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Two Small Coins Making One Big Contribution · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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We're going to begin our worship today. We're singing firstly in Psalm 116,
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Psalm 116 in the Scottish Psalter to the tune Spore. That's on page 395.
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We're singing verses 1 to 8.
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Wonderful words that assure us of the Lord's hearing of our prayer, not just the hearing
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of our prayers, but also that he answers and responds to prayer in his own way.
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And the psalmist is giving thanks to God and the wonderful words of the psalm that he has heard
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him and delivered his soul. As verse 8 puts it, my distressed soul from death delivered was by thee.
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So Psalm 116, I love the Lord because my voice and prayers heeded here. I, while I live, will call
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on him who bowed to me his ear. Verses 1 to 8 to his praise.
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I love the Lord because my voice and prayers heeded here. I, while I live, will call on him who bowed to me his ear.
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Of death the courts and sorrows stood, about me compass round. The pains of hell to call on me, I grieve and trouble find.
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Upon the name of God the Lord.
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God mercy full of righteousness, He gracious is our Lord. God saves the meek. I was brought low. He did me help.
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God saves the meek. I am the Lord. He was brought to you by the Lord. He is brought to you by the Lord.
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God saves the meek.
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O Thou, my soul, to Thou, my soul, to Thou return.
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Unto thy quiet rest
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For largely lo the Lord to thee
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This bounty hath expressed
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For my distresses all from death
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Delivered was by thee
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Lightest my morning
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Eyes from tears
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My feet from falling
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Free
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Let's now briefly call on the Lord in prayer
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and focusing especially on the Sunday school
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and the other children.
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Our gracious God, we give thanks
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that we can once again gather together in this way
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of all ages and all backgrounds,
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of all experiences,
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everything, Lord, that distinguishes us from each other,
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and yet we come together, O Lord, in a common desire to worship you
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and to praise your glorious name.
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We thank you today for our children.
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We thank you for their presence with us.
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We give thanks, Lord, that they're brought by parents and relatives
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to attend upon the church services,
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but also to come to learn in Sunday school and at tweenies
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of the things pertaining to Jesus and his love.
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And we pray for them today and ask that your blessing will be bestowed upon them.
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Help them, Lord, as they become accustomed to attending church
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and to being where the worship of God is held,
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that they may value this for themselves and grow up to be a people
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who will indeed honour the Lord
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and who will come to be known as his people in this world.
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So bless them today, we pray,
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and bless those who teach them
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and those leaders who care for them during tweenies.
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We give thanks for all who help,
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and we give thanks, Lord, for their dedication,
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for their willingness to be involved in such a way.
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Bless them, we pray, all our concerns today
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in our worship and in our lives on this holy day,
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a day that you have marked as holy to yourself.
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Receive our thanks now and cleanse us from all our sin.
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For Jesus' sake. Amen.
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Okay, children, it's good to see you all today, as always.
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You probably might not see that from where I am.
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Does anybody know what it is?
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Can you tell from a distance?
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It's my driving license.
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I wouldn't be able to drive a car or any other vehicle legally
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if I didn't have a driving license.
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So a driving license is very important.
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It means that I've been accepted,
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having passed a test many, many years ago now,
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having passed a test that qualifies me
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to drive safely, I hope, on the roads.
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So this is really a mark of my qualification
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that I can actually drive a car legally on the road.
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So if somebody asks me,
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are you allowed to drive this vehicle?
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You can produce, if I have it, this car.
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I always keep it with me.
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So you never know when you're going to be asked for it.
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And I can say, yes, there it is.
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It shows that I'm qualified to drive this vehicle.
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And I've had it for a number of years.
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Now, the Lord also gives us qualifications.
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And he makes us qualified to belong to his family
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because he gives us in our hearts
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that knowledge of himself,
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that love for himself,
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and especially faith
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by which we come to trust in him.
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And we find in the Bible
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that we're taught about adoption,
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which is a big word,
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to do with making someone part of your family.
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And God makes us his family
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when he adopts us.
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When we are related to Jesus
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by having accepted him,
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God then says,
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you're qualified now
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to be one of my children,
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to belong to my family.
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Now, there's another thing about this.
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You can't see it from there,
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but this card has my photograph on it.
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It's not, I don't think,
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a very good photograph
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because to pose for photographs,
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you have to be pretty stern
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and pretty boring looking.
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You're not allowed to smile.
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You're not allowed to do anything like that
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in case it distorts the image.
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But it is me.
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It is my photograph.
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And so anybody looking at that can say,
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as long as I haven't changed too much
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since the photo was taken,
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yes, that's you.
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Now, God, when he accepts us
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as his children,
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God knows exactly who we are.
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God knows everything about us
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and he has our ID
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in his own heart,
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in his own mind.
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So nobody can say
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that somebody else is me
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as far as God is concerned.
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He's saying, no,
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I know who you are.
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I know everything about you.
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And I know,
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especially in the way the Bible speaks
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about knowing,
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I know you in such a way
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as has loved you.
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And I love you in a way
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that knows you
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and knows your heart.
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Something else about this license,
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this driving license,
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is nobody else can actually
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use this license
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and pretend that it's me.
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I can't give it to somebody
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and say, you're okay,
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you can use this license,
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just pretend you're me
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and you'll be okay.
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I can't do that.
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I wouldn't want to do that anyway
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because that would be wrong.
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But nobody can actually
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use this license
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apart from myself.
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Donna has her own license.
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She can't go and drive
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any of the cars
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or vehicles.
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But she wants to drive
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and say, yes,
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but my husband is qualified.
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And it's the same with us
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spiritually as well.
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We can't go to God
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and say,
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I'm a Christian
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because my mom or dad
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is a Christian.
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We can't say to God,
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you have to receive me
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and take me to heaven
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because my mom loves you
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or my gran loves you.
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It has to be ourselves.
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That's true for all of us
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whatever age we're at.
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And one other thing
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about this license
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I want to mention today,
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as well as giving me
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acceptance to drive,
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qualification to drive,
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and having a photo ID,
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and also that it can't be used
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by anyone but myself,
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I also have to look after it.
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I need to look after it carefully
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because if I can't produce it,
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well, I've got a problem.
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If I was stopped next week
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by a traffic check
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or something like that,
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or if I did something wrong
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and sadly hit something
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or somebody in another car
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or whatever,
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a policeman would come along
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and say,
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have you got your driving license
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on you?
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And if I didn't have it,
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well, I could produce it afterwards
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if it was at home,
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but if I'd lost it,
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it would be a problem,
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wouldn't it?
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So you have to look after
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your relationship with the Lord.
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How do we look after
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our relationship with the Lord?
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How do we look after it?
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Well, we do so by coming to church
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like we're doing today
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to worship Him.
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We look after it by
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privately, personally,
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worshiping Him
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and praying to Him
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and asking the Lord
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to help us
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each and every day.
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So you look after
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your relationship with Jesus.
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You treat it carefully.
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You don't want to do anything
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that would actually bring
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shame upon
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your relationship
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with Jesus Himself
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or yourself.
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So these are important things
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about my driving license.
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Much more important, though,
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about yourself
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and your relationship
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with God.
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So remember
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that God accepts you
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as you come to Jesus.
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You know that He makes you
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one of His family.
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You need to do that
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for yourself.
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Nobody else can do it for you.
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You can't travel to heaven
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on anybody else's license.
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And you must look after it as well,
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as all our older folks
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must as well.
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And that's
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so important for us
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in life, isn't it?
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Well, let's say the Lord's Prayer
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then together.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Our Father,
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which art in heaven,
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hallowed be thy name.
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Thy kingdom come.
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Thy will be done on earth
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as it is in heaven.
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Give us this day
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our daily bread.
