[0:00] Well, good morning and welcome to the service this morning. We're going to begin our worship by singing in Psalm 130.
[0:14] Psalm 130. We're going to sing the whole of the psalm.
[1:00] Not as to Thee I cry, my voice for you I hear.
[1:15] Come to my soul, the Christian's voice.
[1:25] Give God a tenth of the air. Lord, who shall stand with Thee, O Lord?
[1:43] To the Lord, who shall stand with Thee.
[1:55] Forgiveness is the fear, the faith is the fear.
[2:09] I wait for God, my soul and lay.
[2:21] My hope is in His word. Forgiveness is the fear.
[2:33] Forgiveness is the fear. My soul, with Lord of all.
[2:46] I say, O Lord, may not to watch. The morning light to see.
[3:04] Let Israel open the door. Forgiveness is the fear.
[3:21] gloriv 친. Truth is the fear. God.
[3:32] He shall be seraphised with them, and from all his iniquities he is self-suffering.
[4:02] Let's join together in prayer. Let's pray. Our gracious and ever-blessed God, as we seek to draw near to you through the way that you've opened for us in Christ Jesus at the throne of grace, we're thankful that you're still sitting on the throne of grace and not sitting on the throne of judgment.
[4:25] And we're thankful that you are a gracious God, that you find delight in showing mercies to sinners such as we are. And that's how we come into your presence, as sinners that have rebelled against you.
[4:42] But sinners, you have now entertained the hope that we can be reconciled to yourself, and that we can be heard by you as a result of the work that Jesus has finished on our behalf, opening a new and living way into your presence.
[5:00] And we come before you in that way, asking that as a result of that finished work, that you would be pleased to bestow your Holy Spirit upon us.
[5:12] We know that your Spirit indwells those who are your people, but we need a continual outpouring of your Spirit. And we need your Spirit to continue to minister to us and to lead us and to guide us in the act of worship that we seek to present to you.
[5:32] Because we know that you're the God who is high and lifted up, that your glory can never be taken in full capacity, because we haven't got the capacity to take in all that is true concerning you.
[5:50] But nevertheless, we can come to know you, and we can come to see something of the glory and the majesty that belongs to you. And it's a small insight of that glory that would have us humbling ourselves at your footstool.
[6:08] And that's where we would desire to come, because we believe that that's where we have to come. And we know that it's those who humble themselves under your mighty hand, that you will exalt in due season.
[6:23] So we ask, O Lord, that you would give us that spirit of humility, that you would help us, O Lord, to know that we're in the presence of the Creator.
[6:34] But not only that we would understand that you're the Creator, but that you're the sovereign judge of the whole world, that you're the one who rules over all things, and that you're the one who is all seen, so that there is absolutely nothing that's going to take place that will take you by surprise.
[6:55] And we're thankful for that knowledge. We're thankful that whatever it is that you have allotted to us in our providence, that it's not going to take you by surprise, and that you haven't made provision to meet with our needs.
[7:13] Because we believe that you have made provision that will meet with everything that will arise in our experience. So as we come before you this morning, we're asking that you would help us to acknowledge you as the God who sovereignly rules, but that we would also come to know you in that intimate relationship that you have made possible for us through Jesus.
[7:41] Through his blood, we have been adopted into your family. And as children that belong to God, we're able to call you our Father in Heaven.
[7:53] And not only are we able to call you our Father in Heaven, we can know you as our Father in Heaven. The one who loves his children, and the one who has made provision to meet all the needs that your children will ever have.
[8:10] not just in this life, but in the life that is to come, where we will receive the fullness of our inheritance. Because whilst we're in this world, we have only received a down payment of what is yet to come.
[8:27] And we can get glimpses of how glorious that provision that you've made for your children is through the means that you have appointed, where we can receive your grace and receive a foretaste of what lies ahead of us.
[8:47] So as we come before you this morning, we're asking that you would indeed be pleased to give us a foretaste of Heaven, that you would rend the heavens and come down, and that you would enable us to have fellowship with yourself, because you have made that possible for us.
[9:05] We're asking that you would bless your people here in Kalanish. We're asking that you would be with them to encourage them in their faith, so that they might shine as bright lights in the community, and that they might be the conscience that the community needs, that they would be the salt of the earth to prevent the corruption that we see taking place all around us in the society that we live in.
[9:33] The tide of iniquity has come in upon us like a flood, and we know, Lord, that the only way that that tide can be reversed is that if you raise up a standard against it.
