Latest / Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons / Soft or Hard Hearts

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Soft or Hard Hearts · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

0:01
We're going to begin our worship this evening by singing to God's praise in Psalm 96a.
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Sing Psalm's version, page 1 to 6 of the psalm books.
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We're going to sing from verse 1 to verse 10.
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Psalm 96a, the tune is Bloxam.
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We sing from the beginning,
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Sing a new song to the Lord, sing praises to his name and his salvation day by day,
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let all the earth proclaim.
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We sing from verse 1 to verse 10 to God's praise.
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We stand to sing.
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Oh, sing a new song to the Lord, sing praises to his name
0:53
and his salvation day by day, let all the earth proclaim.
1:07
His glory and his mighty deeds to every land declare.
1:21
How great and awesome is the Lord, with him no cross compare.
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For other gods are wood and stone, the Lord made heaven's height.
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All power and majesty are his, he dwells in glorious light.
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All nations to the Lord, ascribe the glory that is due.
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Glory and strength ascribe to God, and praise his name on you.
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Enter his words with joy, and bring an offering with you.
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Worship the Lord in holy faith.
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All earth before them bow.
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Tell everyone, the Lord is king, established is the earth.
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And cannot move.
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The Lord will judge the people's sin is true.
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Amen.
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Let's come to God in prayer.
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Let us pray.
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Lord, our gracious God, our Father in heaven,
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as we gather to unite our hearts and praise this evening hour,
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we thank you for the blessings of this day.
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We thank you for your mercies in it.
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Lord, we thank you for the joy that we have in worshiping you.
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And even for the song, the psalm that we've sung,
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it reminds us that you give us a new song to praise you,
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to praise your name.
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And we thank you that it's a song of salvation,
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for you are the one alone who is able to save.
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And we thank you for your ongoing work of salvation to your people.
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That you are a God who continues to remember us
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and to help us in all our different needs.
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That you are a God who reigns over the world
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and calls the people of this world to come
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and offer up glory and praise to you.
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Tell every nation, tell every land,
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the Lord is king, the psalmist says.
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And we thank you that your word goes out with power
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in so many different ways and places.
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We thank you for all your people who serve you
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in proclaiming the gospel,
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in proclaiming it far and wide
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to people of every tribe and tongue.
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We thank you for all the gifts that you have given
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down through the generations to your people.
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For as we hold your word in our hands this evening,
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as we have the holy scriptures before us,
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we realize that it is through your great works of providence
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and through your will and your gifts given to many
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down through the generations
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to translate and to print
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and to make your word in a form
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that is so unchanging and unchangeable.
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And we thank you that your word is passed down
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and that it's translated into so many different languages.
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Even throughout the world today,
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when we hear the numbers of languages
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and forms that your word is translated into,
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we marvel.
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We marvel that there are so many
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and we marvel that you are a God
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who remembers each one
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and longs for all to come to know you.
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And so we pray for your power
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and your glory to be seen
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throughout our world and throughout our nations,
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that we would remind ourselves,
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as your word does so often,
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that when we feel a sense of despair
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and dejection in the day in which we live,
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that there is nothing new under the sun.
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There have been times,
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even as we see in your word,
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that high points when your people
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have been blessed so richly
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and praised you so lovingly and so loudly.
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And yet there are other times
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when your people have turned away,
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when they've turned to their own hearts
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and to their own ways
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and forgotten God.
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And the warnings are there before us so often.
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And we know today, Lord,
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that we live in a day
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when many do forget you,
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where many choose to have nothing to do with you
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and even to reject you in vehement ways.
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Not just to reject,
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but to persecute those who believe
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and to seek to destroy
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the Christian faith and the Christian church.
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But we do thank you
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that you are God and Lord,
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head of the church,
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that you have established
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and that nothing can overcome.
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We thank you that even,
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as the word says,
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the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
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And so we thank you
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that in this day in which we live,
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we have these assurances,
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these promises,
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and these things that we can take
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as confidence and hope
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that you are building your church
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upon the rock that is Jesus Christ.
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Christ.
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And we thank you
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that the gospel is founded in him,
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that in him there is good news,
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in him there is the one
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who gives that assurance
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of forgiveness for sin
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as we put our trust in him,
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that he is the one
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who gives the hope of eternal life,
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that he is the one
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who spoke to disciples long ago,
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reminding them that he is the way,
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the truth, and the life,
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that there is no way to the Father
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but by him.
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And so we thank you
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that that is still true to this day.
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And may we know you
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leading us in our worship this evening,
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leading us into your truth,
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leading us into your word,
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and helping us to hear
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what you have to say to us,
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helping us to be established
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and grounded in your word
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and in your truth
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in a way that it doesn't just
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impact us for a moment here,
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but that it will go with us
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into the rest of the week ahead.
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That the word that we hear
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will be a word that we are able
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to share and lean on
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and rely upon in all the days
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of this week ahead, God willing.
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That it will be your truth
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that shapes us,
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that gives us discernment,
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that gives us willingness,
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that gives us boldness and courage,
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that gives us all that we need
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to live in this world
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and to be the light of the gospel
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among the people around us.
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And so we ask, O Lord,
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that you will unite our hearts
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and praise and worship this evening
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and unite our hearts
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in all that we seek to do
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in your name.
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As we especially pray
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for the week ahead,
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we think of that meeting
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on Wednesday evening,
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a congregational meeting,
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and we just commit it to you
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for your unifying presence
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as we read in the bulletin
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for that to be in our midst
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in these days.
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That you would unite our hearts
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together in praise
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and worship and prayer to you
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as the one that we depend on
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for all things.
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And we pray, Lord,
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for that spirit of oneness,
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spirit of encouragement,
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spirit to look to you
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that we might know you're leading
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and your guidance
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in all of these things
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as we appoint a vacancy committee,
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as we seek to invite preachers
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to come and minister here,
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as we seek to call a minister,
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God willing,
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in the not-too-distant future.
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We do pray, Lord,
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that your will be done
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and that you would give us
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your wisdom and your help in it.
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And we thank you
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that we have so many people here
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who you use for your glory,
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that the work goes on day by day
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and week by week.
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Among our young people,
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we thank you for our Sunday school
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and creche and tweenies
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and Bible class.
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We thank you for the youth fellowship.
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We thank you for the explorers.
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We thank you for the toddler group.
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Thank you for all these ways
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of coming alongside people,
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especially our young people,
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teaching them,
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helping them along the way,
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guiding them in your truth
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and in your word
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to walk closely with you.
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We do pray, Lord,
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that our young people,
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that they would seek you
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in the days of their youth.
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They seek you while you are to be found.
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Seek you while their hearts
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are close to you
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and tender to you.
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Because we know, Lord,
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we live in a world
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filled with so many distractions,
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so many things
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that will lead us away from you.
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And so we pray
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that you will guard them
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and guard us all,
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guard us in our hearts and minds
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that we might know
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your peace with us.
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We pray, too,
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for the Fridays at the Free
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and the over 55s.
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We thank you for that meeting
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last Friday
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and, God willing,
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the meeting of the Fridays
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at the Free this coming week.
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We thank you for all the encouragements
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it gives
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and gathering in fellowship together
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and gathering
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to encourage one another
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and to come alongside each other
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in different ways.
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We do pray your blessing
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upon all that we do
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to come alongside
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in these times.
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Above all,
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we pray, Lord,
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to see people coming,
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to be under the gospel,
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to be curious,
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to be asking questions,
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to be exploring the Word
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and seeing what it says to them.
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And we thank you
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for the Thursday evening meetings
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of the big questions.
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We pray, Lord,
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that we will be encouraged
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to invite people
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to come along ourselves,
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even to come and hear
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and share
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and experience together
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the riches of your truth,
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the riches of your Word,
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and to be built up
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in the faith through it.
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So, Lord,
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may you hear our prayers
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for all of these things.
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We ask, O Lord,
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too,
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for your blessing
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on the wider church.
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We thank you
12:24
for those who you have called
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into ministry
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and those who are training in it.
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We think tonight
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of Scott and Fiona
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as they have gone from us
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to the congregation
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of North Harris.
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We pray for them
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as they settle
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into a new home
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in Scalpy
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and a new congregation
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in Tarbert
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and a new school
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for the girls,
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for Katie Bell
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and Lily May.
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We pray that you will help them
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and be with them,
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that you will help them
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to find people around them
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who will encourage them
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and draw alongside them
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and help them
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along the way.
