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Communion Service - Christ For Us · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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Well, we begin with some words from Psalm 103, which I'll read, and then we shall sing together.
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But the psalmist writes,
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Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
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Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
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who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
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who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.
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Well, we want to begin by singing together these words, Psalm 103, which can be found on page 135,
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the Sing Psalms version, and we'll sing together the first 11 verses of Psalm 103 on page 135.
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Praise God, my soul, with all my heart.
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Let me exalt his holy name.
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Forget not all his benefits,
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His grace, my soul, and song proclaims.
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The Lord forgives you all your sins,
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And heals your sickness and distress,
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Your life he rescues from the grave,
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And crowns you in his tenderness,
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And crowns you in his tenderness.
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He satisfies your deep desires,
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From his unending source of good,
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So that just like the evil strength,
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Your youthful vigor is renewed.
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The Lord is known for righteous acts,
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And justice stood and trodden once,
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To Moses he made known his ways,
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His mighty deeds to Israel's sons,
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His mighty deeds to Israel's sons.
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The Lord is merciful and kind,
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To anger slow and full of grace,
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He will not constantly reprove,
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For in his anger hide his face,
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He does not punish our misdeeds,
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Or kill our sins,
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Their just reward,
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And great is love that's high as hell
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To our tolls who fear the Lord.
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Let's now come before God in prayer.
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We do want to bless you,
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Our awesome and thrice holy God.
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We bless you for your glory,
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That you are clothed in splendor and majesty.
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We bless you for all of your works in creation,
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That you have stretched out the heavens like a tent,
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And set the earth upon its foundations.
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It is you,
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Our Father,
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Who causes the grass to grow.
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It is you who gives to us bread,
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To strengthen our hearts.
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And we praise you that you are the giver,
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Of every good and perfect gift,
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Giving to us food,
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Clothing,
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And shelter,
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Enabling us to delight daily,
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In your great goodness.
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And how we thank you,
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Lord,
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That your tender care extends,
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Not only to our bodies,
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But to our spirits,
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To our souls.
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And that you have met us,
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At our deepest point of need.
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That in and through our Lord Jesus Christ,
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You have forgiven us,
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All of our iniquities.
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You have redeemed our lives from the pit,
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You have set our feet upon a rock,
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You have put a new song in our mouths,
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And you have promised to us a glorious inheritance,
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In the age to come.
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Lord,
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How we want to sing your praise,
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For you are the God merciful and gracious,
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Slow to anger,
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Rich in steadfast love.
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You are our heavenly Father,
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Who shows compassion to his children,
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For you remember how we are made.
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We are grass,
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Our lives are as mist,
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And yet you are from everlasting to everlasting,
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And your love is from everlasting to everlasting,
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For those who fear you.
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And so as we gather around the table,
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This morning as we share in the supper,
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Would you remind us of that love?
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Would you refresh us with that holy love?
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A love that even while we were your enemies,
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Sent Christ to die for us.
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A love shown that we did not love you,
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But you loved us,
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And sent him to make atonement for all of our sins.
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Lord, as we read your word,
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As we share the meal,
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Would we be conscious of your grace?
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Would you minister to us
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That grace?
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Satisfy us in the morning with your goodness,
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Strengthen our hearts in faith,
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And remind us afresh of the hope
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That is ours in Christ,
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To whom we glory forever and ever,
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The hope that one day we shall take our places
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Around his heavenly banquet,
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And share fellowship with him,
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The master of the feast.
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And so it is in his name,
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And through him we bring to you our prayers,
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And we bring to you ourselves.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Well, it is very good to be here this morning.
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Thank you for your invitation,
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And it is good to see
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A number of
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The younger ones with us,
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Including our own daughters,
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Who are very much enjoying their time
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On the island.
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And I wonder if you are ever at school,
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With your friends,
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And they say to you,
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What does it mean to be a Christian?
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What happens when you go to church?
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What does the Bible teach?
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And I am sure we have all been in
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The situation where,
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When asked that question,
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Our minds have gone blank,
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And perhaps our mouths have dried up,
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And we think,
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Well, I am not quite sure what to say.
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And I have been in that situation many times.
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And so I want to give you
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A little helpful tool,
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That perhaps when somebody asks you that,
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You can explain to them
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What it means to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.
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And the tool is a very simple one,
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You have probably got it in your house.
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It is a piece of blank paper.
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So if your mind goes blank,
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You can reach for the blank paper.
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And you can say to your friend,
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I am just going to show you
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What the Christian faith is all about.
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And I am going to show you
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Some art and craft now.
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Okay?
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I am no expert.
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But if you are good at paper aeroplanes,
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What you can do,
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Is you can fold the sheet,
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Across one way,
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Like this.
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And then you can fold it across the other way,
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So it now looks like a little house.
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And then if you fold it in half,
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Twice more,
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You arrive at this simple shape.
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It looks a little bit like a paper aeroplane now.
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And then if you have a pair of scissors,
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All you do is you cut right down the middle.
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I will just tear it,
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To demonstrate.
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And after that you are left with all these different shaped pieces.
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They all sort of fall out in your hands.
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Now,
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I am no artist,
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And so as you used to see in cookery programs,
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Here is one I made earlier.
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And here is a couple I made earlier.
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And if you put all these pieces together,
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It only takes a minute or two,
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It actually depicts
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The scene at the cross.
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What is the Christian faith all about?
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It is about the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Here is the cross.
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Here are the dice.
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The soldiers used to gamble for his clothing.
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We will think about that later.
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Here is the spear that pierced his side.
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And if you put all the different pieces together,
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You actually have the scene at Calvary.
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The two crosses,
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The thieves,
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One of whom professed faith in the moments before his death.
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And so the heart of the gospel,
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As Paul reminds us,
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Is that Christ died for sins according to the Scriptures.
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He was raised to life on the third day according to the Scriptures.
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And as such,
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He is able to forgive us all of our sins,
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Just as we have sung.
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And He is able to give us life,
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New life,
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Lived in the power of His Holy Spirit.
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New life that continues forever in glory.
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And if you take these pieces,
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You can rearrange them to spell the word life.
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I don't know if you can read that all the way up at the back.
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It's a bit blocky.
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But the Christian faith is about the death and resurrection of Christ,
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And the new life that He gives us.
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To know Him,
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To know God as our Father,
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To count one another as brothers and sisters,
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And to walk with Him in faith,
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In hope,
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And in love.
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So I hope you all get asked that question this week,
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And I hope you all have a piece of A4 paper,
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In your rucksack,
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Or your handbag,
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And you'll be able to explain that,
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To anyone who asks you for a reason,
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For the hope that is in us.
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Amen.
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Well, we'll pray again,
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And this time we're just going to pray together
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The words the Lord Himself taught us,
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The words of the Lord's Prayer,
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Which are printed on the Order of Service,
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Just on the second page.
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So let's unite our hearts together,
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As we say,
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With one another,
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The words of the Lord's Prayer.
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Our Father,
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Which art in heaven,
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Hallowed be your 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 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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The power,
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And the glory forever.
