantly in his thoughts and in his prayers.
36:13
How are they? How are they getting on? Just think back a few months to lambing season.
36:20
And if you love your sheep, it's an emotional time. It's a time when you're anxious about the sheep and
36:28
the lambs as they are about to be born. And if the weather's poor or if it's wet and windy, you can't
36:36
just forget about them. And maybe there's a time when you maybe have to go to work or you have to go away
36:41
somewhere else. You have to leave them for a time. And it can be hard, especially if you think that sheep
36:46
is about to lamb. And you can't be there for them. It's on your mind. And you're wondering how they are
36:53
and how they'll be when you get back. A shepherd and a relationship with their sheep, when they love
37:00
them in that way, there's a real concern. And that's so often the image that we have in the Scriptures.
37:06
With Paul, we see it here. He's concerned as a shepherd of the sheep. He's concerned for his people.
37:14
He's wondering how they are, how they're getting on, how they're going on in the faith. He's been
37:21
torn away from them. But yet there's still this gospel concern. Now perhaps we haven't felt that kind of
37:33
separation, that sense of being aware ourselves in the way that Paul was here. But should we not have
37:42
that concern for one another? Concern for those around us? The concern that we are reminded that
37:50
God has for his people. When we see the sin and the separation it brings from God, how we see sheep
38:00
who have gone astray, when we see a people who are lost in this world, does that not lead us to concern?
38:08
Well, God is concerned. And God was so concerned about this that he made every provision.
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And that's what Paul is reminding the church at Thessalonica, as he does the churches throughout
38:23
the New Testament, that in Christ they have a shepherd. In Christ they have one who loves them
38:31
and who has given his life for them. But do we have that gospel concern? Do you have it in your heart
38:41
today if you're not believing in the Lord Jesus Christ? Does it concern you? Are you just making
38:47
your excuses to turn away? I've got to do this, I've got to do that. I've got to be, sort this out in my
38:56
life first. Or I'm getting past it now, I can't come. There's all kinds of excuses that will come to
39:02
our minds. But the Lord puts a concern in your heart for your soul. And praise God he does, that the Lord
39:14
disturbs us in this way. Paul couldn't just sit there and have no thought of these people. He was concerned
39:22
and he was praying for them. And our prayer is today as well, that all of us together would be
39:30
stirred up in this gospel concern. What does Paul do in his concern and his absence from them?
39:37
Well you see it in chapter 1 verse 2. He says, we give thanks to God always for all of you,
39:44
constantly mentioning you in our prayers. Constantly mentioning you in our prayers.
39:54
Prayers. Praying to God. Sinners in need of salvation. And salvation is from God. And here Paul
40:02
is endeavouring to see them face to face with great desire so that he can share in that fellowship once
40:10
more. And to share the gospel with them. So there's gospel concern at the heart of this.
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But the second thing we see here is there's a gospel challenger. And when you think of reading a book or
40:25
watching a movie or a TV series, there's often, as we see, there's the good ones and there's the evil
40:32
villain. But this is not just a story that we want to engage with. This is reality that we see here with
40:41
Paul. He's got his love for the people at Thessalonica. And his love is only increased when he thinks of the
40:47
one who is challenging the gospel. And you see this in verse 18. We wanted to come to you, I, Paul, again and
40:57
again. But Satan hindered us. Satan hindered us. Satan is real. Satan tries to intervene. Satan tries to
41:10
spoil. That is what he wants. In every aspect of our lives, he wants to spoil things.
41:16
But you ask, well, why is Satan here? Why is he interested in this? Well, it's because good things
41:25
were happening. The church in Thessalonica had grown. There was people coming to faith. There was this joy
41:32
in their midst. The joy of salvation. And Satan doesn't want it. He doesn't want people believing. He
41:40
doesn't want unity. He doesn't want the gospel spreading. And so he's active. And we see that
41:48
here with Paul. Satan hindered us. Whatever way it was, he managed to get a way that stopped, that
41:57
prevented Paul coming. One person put it like this. There's a being in this world that is older than
42:06
humanity that has a design to destroy you forever. That's the seriousness of Satan.