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And we do pray
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that you will continue
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to bless Scott
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and his training
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and all others
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who have started back
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in the seminary
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in these past weeks.
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O Lord,
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we pray for those
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who go on in their studies
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and those who are just beginning.
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We pray to see
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your hand upon them
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for good
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and for your blessing
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over the seminary
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and upon all the leaders there,
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the lecturers
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and the staff
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and all who are involved
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in the training process.
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Lord,
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may they know
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your rich hand upon them.
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May they know
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your goodness to them.
13:27
We pray for our nation
13:29
and our world
13:30
and our leaders
13:31
and all that we see around us
13:33
when there are so many challenges
13:34
since we hear
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seemingly every day
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of those who are seeking
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to find peace
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and only finding trouble
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and we hear of immigrants
13:43
crossing the channel
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and so many lives being lost
13:46
and maybe turmoil
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being experienced
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by those who are trying
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to get across
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or escaping
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and fleeing
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so many different places.
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Lord,
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there are so many
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of these crises
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all around us.
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There are troubles
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every way we look
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and Lord,
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we just pray
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have mercy,
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have mercy upon us.
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Remember us, Lord.
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Come in your power.
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Come in a day
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of your power
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into our midst
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that your gospel
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would flourish,
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that your glory
14:14
would be seen
14:14
to all ends
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of the earth.
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How we need you, Lord,
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and how we plead with you
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to come.
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So Lord,
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hear our prayers.
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Continue with us
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in all our needs
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personally here
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and collectively
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as a people
14:28
in our homes
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and our families.
14:30
You know our needs
14:31
as we were thinking
14:31
this morning
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and we thank you
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for the great comfort
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that you are able
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to give.
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So comfort
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all who need you
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in so many different ways.
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Hear our prayers.
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Continue with us now
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and help us to sing
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to your glory.
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Lift up our voices
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to you in praise
14:47
and to have ears
14:48
to hear your word.
14:50
May we know
14:50
your spirit upon us
14:52
leading us
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in all of these things.
14:54
We ask all
14:55
looking to our Lord
14:56
and Saviour,
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Jesus Christ,
14:58
looking to forgiveness
14:59
in him
15:00
that we might know
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his blessing
15:01
in each of our lives.
15:03
We ask it
15:04
in his precious name
15:05
and for his glory.
15:06
Amen.
15:10
We'll continue
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to worship God
15:12
and sing
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to his praise.
15:14
This time
15:14
in Psalm 20
15:15
in the Scottish Psalter,
15:18
page 224.
15:19
Psalm 20
15:28
on page 224.
15:30
We're going to sing
15:30
from verse 3
15:32
down to the end
15:33
of the psalm.
15:34
The tune is Walsall.
15:37
Let him remember
15:38
all thy gifts,
15:40
accept thy sacrifice,
15:41
grant thee
15:42
thy heart's wish
15:43
and fulfill
15:44
thy thoughts
15:45
and counsel wise.
15:46
In thy salvation
15:47
we will joy
15:48
in our God's name
15:50
we will display
15:51
our banners
15:51
and the Lord
15:52
the prayers
15:53
all fulfill.
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We'll sing
15:55
from verse 3
15:56
down to the end
15:57
of the psalm.
15:57
Psalm 20
15:58
to God's praise.
16:00
Amen.
16:04
Let him remember
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all thy gifts,
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accept thy sacrifice,
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grant thee
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grant thee
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thy heart's wish
16:24
and fulfill
16:27
thy thoughts
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and counsel wise.
16:35
In thy salvation
16:40
we will joy
16:44
in our God's name
16:48
in our God's name
16:48
we will display
16:53
our banners
16:56
and the Lord
17:00
thy prayers
17:02
all fulfill.
17:06
God's name
17:11
now know
17:11
thy God
17:13
his King
17:15
that save
17:17
me from
17:19
his holy
17:22
heaven
17:23
will hear
17:27
him
17:28
with
17:29
the saving
17:31
strength
17:33
by his own
17:36
right hand
17:39
him
17:40
in chariots
17:45
some
17:46
put confidence
17:49
some
17:51
horses
17:53
trust upon
17:56
but
17:59
we
17:59
remember
18:02
well
18:03
the name
18:06
of
18:07
our
18:08
Lord
18:09
God
18:10
alone
18:12
we
18:15
rise
18:17
and
18:18
upright
18:20
stand
18:21
when