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Amen.
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Well, we want to sing again,
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At this time the words of the 23rd Psalm,
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On page 229,
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Of the Scottish Psalter.
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A psalm that speaks once more,
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Of God's goodness and mercy,
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Following us all the days of our lives.
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And that we shall sing,
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The psalm in its entirety,
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Verses 1 to 6,
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The Lord's my shepherd,
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I'll not want,
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He makes me down to lie,
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In pastures green,
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He leadeth me,
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The quiet waters by.
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The Lord's my shepherd,
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The Lord's my shepherd,
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He'll not want,
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In exit angel eye,
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In pastures twin it hath me
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The quiet watershine.
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My soul it all restored again,
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And me to walk the pain
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Within the house of righteousness,
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In honest london sing.
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Yet though I walk in days dark fill,
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Yet will I hear none ill,
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For thou art with me,
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And thy rod hath soft me come forth still.
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My table love has furnished
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In presence of my foes,
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My death and dust with oil and oil,
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And my cup overflowed.
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Goodness and mercy all my life
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Shall surely follow me,
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And in God's eyes forevermore,
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My dwelling place shall be.
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Amen.
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Well I wanted to read with you this morning from,
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Not the 23rd Psalm, but the 22nd Psalm,
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Which can be found on page 548 of the church Bibles.
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And then to spend some time together looking at this text.
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Psalm 22 on page 548 of the church Bible.
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And it has the heading to the choir master,
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According to the doe of the dawn,
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A psalm of David.
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Let us hear together the word of God.
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My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
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Why are you so far from saving me,
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From the words of my groaning?
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O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
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And by night, but I find no rest.
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Yet you are holy,
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Enthroned on the praises of Israel.
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In you our fathers trusted,
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They trusted and you delivered them.
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To you they cried and were rescued,
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In you they trusted and were not put to shame.
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But I am a worm,
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And not a man,
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Scorned by mankind,
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And despised by the people.
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All who see me mock me,
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They make mouths at me,
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They wag their heads.
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He trusts in the Lord,
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Let him deliver him,
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Let him rescue him,
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For he delights in him.
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Yet you are he who took me from the womb.
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You made me trust you at my mother's breasts.
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On you I was cast from my birth,
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And from my mother's womb.
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You have been my God.
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Be not far from me,
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For trouble is near,
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And there is none to help.
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Many bulls encompass me,
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Strong bulls of Bashan surround me,
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They open wide their mouths at me,
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Like a ravening and roaring lion.
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I am poured out like water,
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And all my bones are out of joint,
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My heart is like wax,
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It is melted within my breast.
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My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
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And my tongue sticks to my jaw,
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You lay me in the dust of death.
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For dogs encompass me,
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A company of evildoers encircles me,
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They have pierced my hands and feet,
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I can count all my bones,
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They stare and gloat over me,
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They divide my garments among them,
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And for my clothing they cast lots.
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But you, O Lord, do not be far off,
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O you, my help,
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Come quickly to my aid,
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Deliver my soul from the sword,
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My precious life from the power of the dog,
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Save me from the mouth of the lion,
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You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen.
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I will tell of your name to my brothers,
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In the midst of the congregation I will praise you,
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You who fear the Lord praise Him,
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All you offspring of Jacob glorify Him,
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And stand in awe of Him,
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All you offspring of Israel.
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For He has not despised,
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Or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted,
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And He has not hidden His face from Him,
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But has heard when He cried to Him.
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From you comes my praise in the great congregation,
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My vows I will perform before those who fear Him,
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The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied,
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Those who seek Him shall praise the Lord,
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May your hearts live forever.
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All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord,
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And all the families of the nations shall worship before you,
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For kingship belongs to the Lord,
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And He rules over the nations.
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All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship,
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Before Him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
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Even the one who could not keep himself alive.
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Posterity shall serve Him,
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It shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation.
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They shall come and proclaim His righteousness to a people yet unborn,
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That He has done it.
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And we thank God for His Word and the Psalm.
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Before we study together we want to sing once more,
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This time from the Sing Psalms version of Psalm 40,
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Which can be found on page 51 of Sing Psalms,
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Psalm 40 verse 5 through to verse 10,
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The wonders you have done, O Lord,
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How many and how great they are.
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Your plans for us are far beyond our power to number or declare.
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Sing once more to the praise of God.
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The wonders you have done, O Lord,
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Where wonders you have done, O Lord,
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How many and how great they are.
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Your plans for us are far beyond our power to number or declare.
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Our power to number or declare.
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You did not ask that paths or goals,
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We brought us sacrifice for sin,
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But you have opened up my ears,
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You did not seek for top of the day.
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Then I declare, O Lord, I have come.
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It's written, O Lord, the endless road.
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I want to do your will, my God,
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Your law is in my heart and soul.
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In the assembly when it met,
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Your justice I profiled abroad,
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I did not seal my lips at all.
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You know all this about me, Lord.
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I did not hide within my heart,
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Your saving grace on righteousness,
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In the assembly I proclaim,
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Your steadfast love and faithfulness.
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you will know
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Please do keep your Bible open there to Psalm 22, which we shall look at together and then think about in its context in the New Testament.
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I mentioned earlier that I'm very much praying for you over in Kilmally and our Dominican Free Church.
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Great to have fellowship and partnership in the gospel with you all.
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And in our congregation there, we have been studying together through the book of Psalms.
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It's a remarkable book in Scripture.
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We can pray the Psalms, we can sing the Psalms, and we can preach the Psalms.
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They are a treasure trove for the people of God.
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And so we decided we'd study through the Psalms in sequential order, beginning at number one, and at some indeterminate point in the far future, arriving at Psalm 150.
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In recent weeks, we've been looking at Psalms 19, 20, and 21.
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And so I felt it fitting as we come to the Lord's table this morning to study together Psalm 22.
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For the Lord himself quotes the Psalm upon the cross at Calvary.
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And we know that the Psalms are often arranged in a particular manner, brought together, perhaps some theme uniting them.
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And it's interesting, Psalms 20 and 21, that they speak of somebody who trusts in the Lord in times of trouble and who recognizes his deliverance.
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Psalm 20 may have been sung or prayed before the king and his armies went to battle.
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A little bit like singing the national anthem.
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And it has that great refrain, 20 verse 7,
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Some trust in chariots and horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
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And with that, the king goes to battle confident that God will deliver and bring salvation.
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And Psalm 21 is seen as the counterpart to that Psalm.
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It is perhaps the Psalm that was sung when he returned victorious from battle.
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And in verse 7 of that Psalm, we read that the king trusts in the Lord, and through the steadfast love of the Lord, he shall not be moved.
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The king trusts in the Lord, the Lord saves and delivers him.
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And just reading these two Psalms, we might think that would be true in the life of the believer,
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that if we trust in the Lord, all we will know is victory and success.
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We will pass all our exams.
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We will get all the jobs we apply for.
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We will hear the words we want to hear in the outpatient clinic.
