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An Invitation · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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Thank you, James. It's a privilege and a joy to be with you once more this evening to worship
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together the living God. Let me read to you just these few words from his word before we sing
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praise together to his name. Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth. Let
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us worship him together, singing to his praise from Psalm 96a. Psalm 96a and sing Psalms, page 126
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in our Blue Psalm books, page 126. Singing Psalm 96a from the beginning, we'll sing to verse 9.
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Sing a new song to the Lord. Sing praises to his name and his salvation day by day that all the
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earth proclaim. His glory and his mighty deeds to every land declare how great and awesome is the
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Lord with him no gods compare. Psalm 96a, we'll sing to verse 9 to the praise of God.
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Lord with him no gods. Sing a new song to the Lord. Sing praises to his name and his salvation day by day that all the earth
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sing a new song to the Lord. Let his salvation day by day that all the earth proclaim. Let glory and his mighty deeds to every day of the earth.
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to every land declare. To every land declare. How great and awesome is the Lord. With him no gods compare.
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All other gods are good and stone. The Lord may tell us high. All power and majesty are missed.
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All nations do. The Lord has guide. The glory that is due.
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All nations do. The Lord has guide. The glory that is due.
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All nations do. The Lord has guide. The glory that is due.
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All nations do. The Lord has guide. The glory that is due.
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All nations do. The Lord has guide. The glory that is due.
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The glory that is due. The glory that is due.
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Holy that is true.
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Glory and strength, and strength to God, and praise his name anew.
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And turn his course with joy and ring, and offer him with you.
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Worship the Lord in holy fear, all earth before him.
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Let us join in prayer together. Let us pray.
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Worship the Lord in holy fear, let all the earth before him bow.
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Lord our gracious God, this evening from the outset of our time together,
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we would acknowledge your greatness, your majesty, your holiness.
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We acknowledge that you are altogether other, that you are our creator, sustainer, sovereign ruler,
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majestic and glorious in power and strength and wisdom and might.
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Lord, we humble ourselves before you this night.
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And we know that that is the spirit and attitude and mindset of worship,
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to bow before you, our creator, and to say in our hearts and to acknowledge in our songs,
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the Lord, he is God, the Lord, he is God.
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And so we pray that you would, Lord, look upon us in favour this evening.
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That you would open your word to our hearts,
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and in your spirit open our hearts to your word.
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That we would again acknowledge and study and reflect on the good news of Jesus Christ.
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This gospel of grace, this declaration that in him, your son,
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there is forgiveness and freedom, there is life and immortality,
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and it is ours through Jesus.
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For we know that the wages of sin is death,
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but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus, our Lord.
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And so we come, Lord, before you,
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and we humbly seek your presence and seek your face through Jesus.
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It is all of him.
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He is our hope, our joy, he is our surety,
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he is our mediator, our intercessor,
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our redeemer, our saviour,
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Lord, King and Friend.
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He is Lord of Lords, Lord of all.
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And so we would acknowledge tonight the good news of Jesus.
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He would lift up his name on high.
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And we give thanks tonight that we know his name.
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And we have come to know that by day and by night he is with and before and around his people.
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For the Lord has said he will build his church,
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and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
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And so we tonight, Lord, would ask for your grace and strength
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to don the armour of God as we are called to do,
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to face the weak to come prepared fully in heart and mind and soul.
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By worshipping you aright this evening, Lord,
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we put you at the beginning of this week.
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And we ask in so doing that you would be honoured
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and that you would be pleased to dwell among us, Lord,
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and bless us with your grace.
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That we would be strengthened with your might in our inner beings,
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ready and fit and willing to run the race that is set before us,
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looking unto Jesus, the author and completer of our faith,
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who for the joy set before him despised the shame.
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Oh, Lord, our God, we think of the race set before us
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because of the cross set before him.
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And we ask tonight that we would maintain a sense of perspective
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as we go through life and as we run our course.
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At times, Lord, we are imbalanced,
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we get selfish, we get impatient,
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we become demanding before you.
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Forgive us, Lord, for these times when we get things so badly wrong,
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when we forget our place,
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when we forget that you are almighty God,
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glorious in power and wondrous in might,
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amazing in grace.
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Lord, at times we lift up our prayers to you
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in a spirit that is less than satisfactory,
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in a spirit that is perhaps demanding,
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in a spirit of seeking after ourselves.
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Forgive us.
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And Lord, lead us to seek your ways
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and to know your paths.
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Give us that teachableness of heart
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that we would say, here am I, Lord, send me.
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And may we go into the week ahead conscious
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that you have set us here
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as signposts and missionaries,
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each and every one of us,
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missionaries in our districts and across our island.
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And we thank and praise you, Lord,
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that there are so many of your people
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who are so called to be missionaries
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here on our own island,
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in our own districts.
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And so we pray tonight
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that as the word is preached here
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and across our island,
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that your people would be encouraged
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and nourished and built up,
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that we would be stimulated
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to go into the week ahead
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and to make Jesus known.
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Sometimes, Lord, this is difficult to do.
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Sometimes we are uncertain
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of how to share our testimony,
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how to share our faith.
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Lord, give us grace and insight,
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understanding, wisdom, patience,
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tenacity and courage,
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for we need all of these things
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to make Jesus known.
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And so we would seek to share
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the good news of Jesus Christ,
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the gospel of grace with those around us
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and beside us,
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in our homes, in our communities.
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And we pray, Lord,
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that as that witness unfolds this week,
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that you be pleased to bless
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the labors of your people,
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for it is not in vain
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that we labor in the Lord.
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We look to you, Lord, and pray
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that the gospel would flourish,
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that it would take root in hearts and lives,
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that men and women,
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and boys and girls,
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would be held and constrained
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in their awareness
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of their need of salvation
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and see in Christ the Savior.
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For it is through him,
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through this man,
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that is preached the forgiveness of sins.
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This is the message of salvation
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that the Christian church
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has declared loud
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and declared strong and clear
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down through the generations.
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May we continue to do so
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as we build on the labors
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of those who have gone before us.
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May we continue to be faithful
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to the task.
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May we be good soldiers
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of Christ Jesus.
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May we endure hardship
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as at times we must.
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And may we look unto the one
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who has called us to run our race,
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sharing the message
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of forgiveness in him
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to all around.
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We pray then, Lord,
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for your work here in Stornoway.
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We pray for James and Donna,
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for Calamurdo and Joanne
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and their families.
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We pray, Lord,
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that you would uphold them
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and keep them in their ministry
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here in the town.
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That you be with the elders
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and deacons
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and all those involved
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in Sunday school
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and creche
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and mother and toddler
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and all the activities
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that are ongoing,
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the work that so many
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put their hand to
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here in the congregation
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in Stornoway.
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And may it continue
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to be an encouragement
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to all of us
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that we too, Lord,
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would follow this example
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and work as hard as we can
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where you have placed us
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to your glory
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and to the furtherance
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of the gospel.
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We long for the day
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when we will see
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men and women
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and homes and families
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transformed by grace.
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So, Lord,
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we pray for conversions tonight.
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We seek conversions
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through the preaching
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of the word.
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We ask that many
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in our districts
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would be brought
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under conviction of sin
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and there in Christ
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to find relief
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and peace and joy
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for in him
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there is forgiveness.
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In him
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there is plenteous redemption.
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Lord,
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we ask for your blessing
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across our island
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and nation.
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We pray that you
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would raise up leaders
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who would be unashamed
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of the testimony
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of the gospel,
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unashamed of naming
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Jesus as Savior.
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We long for leaders
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who in the public square
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would reflect
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a love for Jesus
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and would have at heart
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an honouring of his word
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that they would be
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clearly people of prayer,
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people of faith,
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people who would
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set an example
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that they, Lord,
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would lead us
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by themselves
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being led by you.