18:22
we
18:24
are
18:25
bowed
18:27
down
18:28
and
18:29
fall
18:31
deliver
18:33
Lord
18:35
and
18:37
let
18:38
the
18:39
King
18:40
us
18:41
hear
18:43
when
18:44
we
18:44
do
18:46
all
18:47
we
18:57
can
18:58
turn
18:58
to read
18:58
God's
18:59
word
18:59
together
18:59
now
19:00
in
19:00
Deuteronomy
19:00
chapter
19:02
10
19:02
so
19:04
in the
19:05
Old Testament
19:05
the book
19:06
of
19:06
Deuteronomy
19:06
chapter
19:07
10
19:07
you'll
19:07
find it
19:08
around
19:08
page
19:09
185
19:10
of the
19:10
church
19:10
bibles
19:11
and we're
19:12
going to
19:13
read
19:13
the whole
19:14
of this
19:14
chapter
19:15
Deuteronomy
19:17
chapter
19:17
10
19:18
from
19:19
verse
19:19
1
19:20
at
19:22
that
19:23
time
19:23
the
19:23
Lord
19:23
said
19:24
to
19:24
me
19:24
cut
19:25
for
19:25
yourself
19:25
two
19:26
tablets
19:26
of
19:26
stone
19:27
like
19:27
the
19:27
first
19:28
and
19:28
come
19:28
up
19:29
to
19:29
me
19:29
on
19:29
the
19:29
mountain
19:29
and
19:30
make
19:30
an
19:31
ark
19:31
of
19:31
wood
19:31
and
19:32
I
19:32
will
19:32
write
19:33
on
19:33
the
19:33
tablets
19:33
the
19:34
words
19:34
that
19:34
were
19:34
on
19:35
the
19:35
first
19:35
tablets
19:36
that
19:36
you
19:36
broke
19:36
and
19:37
you
19:37
shall
19:37
put
19:38
them
19:38
in
19:38
the
19:39
ark
19:39
so
19:40
I
19:40
made
19:40
an
19:41
ark
19:41
of
19:41
a
19:41
wood
19:42
and
19:45
went
19:45
up
19:45
the
19:46
mountain
19:46
with
19:46
the
19:46
two
19:46
tablets
19:47
in
19:47
my
19:47
hand
19:48
and
19:49
he
19:49
wrote
19:49
on
19:49
the
19:49
tablets
19:50
in
19:51
the
19:51
same
19:51
writing
19:52
as
19:52
before
19:52
the
19:53
ten
19:53
commandments
19:53
that
19:54
the
19:55
Lord
19:55
had
19:55
spoken
19:56
to
19:56
you
19:57
on
19:57
the
19:57
mountain
19:57
out
19:57
of
19:58
the
19:58
midst
19:58
of
19:58
the
19:58
fire
19:59
on
19:59
the
20:00
day
20:00
of
20:00
the
20:00
assembly
20:01
and
20:01
the
20:01
Lord
20:02
gave
20:02
them
20:02
to
20:02
me
20:03
then
20:04
I
20:04
turned
20:04
and
20:04
came
20:05
down
20:05
from
20:05
the
20:05
mountain
20:05
and
20:06
put
20:06
the
20:06
tablets
20:06
in
20:07
the
20:07
ark
20:07
that
20:08
I
20:15
to
20:17
Moserah
20:18
then
20:19
Aaron
20:19
died
20:19
and
20:20
there
20:20
he
20:21
was
20:21
buried
20:21
and
20:22
his
20:23
son
20:23
Eliasur
20:24
ministered
20:24
as a
20:25
priest
20:25
in
20:25
his
20:25
place
20:26
from
20:27
there
20:27
they
20:27
journeyed
20:28
to
20:28
Godoga
20:29
and
20:29
from
20:30
Godoga
20:31
to
20:32
Jothbatha
20:33
the
20:34
land
20:34
with
20:34
brooks
20:35
of
20:35
water
20:35
at
20:36
that
20:37
time
20:37
the
20:37
Lord
20:37
set
20:38
apart
20:38
the
20:38
tribe
20:39
of
20:39
Levi
20:39
to
20:40
carry
20:40
the
20:40
ark
20:40
of
20:40
the
20:41
covenant
20:41
of
20:41
the
20:41
Lord
20:42
to
20:42
stand
20:43
before
20:43
the
20:44
Lord
20:44
to
20:44
minister
20:45
to
20:46
him
20:46
and
20:46
to
20:46
bless
20:47
in
20:47
his
20:48
name
20:48
to
20:48
this
20:49
day
20:49
therefore
20:50
Levi
20:51
has
20:52
no
20:54
portion
20:54
or
20:54
inheritance
20:55
with
20:55
his
20:55
brothers
20:56
the
20:57
Lord
20:57
is
20:57
his
20:58
inheritance
20:58
as
20:59
the
20:59
Lord
21:00
your
21:00
God
21:01
said
21:01
to
21:01
him
21:01
I
21:02
myself
21:03
stayed
21:03
on
21:04
the
21:04
mountain
21:04
as
21:05
at
21:06
the
21:06
first
21:06
time
21:07
for
21:07
forty
21:07
days
21:08
and
21:08
forty
21:08
nights
21:09
and
21:10
the
21:10
Lord
21:10
listened
21:10
to
21:10
me
21:11
that
21:11
time
21:11
also
21:12
the
21:13
Lord
21:13
was
21:13
unwilling
21:14
to
21:14
destroy
21:14
you
21:15
and
21:16
the
21:16
Lord
21:16
said
21:16
to
21:16
me
21:16
arise
21:17
go
21:18
on
21:18
your
21:18
journey
21:18
at
21:19
the
21:19
head
21:19
of
21:19
the
21:19
people
21:20
so
21:20
they
21:20
may
21:21
go
21:21
in
21:21
and
21:21
possess
21:22
the
21:22
land
21:22
which
21:23
I
21:23
swore
21:24
to
21:24
their
21:24
fathers
21:24
to
21:25
give
21:25
them
21:25
now
21:26
Israel
21:27
what
21:28
does
21:28
the
21:28
Lord
21:28
your
21:29
God
21:29
require
21:30
of
21:30
you
21:30
but
21:31
to
21:31
fear
21:31
the
21:32
Lord
21:32
your
21:32
God
21:33
to
21:33
walk
21:33
in
21:34
all
21:34
his
21:34
ways
21:34
to
21:34
love
21:35
him
21:35
to
21:36
serve
21:36
the
21:37
Lord
21:37
your
21:37
God
21:37
with
21:37
all
21:38
your
21:38
heart
21:38
and
21:39
with
21:39
all
21:39
your
21:39
soul
21:40
and
21:41
to
21:41
keep
21:41
the
21:41
commandments
21:42
and
21:42
statutes
21:43
of
21:43
the
21:43
Lord
21:43
which
21:44
I
21:44
am
21:45
commanding
21:46
you
21:46
today
21:46
for
21:47
your
21:48
good
21:48
behold
21:50
to
21:51
the
21:51
Lord
21:51
your
21:52
God
21:52
belong
21:53
heaven
21:53
and
21:53
the
21:54
heaven
21:54
of
21:54
heavens
21:55
the
21:55
earth
21:56
with
21:56
all
21:56
that
21:56
is
21:56
in
21:57
it
21:57
yet
21:58
the
21:59
Lord
21:59
set
21:59
his
22:00
heart
22:00
and
22:00
love
22:01
on
22:01
your
22:01
fathers
22:02
and
22:03
chose
22:03
their
22:03
offspring
22:04
after
22:04
them
22:05
you
22:05
above
22:06
all
22:06
peoples
22:07
as
22:08
you
22:08
are
22:08
this
22:09
day
22:09
circumcise
22:11
therefore
22:11
the
22:12
foreskin
22:12
of
22:12
your
22:12
heart
22:13
and
22:13
be
22:14
no
22:14
longer
22:14
stubborn
22:15
for
22:16
the
22:16
Lord
22:16
your
22:16
God
22:17
is
22:18
God
22:18
of
22:18
gods
22:19
and
22:19
Lord
22:19
of
22:20
lords
22:20
the
22:21
great
22:21
the
22:22
mighty
22:22
and
22:23
the
22:23
awesome
22:23
God
22:24
who
22:25
is
22:25
not
22:25
partial
22:26
and
22:26
takes
22:26
no
22:27
bribe
22:27
he
22:28
executes
22:29
justice
22:29
for
22:30
the
22:30
fatherless
22:30
and
22:31
the
22:31
widow
22:31
and
22:32
loves
22:32
the
22:33
sojourner
22:33
giving
22:34
him
22:34
food
22:34
and
22:35
clothing
22:35
love
22:36
the
22:37
sojourner
22:37
therefore
22:38
for
22:38
you
22:39
are
22:39
sojourners
22:39
in
22:40
the
22:40
land
22:40
of
22:40
Egypt
22:41
you
22:41
shall
22:41
fear
22:42
the
22:42
Lord
22:42
your
22:42
God
22:43
you
22:43
shall
22:44
serve
22:44
him
22:44
and
22:45
hold
22:45
fast
22:46
to
22:46
him
22:47
and
22:47
by
22:47
his
22:48
name
22:48
you
22:48
shall
22:48
swear
22:49
he
22:50
is
22:50
your
22:51
praise
22:51
he
22:52
is
22:52
your
22:53
God
22:53
who
22:54
has
22:54
done
22:54
for
22:55
you
22:55
these
22:55
great
22:55
and
22:56
terrifying
22:56
things
22:57
that
22:57
your
22:58
eyes
22:58
have
22:58
seen
22:59
your
22:59
fathers
23:00
went
23:00
down
23:00
to
23:01
Egypt
23:01
seventy
23:02
persons
23:02
and
23:03
now
23:04
the
23:04
Lord
23:05
your
23:05
God
23:05
has
23:05
made
23:06
you
23:06
as
23:07
numerous
23:07
as
23:08
the
23:08
stars
23:08
of
23:09
heaven
23:09
and
23:10
so on
23:11
and may
23:11
God
23:11
bless
23:11
that
23:12
reading
23:12
from
23:13
his
23:13
word
23:14
before we
23:15
come back
23:15
to look at
23:16
some of
23:16
this passage
23:16
we'll sing
23:17
again
23:17
to God's
23:18
praise
23:18
in
23:19
Psalm
23:19
32
23:20
Psalm
23:21
32
23:22
in the
23:22
Scottish
23:23
Psalter
23:23
page
23:25
244
23:27
we'll sing
23:29
verse 7
23:31
down to
23:31
the end
23:32
of the
23:32
psalm
23:34
Psalm
23:34
32
23:35
at
23:35
verse 7
23:35
the tune
23:36
is Bedford
23:37
thou art
23:38
my hiding
23:38
place
23:39
thou shalt
23:39
from
23:40
trouble
23:40
keep
23:40
me
23:41
free
23:41
thou
23:42
with
23:42
songs
23:42
of
23:43
deliverance
23:43
about
23:44
shall
23:44
compass
23:45
me
23:45
I
23:46
will
23:46
instruct
23:46
thee
23:47
and
23:47
they
23:47
teach
23:48
the way
23:48
that
23:49
thou
23:49
shalt
23:49
go
23:50
and
23:50
with
23:50
mine
23:51
eye
23:51
upon
23:51
thee
23:52
set
23:52
I
23:52
will
23:52
direction
23:53
show
23:54
we'll
23:54
sing
23:54
verse 7
23:55
down to
23:55
the end
23:56
of the
23:56
psalm
23:56
to
23:57
God's
23:57
praise
23:58
the
24:04
heart
24:05
my
24:05
hiding
24:07
place
24:08
thou
24:09
shalt
24:10
from
24:11
trouble
24:12
keep
24:14
me
24:14
free
24:16
I
24:17
with
24:18
songs
24:19
of
24:20
deliverance
24:24
abide
24:25
shall
24:26
compass
24:26
me
24:27
I
24:32
will
24:32
instruct
24:34
thee
24:35
and
24:37
thee
24:37
teach
24:39
the way
24:40
that thou
24:42
shalt
24:43
go
24:44
and
24:46
with
24:47
mine
24:48
eye
24:49
upon
24:50
thee
24:52
said
24:53
I
24:54
said
24:56
I
24:57
will
24:57
direction
24:57
show
24:59
then
25:01
be
25:02
not
25:03
like
25:05
the
25:05
horse
25:07
or
25:07
mule
25:08
which
25:09
do
25:10
not
25:11
understand
25:13
whose
25:16
mouth
25:17
God
25:20
they
25:21
life
25:21
and
25:21
подоб
25:22
of
25:22
t
25:35
jeep
25:35
from
25:36
real
25:37
japan
25:37
代
25:37
get
25:38
to
25:39
the
25:40
John
25:47
In the Lord, mercy shall compass Christ.