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But when we come to Psalm 22, we realize that life is not so straightforward.
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Many times we find that same word, trust.
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Verse 5, the Psalmist's fathers trusted in God.
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He delivered them.
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They trusted in God and were not put to shame.
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And yet the Psalmist himself, though he has trusted in God from his earliest years,
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now finds himself in trouble.
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Verse 11, and he thinks there is none to help, none to hear in his hour of need.
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The Psalmist is afflicted by men, verbally, physically.
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But worst of all, he feels abandoned by God, that God has forsaken him, that God is far from him.
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So we want to look at the Psalm and think about the situation he finds himself in,
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but also the solution to his distress.
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Now this Psalm, we are mindful, is a very special Psalm.
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It is a messianic Psalm.
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It looks forward to the one who was to come, great David's greater son.
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When the Lord was raised from the tomb,
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in Luke's gospel we're told that he met some of the disciples on the road to Emmaus.
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And in that very cheerful chapter, he begins to speak with them.
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And when he gathers together with his disciples in Luke chapter 24, verse 44,
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he explains to them that everything written about him in the law of Moses
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and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.
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And this Psalm 22 is one of the most oft-quoted Psalms in the New Testament,
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quoted by the Lord himself in the hour of his death.
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And so we want to look at this Psalm,
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ask what it teaches us about David's woes,
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and then a thousand years later about the Lord's work.
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And the Psalm really breaks into two halves.
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The first 21 verses are a Psalm of lament,
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which we read of the suffering of the Lord's anointed,
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the suffering of God's Messiah.
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But then Psalm 22, verse 22 to the end,
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becomes a Psalm of rejoicing,
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a Psalm of celebration,
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where we read of a salvation,
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this salvation of a great and a global multitude.
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So we have suffering,
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and then salvation.
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The Psalmist is one who trusts in the Lord.
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He is one who trusts in the Lord in times of trouble.
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So important to keep trusting in times of trouble.
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You do not get out of the train when it's stuck in the tunnel.
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But although he trusts in the Lord,
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he feels forsaken by the Lord.
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And there is three times that word far.
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Verse 1,
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Why are you so far from saving me?
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Verse 11,
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Be not far from me.
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Verse 19,
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Be not far off.
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Trouble is near.
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He's in the day of trial and temptation.
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But God seems far off.
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Though he prays day and night,
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it seems that the phone is off the hook.
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And there is none to hear.
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And there is none to help.
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The Psalmist is an orthodox man.
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He knows the theory.
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He knows that God delivered his fathers
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when they trusted in him.
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Yet his experience seems different.
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Though in the past,
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God has been his help and his trust.
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In this darkest day,
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in this dark night of the soul,
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he feels forsaken by God.
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The Psalmist here describes his own experience.
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He anticipates the experience of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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But that experience might reflect your experience
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or my experience today.
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Maybe a difficult day.
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One writer says,
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The Christian life is a bed of roses,
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thorns and all.
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Thomas Boston wrote,
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Sin has turned this world from a paradise into a thicket.
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There is no getting through without being scratched.
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The Psalm may reflect our experience
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if we are facing present trials.
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And David's trial seemed to be
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that he was verbally and physically
34:08
suffering at the hands of others.
34:12
Verse 6 tells us that he feels less than human.
34:15
He feels like a worm.
34:17
He's scorned by mankind.
34:19
He's despised by the people.
34:22
And he's mocked,
34:24
not least because he trusts in God.
34:28
One paraphrase has these words,
34:31
Everybody pokes fun at me.
34:33
They make faces at me.
34:35
They shake their heads.
34:38
He is an object of scorn and derision,
34:41
not least for his trust in God.
34:45
So his self-esteem is in his boots.
34:49
He feels less than human.
34:50
He feels like a worm.
34:53
And the language he uses to describe his opponents
34:56
suggests they are less than human as well.
35:01
They are depicted as wild beasts.
35:05
Verse 12,
35:05
They're strong bulls.
35:07
Verse 13,
35:08
They're hungry lions.
35:09
Verse 16,
35:11
They are like a pack of stray dogs.
35:17
Though they are human,
35:19
they are behaving like animals.
35:22
Their animal instincts are coming through.
35:25
So David suffers emotionally.
35:31
He's suffering psychologically.
35:34
And he's suffering physically.
35:37
Verse 14,
35:38
He is injured.
35:40
His bones are out of joint.
35:41
His heart is like wax.
35:46
He's lost weight.
35:47
He's lost strength.
35:49
He's dehydrated.
35:50
His tongue is stuck to his mouth.
35:54
And they have pierced his hands and his feet.
36:00
Verse 18,
36:00
His opponents think he's about to die.
36:02
And rather cruelly and rather cynically,
36:06
they are gambling for his clothes,
36:09
dividing up his garments.
36:11
He won't need them anymore.
36:13
He'll just need a shroud.
36:16
And so we'll take his clothes for ourselves.
36:20
Very cruel,
36:21
very cynical,
36:22
very callous men.
36:26
Laughing at him.
36:29
Mocking him,
36:29
waiting for him to die.
36:32
And in his distress,
36:35
and in his despair,
36:36
he cries out
36:38
to the one he trusts in.
36:41
Do not be far off.
36:42
Deliver my soul
36:43
from the power of the dog,
36:45
from the mouths of lions.
36:49
He is one who is suffering terribly
36:51
on account of his faith.
36:54
Suffering at the hands of men.
36:59
Suffering because he feels
37:00
that God is far off
37:01
in the day of trouble.
37:05
Silence in heaven.
37:10
And that has been the experience,
37:11
hasn't it,
37:12
of some Christians
37:13
throughout history.
37:15
Earlier this year,
37:17
I read
37:17
the Tartan Pimpernail,
37:19
the biography of
37:20
Donald Caskey.
37:22
It's a great adventure story.
37:24
He was the minister in Paris
37:25
at the outbreak of World War II,
37:27
the minister in the Scotskirk.
37:30
And he got involved
37:31
with smuggling British soldiers
37:33
and airmen out of France
37:34
and back to safety
37:36
in the UK.
37:39
But his activities were discovered
37:42
and he was arrested.
37:43
He was moved
37:44
from prison to prison.
37:46
And one time,
37:47
he was incarcerated
37:48
in what used to be
37:49
a delightful villa.
37:51
But he was thrown
37:52
into the cellar.
37:54
He was fed only
37:55
bread and water.
37:57
He was mistreated
37:58
by his guards.
38:01
And day and night,
38:02
he heard the screaming
38:03
of his fellow prisoners.
38:04
And he writes,
38:09
when in the night,
38:10
screaming echoed again,
38:11
waking me from a deep sleep.
38:13
It overpowered me
38:14
with horror.
38:15
I shouted for the guard,
38:16
but no answer came.
38:17
I felt that even God
38:19
had deserted us.
38:21
My head reeled
38:21
and I thought,
38:22
this must be hell.
38:23
There is no escape.
38:24
This horror
38:24
will go on forever.