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We long for this,
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for an upturn
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in our nation's spirituality,
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for an outpouring
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of the Spirit
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to an extent
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that we could not
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contain it
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or even begin
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to imagine it,
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but that many
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in our land
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would come to know
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Christ Jesus
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for themselves.
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We pray, Lord,
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that you'd remember us
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this time as a nation
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as we pray
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for our parliament,
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our leaders,
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our politicians.
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We remember
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our armed forces.
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We pray for the
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emergency services
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and the National
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Health Service staff,
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those who look after us
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and do so much
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on our behalf
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to keep us safe
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and to look after
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those who are ill
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and those who are housebound.
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We remember carers
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who are under
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particular pressure
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and stress
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at this time.
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And we ask, Lord,
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that you would watch
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over them
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and bless them
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in the wonderful work
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they do across
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our communities
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in helping those
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who are housebound
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and unable
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to leave homes
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and unable
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to join us
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in worship,
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unable to spend
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time with family,
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unable to do so much
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because of ill.
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Lord,
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we pray tonight
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for those bereaved.
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We pray for those,
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Lord,
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who have known
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sadness and loss
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in their lives
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and continue to feel
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that the weight
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of that loss.
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We near them,
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Lord,
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and grant them
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that peace
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that passes understanding.
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Be with them
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in your grace
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and in your mercy,
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we pray.
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And so, Lord,
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we ask tonight
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that you would open
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your word to us,
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that we would hear
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something of the wonder
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and splendor
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and scope
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of the gospel.
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And all these things
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we ask
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through Jesus Christ,
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our Lord and Savior.
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Amen.
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We'll turn again
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to sing to God's praise.
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Sing Psalms
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in Psalm 65.
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Psalm 65,
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singing from verse 8.
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That's page 82
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in our blue psalm books.
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Page 82.
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Psalm 65,
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singing from verse 8.
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Those who inhabit
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distant lands
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with all regard
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your ways,
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where morning dawns
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and evening fades,
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you call forth
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songs of praise.
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You tend the land
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and water it,
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you make it rich
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and good,
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as you ordain
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your streams are full
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to give the people food.
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Psalm 65,
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we'll sing from verse 8
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to 13
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to God's praise.
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Amen.
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Psalm 66,
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singing from verse 9.
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When morning dawns
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and evening fades,
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you call for songs of praise.
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When morning dawns
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and evening fades,
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you call for songs of praise.
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to take the land
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and water it,
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you make it rich and good.
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As you ordain,
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your streams are full
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to give the people food.
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the grace of the earth
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of the land,
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you heaven off the ground,
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you soften it
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with showers of rain
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and make its crops
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above.
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You end the year
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with truthfulness,
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your harvest overflow,
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the grass that flourishes again,
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the hills with madness glow.
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The birds to stream
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with thoughts are cold,
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the meadows covering.
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Above, he's there
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themselves with corn,
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they shout for joy and sing.
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A song of gratitude
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and thankfulness
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for God's provision toward us,
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his grace poured out
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in that psalm.
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We'll read together
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from his word,
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first of all,
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from the Old Testament
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and the prophecy of Isaiah,
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chapter 40.
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Isaiah and chapter 40,
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we'll read from verse 18,
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and then we'll turn forward
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in our Bibles to the Gospel of John
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and chapter 3.
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Reading first of all,
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then, from Isaiah
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and chapter 40,
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and verse 18.
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A section that is all about
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the greatness of God.
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To whom, then,
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will you liken God?
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Or what likeness compare with him?
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An idol?
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A craftsman casts it,
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and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
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and casts for it silver chains.
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He who is too impoverished
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for an offering
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chooses wood
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that will not rot.
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He seeks out a skillful craftsman
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to set up an idol
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that will not move.
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Do you not know?
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Do you not hear?
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Has it not been told you
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from the beginning?
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Have you not understood
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from the foundations of the earth?
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It is he who sits above
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the circle of the earth,
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and its inhabitants
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are like grasshoppers,
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who stretches out the heavens
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like a curtain
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and spreads them
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like a tent to dwell in,
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who brings princes to nothing
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and makes the rulers
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of the earth as emptiness.
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Scarcely are they planted,
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scarcely sown,
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scarcely has their stem
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taken root in the earth
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when he blows in them
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and they wither
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and the tempest
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carries them off like stubble.
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To whom, then,
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will you like compare me?
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That I should be like him,
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says the Holy One.
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Lift up your eyes on high
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and see who created these.
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He who brings out
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their host by number,
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calling them all by name,
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by the greatness of his might,
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and because he is strong in power,
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not one is missing.
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Why do you say,
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O Jacob,
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and speak, O Israel,
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my way is hidden from the Lord,
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and my right is disregarded
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by my God?
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Have you not known?
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Have you not heard?
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The Lord is the everlasting God,
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the creator of the ends
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of the earth.
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He does not faint
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or grow weary.
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His understanding
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is unsearchable.
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He gives power
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to the faint
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and to him
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who has no mighty
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increases strength.
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Even youth shall faint
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and be weary
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and young men
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shall fall exhausted,
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but they who wait
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on the Lord
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shall renew their strength.
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They shall mount up
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with wings like eagles.
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They shall run
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and not be weary.
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They shall walk
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and not faint.
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And turning forward
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to the Gospel of John,
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reading from chapter 3,
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the Gospel of John
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and chapter 3.
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We'll read the most famous of words
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in this chapter
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from verse 16.
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For God so loved the world
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that he gave his only Son
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that whoever believes in him
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should not perish
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but have eternal life.
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For God did not send his Son
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into the world
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to condemn the world,
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but in order that the world
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might be saved through him.
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Whoever believes in him
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is not condemned,
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but whoever does not believe
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is condemned already
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because he has not believed
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in the name
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of the only Son of God.
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And this is the judgment.
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The light has come
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into the world
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and people loved the darkness
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rather than the light
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because their deeds were evil.
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But everyone who does wicked things
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hates the light
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and does not come to the light
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lest his deeds should be exposed.
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But whoever does what is true
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comes to the light
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so that it may be clearly seen
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that his deeds
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have been carried out
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in God.
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Amen.
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And may the Lord bless
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the reading of his word
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to his own name.
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We'll sing again to God's praise
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before considering together
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this evening these words.
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And we'll sing from the Psalter,
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Psalm 130.
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Psalm 130.
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A song of redemption.
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A song of provision
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that is found in the Lord.
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Psalm 130.
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Page 421
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in our blue Psalm books.
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Lord, from the depths
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to thee I cried.
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My voice, Lord,
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do thou hear
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unto my supplications voice.
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Give an attentive ear.
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Lord, who shall stand
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if thou, O Lord,
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shouldst mark iniquity?
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But yet with thee
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forgiveness is
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that feared
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thou mayest be.
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We'll sing the whole Psalm
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to God's praise.
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Lord, from the dead to thee I cry, my voice for to the hear.
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Come to my supplications, Lord, in an attempted ear.
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Lord, who shall stand in thine, O Lord, to spark in liberty?
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But yet with thee forgiveness is the fear, the vainest being.
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I wait for God, my soul doth wait, My hope is in His word.
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For love, yea, love, for morning watch, My soul waits for the Lord.
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On same or now, they have to watch, The morning light to see.
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Let Israel open the Lord, For with Him mercy's thee.
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On grandiacal redemption, His name were found within,
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And from all His iniquities, He Israel shall redeem.
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Let us pray together for a moment.
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Lord, our dependence upon you is complete, is total.
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We seek your face, and by your spirit we ask you would lead us this evening
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as we consider your word, this eternal truth contained in scriptures and provided toward us.
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What gracious provision.
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Lord, we thank you that we meet tonight around the word of God,
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and that brings us to the God of the word.
