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The Promise of God's Power · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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But we'll begin our worship this evening by singing to God's praise.
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We're going to sing in Psalm 57, in the Sing Psalms version.
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Psalm 57, page 74 of the psalm books.
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We'll sing from verse 1 to verse 5, the tune is Selma.
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Have mercy on me, Lord, to you my soul holds fast.
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Your covering wings will shelter me until the dangers pass.
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I cry to God, most high, to God who answers me.
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For he fulfills his purposes for me most perfectly.
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We'll sing from verse 1 to 5 to God's praise.
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My wings will shelter me until the dangers pass.
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I cry to God, most high, to God who answers me.
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For he fulfills his purposes for me most perfectly.
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He sends his help from heaven and sends me from above.
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He will be close to see my light, no senses to above.
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I live with savage peace.
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I dwell in my own strong.
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With men who speak with piercing words,
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A sharp sword is their tongue.
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above the highest heaven, O God, exalted thee,
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And over all the earth below,
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His greater majesty.
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Let's unite our hearts in a word of prayer.
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Let us pray.
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Our Father in heaven, as we come before you again this evening hour,
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we do thank you that we can come with boldness,
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that we can come with confidence to you,
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to that throne of grace.
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But we come humbly before you as well,
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recognizing who you are,
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recognizing that you are a sovereign God over all,
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all of creation and all of your people,
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that you are the one who is all-powerful and almighty.
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And yet we thank you for the confidence of the psalmist
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in these words that we have sung,
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that he cries to God, most high,
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to God who answers me.
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And we pray, Lord,
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that we would have that assurance and confidence,
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even as we offer up our prayers together here,
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but also in our own personal devotions to you,
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in our times of prayer,
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in our own quietness,
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in our homes,
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or whatever we might offer up prayer to you,
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in the quietness of our hearts,
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that we would come in that way,
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recognizing that we are in that relationship with you,
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that we speak to you as the Lord and God of heaven,
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but also to the one who is our Father.
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And in that, there is such a bond,
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a wonderful, loving relationship with your children as we are.
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And we thank you that you do listen,
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that you do hear our prayers,
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and that in our prayers, Lord,
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you are able to fulfill your purposes
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and fulfill them, as the psalmist says,
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for me most perfectly.
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And in that, Lord,
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we seek your will to be done.
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For your will is that perfection.
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And teach us, Lord,
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not to seek our own will,
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not to have our own desires fulfilled,
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but that all that we do
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and all that we seek to do
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for ourselves or for others,
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that it would be according
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to your great and mighty purposes.
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And we do thank you for the fact
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that you are the one who sends help,
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as the psalmist says,
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help from heaven above,
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that you send your truth and love,
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and that we have your word
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to remind us of that.
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And as we hear from it again this evening,
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may we see it as your truth,
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and may it speak to us
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that full truth,
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not just our own thoughts, Lord,
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but that they would be your words
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that we hear,
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the words that remind us
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of your steadfast love
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towards your people,
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the strength that you are able
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to give in our weariness,
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that hope that you give
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in the midst of all that dismay
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that surrounds us at times.
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And we do pray, Lord,
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that you will hear us all
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as we offer up our prayers
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and hear us as your people
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far and wide.
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For we thank you that today,
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and especially as it's your day,
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the Lord's day,
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a day where,
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from the rising of the sun
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to its setting,
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from north, south, east, and west,
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your people have been
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and are and will call on your name,
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that worship will be offered up to you
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as the true and living God,
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that in the midst of all the other idols
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and false gods that are worshipped,
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we thank you for the multitude of people
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who gather in your name
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in small numbers and places
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and in large numbers and other places,
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but all together we seek
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to lift up our praise
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and our prayers to you
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and to join in that wonderful chorus of heaven
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where praise is made before you,
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where we know, Lord,
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we have a Saviour
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who is seated at your right hand.
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We have our Lord and our God,
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the Lord Jesus Christ,
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the one who,
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as we offer up our prayers,
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we do so in and through
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his mighty and powerful name.
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And Lord,
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we do commit ourselves
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into your care
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and into your keeping
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as a people,
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as a congregation,
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as homes and families,
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as a community.
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Lord,
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surround us with your presence,
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the very thing that we so often
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take for granted,
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that you are with us,
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that you will be near in all things.
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And yet,
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as we even read your word this evening,
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we see how quickly,
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as a people,
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we can turn away,
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as we can forget you,
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Lord.
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And so as we go on,
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even in this week ahead,
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may we go knowing you with us
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and asking you to be with us,
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asking that you would guide us
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and help us
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and lead us
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along life's journey,
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that we would make our ways
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according to your paths,
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that we would follow your ways.
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Teach us in them,
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Lord, we pray.
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And we just ask your help
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and your strength
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in all of these things.
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May you bless us
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as a congregation here.
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We thank you
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for the fellowship
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of your people.
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We thank you for visitors
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as we have been seeing
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over these last weeks,
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coming from all different places.
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People home on holiday
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and people just passing by
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and coming to worship with us.
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We thank you for that fellowship
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and the bonds
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that there is in Christ.
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Christ.
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We just pray to see
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that unity and fellowship blossom.
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We pray, Lord,
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your protection over us
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as a people,
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that you would unite us together
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in your word
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and according to your truth
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and lead us in your ways
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as a people,
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even in this time
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and these months ahead, Lord.
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May we know your will
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and your purpose for us.
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We pray, Lord,
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for every home and family here.
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We thank you
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that we can remember each other
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at the throne of grace
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and to do so not just publicly
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but in our prayers as well, Lord,
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that you would keep us
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prayerful for one another.
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Even as we think of those
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who are unwell,
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those who are going through times
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of distress in different ways.
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We think of people
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who are in different needs
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at this time, Lord,
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and thankful that
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even when we don't know
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their names,
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that you do
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and that we can come
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prayerfully for them.
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We do have particular prayers
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for people as well
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as we have mentioned this morning
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and seen with Scott
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and Fiona and the girls
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and they're moving to Harris.
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We pray for them, Lord,
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for you to go with them,
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to be their shepherd,
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to be their help,
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to guide them
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and to help them
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in this next phase
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of Scott's training.
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May you bless them
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in the congregation
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of North Harris,
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help them to settle there
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and to make new friends,
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to be a blessing
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to those there
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and help Scott
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in his studies
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over this coming year
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as well
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and in his preaching,
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lead them and guide them
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and be his help
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and strengthen it all
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and may they know
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your blessing with them.
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And we do pray, Lord,
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for others
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who are training
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for the ministry.
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We thank you
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as we have heard
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in these last weeks
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of the congregation
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of North Uist
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and David Fergson
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accepting the call.
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We thank you for that
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and we pray for him
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and Catherine and Duncan
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as they move
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and as they settle
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into a new home,
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a new community
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and especially
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into a new congregation there.
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We ask that you
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will lead them together
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and bless them
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as a people there.
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May your church flourish
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in the North
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and Uist
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and also in the South
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as well
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as we pray
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for the congregation
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there as well.
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We do pray
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for our seminary
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as well
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with all the students
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who have finished.
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Some may be waiting
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on a call as well.
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We pray
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for your leading
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and guiding to them
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and for other inductions
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that will be taking place
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in these coming weeks
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as well.
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We thank you for that
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and pray that you will
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provide more and more
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gospel ministers,
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those who will
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go out with the good news
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and proclaim it
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throughout our land.