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And forgive us our debts
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as we forgive our debtors.
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And lead us not into temptation,
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but deliver us from evil.
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For thine is the kingdom
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and the power
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and the glory forever.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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We're going to sing verses again,
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this time Psalm 119,
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page 166.
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And the verses marked
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145 to 152.
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The tune this time is
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Eventide.
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I call with all my heart,
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Lord, answer me.
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And then all your decrees
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I will obey.
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I cry aloud to you,
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Lord, save my life,
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and I will keep your statutes
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every day.
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We'll sing these four stanzas,
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verses 145 to 152.
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I call with all my heart.
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Lord, answer me.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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I call with all my heart,
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Lord, answer me.
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And then all your decrees
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I will obey.
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I cry aloud to you, Lord, save my life,
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and I will keep your statutes every day.
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I rise before the dawn of God for help.
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God, I have set my hope upon your word.
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I stay awake throughout the earth of night,
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reflecting on your promises, O Lord.
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Lord, in your loving kindness, hear my voice,
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and in your justice save and keep my life.
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For those who disregard your holy law,
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approach with schemes of wickedness and sight.
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Yet you are near to those who seek you, Lord.
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All your commands are true and ever should.
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Rest from your statutes, long ago I learned,
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that you have made them always to endure.
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Now we're going to read from God's Word.
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Our reading this morning is from the Gospel of Mark,
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and chapter 12.
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Gospel according to Mark, and chapter 12.
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And we're going to read from verse 28.
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I know the bulletin has from verse 18,
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but we'll begin at verse 28,
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where Jesus, having been disputing with the Sadducees,
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we read in the earlier verses,
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the Sadducees who didn't believe in the resurrection,
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and were testing Jesus by the way in which they asked him that question.
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And Jesus answered them in the way you find there down to verse 27.
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God, as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
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he's not the God of the dead, but of the living.
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Then at verse 28,
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one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another,
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and seeing that he answered them well, asked him,
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which commandment is the most important of all?
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Jesus answered,
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the most important is,
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hear, O Israel,
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the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
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And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
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with all your soul,
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and with all your mind,
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and with all your strength.
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The second is this,
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you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
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There is no other commandment greater than these.
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And the scribe said to him,
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you are right, teacher.
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You have truly said that he is one,
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and there is no other besides him.
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And to love him with all the heart,
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with all the understanding,
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with all the strength,
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and to love one's neighbor as oneself,
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is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
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And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely,
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he said to him,
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you are not far from the kingdom of God.
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And after that,
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no one dared to ask him any more questions.
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And as Jesus taught in the temple,
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he said,
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how can the scribes say that Christ is the son of David?
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David himself in the Holy Spirit declared,
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the Lord said to my Lord,
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sit at my right hand
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until I put your enemies under your feet.
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David himself calls him Lord.
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So how is he his son?
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And the great throng heard him gladly.
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And in his teaching,
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he said,
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beware of the scribes
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who like to walk around in long robes
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and like greetings in the marketplaces
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and have the best seats in the synagogues
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and the places of honor at feasts
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who devour widows' houses
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and for a pretense make long prayers.
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They will receive the greater condemnation.
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And he sat down opposite the treasury
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and watched the people putting money
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into the offering box.
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Many rich people put in large sums
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and a poor widow came
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and put in two small copper coins
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which make a penny.
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And he called his disciples to him
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and said to them,
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truly I say to you,
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this poor widow has put in more
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than all those who are contributing
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to the offering box.
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For they all contributed out of their abundance,
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but she out of her poverty
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has put in everything she had,
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all she had to live on.
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Amen.
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May the Lord bless to us
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that reading of his word today.
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Let's again call upon his name in prayer.
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O Lord, our gracious God,
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we thank you for this opportunity today
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to give our minds anew
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to the teaching of your word
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and to call upon you in prayer
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to sing your praises,
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to know fellowship one with another
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and to seek fellowship with you as our God.
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We give thanks today, Lord,
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for the many privileges we have in life,
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for the many things
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that you have given us
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and your providence
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that you continue to bestow upon us
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in your kindness.
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Lord, we acknowledge that kindness today.
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We look around us in our own society,
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especially in different parts of the world
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where we find people in desperate need.
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We bless you that while
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we are always in need to some extent,
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while as your word tells us,
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the poor are always with us.
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Nevertheless, Lord,
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you have blessed us
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in such a way that we can say
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that we today have meant much
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by way of material blessings
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that so many other people in the world lack.
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We thank you for all aspects of your kindness.
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We give thanks especially, Lord,
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in your kindness
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that you have brought us the gospel
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that many generations ago
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you brought to this place we live in,
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the gospel of Jesus Christ,
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the message of salvation.
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We pray, Lord,
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as it has been with us
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as a community
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for all of these years,
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that you would enable us
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to prize it all the more,
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that you enable us,
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O Lord,
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to hold forth its teaching,
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not only by the word of our mouth,
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but the manner of our life.
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We thank you today, Lord,
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that you give us the opportunity
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to show to the world
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what it means
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to belong to God
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and to his kingdom.
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We pray that our relationship with you
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will be more than one
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that is outward in show,
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like the scribes we read of in this passage.
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Lord, help us, we pray inwardly
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and in our inmost soul
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to love you with all our heart,
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as we have also read,
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with all our mind,
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with all our understanding.
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Enable us, Lord,
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we pray to be thankful
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that you give us another opportunity today
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to extend our knowledge of you,
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to exercise our faith and love,
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and to show, Lord,
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that to the community around us
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that we indeed prize this day
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and prize this time of worship.
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We give thanks, Lord,
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for your word,
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this word that directs us
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in all aspects of life.
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We thank you that you have given us
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the conviction
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that it is your word,
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that you have given us, Lord,
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the knowledge that,
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whether we read of commands
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or promises or prophecies,
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some fulfilled,
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some yet to be fulfilled.
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In all aspects of it, Lord,
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you still continue to speak to us.
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And we pray today
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that we may hear that voice,
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that your word may be
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a living word to us,
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that we will receive it
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by your grace and to our hearts,
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that we will treasure it there
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and seek to live by it
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as each day goes by.
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And we thank you, Lord,
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for every way in which
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we have the help of others
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and are able to help others.
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We pray that our lives
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may be all the more useful
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as time goes on,
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that you would give us, Lord,
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by the grace of your Spirit
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to truly be living witnesses to you,
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holding forth that word of life
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so that others may come
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and see something
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of the beauty of the Lord
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and be drawn to him for themselves.
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Remember those today, we pray,
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who still do not know you.
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We think especially of those
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in our community around us
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who today have no desire
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to be in a place of worship
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and who today may worship
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other ideologies
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and who may come to follow
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other ideas
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rather than the gospel
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of what it means
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to live a fulfilled life.
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Remember us, Lord,
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as a community, we pray.
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Pour out upon us your blessing.
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We ask that you would
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return us to yourself
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and give us the blessing
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of your Spirit
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to guide us,
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to quicken us
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and to be in every aspect
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of our lives as your people,
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that strength and that stay
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that we require.
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Remember all those who,
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Lord, today have difficulties
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in their lives,
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different types of trial
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to contend with.
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we know that there are some,
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Lord, who belong to us
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as a congregation,
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some in our community
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that we know about,
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along with those who mourn
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the passing of loved ones.
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Bless them all, we pray,
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and bless us all
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in our times of need
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as they are known to us.
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Help us to draw near to you,
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to draw our strength from you,
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that we too, Lord,
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will be able to sing
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more meaningfully these words
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that we have been singing.
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I love the Lord
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because my voice and prayers
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heeded here.
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I, while I live,
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will call upon me,
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will call upon him
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who bowed to me his ear.