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And as we worship and sing and pray and now study the scriptures together,
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we ask above all that you be glorified,
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and all that is done and said here would be pleasing and acceptable in your sight.
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Lord, draw near to us.
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And may we heed the Spirit's leading this evening,
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and may we respond to your graciousness.
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May we respond to the gospel.
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And may we go from here knowing it's good to be here.
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Bless, Lord, your word to us, we pray.
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In Jesus' name, amen.
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Amen.
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Well, if you would open your Bibles at the gospel of John in chapter 3,
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where we read from together already,
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you will open your Bible at probably the most famous verse of the whole scripture.
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John 3 and verse 16 is the Bible in miniature.
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It is the gospel in summary.
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And I'd like us to think about it this evening and to learn together what it has to teach us about the gospel,
27:44
and above all, what it has to teach us about God.
27:48
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
27:54
that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
28:00
I wonder sometimes what people who have never been to Scotland actually think of Scotland.
28:11
They might be depending on a tourist or a relation or someone who's lived here,
28:16
telling them what our country is like.
28:19
They might take their impression from the internet, from a travel magazine,
28:23
from a postcard, from TV, who knows?
28:25
I just wonder sometimes if they envisage pipers and haggis in every corner,
28:32
and the low mists and the songs that just float up and down our land.
28:36
I wonder if they ever think of the rain and the midges and all that stuff.
28:42
And I sometimes think about that because I often wonder, more so,
28:47
what people think about God without ever coming to his word.
28:53
And I think that's a massive problem in our own time, in our own land, this very evening.
29:00
There are vast numbers of people tonight who have a concept of God,
29:06
call it a theology of God, perhaps that's pushing things.
29:11
They have an idea, a system, a scheme,
29:14
whereby they think of God along their terms,
29:19
without ever coming to the word he has given us.
29:23
And that's something we must be on our guard against.
29:27
Friends, this evening, if you have a concept of God,
29:30
if you have an imaginary thought about what God is like,
29:33
and you have framed your thinking in isolation to the word,
29:37
then you need to stop now and come to this text with me this evening
29:41
and think about what this tells us about the living God,
29:46
the God of the word.
29:48
And I would say also right from the off that we shouldn't understand the Bible or approach the Bible
29:55
thinking that it's a book that is set before us to convince us about the existence of God.
30:03
That is not the Bible's focus and purpose.
30:06
The Bible has not been given to us this evening to answer the question,
30:10
does God exist?
30:11
That question is not addressed by the Bible.
30:15
The question the Bible addresses is not,
30:18
does God exist?
30:20
But what is God like?
30:24
And John 3 and verse 16 brings us right to the heart of the matter.
30:30
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
30:42
It's a very high probability that most of us here know the words off by heart.
30:48
So I approach a text like this that's so well known with a level of trepidation
30:52
because it's a text that will always feature in any preaching ministry
30:57
because it's so deep and wide and beautiful.
31:00
There is so much here of God.
31:01
There is so much here of the gospel that it would take many, many visits to this text
31:07
to begin to just scratch the surface.
31:10
But it's good this evening to think about God.
31:13
That's why he raised up his church.
31:16
The church militant is here to profess faith in Christ
31:19
and declare the unsearchable riches of Christ,
31:21
to preach the cross.
31:23
And we will never exhaust that subject.
31:25
We read from Isaiah in chapter 40 and verse 18 begins,
31:30
To whom then will you liken God?
31:33
Or what likeness compare with him?
31:36
And then it says toward the end,
31:37
Lift up your highs on high and see.
31:40
Who created these things?
31:42
He who brings out their host by number,
31:44
calling them all by name.
31:46
This is God, the God of wonders,
31:49
the God of power, almighty God.
31:51
Wondrous in power and glorious in might.
31:54
And so we come to this answer he has given us.
31:57
And we come humbly and carefully to listen to what God has to say to us
32:03
in this most famous of texts.
32:07
And above all, we seek to form our thinking of God and toward God
32:12
based upon his word.
32:14
So there are a few things to think of this evening.
32:18
I want to think with you first of all, from John 3 and verse 16,
32:22
about what God has done.
32:24
What God has done.
32:27
God is a God of love.
32:31
Love flows from him.
32:33
It is part of who he is.
32:35
It is of his very essence.
32:39
And as we read through various passages in the scripture,
32:42
we come to see more and more of who God is and what God is like.
32:47
John, as he wrote of the love of God,
32:50
particularly in his letters.
32:54
And if I could just turn very quickly to 1 John in chapter 4,
32:58
to consider just a few things there we're told here of the love of God.
33:02
In chapter 4 of 1 John and verse 9,
33:05
in this the love of God was made manifest among us,
33:09
revealed, confirmed, declared,
33:11
that God sent his only Son into the world.
33:15
There is the declaration and affirmation and confirmation
33:18
of the love of God,
33:21
so that we might live through him
33:24
in his love for us.
33:27
He has sent his only Son into the world,
33:30
so that we might live through him.
33:34
Such is God's love
33:35
and its intensity
33:37
and its perfection
33:38
and its purity.
33:41
That God has made provision for sinners
33:43
in sending his Son.
33:45
And this is love.
33:46
Not that we have loved God,
33:48
but that he loved us
33:50
and sent his Son to be the propitiation
33:53
for our sins.
33:54
Beloved,
33:55
if God so loved us,
33:57
we also ought to love
33:59
one another.
34:01
That's why love must be at the center
34:03
of any gospel preaching
34:05
and gospel declaration,
34:07
because it is of the essence of our God.
34:11
And in his love,
34:12
he has provided his Son,
34:15
for God so loved the world
34:17
that he gave.
34:19
And that's the key word
34:21
in John 3 and verse 16
34:23
when it comes to thinking about
34:24
what God has done.
34:25
We speak of his character,
34:27
his nature,
34:28
being perfect
34:29
and pure
34:30
in love.
34:32
And we see that in his love,
34:33
he acts.
34:35
It's not just words with God.
34:37
It's actions.
34:39
And in his love,
34:40
because of his love,
34:41
through his love,
34:43
he gave.
34:46
God gave.
34:48
It's wonderful just to pause
34:51
and think and reflect
34:52
for a few moments about this,
34:54
to think of the love
34:56
of our God.
34:58
His love is limitless.
35:01
And this is how one writer
35:02
sums it up.
35:04
The magnitude of his love
35:05
is matched
35:07
by the magnitude
35:08
of his gift.
35:10
The magnitude of his love
35:12
is matched
35:14
by the magnitude
35:15
of his gift.
35:16
And when people ask you,
35:18
what gift?
35:19
What's God ever done for me?
35:21
Remind them
35:22
that he who did not
35:24
spare his own son,
35:26
but delivered him up
35:28
for us all,
35:30
how will he not also
35:31
with him graciously
35:33
give us all things?
35:35
He gave all.
35:38
The magnitude of his love
35:39
is matched
35:41
by the magnitude
35:42
of his gift.
35:44
How many people
35:45
in Stornoway tonight
35:46
and across our land
35:47
are thinking,
35:48
well,
35:48
what's God ever done
35:49
for me?
35:51
What's God ever given me?
35:53
Particularly when things
35:54
go bad
35:54
and when life
35:55
takes a downward turn
35:56
where there's a period
35:58
perhaps of ill health
35:59
or bereavement
36:00
or financial strain
36:02
and pressure,
36:03
unemployment,
36:04
when relationships
36:05
break,
36:06
when things get bad,
36:08
when brokenness
36:09
comes in,
36:09
when there's addiction,
36:11
people lash out
36:12
at God
36:12
and blame God
36:13
and shake their fist
36:15
at God
36:15
and will have nothing
36:16
to do with God
36:17
and if ever he gets
36:18
a passing thought
36:20
as well,
36:20
what's he ever done
36:21
for me?