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We thank you
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for our seminary
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and for the professors there
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and for all the students
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who will be starting back
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in these next few weeks.
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We pray your blessing
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and help towards them
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and that you will
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be with them, Lord,
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in this coming year.
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We thank you too, Lord,
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that we can commit
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the disarray
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that we see around us,
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our nation,
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in so much turmoil
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and the world
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in so much disarray.
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When we think of
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leaderships and contests
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going on in America,
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we think of turmoil
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in the Middle East
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and the Ukraine
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and the tensions
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in North Korea
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and the Far East
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as well, Lord.
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There are so many things
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going on around us
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and so many things
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that we do not even know about.
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How your people
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are persecuted,
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how your church suffers
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in so many different ways.
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And yet we thank you
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that you are the light
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to this world,
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that you are the one
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who is able
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to powerfully bless
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and to bring peace,
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to bring stability,
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to bring your goodness
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upon us.
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We do pray that,
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to know it
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throughout our land,
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near and far.
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And so we commit ourselves
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into your hands now,
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Lord.
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We ask that you will bless us
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as we turn to your word,
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that you will lead us into it
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and the singing of your praise
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help us to lift up our voices
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in thanksgiving to you,
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that you will give us voices
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that will rejoice in you
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and hearts that will
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proclaim you
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and that the joy of the Lord
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would be our strength.
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We ask, Lord,
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that you would forgive us
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for all our sin too,
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that you would have mercy upon us,
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that you would cleanse us anew
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by the precious blood of Christ
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as we come in his name,
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offering up all of these things,
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thankful for a glorious
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and a wonderful Savior,
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a precious Savior.
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May he be more and more precious
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to us each and every day
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and may you love us
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through him
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and do us good
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as we ask all these things
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in the precious name of Jesus
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and for his glory.
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Amen.
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We again sing to God's praise
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this time in Psalm 121
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in the Scottish Psalter version.
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Psalm 121.
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Find this on page 416.
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Psalm 121 on page 416.
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I to the hills will lift mine eyes
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from whence doth come my need.
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My safety cometh from the Lord
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who heaven and earth hath made.
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We'll sing the whole of this psalm
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and the tune is Denfield.
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We sing to God's praise.
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Amen.
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Amen.
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I to the hills will lift mine eyes
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from whence doth come my name.
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I sit ye calm and from the Lord
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who then on earth hath made.
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Thy foot in no place
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like nor will
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he sombered at the gate.
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Behold thee that keeps Israel
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He sombered at the gate.
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The Lord be keeps the Lord thy shape
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on thy right hand the same.
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Thou good by night
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thee shall not smite
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nor yet the sun by day.
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God the Lord shall keep thy soul
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He shall
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grace where thee come all hell
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and forth thy going
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and hand in
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God be forever well.
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We'll turn and read together
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in God's word now
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in the book of Isaiah
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in the Old Testament.
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Isaiah chapter 40.
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We're going to take up
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our reading at verse 9.
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Isaiah chapter 40
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and at verse 9
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you'll find it around page 724
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of the Bibles.
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Isaiah 40 is almost like a turning point
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in the book of Isaiah
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where it begins
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a new kind of section
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where the people of God
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have been
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we've been seeing them
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becoming more and more unfaithful
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up to this point
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up to chapter 39
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and God has been warning them
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and then in chapter 40 onwards
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it's more about how God
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is going to restore his people
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and we see that in this chapter
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when it begins with these words
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comfort, comfort
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my people
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says
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your God.
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We're going to take up
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our reading at verse 9
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and we read there
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of the greatness
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of God.
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Get you up
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onto a high mountain
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O Zion
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herald of good news
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lift up your voice
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with strength
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O Jerusalem
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herald of good news
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lift it up
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fear not
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say to the cities of Judah
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behold
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your God
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behold
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the Lord God
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comes with might
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and his arm
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rules for him
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behold
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his reward
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is with him
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and his recompense
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before him
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he will tend
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his flock
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like a shepherd
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he will gather
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the lambs
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in his arms
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he will carry them
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in his bosom
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and gently lead
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those that are
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with young
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who has measured
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the water
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from the hollow
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of his hand
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and marked off
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the heavens
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with a span
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enclosed
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the dust
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of the earth
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in a measure
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and weighed
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the mountains
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in scales
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and the hills
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in a balance
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who has measured
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the spirit
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of the Lord
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or what man
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shows him
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his counsel
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whom did he consult
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and who made him
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understand
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who taught him
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the path
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of justice
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and taught him
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knowledge
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and showed him
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the way
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of understanding
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behold
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the nations
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are like a drop
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from a bucket
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and are accounted
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as the dust
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on the scales
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behold
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he takes up
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the coastlands
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like fine dust
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Lebanon
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would not suffice
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for fuel
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nor are its beasts
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enough
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for a burnt offering
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all the nations
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are as nothing
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before him
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they are accounted
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by him
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as less than nothing
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and emptiness
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to whom then
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will you liken
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God
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or what likeness
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compares with him
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an idol
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a craftsman
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casts it
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and a goldsmith
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overlays it
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with gold
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and casts
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for it
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silver chains
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he who is
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too impoverished
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for an offering
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chooses wood
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that will not rot
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he seeks out
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a skillful
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craftsman
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to set up
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an idol
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that will not
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move
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do you not know
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do you not hear
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has it not been told
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you from the beginning
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have you not understood
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from the foundations
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of the earth
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it is he
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who sits above
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the circle
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of the earth
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and its inhabitants
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are like grasshoppers
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who stretches out
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the heavens
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like a curtain
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and spreads them
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like a tent
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to dwell in
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who brings
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princes to nothing
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and makes the rulers
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of the earth
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as emptiness
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scarcely are they
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planted
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scarcely sown
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scarcely has their
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stem
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taken root
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in the earth
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when he blows
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on them
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and they wither
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and the tempest
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carries them off
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like stubble
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to whom then
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will you compare me
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that I should be like him
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says the holy one
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lift up your eyes
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on high
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and see
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who created these
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he who brings out
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their host
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by number
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calling them all
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by name
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by the greatness
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of his might
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and because
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he is strong
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in power
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not one
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is missing
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why do you say
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oh Jacob
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and speak
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oh Israel
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my way is hidden
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from the Lord
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and my right
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is disregarded
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by my God
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have you not known
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have you not heard
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the Lord
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is the everlasting God
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the creator
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of the ends
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of the earth
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he does not faint
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or grow weary
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his understanding
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is unsearchable
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he gives power
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to the faint
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and to him
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who has no might
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he increases strength
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even youths
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shall faint
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and be weary
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and young men
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shall fall exhausted
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but they
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who wait
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for the Lord
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shall renew
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their strength
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they shall mount up
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with wings
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like eagles
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they shall run
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and not be weary
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they shall walk
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and not faint
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amen
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and may God bless
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that reading
21:02
of his word
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but before we come
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to look at this passage
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we're going to sing again
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to God's praise
21:10
in Psalm 89
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Psalm 89
21:14
page 345
21:15
the Scottish Psalter version
21:17
we sing from verse 13
21:20
down to verse 18
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Psalm 89
21:25
at verse 13
21:26
thou hast an arm
21:27
that's full of power
21:28
thy hand
21:29
is great in might
21:31
and thy right hand
21:32
exceedingly exalted
21:34
is in height
21:36
we'll sing from verse 13
21:38
to 18
21:38
the tune is Evan
21:39
and we sing
21:40
to God's praise
21:42
thou hast an arm
21:50
thou hast an arm
21:50
that's full of power
21:54
thy hand is great in might
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and thy light
22:04
and thy name is great in might
22:15
and thy name is great in might
22:16
justice and judgment
22:20
of thy throne
22:23
are made the dwelling place
22:30
mercy
22:31
and Prob tranquility
22:33
and
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In brightness of thy face, O Lord,
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they ever art shall go.