38:29
And then the words
38:29
of my Savior
38:30
came to mind
38:31
and I whispered
38:31
into the darkness,
38:32
my God, my God,
38:33
why hast thou forsaken me?
38:38
Well, that dark night
38:39
of the soul
38:40
didn't last long
38:40
for Caskey
38:41
and his faith
38:43
was revived.
38:44
He was used of God
38:45
in that prison
38:46
and elsewhere
38:46
and he returned
38:48
ultimately to his ministry.
38:51
But perhaps you can relate
38:52
to the words
38:53
of these verses,
38:56
the words of this psalmist.
38:58
Why is God far off
39:00
when trouble is near?
39:03
But that is only
39:05
half the psalm.
39:08
That is only half
39:09
the story.
39:11
And verse 22,
39:13
there's a dramatic change.
39:14
There's a gear shift.
39:15
There's a key change.
39:17
And there is a very
39:18
significant turning point.
39:22
And the psalmist begins
39:23
to speak of the deliverance
39:25
which he's either experienced
39:26
or looks forward
39:27
to experiencing.
39:28
when he will get together
39:31
with a great congregation
39:32
of his brothers
39:33
and sisters
39:34
and give thanks to God.
39:38
And he looks forward
39:39
to that day
39:40
when the families
39:40
of the earth,
39:41
when a great multitude
39:43
will gather
39:44
in worship
39:44
from home and abroad.
39:49
He looks forward
39:50
to what God will do.
39:51
He looks forward
39:52
to glorifying him
39:53
in the midst
39:55
of the congregation.
39:59
And the reason is,
39:59
verse 24,
40:00
for the Lord
40:01
has not despised
40:02
the affliction
40:04
of the afflicted.
40:06
He has not hidden
40:06
his face from him.
40:10
Though the psalmist
40:11
was despised
40:12
and scorned
40:14
by these men,
40:16
God has not
40:17
despised him.
40:18
Though they shook
40:19
their heads
40:20
at him,
40:22
God has not
40:22
hidden his face
40:23
from him.
40:26
He cried
40:27
to the Lord
40:28
and the Lord
40:28
hears
40:29
and responds
40:30
to his cry.
40:32
And he looks forward
40:34
to celebrating
40:35
that deliverance
40:36
in the company
40:37
of the saints.
40:38
The afflicted
40:39
shall eat
40:39
and be satisfied.
40:41
I will praise
40:42
your name
40:42
among my brothers.
40:47
He's anticipating,
40:48
I suppose,
40:49
a special service
40:50
of thanksgiving.
40:52
And yesterday,
40:53
we went to Carloway
40:54
and we were
40:55
very pleased
40:57
to see all the work
40:57
that had happened there
40:58
in the renovation project.
41:01
And this morning,
41:02
this very hour,
41:03
they're having
41:03
a service of thanksgiving,
41:04
a special service
41:05
to thank God
41:07
for what he's done.
41:10
That's what the psalmist
41:11
looks forward to,
41:12
telling the Lord's name
41:13
to his brothers
41:14
in the midst
41:15
of the congregation.
41:17
A special service
41:19
of worship
41:20
and a worship
41:23
that will extend,
41:24
verse 27,
41:25
to all the ends
41:26
of the earth.
41:27
All the families
41:28
of the nations
41:29
will worship
41:30
the king
41:31
who rules over
41:32
the nations.
41:34
That day
41:35
when the promise
41:36
made to Abraham
41:37
will be fulfilled,
41:39
where the whole world
41:40
will be blessed,
41:41
where the whole earth
41:42
will be filled
41:43
with the glory
41:44
of God
41:45
as the waters
41:46
cover the sea.
41:49
All nations
41:50
will come,
41:50
another generation
41:51
will come,
41:52
posterity
41:53
shall serve him,
41:54
and we have
41:55
this scene
41:55
of universal worship.
41:57
worship.
42:01
So the psalm
42:01
seems to fall
42:02
into these two halves,
42:04
a psalm of distress,
42:06
point of death,
42:09
and then a psalm
42:10
of rejoicing,
42:12
great deliverance
42:14
and celebration
42:15
and worship,
42:16
a hopeless situation,
42:18
hope and a future.
42:20
after the suffering
42:24
of the righteous
42:25
one,
42:27
after the time
42:28
of darkness,
42:29
there will be joy
42:30
and there will be
42:31
deliverance
42:32
and the praise
42:35
of God
42:36
will sound forth
42:36
not only in Israel
42:38
but through
42:38
the whole world.
42:44
And that's a trajectory
42:45
many psalms follow.
42:47
Many psalms
42:48
have that pattern
42:49
of despair
42:50
and then deliverance
42:52
from death.
42:54
Psalm 30,
42:55
Psalm 116,
42:57
weeping in the night,
42:58
rejoicing in the morning,
43:00
people celebrating
43:01
what God has done.
43:04
But this psalm
43:05
is the one
43:05
the Lord Jesus Christ
43:07
quoted
43:07
upon the cross.
43:11
It is this psalm
43:12
that is referenced
43:13
in each of the four
43:15
Gospels
43:15
in different ways.
43:17
some have described
43:20
the psalm
43:20
as the gospel
43:21
according to David
43:22
or even the fifth
43:24
gospel.
43:27
And when we turn
43:28
to the Gospels
43:29
we see that
43:30
these words
43:31
were spoken
43:31
by the Lord
43:32
and referred to
43:34
by the evangelists.
43:37
In Matthew 27,
43:39
Jesus cries out
43:40
from the cross,
43:41
My God,
43:43
my God,
43:44
why have you
43:45
forsaken me?
43:48
We read
43:49
in the gospel
43:50
accounts
43:50
of the soldiers
43:51
dividing his clothing,
43:54
casting lots,
43:56
gambling
43:56
for his last garment.
43:59
We know
44:00
that the people
44:01
there
44:01
mocked
44:02
and reviled him,
44:03
even the thieves
44:05
on the neighboring cross.
44:06
And we know
44:09
that the chief priests,
44:10
Matthew 27,
44:11
43,
44:12
quoted these words
44:13
back to Jesus.
44:15
He trusted in God,
44:17
let him
44:18
deliver him.
44:25
And we know
44:25
that the Lord's
44:26
hands and feet
44:28
were pierced
44:29
as he was nailed
44:31
to the cross.
44:34
Quite remarkable,
44:35
that should be mentioned
44:36
in the psalm.
44:37
The crucifixion
44:39
wasn't invented
44:39
for many centuries
44:40
after the life
44:42
of David.
44:45
But the words
44:46
of this psalm
44:47
were in the mouth
44:47
of the Lord
44:48
as he died.
44:49
They were in the minds
44:50
of the evangelists
44:51
as they wrote
44:52
under the inspiration
44:54
of the Holy Spirit.