42:15
Satan, the destroyer. Satan, the enemy. And Paul knows this with all his heart. He knows that Satan
42:24
is an enemy. Satan is an adversary that's to be taken seriously. And that's something, as well as we
42:31
believe in God, that we believe in Christ Jesus, that we believe that there is a devil, that there
42:38
is Satan too, that there is an adversary. And that when things are going well, he wants to come in
42:45
and spoil. And so we need to be on our guard. Paul, writing to the church at Ephesus in the last chapter
42:53
of Ephesians, speaks about the whole armor of God that we need to put on because we are dealing with
42:59
principalities and powers in this world, enemies of God. But we have the word of God. We have the Holy
43:08
Spirit. We have prayer. We have all this equipment that we can use and to be on our guard at all times.
43:17
Even just look back to last weekend and the week leading up to it with the holiday club. We had a
43:24
blessed time. We had a time of real encouragement, a time of real joy. But how many of you have faced a
43:31
hard week this week? After that high point, after that joyous time, Satan comes in. The adversary's there.
43:42
He's hindering. He's prowling all the time. He's always there to try and take our joy away.
43:50
When the gospel is active. When the gospel is working, Satan is trying to hinder.
43:58
As Charles Spurgeon once said, consider how precious a soul must be when God and the devil are both after it.
44:09
How precious a soul is when God and the devil are both after it.
44:17
But greater is he who is with us. But when we look to the Lord, he is greater. He is more powerful.
44:26
He has conquered this enemy. Martin Luther, in his hymn, A Mighty Fortress is the Lord, he reminds us in
44:35
that of the reality of Satan. He says in one verse, for still our ancient foe doth seek to work his woe.
44:43
His craft and power are great and armed with cruel hate. He's reminding us there the cruel foe who is active.
44:53
But he goes on in that hymn to speak of the one who is able to help. That God the Lord is a mighty fortress.
45:02
And that we can be victorious with the right man on our side, as he describes.
45:07
And who is that? Christ Jesus. It is he. That he is on our side.
45:17
Christ died to free us from our sin.
45:22
And so there is this gospel challenger. There is this one who seeks to hinder.
45:27
How do we fight him? Well, we are too weak ourselves to do it.
45:31
But the right man is on our side when we trust in Jesus.
45:37
And that's the reality, the gospel challenger.
45:41
Sinners in need of salvation, we have Christ Jesus on our side.
45:48
But the reality is that there is that challenger.
45:51
There is that active one who is trying to take us away.
45:56
But then as we conclude here, we see, as well as this challenger, there is this gospel confidence.
46:05
In verse 19 and 20,
46:07
For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming?
46:13
Is it not you? For you are our glory and our joy.
46:20
He has this confidence that Christ is able to keep them.
46:26
Sinners in need of salvation have a saviour who is Christ the Lord.
46:34
Satan tried to hinder, but instead of seeing that as a problem that could not be overcome,
46:40
it was an opportunity to present the glory of God and the assurance of God with them.
46:46
And that they press on in hope.
46:49
That they go on in hope.
46:52
There are so many things that take our joy away or seek to take our joy away.
46:58
But we are to stay focused on Christ.
47:01
I remember sitting at Glasgow Airport one time.
47:05
It was a Friday and on the Wednesday evening, I think it must have been,
47:09
there was a game at Hamden Park where Scotland were playing against someone.
47:13
And they'd been beaten heavily.
47:14
It hadn't been a good night for Scottish football.
47:18
And yet here on Friday afternoon, I was sitting in Glasgow Airport watching people going past.
47:25
And every second person was wearing a Scotland top or a kilt.
47:30
Big groups just going past.
47:32
They were going to the next game.
47:33
They were going to, must have been playing away somewhere.
47:36
They were flying out to watch Scotland play the next game.