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They in my name shall all the day
23:23
rejoice exceedingly.
23:28
And in thy righteousness shall be
23:38
exalted thee on high.
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Because the glory of Israel
23:52
doth only stand with thee.
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And in thy favor shall our heart
24:08
and thou praise all did thee.
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For God is our defense and team
24:23
to us of safety bring.
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The holy one of Israel
24:36
is our almighty king.
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Amen.
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We turn back to our reading in Isaiah chapter 40.
24:53
And as I said this morning,
24:56
today we're thinking about two different ways
24:59
we could maybe sum up what the Bible is about.
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If we were asked by someone,
25:04
as I was saying this morning,
25:05
maybe you've been reading a book
25:06
or watching a movie
25:07
and you've been speaking to someone about it
25:10
and they've asked,
25:10
well, how would you sum it up?
25:11
What would make me want to watch that
25:14
or read that?
25:15
How would we approach that
25:17
when we think about the Bible,
25:19
the scriptures that we have before us?
25:22
When we think of inviting people along to church
25:25
to come and hear the word of God,
25:27
how do we explain to them
25:29
what we're inviting them to
25:31
and why they should take it seriously,
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why they should listen to the invitation
25:37
and come and hear what this word has to say?
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This morning we were looking at
25:42
the theme of sinners in need of salvation.
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That is what the Bible tells us
25:49
from beginning to end.
25:50
We were looking at 1 Thessalonians chapter 2
25:53
where Paul is writing,
25:55
concerned for the church at Thessalonica,
25:57
they are concerned for their faith
25:59
and how they are going.
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A church that has seen sinners come to salvation.
26:05
And that wonderful good news of the gospel
26:08
is that there is a saviour for sinners.
26:11
So we thought of that this morning,
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sinners in need of salvation.
26:16
But coming to faith is just the start.
26:19
Going on in faith is what it's about as well.
26:24
And how are we encouraged to go on?
26:26
Well, again, the Bible speaks to us of this.
26:30
It reminds us of how we go on.
26:32
We go on not in our own strength,
26:35
but in the strength of the Lord.
26:38
And another way of we can summarise the Bible,
26:41
especially in a world that is so weary
26:43
and heavy laden with so many different things
26:46
in these days,
26:47
is to say, well, in this word,
26:49
you find a God who says to the weary,
26:52
come, come to me and find refreshing in me.
26:57
Find renewal in me.
26:58
Find strength in me.
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And that's what we see in this wonderful passage.
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Isaiah chapter 40.
27:06
As you come to the end of this chapter,
27:09
where our focus will be really from verse 27
27:11
to the end of the chapter.
27:14
We can read there at verse 30.
27:16
Even youth shall faint and be weary,
27:19
and young men shall fall exhausted.
27:22
But they who wait for the Lord
27:24
shall renew their strength.
27:26
They shall mount up with wings like eagles.
27:29
They shall run and not be weary.
27:31
They shall walk and not faint.
27:34
The word of God is full of so many promises.
27:40
Promises of God.
27:42
And you read through the word of God,
27:44
and you find so often in the midst of God's people,
27:47
so often turning away,
27:49
as we'll see here in Isaiah,
27:51
so often the people turning away from God,
27:53
going in their own direction,
27:55
and yet God is still faithful with his promises.
27:59
God is still faithful with his invitation to people
28:03
to come to him,
28:04
to return to him,
28:06
to find rest with him.
28:09
Despite unfaithful people,
28:11
God so often showers blessing upon them.
28:16
And it's important to remind ourselves, too,
28:19
of these promises.
28:22
Promises that God will be with us.
28:25
Promises that God is there to help.
28:27
And promise, like we see here,
28:29
as those who wait on the Lord,
28:31
those who are maybe feeling faint and weary,
28:34
if you wait on the Lord,
28:36
he shall renew your strength.
28:38
He keeps us going.
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He keeps us going on.
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You could look at this passage and say,
28:47
the people themselves have brought it upon themselves,
28:50
just this array that they find themselves in.
28:53
And they are being taken captive by a nation called Babylon.
28:59
This is what is in store for them because of their disobedience.
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So they've brought it on themselves,
29:06
and yet they are shown the love of God in the midst of it all.
29:10
And isn't it wonderful that God still shows that love,
29:16
still shows that patience towards us as a people,
29:20
still longs for us to come to him,
29:24
and gives us this promise even today
29:26
that when we wait on the Lord,
29:29
he renews our strength.
29:33
Renews our strength.
29:35
He gives us hope.
29:39
A man named Viktor Frankl,
29:42
an Austrian man,
29:43
he was a famous and a leading psychiatrist
29:46
before the Second World War began.
29:49
But during the Second World War,
29:51
he was captured and taken prisoner,
29:54
and he was imprisoned in concentration camps,
29:57
one of which was Auschwitz,
29:59
as well as another three concentration camps.
30:02
He lived through that.
30:05
He lived until he was 92,
30:08
died in 1997.
30:09
But in looking back in his experience
30:11
in the concentration camps,
30:14
having been a psychiatrist,
30:16
he was obviously observing people.
30:19
And he said as he observed those who were imprisoned there,
30:23
he made out that what separated the survivors
30:26
from those who died in the concentration camps
30:29
wasn't so much physical health and strength,
30:33
he said,
30:34
but hope.
30:36
Those who had hope,
30:38
something to look forward to on the outside,
30:41
something to keep them going,
30:42
he said they were more likely to survive.
30:45
Even a physically well person could go into a camp,
30:48
and within a short space of time,
30:50
because of having no hope,
30:52
they could perish.
30:54
But those who were weak and fragile,
30:56
but still had hope,
30:58
they often survived.
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And as we look at Isaiah writing
31:02
to the people of Judah and Jerusalem here,
31:07
we see that he is writing to give them this hope.
31:11
And it's in the midst of kind of dismay for them.
31:14
They're in a time of despair
31:16
because of what they're being told is in store for them,
31:20
being taken captive,
31:21
being taken prisoner.
31:22
But they are told to focus on the Lord,
31:26
to keep their focus on him,
31:29
and that he gives this promise
31:31
that when they wait on the Lord,
31:34
he shall renew their strength.
31:37
He shall renew their strength.
31:40
And it's a message for our world today.
31:44
If you want to think about
31:45
why you should invite someone to come to church,
31:48
if you want to think of it in this way,
31:50
you think of sinners in need of salvation,
31:52
we need Christ.
31:54
But we also have this too,
31:56
that when we feel weary,
31:57
when we feel tired in this world,
31:59
when we feel such a sense of dismay,
32:01
when all the chaos that we see around us,
32:05
that the Lord gives hope.
32:07
The Lord gives hope of something better.