26:00
Ye righteous in the Lord be done, in him do ye rejoice.
26:14
O ye that have my loving heart, for joy lift up your voice.
26:34
We can turn back together to our reading in Deuteronomy chapter 10.
26:38
We can look at verse 12 to verse 16 in particular together this evening.
26:46
Deuteronomy chapter 10 at verse 12.
26:49
And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you?
26:55
But to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
27:03
and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good.
27:10
Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it.
27:17
Yet the Lord set his heart and love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day.
27:28
Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart and be no longer stubborn, for the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords.
27:39
And so on.
27:43
I hope you all make it a priority at some point in the day.
27:47
I hope you start the day and end the day looking at the word of God, making it a priority to read your Bibles.
27:54
But how do you read it?
27:56
What approach do you take to it?
27:59
Are you one who just maybe sticks in the same kind of area?
28:03
Or do you like to read through it in a more ordinary manner?
28:06
Or maybe trying to start from the beginning and just read your way through it?
28:10
We can all have different ways of approaching how we read the word of God.
28:15
Bishop J.C. Ryle, a bishop in England many years ago and a writer of many books, many books I'm sure that many of you are familiar with.
28:24
Most homes will have his book on holiness or other ones like that.
28:29
Well, he once said that we must read our Bibles like men digging for hidden treasure.
28:35
That is how we are to approach reading our Bibles as men, women, boys and girls digging for hidden treasure.
28:44
With that sense of anticipation, that sense of longing that we're going to find something of riches in this word of God.
28:52
We've thought about it as we've been looking at Habakkuk, digging for nuggets of gold in Habakkuk.
28:58
How in the midst of so many things that just leave people in dismay and disarray,
29:04
there are these nuggets, these precious nuggets of gold that give us a sense of encouragement.
29:09
And God willing, we'll come back to Habakkuk next Sunday morning, all being well.
29:15
But when we come to read the word of God, we might be maybe more inclined to read the New Testament,
29:21
to go into the Gospels or the letters of Paul.
29:26
Or maybe if we go into the Old Testament, we stick to maybe passages that we've been familiar with from a very young age.
29:32
The stories like David and Goliath or Daniel and the Lion's Den or all these kinds of accounts that we read of,
29:39
we maybe become more selective.
29:43
Who has in their favorite books the book of Deuteronomy?
29:48
Is it a book that you keep going back to as a book that you think there's so much nuggets of gold in here
29:55
that I just long to go back to it and read it again and again?
29:58
It's not always a book maybe that stands out in our list of favorites.
30:03
And yet, as you go through the book of Deuteronomy, you find it's such an important book.
30:11
An important book in the sense of the Old Testament, but also as you go into the New Testament.
30:16
What it's speaking about is so important, not just for Moses and his day, but for ourselves today.
30:24
There's so much we can learn from this book.
30:27
There's so much we see that has such great significance for us.
30:32
There's one commentator, one writer, one theologian called Gordon Wenham.
30:37
And he speaks of the significance of the book of Deuteronomy in this way.
30:41
He calls it the linchpin of the Old Testament.
30:46
So the linchpin is something that hinges things together.
30:49
Like a trailer has a linchpin that connects it to whatever's towing it.
30:54
So you've got this linchpin that makes sure that everything else is secure.
30:59
And he describes the book of Deuteronomy in that way.
31:02
It's like a linchpin that keeps things secure.
31:05
So what's come before it and what comes after it is held secure by what we read in the book of Deuteronomy.
31:13
So why is it so important?
31:15
Why is it a book that we should be so interested in?
31:20
When you think about how often it's quoted in the New Testament, you maybe think, where do I see it quoted?
31:27
Well, alongside Genesis, Psalms, and the book of Isaiah, it is the most quoted book in the New Testament.
31:36
So again, that highlights for us that there is significance in this book of Deuteronomy.
31:41
We're not putting it above other books, but we're just seeing that it's not a book we should ignore.
31:47
It's not a book we should think of just easily passing by it because you find so much riches in it.
31:56
And it's important hasn't waned.
31:59
It's still important for us today, just as much as it was, as Moses was with the children of Israel here, about to enter into the promised land.
32:11
They were on the border.
32:13
They were on the cusp of going into the promised land.
32:16
The Lord had brought them through the Exodus.
32:19
He had brought them out of Egypt through so many trials.
32:22
And here they were about to go into the promised land.
32:26
And what you find with the book of Deuteronomy is it begins and it ends with a reminder of God's covenant.
32:34
That's God's relationship with his people.
32:37
That God has promised many things to his people.
32:41
If you look in chapter 4, verse 31, there it said,
32:46
So there's that promise at the start.
33:01
And then if you jump forward to chapter 29, and just even looking at the heading of that chapter,
33:09
it's the covenant renewed in Moab.
33:12
You go through that chapter and it's a reminder of God's covenant that he made with Moses and with his people.
33:19
So you find the whole book has at its bookends, if you like, the covenant.
33:26
The reminder of God's promise to his people.
33:30
And so Moses is here preaching to the people.
33:34
He's reminding them as they're about to enter the promised land that their allegiance is to be to God.
33:41
Because they are going into a land that is full of so many other gods.
33:47
False gods, idols, temptations that they will be drawn away from worshipping God
33:55
and their allegiance going somewhere else.
33:59
What was the danger that they faced?
34:01
The danger was that they would forget the Lord their God.
34:09
And that's the serious nature of this book.
34:12
That's what you see as the bookends with God showing his remembrance of his people
34:17
and his covenant love to them.
34:20
Within and in between that, there is this danger of the people forgetting God.
34:26
And you say, well, they wouldn't.
34:28
Surely they wouldn't forget God.
34:30
After all he's done for them.
34:33
After all he's done in taking them out of Egypt, through the wilderness, all these years,
34:38
and now on the border of the promised land,
34:41
and taking them into a land that's described as flowing with milk and honey,
34:45
riches and everything that they need.
34:48
Surely they wouldn't forget the Lord.
34:50
The warning rings in their ears in chapter 8, verse 11, 14, and 19.
34:58
There you see the warning go out so powerfully,
35:02
where Moses says,
35:04
Take care lest you forget the Lord your God
35:06
by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes which I command you today.
35:13
It's this warning ringing in their ears.
35:19
And yet, as are we.
35:22
And we say to ourselves, well, we wouldn't forget the Lord.
35:26
We wouldn't forget his goodness to us.
35:28
We wouldn't forget the blessings of a Christian upbringing, a Christian home.
35:32
We wouldn't forget what he's saying to us through his word.
35:36
We would.
35:39
And we do.
35:41
That is the sad nature of who we are.
35:44
How quickly we forget the Lord.
35:46
Even as we go into this week ahead,
35:48
we might have that warning ringing in our ears.
35:51
Do not forget the Lord.
35:53
Maybe on Monday it's loud and clear.
35:55
On Tuesday it's just a little bit quieter.
35:58
By Wednesday we've just taken up by the rest of the ways of the world.
36:02
We forget about the Lord.
36:06
But as we come into chapter 10,
36:09
what we want to see together this evening,
36:11
as we look at this section,
36:13
verse 12 to verse 16, 17 there,
36:16
what we are reminded of is an insight of God's love to us.
36:22
And it comes about in this situation where,
36:26
as we read at the beginning of chapter 10,
36:29
the Lord is still remembering his people.
36:33
He gives the Ten Commandments to them,
36:35
despite, as you see in chapter 9,
36:38
the golden calf when they'd just turned their back on God so quickly,
36:43
that he still remembers them.
36:46
And in verse,
36:48
excuse me,
36:48
in verse 10
36:50
and verse 11 there,
36:52
you find that he's talking there about
36:54
still remembering and interceding
36:56
for his people.
36:58
Moses has prayed with God
37:01
and the Lord listened to me,
37:02
it says in verse 10,
37:04
and the Lord was unwilling to destroy you.
37:07
There's that mercy you see there.
37:10
He's showing mercy
37:11
in the midst of their disobedience,
37:13
in the midst of their forgetfulness.