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Grant us, Lord, thankfulness
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that you hear our prayers,
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that you read the thoughts
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and the concerns of our hearts.
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We pray today for the world
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in which we live.
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We pray, Lord,
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for all places in the world,
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so many of them, Lord,
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where there is trouble,
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where there is terrorism,
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where there is war,
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where there is famine,
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where there is deprivation,
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where there is persecution,
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where there is, Lord,
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so much of those issues
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that we know are contrary
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to your will
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and are but the workings
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of human beings
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in their sinfulness
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and in their hatred
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for one another.
24:45
Lord, remember today,
24:46
we pray,
24:47
the people of Moscow,
24:49
the people of Russia,
24:50
we know how much, Lord,
24:52
they themselves
24:53
have been involved
24:54
in aggression and war
24:56
against Ukraine
24:57
in recent years
24:58
and we pray today
25:00
that you bless them
25:01
as they have received
25:02
such an event
25:05
as has happened
25:06
with the loss
25:07
of so many lives
25:08
in Moscow itself.
25:10
we pray that you would
25:13
bless the regime
25:13
over them.
25:14
We pray that you would
25:15
break in upon the hardness
25:17
and darkness of heart
25:19
as you have done
25:20
many times with others.
25:22
Lord, we pray that
25:23
the power of the gospel
25:25
especially
25:25
might come to prevail
25:27
in their midst.
25:29
We pray for those
25:30
who are faithful to you
25:31
throughout that great nation.
25:33
we ask that you would
25:34
continue, Lord,
25:35
to uphold them
25:36
and strengthen them
25:37
against aggression,
25:39
against imprisonment,
25:41
against threats
25:42
and many other ways
25:43
in which they are dealt with
25:45
for their faithfulness
25:46
to you.
25:47
Remember, too,
25:48
the situation
25:48
in the Middle East.
25:50
We pray for the conflict
25:51
in Gaza
25:52
with Israel
25:53
and with Hamas.
25:55
Lord, we pray for all
25:57
who are so affected
25:59
by the tragedy
26:00
of these things.
26:01
and we ask that
26:02
you would bless
26:04
the situation
26:05
in such a way
26:05
as to bring peace.
26:07
We pray, O gracious one,
26:08
that you would bring
26:09
glory to yourself
26:11
and may your kingdom advance
26:12
despite how difficult
26:14
it is, Lord,
26:15
for us to believe
26:16
how can it advance
26:17
in these circumstances.
26:20
Yet we know that it has
26:21
in the past
26:21
and we pray
26:22
that it will be so
26:23
in our day as well.
26:25
And we ask that you
26:26
would continue, Lord,
26:27
to bless our own nation.
26:29
Bless those who are over us
26:30
in government.
26:31
We pray that you would
26:33
grant to them, Lord,
26:34
the wisdom,
26:35
wisdom that is from on high,
26:37
the wisdom that comes
26:38
through a knowledge
26:39
of yourself
26:40
and of your truth.
26:41
And, Lord,
26:42
we pray that you would
26:43
graciously bless
26:44
our rulers.
26:46
We pray for them
26:47
in Scotland
26:48
and in Westminster
26:50
who preside over us
26:52
in government
26:52
and in devolved administrations.
26:55
We pray that you would
26:56
grant, Lord,
26:57
to turn us more and more
26:58
into your own ways
27:00
and to bless those
27:01
who stand
27:02
for your gospel,
27:04
for your values
27:04
in our parliament.
27:06
We pray that you would
27:07
continue, Lord,
27:08
to uphold them
27:09
and to grant that
27:10
they may be encouraged
27:11
to keep on witnessing
27:13
to you.
27:15
Remember the royal family
27:16
during these difficult days
27:18
for them.
27:18
Remember our king
27:19
during his own illness
27:21
and treatment.
27:22
We commit him to you.
27:24
We ask that you would bless him
27:25
and bless Camilla as well.
27:27
We pray that you'd bless them
27:28
as a family.
27:30
We pray especially
27:31
in these days,
27:32
O Lord,
27:32
that you would grant
27:35
your blessing
27:35
to Catherine
27:37
as she has come
27:39
to publicly declare
27:40
her treatment
27:42
for cancer.
27:43
We pray that that
27:44
may be an encouragement
27:45
to many others,
27:46
O Lord.
27:47
You would grant
27:48
that there be
27:49
a lessening
27:50
of the interest in her
27:51
and grant them
27:51
some privacy
27:52
so that they may,
27:54
O Lord,
27:55
find time together
27:56
and together as a family
27:58
to attend to these matters
28:00
free from harassment.
28:02
We ask, Lord,
28:03
that your blessing
28:04
will be with all others today
28:06
who are receiving treatment
28:08
or anticipating such,
28:09
who have gone through surgery,
28:11
who are in hospital
28:12
or in care homes
28:13
or in the hospitals locally.
28:15
Bless them
28:15
and bless those
28:16
who tend to their needs.
28:18
We ask that you would
28:19
graciously hear us
28:20
as we pray for them.
28:21
We pray all these things
28:23
confessing our own sins,
28:25
confessing our need
28:26
of cleansing
28:27
and of your forgiveness.
28:28
We ask it all
28:30
in Jesus' name.
28:31
Amen.
28:34
Now,
28:34
before we turn
28:35
to Mark chapter 12,
28:37
we're going to sing
28:37
some more verses
28:38
in Psalm 37.
28:41
Psalm number 37.
28:44
That's on page 254.
28:46
Singing verses 16 to 21.
28:50
The tune is Grafenberg.
28:51
A little that a just man hath
28:55
is more and better far
28:56
than is the wealth
28:58
of many such
28:59
as lewd and wicked are.
29:01
For sinners' arms
29:02
shall broken be,
29:03
but God the just sustains.
29:05
God knows the just man's days
29:07
and still their heritage remains.
29:10
So that's verses 16 to 21.
29:13
A little that a just man hath.
29:16
A little that a just man hath
29:27
is more and better far,
29:32
than is the wealth of many such
29:39
as lewd and wicked are.
29:46
For sinners' arms shall broken be,
29:53
but God the just sustains.
29:59
God knows the just man's days
30:05
and still their heritage remains.
30:12
They shall not be ashamed
30:18
when they the evil time do see.
30:26
And when the days of famine are,
30:34
they satisfied shall be.
30:39
But wicked men and foes of God
30:48
as fat of lambs decay,
30:54
they shall consume
30:57
yea, and to school
31:01
they shall fortune away.
31:06
The wicked borrows but the same
31:15
again be done the pain.
31:20
Whereas the righteous mercy shows
31:28
and gives his own away.
31:36
Let's turn for a short time this morning now
31:38
to Mark chapter 12.
31:42
Mark 12 at verse 41.
31:44
We'll look at this short passage.
31:51
Jesus sat down opposite the treasury
31:53
and watched the people putting money
31:54
into the offering box.
31:56
Many rich people put in large sums.
31:59
And a poor widow came and put in
32:01
two small copper coins,
32:03
which make a penny.
32:05
And he called his disciples to them
32:07
and said to them,
32:08
Truly I say to you,
32:09
this poor widow has put in more
32:11
than all those who are contributing
32:13
to the offering box.
32:15
For they all contributed
32:16
out of their abundance.
32:18
But she, out of her poverty,
32:20
has put in everything she had,
32:24
all she had to live on.
32:28
Well, we're all very much aware
32:30
each day goes by
32:31
that much revolves around money
32:35
in our society
32:36
and in our own lives personally as well.
32:39
It's hardly a news bulletin
32:42
without some reference or other
32:44
to the economy
32:45
or to inflation
32:46
or to bank interest rates.
32:49
So much of that is current news
32:52
and has been news
32:53
all down through the generations.