32:09
The Lord gives hope of a renewal within us,
32:13
a rejoicing within us,
32:16
that he renew every strength,
32:17
that we might mount up on wings like eagles,
32:20
and run and not be weary,
32:21
and walk and not faint.
32:24
That is his promise as we look to him.
32:27
And so we want to ask people to come
32:30
and find that for themselves.
32:31
We want to have it ourselves as well.
32:34
We want to have that hope and assurance
32:35
and comfort ourselves.
32:37
So when we are offering it to others,
32:39
we're talking through experience,
32:41
that this is the Lord who has helped me.
32:43
This is the Lord who has renewed my strength.
32:45
And I want us to look at three things in this passage.
32:49
First of all, we see a weary people.
32:52
Then we see a great God.
32:55
And then thirdly, we see a glorious promise.
32:59
So we begin with a weary people.
33:03
And you ask yourself,
33:04
well, what has left them in this state?
33:06
So you come into chapter 40.
33:08
What has left them in this state
33:10
where their future looks so bleak,
33:12
when they're going to be taken captive by Babylon?
33:17
Well, you see it by just going back
33:19
a couple of chapters.
33:23
Chapter 40 is, like I said,
33:24
like a turning point in the book of Isaiah.
33:29
Some people describe it as the Old Testament
33:31
and the New Testament,
33:32
and there's a split, a moment of divide,
33:35
and that this is where the divide is
33:37
in the book of Isaiah.
33:39
So in the previous chapters,
33:41
there's been hope that everything's going to be well,
33:43
but they're looking for that in the wrong place.
33:46
And you see it in chapter 38,
33:47
how quickly, in chapter 38 and 39,
33:50
how quickly people can change.
33:53
There's this man called Hezekiah
33:56
that you read of in chapter 38.
33:59
Hezekiah was ill,
34:01
and he pleads with the Lord.
34:04
He pleads with the Lord for help
34:06
and healing both for him and his city.
34:08
And in chapter 4,
34:11
in verse 4 of chapter 38,
34:13
it says,
34:13
Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah,
34:16
Go and say to Hezekiah,
34:17
Thus says the Lord,
34:19
the God of David your father,
34:21
I have heard your prayer,
34:22
I have seen your tears.
34:24
Behold,
34:25
I will add 15 years to your life.
34:28
I will deliver you and this city
34:30
out of the hand of the king of Assyria,
34:33
and will defend this city.
34:35
And you think to yourself,
34:37
What a wonderful blessing.
34:39
Hezekiah,
34:40
his prayer has been heard,
34:41
his tears have been seen,
34:42
and the Lord has answered.
34:44
And it's a wonderful time, you think.
34:47
And then you go into chapter 39.
34:50
And what's Hezekiah doing now?
34:53
Hezekiah has these Babylonian envoys
34:56
who have come.
34:57
They've come to see Hezekiah.
34:59
They've come to see his abundance of wealth.
35:02
And he's almost led in by them.
35:05
And he thinks,
35:05
Here is someone I can be friends with.
35:08
Here is someone who will help me.
35:11
And yet all he is doing
35:12
is throwing God's promises back in his face
35:16
and saying,
35:16
You're now going to rely on this nation.
35:19
And you don't realize
35:20
what danger you're putting yourself
35:22
and your people into.
35:25
And the irony is,
35:27
if you read in verse 8 of chapter 39,
35:30
it says,
35:30
Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah,
35:33
The word of the Lord,
35:34
yet you have spoken, is good.
35:36
And this is it.
35:37
For he thought,
35:38
There will be peace and security
35:40
in my days.
35:44
Through his own wisdom,
35:46
through his own understanding
35:48
of the situation
35:48
of what he was going to do
35:50
with the Babylonians
35:51
and make this relationship
35:53
that he felt would bring peace.
35:55
He couldn't have been further
35:56
from the truth.
35:58
He thought,
36:02
There will be peace and security
36:04
in my days.
36:07
And that's so often
36:08
when we look to our own devices
36:10
in this world.
36:12
When we look at our nation,
36:13
so many have said,
36:14
We will have peace
36:15
through this or that
36:16
or the next thing.
36:18
And yet there's no peace.
36:20
There's more turmoil,
36:21
more trouble,
36:22
because we're not listening
36:23
to God.
36:25
And then you come into chapter 40
36:28
and you realize that this peace
36:30
that Hezekiah had hoped for,
36:32
it's not going to be.
36:33
Not at this moment.
36:35
Isaiah begins with chapter 40
36:37
with comfort.
36:39
Comfort, my people,
36:41
says the Lord.
36:43
With that assurance
36:43
that the word of the Lord
36:45
stands forever
36:46
in verse 6 to 8.
36:47
And that's what leads us then
36:50
into the rest of chapter 40
36:52
where we see
36:53
the goodness of God.
36:56
But this weedy people,
36:58
they don't see it.
37:00
And when you look at verse 27,
37:02
you see God
37:03
speaking so directly
37:05
to the people there
37:06
and challenging them.
37:08
Saying,
37:08
Why do you say,
37:09
O Jacob,
37:09
and speak, O Israel?
37:11
My way is hidden
37:12
from the Lord
37:13
and my right
37:15
is disregarded
37:16
by my God.
37:18
So this is the situation.
37:20
The people are groaning
37:21
and they're groaning
37:23
towards God.
37:25
That their ways
37:25
are hidden.
37:27
That His understanding
37:28
is just not there.
37:30
They're disregarded
37:31
by God.
37:33
That is the way
37:34
they see it.
37:35
And today people cry,
37:37
There is no God.
37:39
We don't want God
37:40
over us
37:41
and yet there is dismay.
37:44
There is so much
37:45
that is wrong
37:45
in this world.
37:47
But we push God
37:48
and then if they do
37:49
say anything about God,
37:50
well,
37:51
where is God?
37:52
He's disregarding us.
37:54
He's not interested.
37:55
He's cruel.
37:55
He's not kind
37:56
to His people.
37:57
He allows so much suffering
37:59
in so many different ways.
38:01
It's a very cry
38:02
that we have here
38:03
in verse 27.
38:04
My way is hidden
38:05
from the Lord
38:06
and my right
38:07
is disregarded
38:08
by my God.
38:10
But you notice
38:12
something here.
38:13
The way the people
38:15
are speaking of God,
38:17
they still hold Him.
38:19
The Lord is Yahweh.
38:21
That is the word
38:22
that they're using here,
38:24
Yahweh.
38:25
And it's my God.
38:27
We could almost say
38:28
that we've gone
38:28
further away from that.
38:31
People speak of God
38:33
as, well,
38:33
He's your God.
38:35
He's got nothing
38:36
to do with us.
38:37
He's not our God.
38:38
He's your God.
38:41
And so,
38:41
we are in disarray.
38:43
We have a people
38:44
around us
38:45
who are weary.
38:47
And it's all because
38:48
God is pushed away.
38:52
And when you look
38:53
at it here,
38:54
the people's faith
38:55
is challenged
38:56
in the way that
38:57
they say,
38:58
God does not love us.
39:01
God is not interested.
39:03
God is,
39:04
our ways are hidden.
39:05
Our ways are disregarded
39:08
by God.
39:10
And behind it
39:10
is that fear
39:11
that God
39:13
is unloving.
39:15
He's not interested
39:16
in them.
39:18
That's their take.
39:20
And yet,
39:21
what's happened
39:22
is that they are blind
39:23
to God.