36:23
And the tragedy
36:23
about that mindset
36:25
and that heart condition
36:26
is that it goes
36:27
straight past
36:28
this open declaration
36:29
of what God
36:30
has already done.
36:32
In love,
36:34
he's provided
36:35
his very own son.
36:38
You see,
36:38
the gospel's
36:38
not a bedtime story.
36:40
It's not about
36:40
a bunch of rules.
36:41
It's not about
36:42
a code of conduct
36:43
for religiously minded people.
36:45
The gospel,
36:46
as we've already noted
36:47
this weekend,
36:48
it's not a message
36:49
about religion.
36:50
It's a message
36:51
of salvation.
36:53
For I'm not ashamed
36:54
of the gospel
36:55
for it is the power
36:56
of God to salvation
36:57
to all who believe.
36:59
It's about salvation
37:00
and being saved
37:02
and how does it,
37:03
how do we get there?
37:04
It comes from God.
37:06
It pleased God
37:07
from all eternity
37:09
to ordain
37:11
and appoint Jesus
37:12
as our mediator.
37:15
It's paraphrasing
37:16
our own confession
37:17
of faith.
37:18
For God so loved
37:19
the world
37:20
that he gave.
37:22
He gave his son.
37:24
And the gospel tonight
37:25
stands upon
37:26
this historical
37:26
giving of Jesus.
37:28
We have to assert
37:30
and maintain
37:31
and defend
37:31
that the one
37:32
who from all eternity
37:33
was with the Father,
37:34
through whom
37:35
all things were made
37:36
and through,
37:37
by whom all things
37:37
are sustained,
37:39
by whom all things
37:39
were created,
37:40
as a result of his
37:42
being given,
37:43
became flesh
37:44
and dwelt
37:45
among us.
37:48
He is the image
37:49
of the invisible God,
37:51
the firstborn
37:52
over all creation.
37:53
By him all things
37:54
were created
37:55
through him
37:56
and for him.
37:57
In him all the fullness
37:58
of God
37:59
was pleased to dwell.
38:00
How long have we got
38:03
to unpack
38:04
these words?
38:06
A lifetime
38:06
isn't long enough.
38:08
The fullness of God
38:10
was pleased to dwell.
38:13
This is our Savior.
38:15
And this is our song.
38:17
And this is who
38:19
God the Father
38:20
gave.
38:21
Why?
38:23
Because of his love.
38:25
What God
38:26
has already done.
38:27
You see,
38:30
he came
38:30
to finish a work.
38:32
He came
38:32
to complete
38:33
a task.
38:34
He was given
38:35
to do
38:35
and to do that
38:37
he gave himself
38:38
to death,
38:39
even death
38:40
on a cross.
38:41
He took our place.
38:43
He paid our price.
38:46
If you this evening
38:47
are asking,
38:48
what's God
38:49
ever done
38:49
for me?
38:50
Your answer
38:52
is the cross.
38:54
And the response
38:56
to your question
38:57
is one
38:58
that the gospel
38:59
raises.
39:00
What have you
39:00
done
39:01
about what
39:03
God has done
39:03
for you?
39:05
Have you come
39:05
to him?
39:06
Have you pled
39:07
for his mercy
39:08
and forgiveness?
39:10
Have you sought
39:10
his grace
39:11
in your heart
39:12
to take your sins
39:13
away?
39:14
Have you come
39:15
to him and cried
39:16
out the great
39:17
New Testament
39:18
prayer of confession?
39:19
Lord, be merciful
39:21
to me, a sinner.
39:22
Because that's
39:23
where we all begin.
39:25
And that's the point
39:26
where we all must come
39:27
in order to reckon
39:29
with God.
39:29
We must come
39:30
to him
39:30
on his terms,
39:32
by his appointed
39:33
means,
39:34
through our mediator,
39:36
our redeemer,
39:38
the Lord Jesus Christ.
39:39
What God
39:40
has done.
39:42
I want to think
39:43
secondly with you
39:43
about this.
39:45
What God
39:45
is doing.
39:46
Because this
39:47
incredible text
39:48
refers not just
39:50
to the past
39:50
but to the present.
39:52
For God
39:52
so loved the world
39:53
that he gave
39:54
his only son
39:55
that whoever
39:56
believes in him,
39:59
that whoever
40:00
believes in him
40:01
should not perish
40:03
but have
40:03
eternal life.
40:05
So if God
40:05
has already
40:06
done something,
40:07
what is it God
40:08
is now doing?
40:09
And what God
40:10
is doing
40:11
is calling us
40:12
to his son.
40:14
This is my
40:14
beloved son.
40:16
Hear him.
40:17
This is my
40:19
beloved son
40:19
in whom
40:20
I am well
40:21
pleased.
40:22
And as John
40:22
the Baptist
40:23
said when he
40:24
saw him,
40:24
he couldn't
40:25
contain himself.
40:25
He couldn't
40:26
keep the words
40:27
in.
40:27
He just
40:27
blurted out,
40:28
behold,
40:29
the Lamb
40:30
of God
40:30
who takes
40:31
away the
40:31
sin of the
40:32
world.
40:32
And he
40:33
does.
40:34
And there
40:35
are testaments
40:36
to that
40:36
saving work
40:37
in here
40:38
this evening.
40:39
Many,
40:40
many people,
40:41
men and
40:41
women and
40:42
boys and
40:42
girls,
40:43
who have
40:43
come to know
40:44
Jesus in
40:44
their own
40:45
hearts,
40:46
who have
40:46
prayed the
40:47
prayer of
40:47
faith,
40:48
come into
40:48
my heart,
40:49
come into
40:50
my heart,
40:51
come into
40:51
my heart,
40:52
Lord Jesus,
40:53
come in today,
40:54
come in to
40:54
stay,
40:56
come into
40:56
my heart,
40:57
Lord Jesus.
40:59
This is a
40:59
message of
41:00
salvation.
41:01
And that's
41:02
probably why
41:03
in John's
41:03
writings,
41:04
between his
41:05
gospel and
41:05
his letters,
41:06
when we put
41:06
them together,
41:07
we find the
41:08
word life
41:09
36 times.
41:11
It's a
41:12
message of
41:12
life.
41:13
And look
41:13
what he
41:14
says here,
41:14
that you
41:15
should not
41:15
perish but
41:16
have eternal
41:17
life.
41:19
Christ wants
41:20
to bring us
41:21
from death
41:21
to life,
41:22
from darkness
41:23
to light,
41:24
from estrangement
41:25
to being
41:25
children of
41:26
God,
41:27
not just
41:27
bringing us
41:28
into the
41:28
palace,
41:29
not just
41:30
bringing us
41:30
into the
41:30
kingdom,
41:31
but bringing
41:31
us right
41:32
into the
41:32
family of
41:33
God.
41:34
This is
41:34
grace.
41:36
Because,
41:37
friends,
41:37
in and of
41:38
ourselves,
41:38
what are we?
41:39
We're
41:40
sinners.
41:41
Look at
41:42
the last
41:42
verse of
41:43
this famous
41:43
chapter,
41:44
John 3
41:44
and verse
41:45
36.
41:47
We have
41:47
a solemn
41:48
perspective
41:49
and balance
41:49
presented by
41:51
God so
41:52
that tonight
41:53
each one of
41:53
us can go
41:54
home and
41:56
be under
41:56
no illusion,
41:58
no uncertainty
41:59
as to where
42:00
we stand
42:01
tonight before
42:03
our living
42:04
God.
42:05
Whoever
42:05
believes in
42:06
the Son
42:06
has eternal
42:08
life.