32:56
We regularly hear about those
32:58
who have massive bonuses,
33:00
whether it's in industry
33:01
or in banking,
33:03
where again money is central
33:04
to the detail that's given us there.
33:07
We hear about the massive wages
33:10
of certain footballers
33:11
who are at the top
33:12
of their profession
33:13
and who earn hundreds
33:15
of thousands of pounds a week,
33:18
amounting to millions a year.
33:21
Huge sums of money.
33:24
We hear about lottery gains.
33:28
So many other things
33:29
you hear from day to day
33:30
that center around money
33:32
or riches
33:33
or the use of money
33:34
or something or other
33:35
to do with that.
33:37
And the Bible has much to say to us
33:40
about money
33:41
and about the use of money,
33:43
about our own use of money,
33:44
about how to regard money,
33:46
about what our attitude should be
33:48
to money,
33:49
to the possession of it,
33:50
or to seeing its use elsewhere.
33:53
And Jesus also included it
33:55
as here in his teachings.
33:57
And that should actually
33:58
make us conscious
33:59
that because it's given
34:01
that sort of place in the Bible,
34:03
it's not by any means
34:04
the most important topic
34:05
the Bible deals with,
34:07
but it does deal with it
34:08
to such an extent
34:09
that we shouldn't just dismiss it
34:11
as unimportant
34:12
among our thoughts of things
34:14
which are morally
34:14
or spiritually important.
34:17
And Jesus here is
34:18
really driving home
34:19
a very important lesson
34:21
on what sort of perspective
34:23
we should have,
34:25
not only in our money,
34:26
but also on our support
34:28
of God's cause with money,
34:29
on what we give
34:31
to the upholding of the gospel,
34:34
and how we use our money
34:35
in that way to be useful,
34:38
we trust,
34:39
for the gospel itself
34:41
and for the things of God.
34:44
Well, the Lord,
34:45
as he, as we brought,
34:47
as is brought out
34:48
in this passage here,
34:50
the Lord in this context
34:52
sat opposite the treasury
34:54
in the temple
34:55
where the money box
34:56
was located,
34:57
where people put their offerings
34:58
into the box
35:00
for the upholding
35:00
of the things of the temple.
35:03
And there are two things
35:04
we can take from it.
35:05
First of all,
35:06
the Lord's observance
35:08
of the offerings.
35:10
The Lord's observance.
35:11
He was deliberately saying to us,
35:13
he sat down opposite the treasury
35:15
and watched the people
35:18
putting money
35:19
into the offering box.
35:21
He watched the people.
35:23
It's not a mere observance.
35:25
It's an observance
35:26
with a certain amount
35:28
of assessment in it.
35:32
Jesus didn't just watch this
35:34
as it was going on casually
35:36
or just happened to notice
35:38
out of the corner of his eye.
35:39
He deliberately studied
35:41
what was going on.
35:42
And any time you see in the Bible
35:44
that Jesus is observing keenly
35:47
something that's going on,
35:48
whatever it is,
35:49
you and I have to take note of that
35:50
and say,
35:50
well, Jesus is interested in that.
35:53
This is something
35:54
that he himself observes keenly.
35:56
That's what he was doing here.
35:57
He sat down opposite the treasury
35:59
and watched the people
36:01
putting money
36:01
into the offering box.
36:03
We might think
36:04
that that's really quite unimportant
36:05
or relatively unimportant,
36:07
but to Jesus it mattered.
36:09
And because it mattered to Jesus,
36:11
he observed it.
36:12
He was looking at it.
36:13
He was studying it.
36:16
And of course,
36:18
that follows through
36:19
into what we do ourselves.
36:21
It was important enough for Jesus
36:24
to observe it carefully
36:26
and actually to bring out
36:27
the teaching you find
36:28
in the following verses from it
36:30
so that those who were listening
36:32
could gain from that
36:33
if they were really keen
36:34
to listen properly
36:36
to what he was saying.
36:37
It wasn't enough for Jesus
36:39
to actually note it
36:40
and comment on it.
36:41
He brought out this teaching
36:43
that you find in the verses
36:44
which follow.
36:45
And it's important for us,
36:48
of course,
36:49
sounds a fairly
36:50
straightforward point to make,
36:53
but it's one we very often forget,
36:55
isn't it,
36:56
that everything we do
36:57
is observed by the Lord.
37:00
Even the most common actions of life,
37:03
they're observed by the Lord.
37:04
Not just observed by the Lord,
37:06
but measured by the Lord,
37:08
weighed up by the Lord.
37:10
Even the money we put in the plate
37:12
or the offering we have online
37:14
or wherever it is.
37:15
It's observed by the Lord.
37:17
The Lord is taking note of that.
37:20
The Lord is measuring that.
37:22
The Lord is seeing
37:22
the attitude of the heart in that.
37:25
It's not the amount we put in.
37:27
It's not the amount of our time
37:28
that we give to His service.
37:30
Not the amount of money
37:31
we use to support the gospel.
37:33
It's primarily the attitude behind it.
37:36
It's the direction of our mind.
37:38
It's the thoughts of our hearts
37:39
as we go about all our actions in life.
37:42
Well, the Lord observes keenly
37:45
what we're doing.
37:48
That's what you find in verses 41 to 42 here,
37:51
that He observed them,
37:53
and He observed how rich people,
37:55
many rich people,
37:56
or they put in large sums.
37:59
And then there came along this poor widow,
38:02
and she put in two small copper coins.
38:06
Now, Jesus is making an assessment.
38:08
When you read these words,
38:10
it shows us that in Jesus' mind,
38:12
He's measuring this.
38:14
He's weighing this.
38:15
He's weighing it up.
38:16
He's comparing the offerings.
38:18
And He's comparing the offerings
38:19
and taking note of the people
38:23
who are involved
38:24
and what their position in life is
38:26
in relation to their offerings.
38:28
They have many rich, He says,
38:30
and there was this one poor widow.
38:33
Now, there's nothing here about
38:34
condemning those rich people
38:36
for having the riches.
38:37
The Bible never does that.
38:39
Abraham was a very rich man.
38:41
Job was a very rich man.
38:43
There are many rich people
38:44
down through the years
38:45
that have come to serve the Lord
38:46
in a way that's acceptable and commendable,
38:50
and they're never criticized
38:51
for having the riches.
38:53
It's not having money that's the problem.
38:55
It's not having an abundance of money
38:57
that's the problem.
38:58
That's not being millionaires.
39:00
If we're millionaires,
39:00
that's not the problem.
39:02
What Jesus is measuring
39:03
is not just what we do with it,
39:04
but what the thought of our heart is
39:06
as we do whatever we do with it.
39:09
That's what He's doing here.
39:10
He's assessing.
39:12
He's carrying out a comparison,
39:15
not condemning the rich for being rich,
39:17
not condemning the poor widow
39:19
for being poor.
39:21
You see, for Jesus,
39:23
it's all a matter of the heart, isn't it?
39:25
It's all a matter of what's internal,
39:27
and what is internal ought to match
39:30
what is external as well in our lives.
39:34
The attitudes, the mindset,
39:37
the heart, the motives.
39:39
And then we find the same thing
39:41
in the previous verses
39:42
that we read together
39:43
from verse 38 in the teaching.
39:46
He said,
39:47
Beware of the scribes
39:48
who like to walk around in long robes
39:51
and like greetings in the marketplaces,
39:53
have the best seats in the synagogues
39:55
and the places of honor at feasts,
39:57
who devour widows' houses
39:59
and for a pretense make long prayers.
40:02
They will receive the greater condemnation.
40:04
You can see at once
40:04
there's a very close connection
40:06
between that
40:07
and the passage we're looking at
40:08
that follows on from that
40:10
because that's a passage
40:11
regarding the scribes.