44:58
And if Psalm 22
44:59
describes the episode
45:01
in David's life,
45:04
a time of darkness
45:05
when he felt
45:05
forsaken by God,
45:07
when he felt himself
45:08
about to die,
45:11
then it finds
45:11
fulfillment
45:12
in the life
45:13
of Christ
45:13
where he was
45:16
forsaken
45:17
by God
45:18
upon that cross,
45:20
where he did
45:21
die
45:22
and that
45:23
for his people.
45:27
David,
45:28
the Lord's
45:29
anointed,
45:31
a righteous one
45:32
who trusted in God
45:33
and yet suffered
45:34
at the hands
45:34
of men.
45:36
David the psalmist,
45:38
but as Acts chapter 2
45:40
tells us,
45:40
David also
45:41
the prophet.
45:44
And here he prefigures
45:45
and he predicts
45:46
the coming
45:47
of Christ
45:48
and his death
45:49
for the world.
45:52
His suffering
45:53
at the hands
45:53
of wicked men,
45:54
his being despised
45:56
and mocked,
45:58
his clothes
45:59
being divided,
46:00
his hands
46:00
and feet
46:01
being pierced
46:02
and then the terrible
46:03
silence in heaven
46:04
as darkness
46:07
covers the land
46:08
and the Lord Jesus
46:10
experiences
46:11
that forsakenness.
46:16
And of all the scenes
46:17
around the cross,
46:18
it is perhaps
46:19
that terrible silence
46:20
that is the most
46:22
terrible.
46:23
at the beginning
46:26
of the gospel,
46:27
a voice from heaven
46:28
came saying,
46:30
this is my beloved son
46:32
with whom I am
46:33
well pleased.
46:36
And that voice
46:37
now has nothing
46:37
to say
46:38
in response
46:39
to his cries.
46:42
The Lord Jesus,
46:43
who in the course
46:44
of his earthly ministry
46:45
said,
46:45
my father is always
46:46
with me,
46:49
now finds himself
46:50
alone,
46:52
nailed to a tree
46:53
abandoned.
46:57
And as we approach
46:58
that scene,
46:59
we come to the very
47:00
heart of the gospel.
47:03
We come,
47:04
as Martin Luther
47:05
said,
47:06
to the very heart
47:07
of Scripture,
47:08
the cross of Christ
47:10
runs through
47:10
the whole
47:11
of Scripture.
47:14
We come to the very
47:16
heart of human history.
47:19
Alexander McLaren
47:20
wrote,
47:21
the cross
47:21
is the center
47:22
of the world's
47:23
history.
47:24
The incarnation
47:25
of Christ
47:26
and the crucifixion
47:27
of our Lord
47:28
are the pivot
47:28
around which
47:30
all the events
47:31
of the ages
47:32
revolve.
47:37
So the Lord
47:38
quotes this
47:40
psalm.
47:41
He fulfills
47:42
this psalm.
47:44
David felt
47:45
forsaken.
47:45
David felt
47:46
close to death,
47:47
but he was
47:48
delivered.
47:48
But the Lord
47:50
experienced that
47:51
forsakenness.
47:52
The Lord
47:53
tasted
47:53
death.
47:57
James Packer,
47:58
the theologian,
47:59
says this,
48:01
On the cross,
48:02
Jesus lost
48:03
all the good
48:04
that he had
48:04
before,
48:06
all sense
48:07
of his Father's
48:07
presence and love,
48:10
all sense
48:10
of physical,
48:12
mental,
48:13
and spiritual
48:14
well-being,
48:14
all enjoyment
48:16
of God
48:17
and of created
48:18
things,
48:19
all ease
48:20
and solace
48:22
of friendship
48:23
were taken
48:23
from him.
48:26
And in their
48:26
place was
48:27
nothing but pain,
48:28
a killing sense
48:29
of human malice
48:30
and callousness
48:31
and a horror
48:33
of great
48:33
spiritual darkness.
48:35
How can this be?
48:36
how can a
48:38
righteous one
48:39
suffer in this
48:40
way?
48:40
How can the
48:41
Son of God
48:42
suffer in this
48:42
way?
48:45
And the
48:46
reason is
48:46
because he,
48:47
the righteous
48:48
one,
48:48
was suffering
48:48
for we,
48:49
the unrighteous,
48:52
bearing our
48:53
sins,
48:54
that he might
48:55
bring us to
48:55
God and
48:56
ultimately bring
48:57
us to glory.
49:02
As terrible
49:02
as the verbal
49:03
and physical
49:04
sufferings were,
49:04
it was the
49:07
withdrawal of
49:08
the Father's
49:08
presence
49:09
that was the
49:11
most disturbing,
49:13
the most
49:13
horrifying.
49:16
And in the
49:16
place of the
49:17
divine pleasure,
49:18
the divine
49:18
displeasure,
49:19
the wrath
49:20
of God
49:21
poured out
49:22
upon Christ.
49:26
Another Old
49:27
Testament prophet
49:28
Isaiah talks
49:29
about the one
49:30
who would be
49:30
pierced for
49:31
our transgressions.
49:34
that a
49:35
righteous one
49:36
would suffer
49:36
for the
49:37
unrighteous,
49:39
that the
49:39
one who
49:40
knew no
49:40
sin would
49:41
become sin,
49:43
the Son
49:44
would become
49:44
sin for us,
49:47
and that he,
49:51
the sin
49:51
bearer,
49:51
would enter
49:52
into the
49:52
presence of
49:53
a holy
49:53
God,
49:54
not with
49:55
the sacrifice
49:55
of blood,
49:57
bulls and
49:58
goats,
49:58
but of the
49:59
sacrifice of
50:00
himself,
50:01
the priest,
50:02
becoming the
50:03
victim.
50:04
And the
50:08
Lord experiences
50:09
the darkness,
50:11
the darkness
50:12
of the world
50:13
around that
50:13
day,
50:14
but the
50:14
outer darkness
50:15
of being cut
50:17
off from
50:18
God,
50:18
of tasting
50:19
his wrath,
50:20
and he does
50:22
so in order
50:22
that we
50:23
might never
50:24
be forsaken,
50:26
we might
50:27
never be cut
50:27
off or cast
50:28
out,
50:29
we might
50:29
never face
50:30
the righteous
50:31
wrath of a
50:33
holy God.
50:37
How deep
50:37
the Father's
50:38
love for us,
50:39
how vast
50:39
beyond all
50:40
measure,
50:41
that he
50:42
should give
50:43
his only
50:43
Son to
50:44
make a
50:45
wretch his
50:45
treasure,
50:47
how great
50:47
the pain
50:48
of searing
50:48
loss,
50:49
the Father
50:49
turns his
50:50
face away
50:51
as wounds
50:53
which mar
50:54
the chosen
50:54
one bring
50:55
many sons
50:55
to glory.
50:57
It was
50:58
my sin
50:58
that held
50:59
him there
50:59
until it
51:00
was accomplished,
51:01
his dying
51:02
breath has
51:03
brought me
51:04
life,
51:04
I know
51:05
that it
51:06
is finished,
51:07
that he
51:07
has done
51:08
it.