42:08
Whoever
42:09
does not
42:09
obey the
42:10
Son shall
42:10
not see
42:11
life,
42:11
but the
42:12
wrath of
42:12
God
42:13
remains
42:13
on him.
42:16
Solemn
42:16
words,
42:17
searching
42:18
words,
42:20
words that
42:20
I believe
42:20
the Spirit
42:21
will use
42:22
this evening
42:22
to seek
42:23
you out
42:23
and to
42:24
stir up
42:25
your conscience
42:25
so that
42:27
you would
42:27
come to
42:28
Christ
42:28
yourself,
42:29
that you
42:29
would come
42:30
and ask
42:30
the question,
42:31
what must
42:32
I do
42:32
to be
42:32
saved?
42:33
What
42:33
did Paul
42:34
say?
42:34
Believe
42:35
in the
42:36
Lord Jesus
42:36
Christ,
42:37
and you
42:38
will be
42:38
saved.
42:39
Believe.
42:40
And there
42:42
it is,
42:43
the gospel
42:44
in a moment
42:45
of time
42:46
as the
42:46
Philippian
42:47
jailer fell
42:48
to his
42:48
knees in
42:49
desperation,
42:50
knowing his
42:51
heart and
42:52
in his
42:52
spirit something
42:53
was wrong,
42:54
sensing the
42:55
void between
42:56
him and
42:56
God,
42:57
sensing that
42:57
he couldn't
42:58
get across
42:59
it himself,
42:59
he cries
43:00
out,
43:00
what must
43:01
I do
43:01
to be
43:01
saved?
43:02
Haven't
43:02
we all
43:02
done that,
43:03
Christian
43:03
friends?
43:04
Yes,
43:04
we have.
43:05
That's what
43:06
brings us
43:06
to Christ,
43:07
acknowledging
43:08
our need
43:08
for him,
43:09
and so we
43:10
come in
43:10
repentance
43:11
and faith,
43:12
and we
43:12
come to
43:12
him,
43:13
and we
43:13
come to
43:14
him in
43:14
conscious
43:15
awareness of
43:16
his summons,
43:16
his invitation
43:17
to come in
43:18
faith and
43:19
believe.
43:20
And look what
43:21
this verse
43:21
says,
43:22
whoever
43:23
believes in
43:24
him,
43:24
there's the
43:25
key word,
43:26
when we
43:26
think about
43:27
what is
43:27
God doing?
43:28
What's God
43:29
doing in
43:29
Stornoway,
43:30
in Scotland,
43:31
across the
43:31
world,
43:32
now,
43:32
this evening?
43:33
God is
43:36
saving those
43:38
who come
43:38
in faith
43:39
to his
43:39
son.
43:40
And who
43:41
are they?
43:42
Here they're
43:42
defined,
43:44
whoever,
43:46
whoever.
43:48
See,
43:48
friends,
43:48
we don't
43:49
know.
43:50
We only
43:50
see the
43:51
outward,
43:52
but God
43:53
looks at
43:53
the heart.
43:55
God knows
43:55
tonight what
43:57
we've done
43:57
with this
43:58
gospel,
43:59
and what
44:00
we've done
44:00
with his
44:01
son.
44:02
He knows
44:03
that if we
44:03
have responded
44:04
in faith,
44:05
He knows
44:06
if we
44:06
have stayed
44:07
back uncertain,
44:08
unconvinced,
44:09
and unconverted,
44:11
waiting for
44:11
another time,
44:12
waiting for
44:13
that eternal
44:13
tomorrow.
44:14
There's always
44:15
tomorrow when
44:15
it comes to
44:16
the gospel,
44:17
the great
44:17
lie of
44:18
Satan.
44:19
Don't worry
44:20
about this,
44:20
that's fine,
44:21
the gospel's
44:22
a great
44:22
message,
44:23
the gospel
44:23
has changed
44:24
lives,
44:25
and yes,
44:25
it's true,
44:26
but listen,
44:27
you've got a
44:27
lot to see
44:28
to,
44:28
you're only
44:28
young.
44:29
Let's think
44:30
about this
44:30
at the next
44:31
communion,
44:32
let's think
44:32
about it
44:32
next Sunday,
44:33
let's think
44:34
about it
44:34
when you
44:34
talk to
44:35
this one
44:35
or talk
44:36
to that
44:36
one,
44:36
any time
44:38
but God's
44:39
time,
44:40
and God's
44:41
appointed time
44:42
for dealing
44:43
with salvation
44:44
is now,
44:46
when in
44:46
his spirit
44:47
and in
44:48
his grace
44:49
and in
44:49
his mercy
44:50
and in
44:51
his providence
44:51
he presents
44:53
his gospel
44:54
to you,
44:55
saying,
44:55
come to
44:56
me,
44:57
and I
44:58
will give
44:58
you rest.
44:59
this is
45:00
the wondrous
45:01
invitation
45:02
and summons
45:02
of Jesus
45:03
Christ.
45:05
The magnitude
45:05
of his love
45:06
is matched
45:07
by the
45:08
magnitude
45:09
of his
45:10
gift,
45:11
and his
45:12
gift is
45:13
nothing other
45:14
and no one
45:15
less than
45:16
his son.
45:17
So John 3
45:18
and 16
45:19
is vast
45:20
in its
45:21
teaching of
45:21
the scope
45:23
of the
45:23
gospel,
45:24
incredible
45:25
in the
45:27
lengths
45:27
that God
45:28
will go
45:28
to.
45:29
It's
45:29
tremendous
45:30
in what
45:31
it sets
45:31
before us.
45:32
First of
45:33
all,
45:33
in what
45:33
God has
45:34
done,
45:34
and we
45:34
can call
45:35
that a
45:35
statement
45:35
of fact.
45:36
He has
45:37
given
45:37
his son.
45:38
Golgotha
45:39
was 2,000
45:40
years ago,
45:41
and now
45:41
tonight we
45:42
have the
45:43
complete
45:43
canon of
45:44
scripture
45:44
in a
45:45
language
45:45
and version
45:46
we can
45:46
read easily
45:47
and follow.
45:48
Isn't
45:48
God good?
45:49
Isn't
45:49
God gracious
45:50
and loving
45:51
and merciful?
45:52
And that
45:52
he's given
45:53
us this
45:53
message of
45:54
his son
45:54
tonight in
45:55
a way we
45:56
can sit
45:56
in comfort,
45:57
not worried
45:58
about the
45:59
police kicking
45:59
in the
46:00
door,
46:00
not worried
46:00
about being
46:01
dragged off
46:01
to prison,
46:02
not under
46:02
persecution,
46:03
but in
46:04
wonderful comfort
46:05
and security
46:06
with plenty
46:07
provided for
46:08
us,
46:09
and we
46:09
can reflect
46:10
tonight for
46:11
this half
46:12
hour together
46:13
on the
46:14
wonderful
46:15
gospel and
46:16
provision of
46:17
Christ.
46:19
For God
46:19
did not
46:20
send his
46:20
son into
46:21
the world
46:21
to condemn
46:22
the world,
46:23
but in
46:23
order that
46:24
the world
46:24
might be
46:25
saved through
46:26
him.
46:28
Let's make
46:28
it more
46:29
personal on
46:29
that.
46:30
How about
46:31
you?
46:32
Because that's
46:33
the essence
46:34
and question
46:35
of the
46:35
gospel.
46:37
God
46:37
searches the
46:38
heart and
46:39
he's asking
46:40
now this
46:40
evening,
46:41
individually,
46:43
what have
46:43
you done
46:44
with my
46:44
son?
46:46
What have
46:46
you done
46:47
with my
46:47
gospel?
46:48
What have
46:49
you done
46:49
with this
46:49
knowledge that
46:51
you have?
46:52
What have
46:52
you done
46:52
with the
46:53
Bible?