40:13
It's to do with externals,
40:14
to do with making a big show of themselves.
40:17
It's a matter of drawing attention
40:19
to themselves
40:19
so that people will say,
40:21
Aren't they really generous?
40:22
Aren't they really good?
40:25
For a pretense.
40:27
They make long prayers.
40:29
Jesus today is not interested
40:31
in how long you pray for.
40:33
He's not interested really
40:35
in what kind of clothes you wear.
40:38
It's what's in your heart
40:39
and what's in my heart.
40:41
The thoughts of your mind,
40:42
the attitude,
40:44
the motives you have,
40:46
the unseen things of the soul.
40:48
That's what Jesus really is measuring
40:50
most of all,
40:53
more so than the outside
40:54
and the externals.
40:56
You have the same
40:57
in chapter 7,
40:59
a famous passage
41:00
you find in the Gospels here,
41:02
Matthew and Mark and Luke.
41:03
You find
41:03
chapter 7 there.
41:06
I don't want to go through it
41:06
just now.
41:07
It took time.
41:08
But it's to do with
41:09
traditions and commandments
41:10
which the Pharisees especially
41:12
were laying such great store by.
41:14
And of course,
41:16
Jesus went on to say,
41:17
well, this is what defiles a person
41:19
not to eat with hands
41:21
that are unwashed,
41:22
but what defiles them
41:23
is what actually comes
41:25
from inside
41:26
and then is seen outwardly.
41:30
Evil thoughts,
41:31
sexual immorality,
41:33
theft,
41:34
murder,
41:34
adultery,
41:35
coveting,
41:36
wickedness,
41:37
deceit,
41:38
sensuality,
41:38
envy,
41:39
slander,
41:40
pride,
41:41
foolishness.
41:41
All these evil things
41:43
come from within
41:44
and they defile the person.
41:47
That's what defilement is,
41:48
Jesus.
41:49
It's rooted in the heart.
41:50
It emerges from the soul.
41:53
And that's especially
41:54
what his mind was set upon,
41:55
what his teaching really set forth
41:57
as important.
42:00
So you see,
42:01
we don't measure things
42:02
by outward things,
42:07
outward show.
42:08
We actually measure
42:09
as far as we're able to
42:11
by genuinely seeing
42:12
what is it that comes out
42:14
of people's hearts.
42:15
Are they kind
42:16
or are they not?
42:17
Are they loving
42:17
or are they not?
42:19
And so on,
42:20
as Jesus himself
42:21
sets before us.
42:23
Well,
42:23
the Lord's observance
42:24
of the offerings.
42:25
But secondly,
42:26
let's look at
42:26
the Lord's verdict
42:28
of the offerings.
42:29
And you know the phrase
42:30
nowadays that's often mentioned,
42:32
less is more.
42:33
Well,
42:34
you could apply that
42:34
in some sense
42:35
to what you find here
42:37
in the difference
42:38
between the widow
42:38
and these rich people.
42:40
How is it that he says
42:42
she has put in
42:44
more than
42:45
all of those rich people
42:47
put in?
42:48
Now,
42:48
obviously,
42:49
literally,
42:50
she had these two pennies,
42:53
two copper coins
42:54
amounted to a penny,
42:56
it says here.
42:57
It's really
42:57
a very small item
42:59
of money in those days.
43:00
We're told,
43:01
in fact,
43:01
that it was about
43:02
one hundredth
43:04
of a day's wage,
43:06
an average wage
43:07
for a day.
43:07
This is one hundredth.
43:09
This is what she had
43:10
to live upon,
43:11
one hundredth
43:12
of a day's wage.
43:13
What did she do with it?
43:14
She put it all
43:15
into the treasury.
43:17
She gave it to the temple.
43:18
She gave it to the Lord.
43:20
She gave it to God.
43:22
But you see,
43:23
the difference is
43:24
the reason that he can say
43:26
she put more in
43:27
than all these other ones,
43:29
the difference really
43:30
is summed up,
43:31
if you like,
43:32
by these words,
43:33
out of.
43:35
You see,
43:35
as you go through it,
43:36
she gave out
43:38
of her poverty.
43:41
They gave out
43:42
of their abundance.
43:44
That's what makes
43:45
the difference.
43:46
That's what Jesus measured.
43:48
They gave out
43:49
of their abundance.
43:50
She was poor.
43:51
She was very poor,
43:52
but she gave all
43:53
that she had there to God.
43:54
This was all she had
43:55
to live on.
43:56
That's how Mark puts it.
43:57
She has put everything in.
43:58
This is what Jesus said.
43:59
All that she had
44:00
to live on.
44:01
And yet she put it all
44:02
into the treasury
44:03
because she said
44:04
that really rightly
44:05
belongs to God.
44:06
I owe it to Him.
44:07
I love Him.
44:09
Therefore,
44:09
that's where the money
44:10
is going.
44:13
And the rich,
44:14
well,
44:14
after they had put in
44:15
whatever money
44:16
they put in,
44:17
it was an abundance.
44:18
Out of their abundance
44:19
they put in
44:19
whatever it was,
44:21
but it was out
44:21
of their abundance,
44:23
not out of their poverty.
44:25
And they would have
44:26
much left.
44:27
Whatever sums
44:28
they put in,
44:29
Jesus knew,
44:30
they would have
44:30
much left over
44:31
after that.
44:31
And so you see,
44:33
when the Lord
44:34
measures our contributions,
44:38
as we said earlier,
44:39
He actually weighs
44:41
these contributions
44:41
in His own mind,
44:43
morally,
44:44
spiritually,
44:44
He weighs them.
44:45
Not just talking about
44:45
the money we put
44:47
on the plate,
44:47
or that's not
44:48
left out of it.
44:49
It's not how we,
44:50
the only thing
44:51
that we apply this to.
44:54
It's the measure
44:55
of our time.
44:56
How much time
44:56
do we give
44:57
to the Lord?
44:58
How much time
44:59
do we give to prayer?
45:00
How much time
45:00
do we give
45:00
to reading a Bible?
45:02
How much time
45:03
do we give
45:04
to speaking about
45:05
the Lord to others?
45:06
I'm just guilty
45:07
of this as anybody else
45:08
in measuring
45:09
the time that I give
45:11
to all of these things
45:11
because I find so often
45:13
that all too easily
45:14
I'm distracted
45:15
and I've given
45:15
so much time,
45:16
whether it's
45:17
emails or my phone
45:19
or whatever else it is,
45:21
social media.
45:23
It's a huge
45:24
eater up of our time,
45:25
especially social media,
45:27
isn't it?
45:27
Huge amounts
45:28
of our time
45:29
if we're not
45:30
very controlled
45:31
about it.
45:32
And when the Lord
45:33
measures our time
45:35
and our money
45:35
and our use
45:37
of our facilities,
45:38
our use of our resources
45:40
as we have
45:40
talking about
45:41
personally here
45:42
as well as
45:43
congregationally,
45:44
well,
45:44
he's weighing that up
45:45
and he's studying it
45:46
and he's asking,
45:47
how does that compare
45:50
with the time
45:52
that you're giving
45:53
to me?
45:55
How does it compare
45:56
to the time
45:56
you're giving
45:57
to just sitting down
45:58
with your Bible
45:58
and praying
45:59
and asking me
46:00
to bless that?
46:06
Well,
46:06
there's the weighing up
46:07
by Jesus
46:08
of the issues
46:11
of life
46:11
and he doesn't
46:15
measure
46:15
your contribution
46:17
or mine,
46:19
whether it's financial
46:20
or in terms of time
46:21
or service
46:22
or whatever else,
46:23
he doesn't measure
46:24
our contribution
46:25
by comparing it
46:26
with what others do.