51:14
But that's
51:14
not the end
51:15
of the
51:15
psalm,
51:17
that's not
51:17
the end
51:18
of the story
51:18
after lament,
51:20
there is
51:21
joy after
51:22
an apparent
51:23
defeat,
51:24
there is
51:24
victory,
51:26
there is
51:27
the praising
51:27
of God's
51:28
name in the
51:28
congregation,
51:30
there is
51:30
the telling
51:31
of that
51:31
name to
51:31
his
51:32
brothers,
51:32
there is
51:32
the worship
51:33
of all
51:34
nations,
51:34
all the
51:35
families of
51:36
the earth.
51:39
And after
51:40
the terrible
51:40
suffering of
51:41
the righteous
51:42
one,
51:42
there is a
51:42
great
51:42
deliverance
51:43
that will
51:45
be told
51:45
throughout
51:46
the world
51:46
and told
51:47
all through
51:48
history.
51:52
And it's
51:52
very interesting
51:53
in Matthew's
51:53
gospel that
51:54
the gospel
51:56
continues beyond
51:57
chapter 27
51:58
and after
52:00
the events
52:00
of the
52:01
crucifixion
52:01
there is
52:02
the
52:02
resurrection.
52:05
And in
52:05
that gospel
52:06
Jesus
52:06
appears
52:07
and he
52:10
instructs
52:11
some of
52:11
his followers
52:12
to go
52:12
and tell
52:14
my brothers
52:15
to go
52:17
to Galilee.
52:19
He
52:19
rises
52:21
and tells
52:22
the name
52:22
of God
52:23
to his
52:23
brothers,
52:24
the only
52:24
mention
52:25
of the
52:26
brothers
52:26
in the
52:27
gospel.
52:28
praising
52:30
his name
52:31
in the
52:31
congregation.
52:34
And when
52:35
those brothers
52:36
assemble
52:37
in Galilee
52:37
he appears
52:38
to them
52:38
again.
52:40
And he
52:41
says to
52:41
them in
52:41
his parting
52:42
words,
52:43
all authority
52:43
in heaven
52:44
and on
52:45
earth has
52:46
been given
52:46
to me.
52:47
Therefore
52:47
go and
52:48
make
52:48
disciples
52:49
of all
52:50
nations.
52:52
All the
52:53
ends of
52:53
the earth
52:54
shall worship
52:56
and turn
52:56
to the
52:57
Lord.
52:57
All the
52:58
families
52:58
shall
52:58
worship
52:59
before
52:59
you.
53:02
And so
53:03
after the
53:03
suffering
53:04
of the
53:04
righteous
53:04
one,
53:06
the
53:07
brothers
53:07
will be
53:07
told and
53:08
the
53:08
nations
53:09
will hear
53:09
of the
53:11
salvation
53:12
of God.
53:15
The
53:15
suffering
53:16
of a
53:17
Davidic
53:17
figure,
53:18
an heir
53:19
of David
53:19
will lead
53:20
to the
53:20
fulfillment
53:21
of the
53:21
promise to
53:21
Abraham
53:22
of
53:23
universal
53:23
blessing.
53:29
And it
53:29
is that
53:30
that David
53:30
sees in
53:32
the
53:33
psalm.
53:35
It is that
53:35
we trust
53:36
that the
53:36
Lord
53:36
interpreted
53:37
to his
53:37
disciples
53:38
on the
53:39
road to
53:40
Emmaus
53:40
and in
53:41
the room
53:41
in which
53:42
he met
53:42
them.
53:45
We're told
53:46
at the end
53:46
of Luke's
53:46
gospel that
53:47
after his
53:47
resurrection he
53:48
interpreted the
53:49
law and the
53:50
prophets and
53:51
the Psalms
53:52
concerning
53:53
himself.
53:56
And he
53:57
said to his
53:57
followers that
53:59
the Christ
54:00
had to
54:00
suffer and
54:02
on the
54:02
third day
54:03
rise from
54:03
the dead
54:04
and that
54:05
repentance and
54:06
forgiveness of
54:07
sins would
54:08
be preached in
54:09
his name
54:10
beginning in
54:10
Jerusalem and
54:11
to all
54:12
nations.
54:15
Suffering,
54:17
repentance,
54:18
forgiveness,
54:20
universal
54:20
worship,
54:22
that all
54:23
nations might
54:24
turn to the
54:25
Lord and
54:25
trust in the
54:26
Lord for
54:26
their deliverance
54:27
from sin,
54:29
from the
54:29
powers of
54:30
darkness,
54:30
from the
54:31
outer
54:31
darkness that
54:33
Christ faced
54:34
on his
54:35
people's
54:36
behalf.
54:39
A
54:40
righteous
54:40
sufferer and
54:43
after that a
54:43
time of
54:44
universal
54:44
worship.
54:47
Christ
54:47
suffering upon
54:48
the cross,
54:49
Christ in
54:50
our place,
54:51
Christ for
54:52
us.
54:55
And then the
54:56
preaching of
54:56
the gospel,
54:58
announcing the
54:59
forgiveness of
55:00
sins,
55:00
announcing peace
55:01
with God,
55:03
announcing that
55:04
we can now
55:05
draw near
55:05
through the
55:07
most holy
55:07
place, into
55:08
the most holy
55:09
place, through
55:09
the new and
55:10
the living
55:10
way, that we
55:13
might never
55:14
face the
55:15
darkness alone,
55:16
we might
55:16
never face
55:17
the outer
55:18
darkness.
55:22
And that's
55:23
what we
55:23
remember this
55:24
morning as
55:26
we gather
55:26
around the
55:28
Lord's
55:28
Supper.
55:28
We look
55:28
back to
55:30
his sufferings
55:31
at Calvary,
55:33
his death
55:34
in our place,
55:35
the righteous
55:36
for the
55:36
unrighteous,
55:37
to bring us
55:38
to God.
55:39
God.
55:40
But then we
55:41
look forward
55:42
to his
55:42
coming again,
55:44
not to
55:44
bear sin,
55:45
but to
55:46
bring salvation
55:47
and to
55:48
gather in
55:49
all who
55:49
are his
55:50
and to
55:51
seat them
55:51
around the
55:52
heavenly banquet
55:53
above.
55:56
Jesus invites
55:57
his saints
55:57
to come to
55:58
him and
55:58
dine.
56:00
Here
56:00
pardoned
56:01
rebels meet
56:01
their Lord
56:02
through signs
56:03
of bread
56:03
and wine.
56:06
For food
56:06
he gives
56:07
his flesh,
56:08
he bids
56:09
us drink
56:09
his blood,
56:11
awaiting
56:12
favor,
56:12
matchless
56:13
grace of
56:13
our
56:13
descending
56:14
God.
56:16
So shall
56:17
this bread
56:17
and wine
56:18
maintain a
56:18
fainting
56:19
breath by
56:20
union with
56:21
our living
56:22
Lord by
56:23
interest in
56:25
his death?