46:54
What have
46:54
you done
46:54
with your
46:55
need to
46:55
be forgiven?
46:57
Will you
46:57
still stay
46:59
away?
47:00
Will you
47:00
still
47:01
prevaricate,
47:02
debate,
47:03
argue?
47:04
Will you
47:04
still get
47:06
into a
47:06
remonstrance
47:07
and a
47:07
standoff
47:08
with God?
47:09
Will you
47:09
rail against
47:10
the Holy
47:10
Spirit and
47:11
continue to
47:12
say in
47:13
your hardness
47:13
of heart,
47:14
what's God
47:15
ever done
47:15
for me?
47:17
Or will
47:17
you now,
47:18
friends,
47:18
stop and
47:20
pause and
47:20
think.
47:22
He sent
47:22
his son
47:23
in love.
47:25
He gave
47:26
everything.
47:29
And that's
47:29
why as we
47:30
go through
47:30
the wonderful
47:31
book of the
47:32
Acts of the
47:32
Apostles,
47:33
we read of
47:33
tremendous
47:34
instances
47:35
of clarity,
47:38
of great
47:38
theology,
47:39
but great
47:40
simplicity as
47:41
well.
47:41
Listen to
47:41
Acts 13
47:42
and verse
47:42
26.
47:45
Brothers,
47:45
sisters,
47:46
sons of the
47:47
family of
47:47
Abraham and
47:48
those among
47:48
you who
47:49
fear God
47:49
to us has
47:50
been sent
47:51
the message
47:52
of this
47:53
salvation.
47:55
And again
47:56
down Acts
47:56
13 and
47:57
verse 38.
47:59
Let it be
47:59
known to
48:00
you therefore
48:01
brothers that
48:01
through this
48:02
man forgiveness
48:03
of sins is
48:05
proclaimed to
48:06
you and
48:08
by him
48:09
everyone who
48:10
believes is
48:11
freed.
48:13
Isn't that
48:14
wonderful that
48:14
God has been
48:15
so plain and
48:16
clear and
48:18
purposeful,
48:19
tender and
48:20
compassionate and
48:21
gracious and
48:22
ensuring tonight
48:23
we'd be here for
48:24
this short time,
48:26
the end of the
48:27
month of August
48:28
2022, the
48:30
year opening up
48:31
ahead of us and
48:31
the week closing
48:33
in already.
48:35
And God in his
48:36
providence has
48:37
appointed this time
48:38
in this moment
48:39
that the gospel
48:41
would come before
48:43
you again.
48:43
that Christ in
48:46
his claims over
48:47
you would come
48:48
before you again.
48:50
That our
48:50
condition as
48:51
sinners would
48:52
come before you
48:53
again.
48:54
And again God
48:56
is calling in his
48:56
mercy, come to
48:58
my son.
49:00
Come to the
49:01
one who was
49:01
dead and now
49:03
was alive.
49:04
Come to the
49:04
one who gave
49:05
himself for
49:07
you.
49:07
The great
49:08
declaration of
49:09
Paul's earliest
49:10
letter to the
49:11
Galatians, the
49:12
life I now
49:12
live.
49:13
I live by
49:13
faith in the
49:14
son of God
49:15
who loved me
49:16
and gave
49:17
himself for me
49:17
and to give
49:18
himself for him
49:19
what did he
49:20
do?
49:20
He became a
49:22
curse.
49:24
That's what the
49:24
cross was.
49:26
It's an awful
49:27
scene.
49:28
It's a scene
49:29
that we have to
49:29
study and
49:30
survey but
49:31
friends let us
49:32
do so in awe
49:34
and wonder,
49:35
humility,
49:36
patience,
49:37
tenderness.
49:38
The son of
49:39
God, dead
49:40
on a cross
49:41
for the sins
49:42
of the world.
49:44
Him who was
49:45
no sin.
49:46
How is it put
49:47
in Romans in
49:48
chapter 8?
49:50
As Paul begins
49:50
to unpack this,
49:53
Romans 8 and
49:53
verse 32,
49:55
he who did
49:55
not spare his
49:56
own son but
49:57
gave him up
49:57
for us all,
49:58
how will they
49:59
not also with
49:59
him graciously
50:00
give us all
50:01
things?
50:04
The son of
50:04
God given
50:06
to death.
50:07
and he
50:09
died there
50:10
to complete
50:10
the work
50:11
the father
50:11
had given
50:12
him to do
50:12
in this
50:13
eternal
50:14
covenant,
50:15
this covenant
50:16
of redemption.
50:19
So maybe
50:19
you think
50:20
that it
50:21
doesn't apply
50:21
to you,
50:22
doesn't extend
50:23
to you,
50:23
maybe you
50:24
think you're
50:24
not good
50:25
enough,
50:26
maybe you
50:26
think you've
50:27
got time,
50:28
friends,
50:28
whatever you're
50:29
lining up in
50:30
your lines of
50:31
defense to
50:32
resist the
50:33
gospel call
50:34
in your heart,
50:35
I would urge
50:36
you to put
50:36
them aside,
50:37
listen to the
50:38
words you've
50:38
just sung
50:39
together,
50:40
and plenteous
50:41
redemption is
50:42
ever found
50:43
with him,
50:44
that's a
50:44
wonderful Old
50:45
Testament word,
50:46
that word
50:47
there,
50:47
plenteous in
50:48
the Hebrew
50:49
is rabba,
50:50
and it
50:50
speaks of
50:51
abundance,
50:52
and a
50:53
great abundance,
50:54
so there's an
50:55
abundance of
50:56
what?
50:57
Redemption,
50:58
and it's
50:58
ever found
50:59
with him,
50:59
and from
51:00
all his
51:00
iniquities,
51:01
he Israel
51:02
shall redeem.
51:04
What do we
51:04
need to do?
51:06
We need to
51:06
acknowledge your
51:07
sin,
51:08
and cry out
51:09
for forgiveness,
51:10
and come to
51:11
him for his
51:12
mercy.
51:12
Friends,
51:13
the Bible
51:13
nowhere delutes
51:15
or denies the
51:16
awfulness of
51:17
sin.
51:17
That's what the
51:18
world does.
51:19
That's what
51:20
cultural thinking
51:20
does.
51:22
That's what
51:22
world leaders do
51:23
who are not
51:23
interested in the
51:24
gospel.
51:24
They dumb it
51:25
down,
51:26
and they expect
51:27
and demand the
51:28
church to do
51:28
likewise,
51:29
to dumb down
51:29
the teaching of
51:30
the gospel,
51:31
not to talk
51:32
about sin,
51:33
not to mention
51:33
hell,
51:34
not to raise
51:35
the issue of
51:35
judgment and
51:37
God's eternal
51:38
damnation that
51:39
waits all those
51:40
who turn away
51:41
from him.
51:41
As the gospel
51:42
says,
51:42
whoever does not
51:43
obey the Son
51:44
shall not see
51:45
life,
51:45
but the wrath
51:46
of God remains
51:47
on him.
51:48
God is love
51:49
and light
51:49
and truth
51:50
and mercy
51:51
and wrath,
51:54
and God's
51:54
wrath will be
51:55
poured out
51:55
upon sin,
51:56
and unless and
51:57
until you come
51:58
to Christ,
51:59
and under his
51:59
cover,
52:00
and under his
52:00
righteousness,
52:01
the wrath of
52:02
God remains on
52:03
you.
52:03
That's what the
52:04
scripture tells
52:04
us,
52:05
and we'll be
52:06
tied to church
52:06
if ever we
52:07
move away from
52:08
this declaration
52:09
of good news.