[9:48] And we're asking, O Lord, that you would help your people to look to you, so that you would indeed raise up a standard against it, that we would see sinners being arrested in the tide that seems to be carrying them away from the foundations on which our communities in the past were built, and where our nation itself was established as a nation that feared the Lord, a nation that looked to your word for guidance and for wisdom.
[10:25] But we acknowledge, O Lord, that we have moved from our moorings, that our nation has left the foundation on which it was established, and we're asking that in your mercy you would not take your Holy Spirit away from us, but that you would remember the leaders of our nation, that you would help them to realise their accountability to you, because you're the God who raised them up to occupy the positions of authority that they occupy, but you're also the God to whom they are accountable and will yet give an account of their stewardship, that you would instil within them your own fear, and that they might realise that they are accountable to you, although they think that they are not accountable to anyone, and they think that they can do as they choose.
[11:27] But we know, Lord, that that is not the case for any one of us. We are not at liberty to do as we choose. We know that we are in bondage to sin, and that we cannot choose anything but sin, as we are by nature.
[11:43] But we know also that you've made provision for sinners to be released from that bondage. And we know that if we look to yourself, that you will be pleased to give us the necessary wisdom that we need.
[12:00] That we need. Because that wisdom comes through your Son, Jesus Christ, who is the wisdom of God and the wisdom of his people. And we're asking that in your mercy, that you would enable those who rule over us to look to you, so that they might find that wisdom, and that they might seek to regulate in a way that would be to your glory, and would then truly be to the benefit of the people that they claim to represent.
[12:31] Lord, we would commit them to your care. We pray, O Lord, that you would remember us in our families. We know that you're the God who has made a covenant on behalf of families.
[12:45] That you're the God who remembers our children and our children's children. And we're asking, Lord, that in your mercy, you would remember our children.
[12:57] We know that they're living in difficult days, that there are pressures being brought to bear upon them, which weren't there when we were growing up as children.
[13:10] And we know, Lord, that things have changed to a great degree from what we have enjoyed in the lives that we have had hitherto.
[13:21] And we're asking, O Lord, that in your mercy, you would remember our children and grandchildren. That you would, in your mercy, enable them to look to yourself.
[13:34] And that you would work effectually in their lives to bring them into a saving relationship with yourself. So that the covenant would be ratified as they come to put their faith and confidence in Jesus Christ.
[13:51] Lord, we would commit them to your care. We pray for members of our community that are outside of Christ. That you would work mightily in our midst.
[14:02] And that you would stir us again. That you would come in days of reviving power. Because this island was no stranger to the visitations of your spirit.
[14:15] And we know that your arm has not been shortened. We know that you are still able to save to the uttermost. And we know that you are able to give us glorious days yet here in this life.
[14:31] And we are asking, O Lord, that you would help us to look to you. So that we might entertain the hope that you will visit us again.
[14:41] And that you will raise up a people for yourself. A people that would not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. A people that would seek in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.
[14:56] Lord, we ask that you would make a great name for yourself. And in doing so, we know that sinners will be saved. So we commit ourselves to you in whatever circumstance we find ourselves in.
[15:11] We know that your blessing is not confined to the building in which we worship. So we would ask that you would remember those who are unable to gather with us.
[15:22] Through infirmities of old age or sickness. Or through sheer carelessness. We ask, Lord, that you would be merciful to them. And that you would be pleased to draw them to yourself.
[15:37] And that you would be pleased to bless them in their need. We would commit them to your care. We pray that you would go before us now. As we seek to wait upon you. Having mercy upon us for our sins and shortcomings.
[15:51] For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. We're now going to sing in Psalm number 25. The first version of Psalm 25.
[16:08] The short meter version. And we're going to sing from verse 4. Show me thy ways, O Lord. Thy paths, so teach thou me.
[16:19] And do thou lead me in my truth. Therein might it shall be. For thou art God that dost to me salvation send. And I upon thee all the day.
[16:30] Expecting to attend. We're going to sing to the end of the verse marked 11. Psalm 25 from the beginning. To thee I lift my soul. O Lord, I trust in thee.
[16:43] O Lord, I trust in thee.
[16:58] My God, let me not be ashamed. The Lord, I trust in thee.
[17:11] I trust in thee. I trust in thee. I trust in thee. Let not thou wait on thee.
[17:23] Be good to shame at all. But those that without cause transgress.
[17:40] Let shim upon them call. Show me thy ways, O Lord.
[17:56] Thy path, O Lord. Thy path, O teacher, be. And do thou lead me in thy truth.
[18:12] Let it my teacher be. For thou art God that dost to me salvation send.
[18:36] And I upon thee all the day. Expecting to attend.
[18:53] Thy tender mercy, Lord. Everybody hear the come.