37:15
He's still a God
37:16
who shows mercy.
37:18
And the Lord longs for his people
37:21
to come and trust in him.
37:26
And that's the call that goes out through this passage
37:29
to ourselves this evening as well.
37:33
To remember that God
37:35
is a God who could destroy us.
37:39
He could give us what we deserve,
37:41
what our sins deserve,
37:43
is death.
37:43
But he shows mercy.
37:47
And he gives time.
37:49
And he calls to us to come.
37:52
He shows us his great love towards us.
37:57
Through his son, Christ Jesus.
38:00
And in that love that he shows towards us,
38:03
he calls on us to love him
38:05
because he first loved us.
38:09
And so I want us to take these three things
38:11
from these verses as we look at them
38:13
together this evening.
38:15
As Moses is here
38:16
preaching to the people,
38:18
as he's ministering to them,
38:20
he's saying three things to them.
38:22
The first is he's giving them
38:24
what the Lord requires.
38:25
There's a requirement here.
38:27
If we want to know
38:29
the Lord's blessing,
38:30
there is a requirement.
38:32
And then secondly,
38:33
he gives them a reminder.
38:35
A reminder of his love.
38:38
And then the third thing that we see
38:40
is this calls for a response.
38:44
So we have a requirement,
38:45
a reminder,
38:46
and a response.
38:49
And the first thing we see
38:51
is a reminder.
38:56
In verse 12 there,
38:58
having reminded them
39:00
of how he has interceded
39:02
and how he has said,
39:03
the Lord was unwilling to destroy you,
39:06
he's showing God's love to them,
39:09
God's mercy to them.
39:12
And as you see God's mercy,
39:15
does that not demand a response?
39:20
Well, it does,
39:21
as you see here.
39:22
Because in verse 12,
39:24
Moses goes on and he says,
39:25
and now Israel,
39:26
now you people,
39:29
what does the Lord,
39:30
your God,
39:31
require of you?
39:34
In light of his mercy,
39:36
in light of his sparing you,
39:39
what does he require of you?
39:43
And he goes on to give them the answer.
39:46
He says,
39:47
but to fear the Lord,
39:49
your God,
39:49
to walk in all his ways,
39:52
to love him,
39:53
to serve the Lord,
39:54
your God,
39:55
with all your heart
39:55
and with all your soul,
39:57
and to keep the commandments
39:58
and statutes of the Lord,
40:01
which I am commanding you today.
40:03
there is what the Lord,
40:06
your God,
40:07
requires of you.
40:10
And in many ways,
40:11
you could look at that list
40:12
and think,
40:13
there's an outward side
40:15
to that list.
40:17
To fear the Lord
40:18
is to show
40:19
an honor to God,
40:21
to recognize
40:22
who he is,
40:24
to walk in his ways,
40:26
to love him,
40:28
to serve him,
40:29
to keep his word.
40:31
And what you see
40:32
as you go through the scriptures
40:33
is that for people,
40:35
God's people
40:36
down through generations,
40:37
this can be an outward show.
40:39
But what he's warning here
40:42
is it's got to be more
40:43
than that.
40:45
It's got to be more
40:46
than just an outward show
40:48
of things.
40:50
And what he's getting at
40:51
in this section
40:51
is the heart.
40:54
And as we'll see later on,
40:55
it's the heart
40:56
that needs
40:57
to change.
41:00
And it's the heart
41:01
that needs to have
41:02
been impacted
41:03
by all of these things.
41:04
He requires of you
41:05
to fear the Lord,
41:06
not just outwardly,
41:08
but inwardly.
41:10
He requires of you
41:11
to love him,
41:13
not just in an outward showing,
41:15
but with all your heart
41:17
inwardly.
41:18
And your service
41:19
must come
41:20
from that loving
41:21
him inwardly.
41:23
Keeping his word
41:24
must be just
41:25
not to make people see it,
41:27
but because you love
41:28
the Lord
41:28
with all your heart,
41:29
you lay up
41:30
his word
41:31
in your heart.
41:33
And it's the goal
41:33
that you're searching for,
41:35
that you're searching
41:36
the scriptures
41:37
to see
41:37
Lord,
41:38
what do you want
41:40
of me?
41:42
Moses had been assigned
41:43
as the leader
41:44
of the people.
41:46
And if he was
41:47
to lead the people
41:48
well,
41:49
he was to be one
41:50
who lived in this way
41:51
as well.
41:52
And again,
41:53
not just outwardly,
41:54
but with all
41:55
his heart.
41:58
So what Moses
41:59
is saying here
42:00
to the people is,
42:02
don't look at me
42:03
as your leader.
42:05
Look to God.
42:06
fear the Lord.
42:10
Don't look to me
42:11
and love me,
42:12
Moses is saying.
42:13
Love God.
42:16
Don't look to me
42:18
and serve me.
42:20
Serve the Lord.
42:23
Don't look to me
42:24
and keep the words
42:25
that I am giving you.
42:27
It's the word of God.
42:29
Keep his word.
42:31
not doing anything
42:33
for man,
42:34
not doing anything
42:35
for an outward show
42:37
to anybody else,
42:38
but doing it
42:39
for the Lord.
42:41
Because you see
42:42
what the Lord
42:43
has done
42:44
for you.
42:46
Do you ever ask
42:47
yourself that question,
42:49
what does the Lord
42:50
require of me?
42:52
And maybe you've got
42:54
this list of things
42:55
that you think,
42:56
this is what would be good
42:57
before the Lord
42:58
for me to do.
43:00
And you'll do it
43:01
to suit yourself.
43:03
Because if you were
43:04
to actually do
43:05
everything that the Lord
43:06
requires of you,
43:08
it's a huge challenge.
43:10
Just think of what
43:11
he's saying there.
43:12
Fear the Lord,
43:13
walk in his ways,
43:14
love him,
43:15
serve him,
43:15
keep his word.
43:18
To do that
43:18
means it's difficult,
43:21
it's hard.
43:23
And you might say,
43:24
oh, this is just too much,
43:25
I'll just try
43:26
and do some of it.
43:28
And once you start
43:28
to just try
43:29
and do some of it,
43:30
then you start
43:31
to fall away
43:31
from the rest of it.
43:33
And then you just
43:33
fall back
43:34
into the old ways.
43:36
And then you realize
43:37
you're away
43:37
from God again.
43:39
We forget the Lord.
43:41
And that's the cycle
43:42
that you see
43:43
in Deuteronomy
43:44
as you go on
43:45
through the word of God.
43:46
It's that constant cycle
43:47
that you see.
43:48
Forget one
43:50
and it leads
43:51
to forgetting the rest.
43:52
It leads
43:53
to forgetting God.
43:55
So it's to be
43:56
our priority
43:57
to do all
43:58
of these things.
43:59
And not just outwardly
44:00
but inwardly
44:02
with all
44:02
our hearts.
44:05
There's a great example
44:06
in Scripture
44:06
for us.
44:08
If we're looking
44:08
for an example
44:09
and I was reading
44:10
this about David
44:11
in the Old Testament
44:13
in the book of Samuel.
44:16
There is a man
44:17
who is described
44:18
as a man
44:19
after God's
44:20
own heart.
44:22
He was a leader
44:23
who God chose
44:24
to lead his people
44:26
as well.
44:27
But what was
44:28
the qualities
44:29
that David had?
44:32
Well you could almost
44:32
say it was all
44:33
of these things.
44:34
He feared the Lord.
44:35
He walked in his ways.
44:36
He loved him.
44:36
He served him.
44:37
He kept his word.
44:39
That was when
44:40
David was strong.
44:42
Going back to maybe
44:43
our favorite passages
44:45
as we read in Scripture.
44:46
The ones we're familiar
44:47
with from a young age.
44:48
We know David
44:49
and Goliath
44:50
and that story
44:50
of how David
44:52
conquered this giant
44:53
Goliath.
44:55
But I was reading
44:55
about this this week
44:56
and it said
44:57
it's easy in the drama
44:58
of this event
44:59
that we miss
44:59
what David
45:01
was actually doing.
45:03
How he was fulfilling
45:03
these requirements.
45:06
How he didn't listen
45:06
to advice
45:07
of those around him
45:08
of he should do this
45:09
or he should do that.
45:11
That he listened
45:12
to God.
45:14
And it was this verse
45:15
that the writer
45:16
was focusing on
45:16
in verse 40
45:18
of 1 Samuel chapter 17
45:20
where you read
45:21
that account
45:21
of David and Goliath.