39:26
We can all say,
39:28
I'm sure,
39:28
at some point,
39:29
we've asked questions
39:31
of God.
39:32
We've asked God,
39:34
I'm sure,
39:35
where are you?
39:36
What's going on, Lord?
39:37
Are you not interested
39:38
in what's happening?
39:40
We all have these moments.
39:43
But God so often speaks
39:45
to remind us
39:46
that he is there.
39:48
But as we mentioned
39:48
this morning,
39:50
there is an opponent
39:51
against the gospel.
39:53
There is an enemy,
39:54
and that is Satan.
39:56
And again,
39:57
we have to see him
39:58
in the midst of this,
39:59
that there is Satan
40:00
here as well,
40:02
planting seeds of doubt,
40:04
making people ask
40:05
questions of God.
40:06
Does he really love me?
40:09
My way is hidden
40:10
from the Lord.
40:11
My right is disregarded
40:13
by my God.
40:14
That's not God speaking.
40:17
That's Satan
40:18
putting doubts
40:19
in their mind.
40:21
John Knox,
40:22
the famous
40:23
Scottish reformer,
40:24
he once spoke about it
40:26
in this way,
40:26
reminding us that
40:27
the way of Satan
40:29
is not a new way.
40:31
He said,
40:32
By what means
40:33
Satan first threw mankind
40:35
from obedience to God?
40:37
The scripture bears witness
40:38
to this,
40:41
by pouring into their hearts
40:43
that poison
40:44
that God
40:45
did not love them.
40:48
Now that's the way
40:49
that Satan came
40:51
to draw mankind
40:53
away from obedience to God.
40:55
To put that doubt,
40:56
that seed,
40:57
that poison,
40:58
that God
40:59
does not love them.
41:02
Despair and doubt
41:03
is one of Satan's
41:05
greatest weapons
41:06
against the Lord's people,
41:08
against all people,
41:10
against all mankind.
41:12
To say,
41:12
God is not interested.
41:15
To leave us in that place
41:17
where we think,
41:17
my way is hidden
41:18
from the Lord.
41:20
My right
41:20
is disregarded
41:22
by God.
41:23
That he's not interested
41:25
in us.
41:27
We lose hope
41:29
in that.
41:32
But that is not
41:33
how God
41:34
leaves his people.
41:36
That is not
41:37
what we see
41:38
as we read on
41:39
in this passage.
41:41
That there is
41:41
so much more
41:42
that if Satan
41:43
attacks,
41:45
we are to turn
41:46
to God.
41:47
And that's what
41:48
the role of Isaiah
41:49
is as the prophet
41:50
in the midst
41:51
of this.
41:51
to bring the people
41:53
back to God.
41:55
To bring him
41:55
back to see that
41:56
no,
41:57
he's not forgotten.
41:59
He's not disregarded.
42:00
It's not that he
42:01
doesn't love you.
42:03
That he can bring good.
42:06
As the hymn writer
42:06
says in the hymn
42:07
before the throne
42:09
of God above,
42:10
when Satan
42:11
tempts me
42:12
to despair
42:13
and tells me
42:14
of the guilt
42:15
within,
42:16
upward
42:16
I look
42:17
and see him
42:18
there
42:18
who made an end
42:20
of all my sin.
42:22
Upward
42:22
I look.
42:24
We look
42:25
to God.
42:26
And that's exactly
42:27
what Isaiah
42:28
is doing here
42:28
as the Lord
42:29
speaks through him.
42:31
For the second thing
42:31
we see here
42:32
is a great God.
42:34
A great God.
42:36
And you see that
42:37
in verse 28.
42:40
Have you not known?
42:41
Have you not heard?
42:42
The Lord
42:43
is the everlasting God,
42:45
the creator
42:46
of the ends
42:46
of the earth.
42:47
He does not faint
42:49
or grow weary.
42:50
His understanding
42:52
is unsearchable.
42:55
We look up
42:56
to God.
42:58
We look up
42:59
to him
42:59
who is
43:00
the everlasting God,
43:02
the creator
43:02
of the ends
43:04
of the earth.
43:07
So often
43:08
in despair
43:09
in these times,
43:10
these moments,
43:11
we can take
43:12
our eyes off God
43:13
and we lose sight
43:14
of him.
43:16
We can't see
43:17
a way forward.
43:19
We forget
43:19
that God's been
43:20
faithful in the past.
43:21
We forget
43:22
the hope
43:23
that God gives
43:23
for the future.
43:24
We just look
43:25
at the here
43:25
and now
43:26
and we don't
43:26
see God.
43:28
But here
43:28
is Isaiah
43:29
saying,
43:30
look up.
43:31
Just like
43:32
Psalm 121
43:34
spoke of
43:35
when we think
43:36
of
43:36
I to the hills
43:37
will lift
43:38
mine eyes.
43:39
There was this
43:39
danger
43:40
in the Psalms
43:41
saying,
43:41
where will my
43:42
help come from?
43:43
My help,
43:44
my safety
43:45
comes from
43:46
the Lord
43:47
who has made
43:48
heaven and earth.
43:51
And Isaiah
43:52
is focusing
43:52
the people here.
43:54
You have known,
43:56
you have heard,
43:57
he is saying
43:57
in verse 28.
43:59
You know all
44:00
about God
44:00
but you've lost
44:01
sight of him
44:02
and God
44:03
is there
44:04
for us today.
44:05
He's saying,
44:06
have you not heard,
44:07
have you not known
44:08
the Lord
44:09
is the everlasting
44:10
everlasting God.
44:12
Something our
44:12
nation knew
44:13
so well in the
44:14
past and has
44:15
forgotten.
44:16
Something even
44:17
the churches
44:18
today have maybe
44:19
forgotten to a
44:20
certain extent.
44:22
We've forgotten
44:22
what we know
44:23
and what we heard
44:24
of God.
44:26
But God
44:27
is the everlasting
44:28
God,
44:28
the creator
44:29
of the ends
44:30
of the earth.
44:33
He is our
44:33
only help,
44:34
our only hope
44:35
in the midst
44:36
of everything.
44:37
He is all
44:38
powerful.
44:38
He is all
44:40
knowing.
44:41
There is no
44:42
situation that
44:43
lies out
44:44
with his
44:45
control,
44:45
out with his
44:46
knowledge.
44:48
It's not that
44:48
he's sleeping.
44:49
It's not that
44:50
he's not there.
44:52
He does not
44:52
faint or
44:53
grow weary.
44:55
His understanding
44:56
is unsearchable.
44:58
We think we
44:59
have wisdom.
45:00
We think we
45:00
have understanding.
45:01
It is nothing
45:02
compared to
45:03
his.
45:06
And that is
45:06
what we
45:07
remember.
45:07
That is
45:09
what we
45:09
are to
45:09
hold on
45:10
to ourselves.
45:11
If we
45:12
think of
45:12
inviting
45:13
others to
45:14
come and
45:14
hear this
45:15
message,
45:16
this gospel,
45:17
this good
45:17
news,
45:18
how do we
45:18
know God
45:19
ourselves?
45:22
Sometimes it's
45:22
easy to tell
45:23
others that
45:25
God is good,
45:26
that you need
45:26
God in your
45:28
life.
45:30
But do you
45:30
tell yourself?
45:32
Do you
45:33
remind yourself
45:34
of the
45:35
greatness of
45:36
God?