46:28
As I know,
46:29
he's comparing here
46:30
the poor widow
46:31
with those who put
46:32
of their abundance
46:33
these rich people
46:34
into the treasury.
46:36
But when he comes
46:37
to you
46:37
and to me
46:38
and asks ourselves
46:40
how we are
46:40
in relation to
46:41
supporting his cause,
46:43
giving of our time
46:45
and so on,
46:46
he doesn't say,
46:47
well,
46:47
consider so and so
46:48
and see what
46:48
they're doing.
46:50
He's just saying,
46:52
how much of your time,
46:53
how much of your finance,
46:54
how much of your resources
46:55
out of the total
46:57
are you giving to me?
46:59
And it's important as well,
47:00
isn't it,
47:00
that we see this widow,
47:05
you see,
47:05
we could say
47:07
that she might have decided
47:09
when she came
47:10
to put her offering
47:12
in the treasury,
47:13
she might have decided,
47:14
well,
47:15
I've only got
47:15
those two tiny coins left,
47:17
it's hardly worth much at all.
47:20
I'll put one
47:20
into the treasury
47:21
and at least
47:22
I'll have the other one
47:23
left for myself.
47:25
She didn't do that.
47:28
She put both
47:28
into the treasury,
47:31
leaving herself
47:31
without any.
47:35
Why was that?
47:37
Because her mindset was
47:38
that she valued God.
47:42
She valued God
47:44
and loved God.
47:45
Obviously,
47:45
she wouldn't have done it otherwise.
47:47
And she said to herself,
47:49
well,
47:50
I'll give these to God
47:51
and God will give me back
47:52
as he sees fit.
47:53
I'm sure that would be
47:54
her way of looking at it.
47:57
And isn't that how it is
47:58
really with ourselves as well?
48:00
Because ultimately,
48:01
we're not actually
48:02
in the ultimate sense
48:04
giving of our time
48:05
or of our money
48:06
to the church.
48:08
Yes,
48:08
I know it's perfectly proper
48:10
to think of
48:11
the money that you put
48:12
in the collection plate
48:13
or that you put in the envelope
48:14
or that you offer
48:16
by standing order
48:17
or whatever.
48:17
Of course,
48:18
that's given to the church
48:19
in that sense of it.
48:21
It's given to the church
48:22
so that it's looked after
48:23
by those who are
48:24
in charge of these things
48:25
and used and allocated,
48:27
given to central funds
48:29
or distributed locally
48:30
or whatever it is.
48:31
Of course,
48:31
it is given to the church,
48:32
but not in the ultimate sense.
48:35
Because when you do that,
48:37
organizing your funds online
48:38
by standing order
48:39
or putting your envelope
48:40
on the plate,
48:41
what you're really saying
48:42
in your mind is,
48:45
Lord,
48:45
this is for you.
48:48
This is for you.
48:49
It is you who deserves this.
48:52
You are the one
48:53
that I have in mind
48:54
as I give this.
48:55
As I give of my time
48:57
to prayer,
48:58
to bind with study,
48:59
to attending church,
49:01
to putting my money
49:02
in the plate.
49:03
Lord,
49:03
this is for you.
49:04
You are the one
49:05
who deserves it.
49:07
You are the one
49:08
I acknowledge
49:08
has been so good to me.
49:12
It's the least
49:12
I can do in return
49:13
to give you of my time,
49:16
of my resources,
49:18
accordingly.
49:21
And that's because
49:22
you want his cause
49:23
to grow,
49:24
isn't it?
49:25
You want him
49:26
to be glorified.
49:26
You want him
49:27
to be praised.
49:29
You want his cause
49:30
in a wider sense
49:31
as well as
49:32
in the congregation sense
49:33
to grow
49:34
and to flourish.
49:37
And what you give
49:38
by way of your time
49:39
or by way of your finance
49:41
is designed
49:43
in your heart
49:44
and your mindset
49:45
to contribute
49:46
towards that increase.
49:51
You know,
49:51
that's the basis
49:52
for voluntary service.
49:55
Not everybody
49:56
who serves
49:57
in this congregation
49:58
by any means
49:59
is paid for it.
50:00
It's a privilege
50:01
for us
50:02
as ministers
50:03
of the gospel
50:03
to be paid
50:04
centrally by the church
50:05
through the funds
50:07
that you put
50:07
into the collection plate
50:09
or in your standing order
50:10
or whatever
50:11
and that comes
50:12
by way of our stipend
50:13
or a proportion
50:14
of it at least.
50:15
There goes to mission
50:16
and other works as well
50:17
that the church
50:18
is involved with.
50:20
But voluntary service
50:22
is such a blessed thing,
50:24
isn't it?
50:24
Because this congregation,
50:26
for example,
50:27
as you think of,
50:29
as you look at
50:29
that bulletin sheet today
50:31
and you think of
50:32
all of those meetings
50:33
that are involved
50:34
in this coming week,
50:35
God willing,
50:37
you think of
50:38
the number of hours
50:39
of voluntary service
50:41
that go towards
50:43
the upholding
50:43
of these meetings,
50:44
of these services,
50:45
of these activities.
50:48
You're a blessed congregation.
50:50
You're a privileged congregation
50:52
to have people
50:54
giving of their time
50:55
so willingly,
50:56
whether it's
50:57
looking after tweenies
50:58
or teaching in Sunday school
51:00
or Bible class
51:01
or whatever other activities
51:03
require voluntary service
51:05
and there are many others.
51:06
You can see them listed
51:07
as I've said.
51:08
But what a privileged congregation
51:09
you are
51:10
to have people
51:12
who are willing
51:12
to give of their time
51:13
to the cause of the Lord,
51:15
not for what they can
51:16
get out of it themselves,
51:17
but what they hope
51:18
will contribute towards
51:19
an increase
51:21
in the followers
51:22
of the Lord,
51:23
in those who serve the Lord,
51:24
in those who love the Lord.
51:25
And if you can,
51:28
if you're not presently involved
51:30
voluntarily in some of the things
51:33
that are going on,
51:34
whether it's Fridays at the Free
51:35
or any of these more practical
51:37
type meetings,
51:39
just please consider,
51:41
can I actually contribute
51:42
more to this?
51:44
Or can I do something
51:45
more than I'm doing?
51:46
Can I actually offer myself
51:49
for this other activity
51:51
that I see are in need
51:53
of volunteers?
51:55
Because all of that
51:56
really is part of
51:57
a contribution
51:59
to the Lord.
52:01
All of that belongs
52:02
to a willing service
52:03
for the Lord.
52:05
All of that should be
52:06
based on the pattern
52:08
of this poor widow
52:09
who had all too little.
52:12
And maybe you're saying
52:12
of yourself,
52:13
and I'm saying
52:14
of myself today,
52:15
well, all that I can contribute
52:17
to the Lord
52:17
is not very much, really.
52:19
Perhaps I can make
52:20
a cup of tea
52:20
during some of the fellowships
52:22
or whatever,
52:23
or perhaps I can be involved
52:24
in a practical sense
52:26
with WFM meetings
52:27
or whatever.
52:28
It all counts.
52:30
It's all weighed
52:31
by the Lord.
52:32
It's all observed
52:33
by Him.
52:36
For all of that,
52:39
we're thankful
52:40
and He takes note,
52:42
friends,
52:43
of all that you're doing.
52:44
And He takes note
52:45
in a way that commends
52:47
for it,
52:48
as He did this poor widow.
52:51
And that brings us finally,
52:52
the final point is
52:53
the Bible's own
52:54
or God's definition
52:56
of what it is
52:57
to be rich.
52:58
Here are all these
52:59
rich people
53:00
and they're putting
53:01
all of this
53:02
into the treasury,
53:03
whatever amount they had
53:04
and they still had
53:05
much left over.