45:23
It says there
45:24
he chose
45:25
five smooth stones.
45:29
And you can easily
45:30
pass by
45:31
and think nothing
45:33
of that.
45:33
Or maybe
45:34
as some people
45:35
have done
45:35
you're asking questions
45:37
why five stones?
45:38
What did they represent?
45:39
Why more than one stone?
45:44
Surely you only needed
45:45
one to kill Goliath.
45:47
David was a man of faith.
45:49
Did he doubt
45:49
that God
45:50
would help him
45:51
in conquering
45:52
the giant Goliath?
45:56
Well
45:57
the writer pointed out
45:59
this
45:59
that later on
46:00
in 2 Samuel
46:01
chapter 21
46:02
verse 15
46:04
to 22
46:05
there it mentions
46:07
giants.
46:08
other giants.
46:11
And it mentions
46:12
at least four
46:13
there by name.
46:15
So Goliath
46:16
wasn't
46:17
the only
46:18
giant.
46:20
So he didn't
46:20
just choose
46:21
any stones.
46:22
He didn't just
46:22
choose the first ones
46:24
that he came across.
46:26
He knew what it was
46:27
to use a sling.
46:28
He knew what he needed
46:29
to make
46:30
an accurate shot.
46:33
And so he did
46:33
as he had always done.
46:35
He chose
46:35
the best.
46:36
the most suitable.
46:38
He didn't say
46:39
the Lord
46:39
is going to do it
46:40
for me anyway.
46:42
I'll just pick up
46:43
any jagged rocks.
46:46
He recognised
46:48
his own
46:48
responsibility.
46:50
And this is a point
46:51
that the writer
46:51
was getting at.
46:53
There was
46:54
our responsibility
46:56
and God's
46:58
divine
46:58
providence
46:59
in David's life.
47:02
And it was
47:03
the two
47:03
going
47:04
together.
47:06
It was
47:06
what the Lord
47:07
required
47:08
of David
47:10
to use
47:11
his common
47:12
sense
47:13
but to
47:14
trust
47:14
the Lord.
47:16
And as
47:17
Moses is
47:18
writing to
47:18
the people
47:19
here
47:19
as he is
47:21
teaching them
47:22
and as he is
47:22
teaching us
47:23
he's teaching us
47:23
these two things
47:24
as well.
47:25
Yes
47:25
we can
47:26
trust God
47:27
but it's not
47:29
a case of
47:29
well God's
47:30
going to do it
47:31
anyway.
47:31
It's not that
47:32
kind of
47:32
trust.
47:34
There's
47:34
our
47:34
responsibility
47:35
too and that's
47:36
the responsibility
47:37
here.
47:38
What does
47:38
the Lord
47:38
require of
47:39
you the same
47:40
as of David
47:40
to fear
47:41
the Lord
47:42
your God
47:42
to walk
47:43
in his ways
47:44
to love
47:45
him and serve
47:45
him and trust
47:46
his word.
47:49
That is what
47:49
required
47:50
of us.
47:51
The Lord
47:51
gives us
47:52
instruction
47:53
for a reason.
47:54
He gives us
47:54
commands for a
47:55
reason.
47:56
In verse 13
47:57
he says here
47:58
it's for
47:59
your good.
47:59
All of
48:01
these things
48:02
are for
48:03
your good.
48:05
In chapter
48:06
4, 5, 6
48:07
and 12
48:08
he's giving
48:09
instructions there
48:10
in these chapters
48:11
with the phrase
48:12
that it may
48:13
go well
48:13
with you.
48:15
It's the phrase
48:16
that keeps
48:17
coming up.
48:18
So we have
48:19
requirements in
48:20
life.
48:21
They are for
48:22
our good
48:23
that it may
48:23
go well
48:24
with you.
48:26
The question
48:27
is
48:27
are we
48:28
fulfilling
48:29
them?
48:29
Are we
48:31
listening to
48:32
the requirements
48:34
that the
48:34
Lord gives?
48:36
Are we
48:37
choosing to
48:37
ignore them
48:38
and push
48:38
them away
48:38
and forgetting
48:39
the Lord?
48:42
We want
48:42
to do
48:43
as the
48:44
Lord requires.
48:46
We want
48:46
to love
48:47
him with
48:48
all our
48:48
hearts.
48:50
And the
48:50
second thing
48:51
we see
48:51
here is a
48:51
reminder.
48:53
A
48:54
reminder
48:54
in verse
48:56
15.
48:56
15.
48:56
yet it
49:00
says there
49:01
the
49:02
Lord
49:03
set
49:03
his
49:03
heart
49:04
in
49:05
love
49:05
on
49:05
your
49:05
fathers.
49:07
And what's
49:07
interesting
49:08
about this
49:08
is what
49:08
comes in
49:09
verse 14
49:10
as well.
49:11
It says
49:11
he's commanding
49:12
these things
49:13
for your
49:13
good.
49:13
behold
49:14
to the
49:15
Lord your
49:16
God
49:17
belong
49:17
heaven
49:17
and the
49:18
heavens
49:18
of heavens
49:19
the earth
49:20
with all
49:21
that is
49:21
in it.
49:21
The Lord
49:22
has it
49:22
all
49:23
but yet
49:24
the Lord
49:26
set his
49:26
heart
49:26
and love
49:27
on your
49:28
fathers
49:29
and chose
49:30
their offspring
49:30
after them
49:31
you above
49:32
all peoples
49:33
as you are
49:35
this day.
49:35
there's a
49:37
powerful
49:38
reminder
49:38
there
49:39
of the
49:40
love
49:40
of God.
49:43
The power
49:44
of God
49:44
is seen
49:45
in these
49:46
verses
49:47
in verse
49:47
14.
49:48
The Lord
49:49
your God
49:49
belong
49:49
heaven
49:50
and heaven
49:50
of heavens
49:51
the earth
49:51
and all
49:52
that is
49:53
in them.
49:54
He is a
49:54
powerful
49:55
God.
49:56
He has
49:57
everything
49:57
in his
49:57
hands.
49:58
As we
49:59
sang in
49:59
Psalm 96
50:00
great is
50:00
the Lord
50:01
and greatly
50:02
to be
50:02
praised.
50:04
God
50:04
is an
50:05
awesome
50:05
God.
50:07
But in
50:07
the midst
50:08
of this
50:08
majesty
50:09
and this
50:09
power
50:10
in verse
50:11
15
50:11
yet the
50:12
Lord
50:13
set his
50:14
heart
50:14
in love
50:15
on you
50:16
your fathers
50:17
and on
50:18
you.
50:20
So he's
50:21
asking and
50:22
there's a
50:22
challenge
50:22
there.
50:23
What does
50:24
the Lord
50:24
require of
50:25
you?
50:25
How is
50:26
your heart?
50:27
Well here's
50:27
a reminder
50:28
of God's
50:28
heart to
50:29
his people.
50:30
The Lord
50:31
has set
50:32
his heart
50:32
in love
50:34
on you.
50:38
With such
50:39
care and
50:39
attention
50:40
given to
50:41
us,
50:42
how could
50:42
we forget
50:43
the Lord?
50:44
How could
50:45
we possibly
50:45
forget the
50:46
Lord?
50:47
The Lord
50:48
who has
50:48
power over
50:49
all things
50:49
yet has
50:50
set his
50:50
heart
50:51
on his
50:52
people.
50:54
You think
50:55
of the
50:55
kind of
50:56
ways that
50:57
people can
50:57
feel there
50:58
to come
50:59
and worship
51:00
God.
51:02
People are
51:02
called to
51:03
follow and
51:03
worship God.
51:05
Sometimes
51:06
it's out of
51:06
a sense
51:07
of guilt.
51:09
Is that
51:09
really going
51:10
to make
51:10
us worship
51:11
God?
51:13
Other
51:14
times it's
51:14
almost when
51:15
you feel
51:15
that God
51:16
is dictating
51:17
to us
51:18
that we
51:18
must love
51:19
him.
51:19
Is that
51:20
how God
51:20
wants us
51:21
to worship
51:22
him?
51:24
It's like
51:24
thinking of
51:24
an arranged
51:25
marriage where
51:26
someone doesn't
51:27
want to go
51:28
in it but
51:28
they're terrified
51:29
and yet they're
51:29
forced to marry
51:30
someone they
51:31
don't love.