45:38
Do you
45:38
remind yourself
45:39
as you look
45:40
at God's
45:40
word?
45:41
Here is
45:42
the Lord
45:43
who is the
45:43
everlasting God,
45:45
the creator
45:45
of the ends
45:46
of the earth.
45:48
And he is
45:48
the one who
45:49
had mercy
45:50
on me,
45:51
a sinner.
45:53
Isn't that
45:54
amazing?
45:56
That God
45:57
loved me,
45:59
that he would
46:00
give his son
46:01
for me.
46:02
The creator
46:03
of heaven
46:04
and earth
46:05
is interested
46:06
in us.
46:09
So the
46:10
doubts that
46:10
Satan puts
46:11
in,
46:11
my way is
46:12
hidden,
46:13
my right is
46:14
disregarded,
46:15
that God
46:16
doesn't love,
46:17
it's dismissed,
46:18
it's dispelled
46:19
as we see
46:20
God in all
46:22
his greatness.
46:25
The writer
46:26
and minister
46:27
John Flavel
46:28
from many
46:28
years ago,
46:29
he once
46:30
said this
46:31
and it
46:32
shows the
46:33
importance
46:33
of listening
46:34
to the
46:35
word of
46:35
God.
46:36
He said,
46:36
one word
46:37
of God
46:38
can do
46:40
more than
46:40
10,000
46:41
words of
46:42
men
46:42
to relieve
46:44
a distressed
46:45
soul.
46:46
One
46:46
word of
46:48
God
46:48
can do
46:49
more than
46:50
10,000
46:51
words of
46:51
men
46:52
to relieve
46:53
a distressed
46:54
soul.
46:56
And isn't
46:57
it amazing
46:57
that God
46:58
speaks to
46:59
us.
47:01
That even
47:01
as we look
47:02
at these
47:02
words tonight,
47:03
here is God
47:03
speaking to
47:05
us.
47:05
Have you
47:06
not known?
47:07
Have you
47:07
not heard?
47:08
The Lord
47:09
is the
47:09
everlasting
47:10
God.
47:11
As he
47:11
speaks to
47:12
us,
47:12
but those
47:13
who wait
47:13
for the
47:14
Lord
47:14
shall
47:15
renew
47:15
their
47:15
strength.
47:16
They
47:16
shall
47:16
mount
47:16
up
47:17
with
47:17
wings
47:17
like
47:18
eagles.
47:19
God
47:19
speaking
47:20
to
47:20
us.
47:21
But are
47:24
we
47:24
anchoring
47:24
ourselves
47:25
in that
47:26
word and
47:27
in his
47:27
promises?
47:29
Someone
47:30
once
47:30
described
47:31
it as
47:31
looking to
47:32
the
47:32
icebergs
47:33
that you
47:33
see around
47:34
the cold
47:35
waters of
47:35
places like
47:36
Greenland.
47:37
When you
47:38
see icebergs
47:39
in these
47:39
areas,
47:40
you see
47:40
that there
47:40
are different
47:41
kinds of
47:42
icebergs,
47:43
different sizes
47:43
of icebergs.
47:45
Some are
47:45
small and
47:46
some are
47:47
very large.
47:48
And as
47:50
you observe
47:51
them,
47:51
you can
47:51
see that
47:51
they may
47:52
be very
47:52
often going
47:53
in different
47:53
directions.
47:54
The small
47:54
ones might
47:55
be going
47:55
one way
47:56
and the
47:56
larger ones
47:57
going another
47:58
way.
47:59
And how
48:00
is this?
48:01
Why is
48:01
that?
48:03
The person
48:03
said the
48:04
explanation is
48:04
simple.
48:06
The winds,
48:07
the surface
48:07
winds,
48:08
move the
48:09
little ones,
48:11
whereas the
48:12
large ones,
48:13
what moves
48:14
them is the
48:14
currents of
48:15
the ocean
48:16
underneath.
48:17
And they
48:19
used it as
48:19
a way of
48:20
illustrating
48:21
how our
48:22
lives are.
48:24
They said
48:24
the wind
48:25
represents
48:26
everything
48:26
changeable,
48:27
unpredictable,
48:29
and distressing.
48:31
That can
48:31
just blow us
48:32
in different
48:33
directions.
48:35
But they
48:36
said operating
48:36
at the same
48:37
time with
48:38
these gusts
48:39
and winds
48:40
is another
48:41
force,
48:42
another
48:43
more powerful
48:44
force.
48:45
And it's a
48:46
sure movement
48:47
of God's
48:48
wise and
48:49
sovereign
48:49
purposes,
48:51
the deep
48:51
flow of
48:53
his unchanging
48:54
love.
48:56
And we
48:57
can be
48:57
tossed around
48:58
by the
48:58
winds as
48:59
James in
49:00
the New
49:00
Testament
49:01
describes.
49:03
And that's
49:04
when Satan
49:04
puts these
49:05
doubts in
49:06
that blows
49:06
us off
49:07
course.
49:09
But Isaiah
49:09
is bringing
49:10
them back to
49:10
be grounded
49:11
in the
49:12
word of
49:13
God.
49:14
With that
49:14
deep flow,
49:15
that
49:15
undercurrent
49:16
of his
49:18
unchanging
49:18
love.
49:20
Because there
49:21
is the
49:22
greatness
49:23
of God.
49:25
So we
49:26
see here
49:27
the goodness
49:28
of God.
49:30
The final
49:32
thing we
49:32
want to
49:32
see here
49:33
is the
49:34
promised
49:35
renewal.
49:37
A precious
49:38
promise.
49:40
God's
49:40
greatness is
49:41
something that
49:42
at times we
49:43
just cannot
49:44
describe.
49:46
How do
49:47
we describe
49:47
the greatness
49:49
of God,
49:49
the love
49:50
of God
49:51
towards us,
49:52
especially when
49:52
you think of
49:53
it in the
49:53
midst of
49:54
times of
49:55
dismay?
49:57
I'm sure
49:58
you've heard
49:58
it before
49:59
described,
49:59
maybe I've
49:59
used it
50:00
myself,
50:01
of how
50:01
someone
50:02
describes a
50:03
jewellery
50:04
shop and
50:04
how they
50:05
display
50:05
diamonds.
50:07
And very
50:08
often you
50:08
find that in
50:09
a jewellery
50:09
the most
50:10
precious
50:11
diamonds are
50:12
displayed with
50:13
a black
50:14
background.
50:16
And the
50:17
reason for
50:17
that is that
50:18
the darkness
50:19
shows the
50:21
beauty of
50:21
the diamond
50:22
in an even
50:23
greater way.
50:25
And how
50:26
often we
50:27
think of the
50:27
word of God
50:28
in that way,
50:29
how there is
50:29
a darkness
50:30
behind things,
50:33
and yet you
50:33
see the
50:34
beauty and
50:34
the greatness
50:35
of God
50:36
shining in
50:37
the midst
50:38
of darkness.
50:40
And here
50:40
is Isaiah
50:41
speaking to
50:42
a people,
50:43
people who
50:43
are questioning
50:44
God,
50:45
people who
50:45
are anxious
50:46
and worried
50:46
and afraid,
50:48
and yet
50:49
Isaiah is
50:50
shining that
50:51
light into
50:51
the darkness
50:52
and showing
50:53
the beauty
50:54
of God
50:55
and the
50:57
hope that
50:58
God gives.