53:07
Who in this passage
53:08
is truly rich?
53:11
Who is rich
53:12
in the highest sense?
53:13
It's not these people.
53:15
It's this poor widow.
53:17
She's put in everything
53:18
she's got.
53:19
But is she rich
53:20
in her soul?
53:21
Is she rich
53:22
in her thinking?
53:23
Is she rich
53:23
in her mindset?
53:25
Is she rich
53:25
in her relationship
53:26
of God?
53:26
Yes, she is.
53:29
She's not doing it
53:30
for show.
53:31
She's doing it
53:32
because she loves
53:32
the Lord.
53:34
She's doing it
53:34
because she values
53:35
what she has
53:36
in the temple
53:37
by way of God's
53:39
ordinances.
53:41
And how much
53:42
that's part
53:43
of the teaching
53:44
of Jesus elsewhere
53:45
is obvious
53:46
when you go through
53:46
the Gospels,
53:47
when you follow through
53:48
into the Epistles
53:49
as well,
53:49
and indeed when you go
53:50
to the Old Testament
53:51
as well.
53:52
Think, for example,
53:53
of Matthew
53:53
in the Sermon
53:54
on the Mount,
53:56
Matthew chapter 6,
53:58
you have verses 19
53:59
to 21.
54:01
We often read these.
54:03
Verses 19 to 21,
54:05
Do not lay up
54:06
for yourselves
54:06
treasures on earth
54:08
where moth
54:09
and rust destroy
54:10
and where thieves
54:11
break in and steal,
54:12
but lay up
54:13
for yourselves
54:14
treasures in heaven
54:15
where neither moth
54:17
nor rust destroys,
54:18
where thieves
54:19
do not break in
54:20
and steal.
54:22
Not any punches
54:23
home these points
54:24
by saying,
54:25
For where your
54:26
treasure is,
54:27
there your heart
54:28
will be also.
54:30
If we're set
54:31
on the things
54:32
of this world,
54:33
that's where
54:33
your heart's going
54:34
to be.
54:35
If your mindset
54:36
is gaining
54:37
how much we can
54:39
from the things
54:40
of this life,
54:41
that's where
54:41
our heart's going
54:42
to be.
54:43
If our mind
54:44
is set on the Lord,
54:45
on the praises
54:46
of God,
54:46
on the worship
54:47
of God,
54:48
on the service
54:48
of God,
54:49
on the things
54:49
of heaven,
54:50
that's where
54:51
our heart is.
54:52
And serving
54:53
the Lord
54:53
is really
54:54
the same
54:54
as laying
54:55
up for ourselves
54:56
treasures in heaven.
54:59
That's the way
55:00
the Lord
55:00
actually presents
55:02
it to us.
55:03
You could go
55:03
to Luke chapter 12,
55:05
that passage
55:06
where,
55:07
weird of the person
55:08
who had so much
55:09
in the produce
55:10
of his land,
55:12
the man,
55:13
parable of the rich
55:13
fool,
55:14
it's usually called,
55:15
and he says,
55:17
take,
55:18
Jesus said,
55:18
take care,
55:19
be on your guard
55:20
against covetousness,
55:21
all covetousness,
55:23
but one's life
55:23
does not consist
55:24
in the abundance
55:25
of one's possession.
55:26
Then he told them
55:27
a parable saying,
55:28
the land of a rich man
55:29
produced plentifully.
55:31
And he thought to himself,
55:32
what shall I do?
55:33
I have nowhere
55:33
to store my crops.
55:35
He said,
55:35
I will do this.
55:36
I will tear down
55:36
my barns
55:37
and build larger ones.
55:39
And there I will store
55:40
all my grains
55:40
and my goods
55:41
and my goods.
55:42
And I will say
55:43
to my soul,
55:43
soul,
55:44
you have ample goods
55:45
laid up for many years.
55:46
Relax,
55:48
eat,
55:48
drink,
55:49
be merry.
55:50
God said to him,
55:52
fool,
55:53
this night your soul
55:54
is required of you.
55:55
And the things
55:56
you have prepared,
55:57
whose will they be?
55:59
So is the one
56:00
who lays up treasure
56:01
for himself
56:02
and is not rich
56:05
towards God.
56:08
Rich
56:08
towards
56:09
God.
56:11
That's the key
56:11
to a happy life.
56:13
Rich
56:13
towards
56:14
God.
56:17
You see that passage,
56:18
this man who had
56:21
this land
56:21
was just
56:23
planning for himself
56:24
how to increase,
56:26
how to grow richer,
56:27
how to get more.
56:29
And all the time
56:30
the Lord was measuring
56:30
his life and saying,
56:31
he doesn't realize
56:32
tonight he's going to die.
56:34
And all the things
56:35
he's promised himself,
56:37
they'll be gone.
56:39
They won't be in his grasp
56:40
anymore.
56:42
Whose will they be?
56:42
Well,
56:43
what does it matter?
56:44
If we're no longer
56:45
here in this world,
56:47
does it matter really
56:48
whose they will be?
56:49
What matters is
56:50
where we end up,
56:51
isn't it?
56:51
And then 1 Timothy,
56:54
just to show that
56:55
the apostles built
56:57
on the teaching
56:58
of the Lord as well.
57:00
1 Timothy chapter 6
57:01
and verses 6 to 10.
57:04
This is Timothy
57:04
being advised
57:05
by Paul
57:06
with regard
57:07
to his ministry.
57:09
And Paul regarding
57:10
Timothy's ministry,
57:12
giving all this advice
57:13
to him.
57:14
Teach,
57:14
he says,
57:15
and urge
57:15
these things.
57:17
Amongst them,
57:17
he says in verse 6,
57:18
Now there is great gain
57:20
and godliness
57:21
with contentment,
57:23
for we brought nothing
57:24
into the world
57:24
and we cannot take
57:25
anything out of it.
57:26
But if we have food
57:27
and clothing,
57:28
and with these
57:28
we will be content.
57:29
But those who desire
57:30
to be rich
57:31
fall into temptation,
57:33
into a snare,
57:34
into many senseless
57:35
and harmful desires
57:37
that plunge people
57:38
into ruin
57:39
and destruction.
57:40
for the love
57:42
of money
57:42
is the root
57:44
of all kinds
57:45
of evils.
57:47
It is through
57:47
this craving
57:48
that some have
57:49
wandered away
57:50
from the faith
57:51
and pierced
57:52
themselves
57:53
with many pangs.
57:54
You see,
57:55
that was a problem
57:56
that the apostles
57:57
and Timothy
57:58
had to deal with.
57:59
People who had
58:00
been part of the church
58:02
or were part
58:02
of the church
58:03
and were under
58:04
the teaching
58:04
of the gospel,
58:05
but had given
58:06
more time
58:07
and more concern
58:09
for how much money
58:10
they would build up,
58:11
how much they would have
58:11
of material things,
58:13
and so they wandered
58:14
away from the faith.
58:14
That's what it's saying.
58:17
That's why it's saying,
58:18
beware of these things.
58:21
And that passage
58:22
goes on in verse 17.
58:25
As for the rich
58:26
in this present age,
58:28
now just listen
58:28
to the number of times
58:29
the word riches
58:30
or treasure
58:31
is used by Paul
58:33
in these few verses.
58:35
As for the rich
58:36
in this present age,
58:38
charge them
58:39
not to be haughty
58:40
nor to set their hopes
58:42
on uncertain riches,
58:44
but on God
58:45
who richly provides us
58:47
with everything to enjoy.
58:49
They are to do good,
58:50
to be rich
58:51
in good works,
58:53
to be generous
58:54
and ready to share,
58:55
thus storing up
58:56
treasure,
58:57
riches for themselves
58:58
as a good foundation
59:00
for the future
59:01
so that they may
59:02
take hold of that
59:04
which is truly life.