51:32
But that's
51:33
not the
51:33
way God
51:34
has a
51:35
relationship
51:35
with us.
51:38
Remember
51:38
the covenant
51:39
at the
51:40
beginning and
51:40
the end
51:41
how he has
51:41
not forgotten
51:42
his people
51:43
and here in
51:44
the midst
51:45
of even
51:45
their turning
51:46
away from
51:47
him with
51:47
a golden
51:48
calf in
51:48
chapter 9
51:49
how Moses
51:50
has come
51:51
and he's
51:52
had this
51:52
promise the
51:53
Lord is
51:53
unwilling to
51:54
destroy you
51:55
and then you
51:57
have this
51:57
in verse 15
51:58
yet the
51:59
Lord set
51:59
his heart
52:00
in love
52:01
on you.
52:04
Is there
52:04
not a
52:05
reason there
52:06
to love
52:07
him?
52:08
Because he
52:09
loves us
52:11
with such
52:12
a powerful
52:13
love.
52:16
We see
52:17
who he
52:18
is and
52:20
we see
52:20
what he
52:21
has done
52:21
for us.
52:22
A love
52:22
that has
52:23
remembered
52:24
us.
52:24
A remembering
52:25
love that
52:25
we see
52:26
in the
52:26
cross.
52:27
A remembering
52:27
love that
52:28
does not
52:29
let us
52:29
go.
52:30
A love
52:31
that as
52:31
we were
52:31
looking at
52:31
this morning
52:32
a love
52:33
that comforts
52:34
us in
52:34
all our
52:35
different
52:35
needs.
52:37
And that
52:37
is a love
52:38
that he
52:39
has for
52:39
his people.
52:41
And not
52:41
just the
52:42
children of
52:42
Israel here
52:43
because we
52:44
become his
52:45
people.
52:47
Peter makes
52:48
that clear
52:49
in his
52:49
first letter
52:50
as he's
52:51
writing to
52:51
the people
52:52
in 1 Peter
52:54
chapter 2
52:54
he says
52:55
you are
52:56
a chosen
52:57
people
52:57
a royal
52:58
priesthood
52:58
a holy
52:59
nation
52:59
a people
53:00
belonging
53:01
to God
53:02
that you
53:02
may declare
53:03
the praises
53:03
of him
53:04
who called
53:05
you out
53:05
of darkness
53:06
into his
53:06
wonderful
53:07
light.
53:10
You are
53:10
his people
53:11
when he
53:11
has done
53:12
that for
53:12
you.
53:13
When he
53:13
has taken
53:13
you and
53:14
called you
53:14
out of his
53:15
darkness
53:15
into his
53:17
marvelous
53:17
light.
53:18
Peter goes
53:19
on to say
53:19
once you
53:20
were not
53:21
a people
53:21
but now
53:22
you are
53:22
the people
53:23
of God
53:23
once you
53:24
had not
53:25
received
53:25
mercy
53:25
but now
53:26
you have
53:27
received
53:28
mercy.
53:30
The mercy
53:31
of God
53:32
and the
53:33
love that
53:34
he has shown
53:35
to us
53:36
through Jesus
53:36
Christ.
53:38
What a wonder
53:39
of that love.
53:42
What a power
53:43
there is
53:44
in that love.
53:45
As the hymn writer
53:46
says,
53:47
how deep
53:47
the Father's
53:49
love for us,
53:50
how vast
53:50
beyond all
53:52
measure,
53:52
that he
53:53
should give
53:54
his only
53:55
son to
53:55
make a
53:56
wretch
53:56
his
53:57
treasure.
53:58
Why
53:58
should I
53:59
gain
53:59
from his
54:00
reward?
54:01
I cannot
54:02
give an
54:02
answer,
54:04
but this
54:04
I know
54:05
with all
54:05
my heart,
54:06
his wounds
54:07
have paid
54:08
my ransom.
54:10
How deep
54:11
the Father's
54:13
love.
54:14
And that's
54:14
the love
54:15
that we see
54:15
here in
54:17
verse 15,
54:18
that in the
54:18
midst of their
54:19
disobedience,
54:20
in the midst
54:21
of their
54:21
turning away,
54:23
yet the
54:24
Lord set
54:25
his heart
54:25
and love
54:26
on your
54:27
fathers and
54:28
chose their
54:29
offspring after
54:30
them, you
54:30
above all
54:31
people, as
54:33
you are
54:34
this day.
54:36
As you
54:37
are this
54:37
day, even
54:38
imperfect
54:39
sinners,
54:41
yet the
54:42
Lord has
54:42
shown his
54:43
love to
54:44
you.
54:45
And is
54:45
that not
54:46
how we
54:46
are ourselves
54:47
today?
54:49
Imperfect
54:50
sinners,
54:51
imperfect
54:52
sinners,
54:53
in so
54:53
many ways
54:54
and yet
54:54
reminded of
54:55
the love
54:56
of God
54:57
to us
54:57
in Christ
54:59
Jesus.
55:01
So what
55:02
does this
55:02
mean?
55:04
As Moses
55:05
is telling
55:06
the people
55:06
all of
55:07
these things,
55:09
as he's
55:09
showing them
55:10
this reminder,
55:12
as he's
55:12
telling them
55:12
these requirements,
55:13
what does
55:14
it mean?
55:16
Well, it
55:16
calls for
55:17
a response.
55:18
And that's
55:20
what we
55:20
see in
55:20
verse 16.
55:24
Circumcise,
55:25
therefore,
55:26
the foreskin
55:27
of your
55:27
heart, and
55:27
be no
55:28
longer
55:28
stubborn,
55:30
for the
55:30
Lord your
55:31
God is
55:32
God of
55:32
gods and
55:33
Lord of
55:34
lords, the
55:35
great, the
55:36
mighty, and
55:37
the awesome
55:38
God.
55:41
It calls
55:42
for a
55:43
response.
55:45
As we
55:45
say with
55:46
the covenant
55:46
before us
55:47
here at
55:48
the beginning
55:48
and the
55:49
end, a
55:50
covenant
55:50
agreement is
55:51
between two
55:52
parties, between
55:52
God who has
55:53
shown his
55:54
love there in
55:55
verse 15, who
55:56
has set his
55:57
love on his
55:58
people, his
55:59
steadfast love.
56:01
God has
56:01
pledged that.
56:03
It's an
56:03
unchanging
56:04
love, but it
56:05
calls for a
56:06
response.
56:08
And the
56:09
response is to
56:10
do with the
56:11
heart.
56:12
God has
56:14
to show an
56:15
outward show
56:16
towards God,
56:18
but it's to
56:19
show an
56:19
openness, an
56:21
open heart
56:22
towards him,
56:24
an open
56:25
heart that
56:25
will receive
56:26
the word
56:27
of God.
56:30
Get rid
56:30
of everything
56:32
that keeps
56:32
you from
56:33
loving God.
56:35
Stop being
56:36
like the
56:36
harsh,
56:37
stubborn,
56:38
like we
56:39
were singing
56:39
in the
56:41
psalm there
56:42
in Psalm
56:42
32, verse
56:43
9.
56:44
Then be
56:45
not like the
56:45
horse or
56:46
mule which
56:47
do not
56:47
understand,
56:48
whose mouth
56:49
lest they
56:49
come near to
56:50
thee a
56:51
bridle must
56:51
command.
56:52
There's got
56:53
to be this
56:53
bridle in
56:54
his mouth,
56:55
don't be
56:55
stubborn like
56:56
the horse.
57:00
And it's
57:00
saying here
57:00
as well,
57:02
and be
57:02
no longer
57:03
stubborn.
57:04
What does
57:05
it mean to
57:06
be stubborn?
57:08
I'm sure
57:08
many of us
57:09
could answer
57:09
that quite
57:10
easily.
57:11
We've all
57:12
experienced
57:12
it, either
57:14
by being
57:14
the offender
57:15
or on the
57:16
receiving end
57:17
of it.
57:18
We are
57:18
stubborn by
57:20
nature in
57:20
so many
57:21
ways because
57:22
there's an
57:22
arrogance and
57:23
stubbornness,
57:24
an arrogance
57:25
that you see
57:25
in the people
57:26
of God so
57:27
often here
57:28
in Deuteronomy,
57:30
a stubbornness
57:31
that's led
57:31
them to make
57:32
a golden
57:33
calf, saying
57:33
Moses, he's
57:34
not coming
57:35
back, he's
57:36
gone.