52:11
I read the other
52:12
day a nice story
52:13
about Voltaire,
52:15
can't claim to
52:15
know much about
52:16
the man,
52:17
but I know he
52:17
was a 17th
52:19
century critic,
52:20
thinker,
52:21
philosopher,
52:21
writer,
52:22
and he had a
52:22
great career of
52:24
poking fun at
52:24
the church and
52:25
tearing away at
52:26
the tenants of
52:27
the church,
52:28
and as one of
52:30
history's best
52:30
known atheists,
52:31
he often stated
52:32
by the time I
52:34
am buried,
52:35
the Bible will
52:35
be non-existent.
52:38
A few years
52:38
after his death,
52:40
the Geneva Bible
52:40
Society purchased
52:42
his home and
52:43
turned it into a
52:44
print shop for
52:45
Bibles.
52:47
God will not
52:48
be mocked.
52:52
God had the
52:53
last word with
52:54
that man,
52:55
and we remember
52:56
his arrogance,
52:57
his atheism,
52:59
his emptiness,
52:59
and his
53:00
hopelessness,
53:02
his being
53:02
bound in by
53:03
this humanism
53:04
and this
53:05
atheism,
53:06
this pluralism
53:07
that said,
53:08
anything but
53:08
God,
53:09
don't bring this
53:10
message of
53:11
personal salvation
53:12
to me and a
53:12
need for forgiveness.
53:13
How dare you?
53:14
And what we have
53:15
in Voltaire is
53:15
this shaken
53:17
fist,
53:18
this arrogant
53:19
denial of giving
53:20
God his place
53:21
in our hearts.
53:23
And what does
53:23
God do?
53:25
He comes to us
53:26
again and
53:28
again and
53:30
again in
53:31
his gospel and
53:32
in his grace,
53:33
saying,
53:33
whoever believes
53:34
in him should
53:36
not perish but
53:37
have eternal
53:38
life.
53:38
And this is the
53:38
last thing.
53:40
What God has
53:40
done, a
53:41
statement of
53:42
fact.
53:43
What God is
53:44
doing, a
53:45
statement of
53:45
promise.
53:46
He's saving to
53:47
the uttermost
53:48
those who call
53:49
upon him.
53:50
Then there's
53:50
this last thing,
53:52
what God will
53:53
do.
53:54
And this is a
53:55
statement of
53:55
intent.
53:56
whoever believes
53:59
in him should
54:00
not perish but
54:01
have eternal
54:02
life.
54:04
Now the Bible
54:04
takes this
54:05
teaching of
54:06
what it is to
54:07
perish before
54:08
God.
54:10
It's called
54:10
the second
54:11
death.
54:12
It's called
54:13
banishment in
54:15
a place called
54:16
hell.
54:18
John 3, 36
54:19
makes it clear,
54:21
the wrath of
54:22
God remains on
54:23
him.
54:24
It's possibly
54:25
the most
54:25
unpopular
54:27
teaching in
54:29
the New
54:29
Testament
54:29
today in
54:31
many denominations
54:32
that profess to
54:33
be Christian.
54:34
They have
54:34
Christian above
54:35
their door.
54:37
When you go
54:37
inside, you'll
54:38
hear none of
54:39
this.
54:40
Why?
54:41
Because it's
54:42
offensive.
54:43
Because it's
54:44
difficult.
54:45
Because it's
54:46
searching.
54:47
Because it's
54:47
not the God
54:48
who's on a
54:49
shelf in a
54:50
box, kept
54:51
there nice and
54:51
neat for Easter
54:52
and Christmas
54:53
and baptisms
54:54
and weddings
54:55
and funerals.
54:56
This is the
54:56
God of wonders,
54:58
the God of
54:58
might and
54:59
splendor, who
55:00
is holy and
55:01
just and of
55:02
pure horizon to
55:03
behold in
55:03
equity.
55:04
A God who
55:05
calls us to
55:05
account and
55:06
who tells us
55:07
that the day
55:07
is coming when
55:08
he will appoint
55:10
the end of
55:11
time and usher
55:12
in eternity.
55:13
And that day
55:13
is coming.
55:15
We don't know
55:15
when it will be,
55:16
none of us do.
55:17
And when the
55:18
JWs and the
55:19
Mormons and the
55:19
rest of them
55:20
ring your doorbell
55:21
and start talking
55:22
to you about
55:22
fulfillment of
55:23
prophecies, don't
55:24
listen to them.
55:25
They don't know
55:26
what they're
55:26
talking about.
55:27
They've created
55:27
a scheme of
55:28
teaching and
55:29
thinking that's
55:30
in isolation to
55:31
God's word.
55:32
Nobody knows
55:33
the day or the
55:33
hour.
55:35
We just know
55:35
it's coming.
55:37
And we know
55:37
that we need
55:38
to be ready.
55:39
And this is
55:40
the ultimate
55:40
question.
55:42
Are you
55:42
ready?
55:44
Are you ready
55:45
for that day?
55:46
Because here
55:46
we're told that
55:47
God is coming
55:48
again and he
55:49
will judge the
55:50
world in
55:50
righteousness.
55:50
Read through
55:51
Thessalonians and
55:52
the other letters
55:53
where the
55:53
apostle is
55:54
moved to
55:55
explain and
55:57
express the
55:58
teaching of
55:59
Jesus.
56:00
He came once,
56:02
will come again
56:03
to judge the
56:05
world in
56:06
righteousness.
56:08
It's a day of
56:08
reckoning.
56:10
It's a day of
56:10
accounting when
56:12
all will stand
56:13
before the
56:14
judgment seat.
56:15
And there the
56:16
question will be,
56:17
what did you do
56:18
with my son?
56:19
So friends,
56:21
what God will
56:22
do is the
56:23
very essence
56:24
of the gospel.
56:25
It's what gives
56:26
the Christian
56:26
church her
56:28
sense of
56:28
urgency,
56:30
her determination
56:31
and mission,
56:33
her clarity of
56:34
thought in
56:35
forming strategies
56:36
and plans and
56:38
developing courts
56:39
of the church.
56:40
Why?
56:40
To feel good
56:41
about ourselves
56:42
and to think,
56:43
well, we've done
56:43
well, haven't we?
56:44
Let's wave the
56:45
flag of our
56:46
denomination.
56:46
Not for a
56:47
minute.
56:48
It's not what
56:49
it's about.
56:50
We don't
56:50
impress the
56:51
Lord with
56:52
these things.
56:54
Our sense
56:54
of urgency
56:55
comes simply
56:56
in wanting
56:57
people lost
56:59
in sin
56:59
to be saved.
57:03
This is a
57:03
message of
57:05
salvation,
57:06
not a
57:07
message of
57:08
religion.
57:09
salvation.
57:10
Christ Jesus
57:11
came into
57:12
the world
57:13
to save
57:14
sinners.
57:15
He came in
57:16
to seek
57:17
and to
57:18
save the
57:19
lost.
57:20
I'll share
57:20
with you a
57:21
nice story
57:21
I read just
57:22
as we close
57:22
of a
57:24
sculpture,
57:26
a sculpture
57:26
that was made
57:27
by Michelangelo.
57:29
Michelangelo was
57:29
consumed with
57:30
self-loathing
57:31
and self-criticism
57:32
as he came to
57:33
the end of his
57:33
life and he
57:34
rarely finished
57:35
the sculptures
57:36
he began.
57:37
All his
57:37
finished works
57:38
are from
57:38
early in his
57:39
career.
57:40
He was free
57:40
and expressed
57:41
his amazing
57:42
skills to
57:43
sculpt marble
57:44
things that
57:45
today are
57:45
still looked
57:46
at in awe.
57:47
But toward
57:47
the end of
57:48
his life he
57:49
began to
57:49
lose patience
57:50
with himself
57:50
and he was
57:51
so critical
57:51
he would
57:52
destroy his
57:53
works and
57:53
he'd been
57:53
working on
57:54
three,
57:54
four,
57:54
five years.