56:27
So the
56:28
Lord bids
56:28
us to
56:29
come this
56:30
morning and
56:31
dine to
56:33
take the
56:33
bread and
56:34
the wine in
56:35
remembrance of
56:36
him.
56:38
God,
56:38
not because
56:40
we are
56:40
worthy,
56:41
not because
56:41
we are
56:42
righteous,
56:42
but because
56:43
he, the
56:44
righteous one,
56:45
gave himself
56:46
for us,
56:46
his life,
56:48
a ransom
56:48
for many.
56:51
And so he
56:51
bids us to
56:52
come.
56:55
But we
56:56
must come
56:57
having examined
56:59
our hearts.
57:02
And on Friday
57:02
night we
57:03
thought of the
57:03
faithfulness of
57:04
God to
57:06
we who
57:06
are very
57:07
often unfaithful
57:08
to him.
57:10
And last
57:10
night we
57:11
thought about
57:11
the forgiveness
57:11
of God and
57:14
how having
57:14
experienced
57:15
forgiveness
57:15
ourselves we
57:16
are to show
57:17
forgiveness one
57:17
to another.
57:20
The Apostle
57:20
Paul in
57:21
1 Corinthians
57:21
11 tells us
57:22
to examine
57:23
our hearts
57:24
before we
57:24
come to
57:25
the table.
57:26
Are we
57:27
right with
57:27
God?
57:29
Are we
57:29
right with
57:30
our brothers
57:31
and sisters?
57:34
And so the
57:35
invitation is
57:36
extended to
57:38
those who
57:38
know and
57:39
who love
57:39
the Lord,
57:40
who have a
57:41
living faith
57:41
in the
57:41
living Christ,
57:43
to those who
57:44
have been
57:44
baptized into
57:45
his name and
57:46
the name of
57:46
the Holy
57:47
Trinity,
57:49
and to
57:49
those who
57:49
are in
57:50
good standing
57:50
and membership
57:51
with a local
57:52
congregation.
57:54
The Lord
57:54
bids us to
57:55
come, to
57:56
eat and
57:58
drink and
57:59
to remember
58:00
his grace,
58:01
and his
58:02
love and
58:03
his mercy.
58:08
Well, before
58:09
we come to
58:09
the table,
58:10
we'll sing
58:11
once more,
58:13
this time the
58:13
118th Psalm
58:14
on page
58:16
398,
58:18
Psalm 118,
58:20
verses 15
58:21
to 23.
58:25
In
58:26
dwellings of
58:27
the righteous
58:27
is heard the
58:28
melody of
58:29
joy and
58:30
health the
58:30
Lord's
58:31
Lord's
58:31
Lord's
58:31
right hand
58:31
doth
58:32
ever
58:32
valiantly.
58:34
Psalm 118,
58:35
beginning at
58:36
verse 15.
58:38
thee in
58:42
the
58:42
scent of
58:43
the
58:45
v
58:48
righteousness
58:49
It's here the melody
58:56
Of joy and health
59:02
The Lord's right hand
59:06
Hath ever valiantly
59:12
The right hand of the mighty Lord
59:24
Exalted is on high
59:32
The right hand of the mighty Lord
59:40
Hath ever valiantly
59:48
I shall not die
59:55
But live and shall
1:00:00
The works of God discover
1:00:06
The Lord of which I set store
1:00:17
But not to death give no vow
1:00:25
Oh, set ye open unto thee
1:00:36
The gates of righteousness
1:00:42
Then will I enter into them
1:00:52
And I the Lord will bless
1:01:00
This is the gate of God
1:01:10
Peace, God that you shall
1:01:13
Your friends
1:01:15
Thou jeep
1:01:24
nodes
1:01:27
He hurts, and has my safety been.
1:01:38
That stone is mid-head cornerstone,
1:01:48
Which builders should despise.
1:01:56
This is the doing of the Lord,
1:02:06
And wondrous in our eyes.
1:02:26
In Peter's first letter we read that the prophets searched and inquired carefully,
1:02:36
Inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating,
1:02:41
When he predicted the sufferings of Christ, and the subsequent glories.
1:02:47
So the sons of Israel looked forward to the chosen one, to the righteous one, to the Christ who would come,
1:02:56
And win for them their deliverance and their salvation.
1:03:02
And the psalm we've just looked at gives us a very important clue,
1:03:08
As to the identity of the one of the work he was coming to do,
1:03:12
To complete the work his Father had given him.
1:03:15
To make atonement as the great high priest for the sins of his people.
1:03:22
To destroy the devil's work and to bring us out of his darkness.
1:03:27
To deliver us from death, from the last enemy.
1:03:32
Christ through his death gives himself for us,
1:03:36
And before his death he instituted the Lord's Supper,
1:03:41
That we write, remember all that he has done for us.
1:03:46
Psalm 103, the Lord knows how we are made, and he knows that we forget.
1:03:52
He knows that we become distracted in life.
1:03:56
He knows that we face many trials and temptations,
1:04:01
And we can lose sight of all that he has done for us.
1:04:05
And so before his suffering, he instituted with his disciples the Lord's Supper,
1:04:11
To bring to their and to our remembrance his selfless sacrifice,
1:04:16
His self-giving love for his people.
1:04:22
He gave them the bread to remember his body broken for them,
1:04:27
The wine, the blood of the new covenant poured out for them.
1:04:33
And he established with them the new covenant which the prophets had looked forward to.
1:04:39
A covenant which promised that all from the greatest to the least,
1:04:43
From the youngest to the oldest might know the Lord.
1:04:47
We might know the forgiveness of our sins.
1:04:51
We might know the power and presence of his Holy Spirit in our lives.
1:04:57
And so the lines of the prophets and the Psalms intersect in the person and the work of Christ,
1:05:05
And the events surrounding his crucifixion and his resurrection.
1:05:11
And this meal was given that we might remember his passion.
1:05:17
We might receive grace for our Christian pilgrimage and our journey toward our heavenly home.
1:05:27
And we might resolve to continue following him in the way.
1:05:32
Bread of heaven on you we feed, for your flesh is food indeed.
1:05:38
Ever may our souls be fed with this true and living bread.
1:05:43
Day by day our strength supplied through your life, O Christ who died.
1:05:49
Day by day our strength.
1:05:51
The Old Testament saints looked forward.
1:05:54
We look back to these monumental events.
1:05:58
But we too look forward.
1:06:01
Because as we share in this meal we proclaim his death until he comes.
1:06:08
Day by day when the invitations to that messianic banquet go out.
1:06:13
Day by day when we will take our seats at the feast of Abraham with those of that
1:06:19
a great multitude from every nation.
1:06:23
But gather to rejoice in his presence.
1:06:30
Around his table here we sing the wonders of his love.
1:06:33
And so anticipate by faith the heavenly feast above.
1:06:39
And so we look back in gratitude and we look forward in hope and in faith.
1:06:49
The apostle Paul writing to the church in Corinth shared these words.
1:06:53
But I received from the Lord what I delivered to you.
1:06:58
But the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread.
1:07:02
Given thanks he broke it and said, this is my body which is for you.