51:00
And he
51:01
says it in
51:01
verse 18
51:02
earlier on
51:02
here,
51:03
he's reminding
51:04
them of
51:04
where else
51:05
are you going
51:06
to look,
51:07
to whom
51:08
then will
51:08
you liken
51:09
God,
51:10
or with
51:10
what likeness
51:11
compare
51:12
him?
51:13
Is he
51:13
like the
51:13
idols,
51:14
he goes
51:14
on to
51:15
speak,
51:15
idols that
51:16
can do
51:16
nothing.
51:18
But then
51:19
he goes
51:19
on in
51:19
verse 21,
51:20
do you
51:20
not know,
51:21
do you
51:21
not hear,
51:22
has it
51:22
not been
51:22
told from
51:23
the beginning,
51:24
have you
51:24
not understood
51:25
from the
51:25
foundations
51:26
of the
51:26
earth,
51:27
how God
51:28
is the
51:28
one who
51:29
inhabits
51:30
above the
51:32
earth,
51:32
the one
51:32
who is in
51:32
control.
51:34
He is
51:35
the one
51:35
who has
51:36
power over
51:37
all things.
51:39
And so
51:39
it is this
51:40
God that
51:41
we have
51:41
who gives
51:42
us strength.
51:44
He is the
51:44
one who
51:45
doesn't faint
51:46
or grow
51:47
weary,
51:47
whose
51:47
understanding
51:48
is unsearchable,
51:49
he is the
51:50
one who
51:51
gives power,
51:53
who gives
51:53
strength.
51:55
He gives
51:56
power to the
51:56
faint and to
51:57
him who has
51:58
no might,
51:59
he increases
52:00
strength.
52:01
So when we
52:02
are weary,
52:03
when we are
52:03
dismayed,
52:04
when we are
52:04
tired,
52:05
when we
52:06
are all
52:06
of these
52:06
things,
52:08
he gives
52:08
us his
52:09
power.
52:12
And when
52:12
you take
52:13
these verses
52:14
forward,
52:16
when you
52:16
look at
52:16
them in
52:16
the context
52:17
of the
52:18
New Testament,
52:20
it so
52:21
much points
52:22
to Christ.
52:24
They are
52:25
pointing us
52:25
towards
52:26
Christ.
52:28
And we
52:28
see there
52:30
his glory
52:31
shine on the
52:32
cross in
52:32
the midst
52:33
of that
52:34
darkness.
52:35
And although
52:36
as we've
52:36
looked at
52:37
recently,
52:37
as you're
52:38
looking at
52:38
what happened
52:39
at the
52:40
cross,
52:41
the people
52:41
who were
52:42
questioning
52:42
and the
52:43
people who
52:43
were downcast,
52:44
the two
52:45
on the
52:45
road to
52:45
Emmaus
52:46
we were
52:46
looking at
52:46
last week,
52:47
they felt
52:48
that hope
52:49
was gone.
52:52
And yet
52:52
God was
52:54
doing an
52:54
amazing thing.
52:56
God was
52:57
doing something
52:58
beyond our
52:59
understanding.
53:00
His
53:01
understanding
53:02
is
53:02
unsearchable.
53:04
To us
53:04
it seems
53:05
to make
53:05
no sense,
53:06
the cross.
53:08
And yet
53:09
there we
53:10
see where
53:11
we will be
53:12
renewed,
53:13
where our
53:13
strength comes
53:14
from.
53:16
Those who
53:16
wait on the
53:17
Lord shall
53:18
renew their
53:18
strength.
53:19
They shall
53:20
mount up
53:20
with wings
53:21
like eagles.
53:21
They shall
53:22
run and
53:22
not be
53:23
weary.
53:23
They shall
53:24
walk and
53:24
not faint.
53:25
You think
53:25
of the
53:26
disciples
53:26
after they
53:27
met with
53:27
the risen
53:28
Lord.
53:28
Lord,
53:30
met with
53:31
all these
53:31
people who
53:32
met with
53:33
God,
53:34
the risen
53:35
Lord.
53:36
No more
53:37
were they
53:37
faint and
53:38
weary.
53:39
You think
53:39
even the
53:40
two on
53:40
the road
53:40
to Emmaus
53:41
who had
53:41
been downcast
53:42
walking almost
53:43
all day
53:44
to Emmaus
53:45
from Jerusalem
53:46
seven miles
53:47
and yet
53:47
it seems
53:48
like there
53:49
was no
53:49
time at
53:49
all until
53:50
they were
53:50
back in
53:51
Jerusalem
53:51
when they
53:51
had
53:51
recognized
53:52
Jesus.
53:54
They
53:54
weren't
53:55
faint,
53:55
they
53:55
weren't
53:56
weary.
53:57
Their
53:57
strength
53:58
was
53:58
renewed.
54:00
And that
54:00
is what
54:01
the Lord
54:01
does.
54:03
That is
54:04
what the
54:04
Lord does
54:05
for his
54:06
people.
54:07
And that's
54:07
what verse
54:08
31 gives
54:10
to us.
54:11
It's a
54:12
beautiful
54:12
and a
54:13
wonderful
54:13
promise
54:14
that this
54:17
is what
54:17
he will
54:17
do for
54:18
you and
54:19
for me
54:19
as we
54:20
put our
54:20
trust in
54:21
him.
54:22
It seems
54:23
to have
54:24
a future,
54:25
future,
54:26
but it's
54:27
also for
54:28
the present
54:28
that he
54:30
is able
54:31
to actively
54:32
renew us
54:33
day by
54:34
day to
54:35
strengthen
54:36
us each
54:37
and every
54:38
day.
54:39
It is
54:39
the Lord
54:40
who does
54:41
it.
54:42
I listened
54:42
to a
54:43
short
54:44
testimony
54:45
today of
54:45
a woman
54:46
and she
54:47
began by
54:48
saying this,
54:50
people
54:50
can't
54:51
change.
54:52
change.
54:53
She wasn't
54:54
saying it
54:54
meaning it.
54:56
She was
54:56
saying it
54:57
having heard
54:58
it so
54:59
often in
54:59
her own
55:00
life.
55:00
People
55:01
can't
55:02
change.
55:03
I.e.
55:04
what they
55:04
were saying
55:05
to her
55:05
was,
55:06
you
55:06
can't
55:08
change.
55:10
And for
55:10
so long
55:11
in her
55:11
life that
55:12
seemed
55:12
to be
55:13
the case.
55:14
And she
55:15
said,
55:15
I was
55:15
hung over
55:16
every day.
55:19
This was
55:19
her life.
55:21
She describes
55:22
herself as
55:22
the meanest
55:23
atheist.
55:25
God just
55:26
meant nothing
55:27
to her.
55:28
And anyone
55:28
who had
55:29
any interest
55:29
in God,
55:30
she was
55:30
the meanest
55:31
atheist
55:31
towards
55:33
them.
55:34
This was
55:35
her life.
55:37
People
55:37
can't
55:38
change.
55:41
But now
55:41
she's
55:41
saying that
55:43
is not
55:44
true.
55:46
She has
55:46
been sober
55:47
ten years.
55:49
A believer
55:50
and a
55:51
bright witness
55:52
for Christ.
55:54
And she
55:55
said,
55:55
once you
55:55
meet God,
55:57
you cannot
55:58
but be
55:59
changed.
56:01
She met
56:02
the living
56:03
God.