47:38
Even after a heavy defeat, there were all these thousands of fans following the team,
47:45
thinking it can only get better.
47:49
Still with that hope of better results ahead.
47:54
But as Christians, when we have our days of these results,
47:59
when things don't seem to be going our way,
48:01
we still have hope and a greater hope.
48:03
And we can be confident in this hope because we are pressing on in Christ.
48:11
And that's the hope that Paul has here for the believers of Thessalonica.
48:17
These sinners in need of salvation.
48:20
The hope that he has is that they will receive the joy, the crown, the boasting
48:24
on the day of the Lord's return.
48:30
He's encouraging to press on, to press forward.
48:33
Despite these afflictions that they suffer.
48:37
And you could look at Paul's own life and see,
48:41
well, how could you explain this, Paul?
48:43
How could you explain this gospel, this affliction?
48:47
I mean, how are you going to encourage people to come and hear about Jesus
48:50
when there's so much that's going to be challenging and hard and difficult?
48:55
Well, Paul could look at his own life and say,
48:57
well, I've gone through this.
48:59
You read in 2 Corinthians 11, verse 23,
49:03
and he's talking there about the false apostles,
49:07
false teachers.
49:08
And he says, are they servants of Christ?
49:13
He says, I am a better one.
49:15
I'm talking like a madman with far greater labors,
49:19
far more imprisonments,
49:21
with countless beatings, often near death.
49:25
Five times I received the hand of the Jews,
49:29
forty lashes less one.
49:31
Three times I was beaten with rods,
49:33
once I was stoned.
49:35
Three times I was shipwrecked,
49:37
a night and a day adrift at sea.
49:40
Unfrequent journeys and dangers from rivers,
49:43
dangers from robbers,
49:44
danger from my own people,
49:46
danger from Gentiles,
49:48
danger in the city,
49:49
danger in the wilderness,
49:50
danger at sea,
49:52
danger from false brothers.
49:53
You think to yourself,
49:56
all that is is danger and challenges.
49:59
And you ask Paul,
50:00
well, Paul, what are you saying to us?
50:05
You suffered in all of these things.
50:07
What's in it for you?
50:10
Why do you do this?
50:12
Why does he do it?
50:14
Well, he tells us here in verse 19 and verse 20.
50:18
He says, I do it for you.
50:20
And I do it for the Lord,
50:24
the Lord who has suffered for me.
50:29
For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting
50:32
before our Lord Jesus at his coming?
50:36
Is it not you?
50:38
For you are our glory and our joy.
50:42
People in Thessalonica were saying,
50:46
Paul's in it for money.
50:48
Paul's in it for ambition.
50:50
Paul's in it in praise for himself.
50:52
Paul says, you want to know why I'm in it?
50:55
I'm in it for you.
50:58
You sinners in need of salvation.
51:02
And to put it like this, he says,
51:04
this is what we are looking ahead to.
51:06
This is what the hope is for the Christian.
51:08
This is what the scripture says to us
51:11
from our need of a sinner
51:13
from the very beginning in Genesis
51:14
to the end of Revelation
51:17
where we see the day of the Lord
51:19
and the crown of appearing
51:21
before our Lord Jesus Christ.
51:23
The one in that wonderful image
51:25
who receives his people,
51:28
who welcomes them in,
51:29
who wipes away the tears.
51:32
When the sinners see their salvation,
51:36
they see their Savior.
51:38
And that is Paul's joy.
51:42
That is what makes me do this.
51:45
That is the confidence I have
51:47
as you see him echoing throughout his letters.
51:51
That he who has begun a good work
51:54
will keep you until that day.
51:58
The Lord is coming.
52:00
And you know in Paul's day,
52:06
when people would come,
52:07
important people,
52:09
emperors or important figures
52:11
would come into cities
52:12
such as Thessalonica,
52:14
the city would put a crown
52:16
onto these people
52:17
because they were important.
52:19
They were showing their respect,
52:21
their honor to that person.