59:06
Let me ask myself today,
59:09
what's my most valuable
59:11
asset in this life?
59:14
Different ways
59:14
in which you can reply
59:15
to that
59:16
for yourselves as well.
59:17
What's my most valuable
59:19
asset in this life?
59:23
You might say,
59:24
it's my wife,
59:25
my partner,
59:25
my loved ones
59:26
and of course
59:27
that very much
59:28
comes into the picture.
59:30
But of course
59:31
the Bible tells us
59:31
what it has to be God,
59:33
doesn't it?
59:33
It has to be the Lord.
59:36
It has to be His salvation.
59:38
It has to be eternal life
59:39
as He provides that for us.
59:43
In Matthew chapter 13,
59:46
that chapter that deals
59:46
with so many parables
59:47
that Jesus actually taught.
59:51
Chapter 13 of Matthew,
59:52
the kingdom of heaven
59:54
is like treasure
59:54
hidden in a field
59:55
which a man found
59:57
and covered up.
59:59
Then in his joy
1:00:00
he goes and sells
1:00:01
all that he has
1:00:02
and buys that field.
1:00:04
And then there's the
1:00:05
parable of the pearl following.
1:00:07
Treasure hidden in a field,
1:00:09
buried in a field
1:00:09
which a man found
1:00:11
and covered up.
1:00:13
He discovered it
1:00:14
for himself.
1:00:16
Just read the other day
1:00:17
of a large nugget of gold
1:00:20
found in England.
1:00:20
Shropshire
1:00:22
by a man who was out
1:00:23
along with others
1:00:24
with a metal detector
1:00:26
and the man actually said
1:00:27
that the metal detector
1:00:29
wasn't actually working
1:00:30
properly even.
1:00:31
But it pinged
1:00:32
and as he dug down
1:00:33
about six or so inches
1:00:34
he discovered
1:00:35
this large nugget of gold
1:00:36
about a bit bigger
1:00:37
than a 50 pence piece
1:00:39
which is large
1:00:40
for a nugget of gold.
1:00:43
It's reckoned to be
1:00:43
the largest nugget of gold
1:00:45
ever found in England.
1:00:46
And it's going on the market
1:00:50
it's estimated to be worth
1:00:52
between 30 and 40 thousand pounds.
1:00:58
What's it worth?
1:01:00
It's worth between 30 and 40 thousand.
1:01:03
How much is our soul worth?
1:01:06
How much is Jesus worth?
1:01:08
How much is he valuable to us?
1:01:10
Well surely
1:01:12
in the words of the old
1:01:14
gospel song
1:01:15
it's for us the way it was
1:01:18
for this writer.
1:01:18
I'd rather have Jesus
1:01:20
than silver or gold.
1:01:22
I'd rather be his
1:01:23
than have riches untold.
1:01:26
I'd rather have Jesus
1:01:27
than houses or land.
1:01:28
I'd rather be led
1:01:30
by his nail-pierced hand.
1:01:32
I'd rather have Jesus
1:01:33
than worldly applause.
1:01:35
I'd rather be faithful
1:01:36
to his dear cause.
1:01:39
I'd rather have Jesus
1:01:40
than worldwide fame.
1:01:42
Yes, I'd rather be true
1:01:43
to his holy name
1:01:45
than to be the king
1:01:47
of a vast domain.
1:01:48
And be held in sin's dread sway.
1:01:52
I'd rather have Jesus
1:01:53
than anything
1:01:55
this world affords
1:01:57
today.
1:02:00
May God bless these thoughts
1:02:02
on his word to us.
1:02:02
Let's pray.
1:02:04
Our gracious God,
1:02:06
we thank you
1:02:06
for the riches
1:02:07
of eternal life.
1:02:09
We bless you
1:02:10
that you have brought
1:02:10
these freely to us.
1:02:13
We give thanks, Lord,
1:02:14
that your word
1:02:15
teaches us so often
1:02:17
of the cost
1:02:18
of our redemption
1:02:19
to the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
1:02:23
And therefore, Lord,
1:02:24
as we consider
1:02:24
the kind of death
1:02:26
you died,
1:02:27
that it was
1:02:27
a death
1:02:28
in which the bearing
1:02:29
of the sin
1:02:30
of your people
1:02:31
brought you
1:02:32
such condemnation
1:02:34
and such suffering
1:02:35
and death,
1:02:36
help us, Lord,
1:02:37
we pray,
1:02:38
to value
1:02:38
all that has been
1:02:39
achieved for us by it.
1:02:41
Give us today
1:02:42
to have a mindset
1:02:43
on the riches
1:02:44
that are spiritual
1:02:45
and eternal.
1:02:47
Nevertheless, Lord,
1:02:48
help us not to despise
1:02:49
whatever earthly riches
1:02:51
you give us to enjoy,
1:02:53
but help us
1:02:54
to use them wisely
1:02:55
and to be concerned
1:02:57
that they be used
1:02:57
for your glory
1:02:58
and for your praise.
1:03:00
Receive our thanks,
1:03:01
now we pray,
1:03:02
pardoning our sin
1:03:03
for Jesus' sake.
1:03:05
Amen.
1:03:05
We're going to conclude
1:03:09
our worship this morning
1:03:09
singing in Psalm 62.
1:03:12
That's on page 80
1:03:13
of Psalm 62.
1:03:15
Tune this before the throne
1:03:17
and verses 7 to 12.
1:03:21
My honor and salvation
1:03:23
rest on God,
1:03:24
my rock and mighty fort.
1:03:26
O people,
1:03:27
trust in him always.
1:03:29
To him alone
1:03:29
pour out your heart.
1:03:31
The low-born man
1:03:32
is but a breath.
1:03:33
The high-born man
1:03:34
is but a lie.
1:03:36
Weighed in a balance
1:03:37
side by side,
1:03:39
they come to nothing
1:03:40
but a sigh.
1:03:41
Do not seek after wealth
1:03:42
by force
1:03:43
or triumph in ill-gotten gain.
1:03:46
And even though
1:03:47
your goods increase,
1:03:49
set not your heart
1:03:50
on what is vain.
1:03:52
Verses 7 to 12
1:03:53
of Psalm 62.
1:03:59
My honor and salvation
1:04:03
rest on God,
1:04:04
O people,
1:04:08
my rock and mighty fort.
1:04:10
O people,
1:04:13
trust in him always.
1:04:17
To him alone
1:04:19
pour out your heart.
1:04:24
The low-born man
1:04:26
is but a breath.
1:04:27
The high-born man
1:04:32
is but a lie.
1:04:35
Within a balance
1:04:39
side by side,
1:04:42
they come to nothing
1:04:44
but a sigh.
1:04:48
They come to nothing
1:04:50
but a sigh.
1:04:51
Do not seek after wealth
1:04:58
by force,
1:05:00
for triumph in ill-gotten gain.
1:05:07
And even though
1:05:09
your goods increase,
1:05:12
set not your heart
1:05:15
on what is vain.
1:05:19
My God has spoken,
1:05:23
I have heard,
1:05:25
that you are strong
1:05:28
and loving, Lord,
1:05:31
each one according
1:05:34
to his deeds.
1:05:37
You will assuredly
1:05:40
reward.
1:05:42
You will assuredly
1:05:46
reward.
1:05:48
After the benediction,
1:05:51
please allow me
1:05:52
to get to the main door.
1:05:55
Now may the grace
1:05:56
of the Lord Jesus Christ,
1:05:57
the love of God the Father,
1:05:59
and the communion
1:05:59
of the Holy Spirit
1:06:00
be with you now
1:06:02
and evermore.
1:06:03
Amen.
1:06:18
Amen.
1:06:48
Amen.