57:38
They didn't
57:38
trust that
57:39
he would
57:39
come back.
57:40
And so
57:40
they took
57:41
matters into
57:42
their own
57:42
hands.
57:43
And that's
57:44
the stubbornness
57:45
that plagues
57:45
our heart to
57:46
this day.
57:48
The stubbornness
57:49
that we know
57:49
best, that we've
57:50
got a plan,
57:51
that we've got
57:52
a way, that
57:53
God doesn't
57:54
know what
57:54
he's doing.
57:55
The stubbornness
57:56
that just puts
57:57
God away, that
57:58
shuns him.
58:00
So there is a
58:01
stubbornness that's
58:02
in us all.
58:02
But the
58:05
response that
58:06
it's calling
58:07
for is
58:07
circumcised
58:08
therefore, the
58:09
foreskin of
58:11
your heart.
58:12
What does he
58:12
mean by that?
58:14
The male
58:14
Israelites, they
58:16
had to be
58:17
circumcised, to
58:18
have their
58:18
foreskin cut
58:19
off.
58:20
It was a
58:21
sign of
58:21
belonging to
58:22
God, but it
58:24
was an outward
58:24
sign.
58:26
But what he's
58:27
asking for here
58:28
is an inward
58:29
sign, that the
58:31
heart is what
58:32
needs changing.
58:34
Not just
58:35
putting on an
58:36
outward show, not
58:38
just putting on a
58:39
show that they're
58:40
to please other
58:41
people around us,
58:42
but that our
58:43
heart, our
58:45
heart is for
58:46
God, that our
58:48
heart is open
58:49
to God.
58:50
Circumcise
58:51
therefore the
58:52
foreskin of your
58:52
heart and be no
58:54
longer stubborn.
58:58
The
58:58
requirements that
58:59
God asks of
59:01
you.
59:02
Don't think you
59:03
know better.
59:04
Don't think you
59:04
can manage your
59:05
life in any
59:06
better way.
59:07
The love that
59:09
God has shown
59:09
for you.
59:10
Don't think you
59:11
can ignore it.
59:12
You ignore it at
59:13
your peril and
59:14
say that that
59:14
love is not
59:15
real or that God
59:16
did not do
59:17
that, that Jesus
59:18
never rose from
59:20
the grave.
59:20
All of these
59:21
things, there's a
59:22
stubbornness.
59:24
God is not
59:25
real.
59:27
Well, God is
59:28
not dead.
59:29
God is
59:33
not
59:34
to be
59:35
open to
59:36
him, not
59:38
to be stubborn
59:39
like the horse
59:40
or the mule,
59:42
because they
59:42
don't understand.
59:44
And it's a fool
59:45
that says in his
59:46
heart that there
59:47
is no God,
59:49
because that
59:49
heart is hard.
59:50
But we are
59:53
not to harden
59:54
our hearts.
59:56
We are not
59:56
to be stubborn.
59:58
We are to
59:59
listen to the
1:00:00
word of God.
1:00:02
Thankful that
1:00:04
he has spoken
1:00:05
to us, that
1:00:07
the Lord has
1:00:07
not destroyed
1:00:08
us.
1:00:09
As we saw at the
1:00:11
beginning of this
1:00:11
section, the
1:00:13
Lord was unwilling
1:00:13
to destroy.
1:00:14
He showed
1:00:15
mercy.
1:00:16
He has
1:00:16
showed mercy to
1:00:17
you and to me,
1:00:18
that we hear
1:00:21
the word
1:00:22
of God.
1:00:24
And this
1:00:25
word that we
1:00:26
have in
1:00:26
Deuteronomy,
1:00:27
it is a
1:00:28
precious word.
1:00:30
It is a
1:00:31
golden nugget
1:00:32
of God
1:00:33
to us,
1:00:35
that the
1:00:35
Lord requires
1:00:36
of us
1:00:37
to do
1:00:38
these things,
1:00:39
to see
1:00:40
his love,
1:00:43
and to
1:00:43
respond
1:00:44
to it
1:00:45
with an
1:00:46
open heart,
1:00:47
to receive
1:00:49
his grace,
1:00:50
to trust
1:00:51
in him,
1:00:52
to walk
1:00:53
with him,
1:00:54
and to
1:00:54
love him,
1:00:55
and to
1:00:55
serve him
1:00:56
with all
1:00:57
our heart.
1:00:59
So be
1:00:59
not stubborn,
1:01:01
but open
1:01:02
your heart
1:01:03
to the
1:01:04
Lord,
1:01:05
that he
1:01:05
might come
1:01:05
in and
1:01:06
dwell.
1:01:07
May the
1:01:07
Lord bless
1:01:08
these thoughts
1:01:09
to us.
1:01:09
we'll
1:01:11
conclude by
1:01:12
singing to
1:01:13
God's
1:01:14
praise in
1:01:14
Psalm 95,
1:01:17
in the
1:01:17
Sing Psalms
1:01:18
version,
1:01:18
page 1,
1:01:19
2,
1:01:19
6,
1:01:20
Psalm 95,
1:01:23
the tune
1:01:23
is
1:01:24
Cyndenio,
1:01:25
and we're
1:01:26
going to
1:01:26
sing from
1:01:26
verse 6
1:01:27
to verse 8,
1:01:29
these two
1:01:30
verses.
1:01:32
Psalm 95,
1:01:33
page 1,
1:01:34
2,
1:01:34
6,
1:01:35
come,
1:01:35
let us
1:01:36
bow humbly
1:01:37
and worship
1:01:37
the Lord.
1:01:38
Let us
1:01:39
kneel before
1:01:40
him,
1:01:40
our maker
1:01:40
in prayer,
1:01:41
for we
1:01:41
are his
1:01:42
people,
1:01:43
and he
1:01:43
is our
1:01:43
God,
1:01:44
his shepherd,
1:01:46
and he
1:01:46
shepherds
1:01:46
and feeds
1:01:47
us in
1:01:48
his loving
1:01:48
care.
1:01:49
Today,
1:01:50
if you
1:01:50
hear and
1:01:51
attend to
1:01:51
his voice,
1:01:53
don't harden
1:01:53
your hearts
1:01:54
as you
1:01:55
did on
1:01:55
the way.
1:01:56
In
1:01:56
Meribah's
1:01:57
desert,
1:01:58
you
1:01:58
quarreled
1:01:58
with me,
1:01:59
you
1:01:59
tested my
1:02:00
patience
1:02:01
at Massa
1:02:02
that day.
1:02:03
We'll sing
1:02:03
these two
1:02:03
verses to
1:02:04
God's praise.
1:02:05
We stand
1:02:06
to sing.
1:02:09
Come,
1:02:12
let us
1:02:13
bow humbly
1:02:15
and worship
1:02:16
the Lord.
1:02:19
Let us
1:02:20
kneel
1:02:21
before him,
1:02:23
our maker
1:02:24
in prayer.
1:02:27
For we
1:02:29
are his
1:02:30
people,
1:02:31
and he
1:02:33
is our
1:02:34
God.
1:02:35
God,
1:02:36
he shepherds
1:02:38
and feeds
1:02:39
us in
1:02:41
his loving
1:02:42
care.
1:02:46
Today,
1:02:47
if you
1:02:48
hear and
1:02:50
attend to
1:02:52
his voice,
1:02:54
don't harden
1:02:56
your hearts
1:02:58
as you
1:02:59
did on
1:03:01
the way.
1:03:03
in
1:03:04
Meribah's
1:03:06
desert,
1:03:08
you
1:03:08
quarreled
1:03:10
with me,
1:03:12
you
1:03:12
tested
1:03:14
my
1:03:15
patience
1:03:16
at
1:03:17
Massa
1:03:19
that
1:03:20
day.
1:03:22
I'm going
1:03:23
to close
1:03:23
with a
1:03:23
benediction,
1:03:24
and after
1:03:24
the benediction,
1:03:25
I'll go to
1:03:25
the door
1:03:26
to my
1:03:26
left.
1:03:27
Now,
1:03:28
may grace,
1:03:29
mercy,
1:03:29
and peace
1:03:30
from God,
1:03:30
Father,
1:03:31
Son,
1:03:31
and Holy
1:03:32
Spirit,
1:03:33
rest upon
1:03:34
and abide
1:03:34
with you
1:03:35
all now
1:03:35
and forever
1:03:36
more.
1:03:37
Amen.
1:03:37
Amen.
1:04:01
Let's