1:07:06
Do this in remembrance of me.
1:07:09
In the same way also he took the cup after supper saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood.
1:07:16
Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.
1:07:19
Twenty-second psalm quoted by our Lord on the cross.
1:07:33
And the psalm occurs in different places in our Bibles and in Hebrews chapter 2 we arrive at the great description of the Lord's incarnation and his atoning death.
1:07:44
In that chapter we are told that Christ, the founder of our salvation, the one who will bring many sons to glory, was made perfect through suffering.
1:07:54
And though made perfect, he is not ashamed to call us his brothers.
1:08:02
Though the very Son of God who was made lower than the angels for a season, he was made like his brothers in order that he might save us.
1:08:17
Delivering us from our enemy, the devil.
1:08:20
Delivering us from our last enemy, the darkness of death.
1:08:25
Delivering us from our last enemy, the devil.
1:08:26
And offering himself as a once for all sacrifice for our sin.
1:08:32
That we might be forgiven.
1:08:34
We might know freedom and fullness of life in him.
1:08:39
He is our great high priest.
1:08:43
He has made purification for us and is now seated at the right hand of the majesty on high.
1:08:50
He ever lives to intercede for us and to bring us into his glory.
1:08:58
And the writer to the Hebrews reminds us that he will come again.
1:09:02
And he will appear.
1:09:05
And Christ shall come with shout of acclamation.
1:09:07
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
1:09:11
He will appear not to bear sin, but to bring salvation.
1:09:15
And in the meantime, he calls us to look back to remember him.
1:09:21
And what he has done for each of us.
1:09:24
He calls us to look forward in hope and faith of when he will appear.
1:09:30
And he calls us now to walk with him.
1:09:34
To trust him.
1:09:36
He will walk with him.
1:09:37
He will walk with him.
1:09:37
He will walk with him.
1:09:38
He will walk with him.
1:09:39
He will walk with him.
1:09:39
And you will know how deep, how high, how wide his love can flow.
1:09:47
He calls us to walk with him through this broken world into which we are now sent.
1:09:53
To share with others the good news of his gospel.
1:09:57
And to show to others the grace of our Lord.
1:10:01
He calls us to work for him.
1:10:07
The letter ends by speaking of the God of peace.
1:10:11
Equipping us with everything good that we may do his will.
1:10:15
The same God who brought back from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant.
1:10:22
So we are to walk with Christ.
1:10:24
We are to work for him wherever we find ourselves in our daily lives.
1:10:31
And we are to wait for him.
1:10:35
Wait for his glorious appearing.
1:10:38
To his return in glory.
1:10:42
To wait for him if we are passing through the dark night of our soul.
1:10:48
To wait for him if trouble is near.
1:10:51
And to trust that he will deliver us through that.
1:10:56
That morning light will break into the darkness.
1:11:01
That one day the morning star will rise in our hearts and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
1:11:07
And all tears will be wiped from our faces.
1:11:10
So we are to wait.
1:11:17
And if I may just address any who have not yet trusted themselves to the Lord Jesus Christ.
1:11:23
We might want to say that please don't wait.
1:11:27
Today can be the day of salvation.
1:11:31
Today can be the day that you come to him.
1:11:33
And find the forgiveness of your sins.
1:11:38
Find freedom from habits and behaviors that have enslaved you.
1:11:44
Find fullness of life and life in the power of the Holy Spirit.
1:11:48
So while we wait for Christ, don't wait to be right with him.
1:11:57
To welcome him as he welcomes any and all who come to him.
1:12:02
For he is the friend of sinners and tax collectors.
1:12:06
He is the righteous one who went to the cross for the unrighteous.
1:12:11
The sinless one who became sin.
1:12:14
That we might become the righteousness of God.
1:12:16
So we wait for Christ.
1:12:19
But don't wait to get right with him.
1:12:22
And to trust him as your Lord and your Savior.
1:12:26
Walk now with him.
1:12:28
That way is light.
1:12:30
All other pathways end in night.
1:12:32
Walk still with him.
1:12:34
That way is rest.
1:12:35
All other pathways are unblessed.
1:12:39
Let us walk with the Lord.
1:12:41
Let us work for the Lord as we wait for the Lord.
1:12:46
And let us pray once more together now.
1:12:54
Heavenly Father, we give you our praise and thanks that you have conferred on us so great a benefit.
1:13:01
As to bring us into communion with your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
1:13:10
Thank you that he was willing to be delivered up to death for us.
1:13:16
And has now given us food and drink to eternal life.
1:13:19
Grant us grace that we would never be unmindful of these things.
1:13:27
That we might carry them around engraven in our hearts.
1:13:31
And that we might advance in love.
1:13:35
And grow in faith.
1:13:38
And be rich in good works.
1:13:39
Lord, might the rest of our days, whether many or few, be ordered and followed to your glory.
1:13:47
And for the good of the world around us.
1:13:51
And we pray this through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
1:13:55
Who with you, the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns in the unity of the Godhead.
1:14:00
World without end.
1:14:02
Amen.
1:14:03
Amen.
1:14:03
Amen.
1:14:03
Amen.
1:14:09
Well, his name shall indeed endure.
1:14:16
And we want to close our time by singing from the Scottish Psalter, Psalm 72, verses 17 to 19.
1:14:24
Psalm 72, found on page 314.
1:14:27
His name shall forever endure.
1:14:30
Last, like the sun it shall.
1:14:32
Men shall be blessed in him.
1:14:35
And blessed all nations shall him call them.
1:14:39
Job is with us.
1:14:40
Amen.
1:14:41
Amen.
1:14:41
Yes.
1:14:41
Amen.
1:14:42
Amen.
1:14:44
Thank you.
1:14:44
Amen.
1:14:45
To will, among others shall you consider it.
1:14:51
Just like the sun it shall.
1:15:01
Men shall be blessed
1:15:06
Still firm and blessed all nations shall involve.
1:15:17
Now blessed be the Lord our God, the God of Israel.
1:15:36
For he alone doth wondrous works in glory that excel.
1:15:54
And blessed be his glorious name to all eternity.
1:16:10
The whole earth let its glory fill.
1:16:22
Amen.
1:16:24
So let it be.
1:16:29
Immediately after the service we shall go to the main door.
1:16:37
And I look forward to greeting you there.
1:16:38
But as we close our time together we do so with a word of blessing.
1:16:43
Amen.
1:17:13
Amen.
1:17:13
Amen.
1:17:13
Amen.
1:17:43
Thank you.
1:17:49
Amen.
1:17:49
Amen.
1:17:52
Amen.
1:17:52
Amen.
1:17:53
Amen.
1:17:56
Amen.
1:17:56
Amen.
1:17:56
Amen.
1:17:57
Amen.
1:17:59
Amen.
1:17:59
Amen.
1:17:59
Amen.
1:17:59
Amen.
1:18:00
Amen.
1:18:00
Amen.
1:18:00
Amen.
1:18:01
Amen.
1:18:01
Amen.