57:55
One of
57:55
them was
57:56
the Florentine
57:57
Pieta.
57:59
It's a
57:59
sculpture that
58:00
as far as
58:01
we can tell
58:01
he lost
58:02
patience with
58:03
after working
58:03
on it for
58:04
a number of
58:04
years and
58:05
he began to
58:05
smash it up
58:06
with a hammer
58:06
and then he
58:07
left it.
58:08
Then some
58:10
time later
58:11
a young
58:12
sculptor
58:12
apprentice was
58:13
brought in
58:14
to restore
58:15
the damaged
58:16
work that the
58:17
master craftsman
58:18
had abandoned.
58:20
And over
58:21
time and
58:23
with patience
58:24
and skill
58:25
and ability
58:26
that masterpiece
58:28
was returned
58:29
to its former
58:30
state telling
58:31
the story
58:32
that Michelangelo
58:34
had started
58:35
but hadn't
58:36
finished.
58:36
It's a
58:37
wonderful story
58:38
of restoration
58:40
and I think
58:42
that's a theme
58:43
that we find
58:44
here in
58:44
John 3
58:45
16.
58:46
For God
58:47
so loved
58:48
the world
58:48
that he
58:48
gave his
58:49
only son
58:50
that whoever
58:51
believes in
58:52
him should
58:53
not perish
58:55
but have
58:56
eternal life.
58:58
Christ would
58:59
restore you
59:00
to communion
59:01
with God
59:02
the Father.
59:03
Christ would
59:04
restore you
59:04
to a place
59:05
of favour
59:06
and grace
59:07
and blessing
59:07
and peace.
59:09
That's what
59:10
Christ does
59:11
to all those
59:12
who come to
59:13
him in faith
59:14
to all those
59:15
who come to
59:15
him in repentance
59:16
to all those
59:17
who come to
59:18
men and women
59:19
and boys and
59:19
girls in
59:20
repentance
59:21
and wholeheartedness
59:22
and that's why
59:24
we have these
59:24
wonderful statements
59:26
such as this
59:26
in Romans 8
59:27
verse 1
59:28
there is
59:29
therefore now
59:30
no condemnation
59:32
for those
59:34
who are in
59:36
Christ Jesus.
59:38
Are you?
59:40
Are you in
59:41
Christ?
59:43
Thanks be to
59:44
God.
59:45
But if you're
59:45
not in Christ
59:46
I ask you
59:48
in this moment
59:49
of silence
59:50
we're going to
59:51
bow together
59:51
in prayer
59:52
call out to
59:53
him
59:53
seek him
59:54
and seek
59:55
the forgiveness
59:56
of heart
59:57
that only
59:57
Christ can
59:58
effect by the
59:59
spirit and in
1:00:00
his grace
1:00:01
to restore
1:00:02
you from
1:00:03
alienation
1:00:04
and distance
1:00:05
and hardness
1:00:05
of heart
1:00:06
to being
1:00:07
made new
1:00:08
and being
1:00:10
made right
1:00:10
with God
1:00:11
may he bless
1:00:13
us that this
1:00:14
would be so.
1:00:15
Let's pray
1:00:15
together for a
1:00:16
moment.
1:00:19
Our
1:00:20
gracious God
1:00:21
we bow
1:00:22
in your
1:00:23
presence
1:00:23
we thank
1:00:24
you that
1:00:25
you have
1:00:26
given us
1:00:26
the gospel.
1:00:28
Thank you
1:00:29
Lord God
1:00:30
that we
1:00:30
have this
1:00:31
word of
1:00:31
life
1:00:32
the promise
1:00:33
of life
1:00:34
in Christ
1:00:35
Jesus
1:00:35
tonight
1:00:37
Lord we
1:00:37
pray you
1:00:38
would bless
1:00:38
your word
1:00:39
to our
1:00:39
hearts
1:00:40
that we
1:00:41
might take
1:00:41
your word
1:00:42
into our
1:00:42
life and
1:00:43
home with
1:00:44
us this
1:00:44
evening to
1:00:45
reflect upon
1:00:46
your amazing
1:00:47
grace
1:00:48
that you
1:00:49
gave your
1:00:50
son in
1:00:51
love
1:00:51
and he
1:00:52
came
1:00:52
willingly
1:00:53
in
1:00:53
obedience
1:00:54
sins
1:00:54
and died
1:00:57
in our
1:00:58
place and
1:00:58
in our
1:00:59
stead on
1:00:59
the cross
1:01:00
by his
1:01:02
wounds we
1:01:03
are healed.
1:01:04
We give
1:01:05
thanks that we
1:01:06
have a
1:01:06
redeemer.
1:01:07
We give
1:01:08
thanks that we
1:01:08
know him as
1:01:09
our saviour and
1:01:10
we pray now
1:01:11
Lord God for
1:01:12
your blessing to
1:01:12
rest upon those
1:01:13
this evening
1:01:14
who may be
1:01:15
struggling with a
1:01:16
sense of sin
1:01:17
who may be
1:01:18
struggling with a
1:01:18
sense of
1:01:19
estrangement.
1:01:19
Lord open
1:01:20
their eyes
1:01:21
open their
1:01:22
hearts
1:01:22
draw them
1:01:24
to Jesus
1:01:24
there to
1:01:26
meet with
1:01:27
the one who
1:01:28
is all
1:01:28
together
1:01:29
lovely
1:01:29
the one who
1:01:31
is the
1:01:31
way
1:01:32
the truth
1:01:33
and the
1:01:34
life
1:01:35
in his name
1:01:36
we ask it
1:01:37
amen
1:01:38
we'll turn to
1:01:47
sing psalms
1:01:48
this evening
1:01:49
and we'll sing
1:01:49
from psalm 34
1:01:50
in verse 7
1:01:51
to close our
1:01:53
service
1:01:54
psalm 34
1:01:55
and we'll sing
1:01:58
from verse 7
1:02:00
we'll sing to
1:02:00
verse 11
1:02:01
to God's
1:02:02
praise the
1:02:03
angel of the
1:02:03
Lord surrounds
1:02:04
and guards
1:02:05
continually all
1:02:07
those who fear
1:02:08
and honour
1:02:08
him he sets
1:02:09
his people
1:02:10
free come
1:02:11
taste and see
1:02:12
the Lord is
1:02:13
good who
1:02:13
trusts in him
1:02:14
is blessed
1:02:15
oh fear the
1:02:16
Lord you
1:02:16
saints with
1:02:17
need you
1:02:18
will not be
1:02:19
oppressed
1:02:20
psalm 34
1:02:21
verses 7
1:02:23
to 11
1:02:24
and at the end
1:02:25
if you give me a moment
1:02:25
just to get to the main door
1:02:27
please that would be
1:02:28
appreciated
1:02:28
we'll sing from
1:02:29
verse 7
1:02:30
to God's praise
1:02:31
prayer for the Lord's
1:02:43
you
1:02:43
love the Lord is
1:02:44
and guards
1:02:44
pant mutually
1:02:47
All those who fear that God and Him
1:02:58
He sets His people free
1:03:04
From this town see the Lord is true
1:03:14
Who trusts in Him is blessed
1:03:21
O fear the Lord, you saints with me
1:03:29
You will not be oppressed
1:03:37
We of my own state grow weak and faint
1:03:46
And hunger for their food
1:03:53
But those who wait upon the Lord
1:04:01
Will not lack any good
1:04:08
Come here, my children, gather round
1:04:17
And listen to my word
1:04:24
And I will help you understand
1:04:33
How you may fear the Lord
1:04:40
May the blessing of God Almighty
1:04:44
Father, Son and Holy Spirit
1:04:46
Rest on you and those whom you love
1:04:49
Now and forever
1:04:50
Amen
1:04:51
Amen