56:06
And she
56:07
also said
56:07
this,
56:07
if you
56:08
believe
56:08
people
56:10
can't
56:11
change,
56:12
it's
56:13
because you
56:13
haven't
56:14
met God.
56:15
God is
56:18
the one
56:18
who is
56:19
able to
56:19
change
56:20
any.
56:22
And
56:22
testimonies
56:23
are always
56:23
such a
56:24
powerful
56:24
reminder
56:25
for us.
56:27
Powerful
56:27
reminder of
56:28
how God
56:29
transforms
56:30
life.
56:32
And that
56:33
is what
56:33
the gospel
56:34
does.
56:35
That is
56:36
what Christ
56:37
does for
56:38
sinners.
56:40
Sinners
56:40
in need
56:41
of salvation,
56:43
there is
56:43
Christ.
56:46
And the
56:46
weary
56:47
in need
56:48
of refreshing
56:48
to go
56:49
on,
56:50
there is
56:50
Christ.
56:52
It's
56:52
all of
56:53
him.
56:54
He
56:55
saves
56:55
and he
56:57
keeps
56:58
and he
56:59
keeps us
56:59
going.
57:01
Even
57:01
youths
57:02
shall faint
57:03
and be
57:03
weary
57:04
and young
57:05
men
57:05
shall fall
57:06
exhausted.
57:08
But they
57:09
who wait
57:09
on the
57:10
Lord
57:10
shall
57:11
renew
57:11
their
57:12
strength.
57:12
They
57:12
shall
57:12
mount
57:13
up with
57:13
wings
57:14
like
57:14
eagles.
57:15
They
57:15
shall
57:16
run
57:16
and not
57:17
be
57:17
weary.
57:18
They
57:18
shall
57:19
walk
57:19
and not
57:20
faint.
57:22
Isn't
57:22
that a
57:23
wonderful
57:23
promise
57:25
of the
57:26
renewing
57:26
power
57:27
of God?
57:29
A
57:29
weary
57:30
people
57:30
see the
57:32
greatness
57:32
of God
57:34
and go
57:35
on in
57:37
his
57:37
strength.
57:38
Let us
57:39
pray.
57:39
God
57:39
to
57:41
God
57:42
to
57:43
God
57:43
to
57:44
God
57:45
is
57:45
powerful.
57:46
That
57:47
one
57:47
word
57:47
from
57:47
you
57:48
is
57:48
worth
57:48
more
57:49
than
57:49
10,000
57:50
words
57:50
of
57:51
men.
57:52
And we
57:52
thank you
57:53
that you
57:53
speak
57:54
and that
57:55
your
57:55
word
57:55
is
57:55
truth
57:56
and that
57:57
your
57:57
word
57:57
is
57:57
life.
57:59
We
57:59
thank you
57:59
that your
57:59
word
58:00
renews
58:00
even when
58:01
renewal and
58:02
change seems
58:03
impossible for
58:04
us.
58:05
And we
58:05
pray,
58:06
Lord,
58:06
that your
58:06
word
58:07
will be
58:09
actively
58:09
powerful in
58:10
our hearts
58:11
and in
58:11
those around
58:12
us.
58:13
It will
58:13
be
58:13
renewing
58:14
and
58:14
refreshing
58:14
to us
58:15
that even
58:16
in the
58:16
midst of
58:17
the times
58:18
of
58:18
weariness
58:18
we can
58:19
all
58:19
experience
58:20
that we
58:21
will know
58:21
that
58:22
renewing
58:22
strength
58:23
of the
58:23
Lord,
58:24
that we
58:24
shall know
58:25
what it
58:25
is to
58:26
mount up
58:26
with wings
58:27
like
58:27
eagles,
58:28
that we
58:29
should know
58:29
what it
58:30
is to
58:30
run and
58:31
not be
58:31
weary and
58:32
walk and
58:33
not faint.
58:34
We thank
58:34
you that
58:35
that is
58:35
through
58:35
your
58:36
strength
58:37
given.
58:38
So may
58:38
you bless
58:39
us with
58:39
it and
58:40
watch over
58:40
us we
58:40
pray in
58:41
Jesus'
58:42
name.
58:42
Amen.
58:51
We're
58:51
going to
58:52
conclude by
58:52
singing in
58:53
Psalm 89
58:54
once again
58:55
in the
58:56
Scottish
58:56
Psalter.
58:57
Psalm 89
58:58
at verse
58:59
33.
59:04
page
59:04
347
59:05
of the
59:06
psalm
59:06
book
59:06
psalm
59:07
89
59:07
at
59:07
verse
59:08
33.
59:10
Yet
59:10
I'll
59:10
not
59:10
take
59:11
my
59:11
love
59:11
from
59:11
him
59:12
nor
59:12
false
59:13
my
59:13
promise
59:14
make
59:14
my
59:15
covenant
59:15
I'll
59:16
not
59:16
break
59:16
nor
59:16
change
59:17
what
59:18
with
59:18
my
59:19
mouth
59:19
I
59:20
speak.
59:20
We have
59:21
that
59:21
assurance
59:21
of God
59:23
keeping
59:23
his
59:24
promises
59:24
and
59:25
keeping
59:25
his
59:25
love
59:26
towards
59:26
those
59:27
who
59:28
are
59:28
his
59:28
own.
59:28
Psalm
59:29
89
59:29
verse
59:30
33
59:30
and
59:31
the tune
59:31
is
59:32
Effingham.
59:34
Yet
59:39
I'll
59:41
not
59:42
tame
59:43
my
59:44
love
59:45
from
59:46
him
59:47
nor
59:48
false
59:49
my
59:50
promise
59:52
may
59:54
I
59:55
can
59:56
that
59:58
child
59:59
of
1:00:00
pain
1:00:01
or
1:00:02
change
1:00:04
what
1:00:05
with
1:00:06
my
1:00:07
love
1:00:08
I
1:00:09
say
1:00:11
yet
1:00:13
I
1:00:14
look
1:00:15
in
1:00:17
once
1:00:20
by
1:00:21
my
1:00:22
holiness
1:00:24
ham
1:00:38
van
1:00:39
The Lord shall pass the sun before the dust for rain.
1:00:51
If like the moon shall ever be,
1:01:01
He's done with steadfastly,
1:01:08
And I to the which in the air
1:01:18
Doth witness faithfully.
1:01:27
After the benediction, I'll go to the door to my right.
1:01:30
We'll close with a benediction.
1:01:32
Now may grace, mercy and peace from God,
1:01:35
Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon
1:01:38
And abide with you all now and forevermore.
1:01:42
Amen.
1:01:42
Amen.
1:01:42
Amen.
1:01:50
Amen.
1:01:51
Amen.
1:01:52
Amen.
1:01:53
Amen.
1:01:53
Amen.
1:01:55
Amen.
1:01:55
Amen.
1:01:56
Amen.
1:01:57
Amen.
1:01:58
Amen.
1:01:58
Amen.
1:01:59
Amen.
1:01:59
Amen.
1:02:01
Amen.
1:02:01
Amen.
1:02:07
Amen.
1:02:07
Amen.
1:02:08
Amen.
1:02:08
Amen.
1:02:08
Amen.
1:02:08
Amen.
1:02:08
Amen.
1:02:09
Amen.
1:02:09
Amen.
1:02:09
Amen.
1:02:10
Amen.