52:22
But when you look at this
52:25
and what Paul is saying,
52:26
it's almost like the reversal.
52:30
The one who deserves the crown
52:32
wore the crown of thorns
52:34
on the cross.
52:36
But what does he give to his people?
52:40
What is our hope or joy or crown of boasting
52:44
before our Lord Jesus at his coming?
52:47
It is you.
52:50
It is the fact that the Lord's people
52:52
will be presented to the Lord Jesus Christ
52:55
and receive that crown.
52:59
Sinners need salvation.
53:03
But the gospel tells us
53:05
that there is a saviour.
53:09
We need a gospel concern
53:11
for ourselves and for others.
53:14
We need to know the reality
53:15
of a gospel challenger,
53:17
one who seeks to hinder.
53:19
But above all,
53:20
we need that gospel confidence
53:23
that there is a saviour for all,
53:27
the Lord Jesus Christ.
53:30
And the offer is there to us all
53:32
to come.
53:35
We make our excuses.
53:37
But let's not have any more excuses.
53:41
Let us come,
53:42
for the banquet is ready.
53:46
We are sinners in need of salvation.
53:49
And in Christ,
53:51
we have a wonderful,
53:52
wonderful and precious saviour.
53:54
Let us pray.
53:57
Our Father in heaven,
53:59
we do rejoice
54:00
in your goodness to us
54:02
that in the midst of all
54:03
of this world's afflictions
54:05
that we have a wonderful saviour in Christ,
54:08
one who has borne our sins,
54:10
one who came
54:11
to save sinners such as we are.
54:14
And we pray, Lord,
54:16
that you will help us
54:17
to lean upon and look to him
54:18
as the one,
54:20
the only one
54:21
who is able to save.
54:23
Hear our prayers, Lord,
54:24
and continue with us.
54:26
That's all we ask.
54:27
We ask in his precious name.
54:29
Amen.
54:29
Amen.
54:33
We'll conclude by singing
54:34
to God's praise
54:36
in Psalm 43.
54:39
This is the Sing Psalms version,
54:41
Psalm 43,
54:43
page 54 of the psalm books.
54:48
We'll sing from verse 3
54:50
to verse 5
54:52
to the end of the psalm.
54:54
The tune is rocking him.
54:55
O send your light forth
54:57
and your truth.
54:58
Let them direct me
54:59
in your grace
55:00
and bring me
55:00
to your holy hill
55:02
and to your sacred dwelling place.
55:05
We'll sing from verse 3 to 5
55:07
to God's praise.
55:08
Amen.
55:09
O send your light forth and your truth.
55:21
Let them die
55:24
in your grace
55:30
and bring me
55:31
and bring me
55:32
and bring me
55:33
to your holy hills
55:38
and to your sacred dwelling place.
55:48
And to God's altar
55:53
I will move
55:57
to God
55:59
my joy
56:01
and my delight
56:05
and I will face you
56:12
with the hand
56:16
O God you are
56:20
my God of might
56:25
What are you
56:31
about
56:32
Christ
56:33
sua
56:34
나는
56:35
For
56:35
Why are you
56:36
倒
56:38
lest
56:41
spirit
56:42
utan
56:45
iska
56:45
Declaration
56:46
ируj
56:47
ins
56:47
hen
56:48
With
56:50
name
56:50
drained
56:52
and
56:53
ücken
56:55
Savior and thy God is King.
57:05
Close to the benediction.
57:07
Now may grace, mercy and peace from God,
57:10
Father, Son and Holy Spirit
57:12
rest upon and abide with you all
57:15
now and forevermore.
57:17
Amen.
57:20
As I was saying,
57:21
if you would just remain in your seats
57:22
for a few minutes,
57:23
I'm going to invite Scott to come forward.
57:26
I thought Fiona's disappeared as well.
57:37
I'll just come down.
57:53
And you come.
58:02
Do you want to sit down?
58:14
All right, folks.
58:21
Well, many of you are aware
58:24
that Scott and Fiona have practically moved.