[19:04] Certainly all the day. For I pray thee to remember. How loving kindnesses for thee.
[19:17] I'll be noble forever.
[19:28] My sins and thoughts of you, Do thou, O Lord, forget After thy mercy think on me And for thy goodness great God, good and the brightest The way he'll sinners show Then he in judgment he will guide And make his path to know
[20:33] The whole paths of the Lord Are truth and mercy sure To those that do his covenant And yet save all his due Now for thy own name's sake O Lord, I thee entreat To pardon my iniquity For it is very great
[21:42] We're going to read in the prophecy of Hosea That's the first of the minor prophets, Hosea And we're going to read in chapter 14 Hosea chapter 14 O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God For thou hast fallen by thine iniquity Take with you words and turn to the Lord And say unto him Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously So we will render the calms of our lips Asher shall not save us We will not ride upon Hosea Neither will we say any more To the work of our hands
[22:43] You are our gods For in thee the fatherless findeth mercy I will heal their backs liding I will love them freely For mine anger is turned away from them I will be as the Jew unto Israel He shall grow as the lily And cast forth his votes as Lebanon His branches shall spread And his beauty shall be as the olive tree And his smell as Lebanon They that dwell under his shadow shall return They shall revive us the corn And grow us the vine The scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon Ephraim shall say What have I to do any more with idols?
[23:26] I have heard him and observed him I am like a green field tree From me is thy fruit found Who is wise? And he shall understand these things Prudent and he shall know them For the ways of the Lord are right And the just shall walk in them But the transgressors shall fall therein Amen and may God bless to us That we do We are now going to sing in Psalm number 68 Psalm number 68 And we can sing from the beginning of the psalm Let God arise and scattered Let all his enemies be And let all those that do him hate Before his presence flee As smoke is driven So drive thou them As fire melts wax away Before God's face Let wicked men
[24:27] So perish And decay We are going to sing to the end of verse 6 Psalm 68 From the beginning Let God arise and scattered Let all his enemies be Let God arise and scattered Let all his enemies be And let all those that do him hate To hope is
[25:31] Let all his enemies be In all God's midst and wicked men, So patient he gave.
[25:52] But let the righteous be gone, Let them be poor God's side, In early joy, who live at them, Rejoice with all their might.
[26:26] To God's angels, His amazing grace, Exalted with pure voice, The Christ on earth, By His kingdom, Behold with His rejoiced, Because the Lord of all the days, Unto the Father rest, For it is the wicked,
[27:27] O judge within, His face of holiness, God does the soul, With journey say, In family's own romance, That in the sea for credit, The Lord Christ on earth, Et hafet parche lans We're going to turn back to Hosea chapter 14 And we're going to look at the first three verses of the chapter
[28:27] O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God For thou hast fallen by thine iniquity Take with you words and turn to the Lord And say unto him Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously So will we render the calves of our lips Asher shall not save us We will not ride upon horses Neither will we say any more to the work of our hands Ye are our gods For in thee the fatherless findeth mercy O Israel or Ephliam As they're referred to very much in this book Were God's people And it is to God's people that Hosea prophesied And he prophesied at a time where God's people were very much astray from the things of God
[29:31] From the time that they had revolted against the house of David Shortly after King Solomon died And Rehoboam came to the throne When the nation was split And Jeroboam became the king of the northern tribes And Rehoboam was in the south Now in order for Jeroboam to keep control over those who split from Judah He had set up two golden calves One in Bethel and the other in Dan Because he knew that the people would be tempted to go back up down to Jerusalem At the time of the main feasts And he feared that if they began to go back down to Jerusalem
[30:35] That the nation would be reunited again So he set up these two golden calves And told the people that it was too much for them to go to Jerusalem And that they could worship God through these calves And he set up a people in the priesthood Who weren't called to the priesthood He threw them from the common people Knowing that these people would be unable to instruct them accurately In the way that God required to be worshipped So that they might walk with their God So after putting these things in place He soon led the people astray from God And that was the case For the whole of their duration Now Hosea came on the scene About 200 years after the nation had split
[31:38] After they had got their independence And they hadn't experienced any of the prosperity That they had experienced under Solomon While Solomon reigned as their king They didn't enjoy the peace that they enjoyed under Solomon In fact, once the nation split They had nothing but misery And experienced murders and warfare There was much bloodshed As a result of the people going astray from their God Now Hosea prophesies to these people He comes with God's message And he pleads with them on God's behalf O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God For thou hast fallen by thine iniquity
[32:40] God had not lost his love for his people Even although they had rebelled against him In fact, it's impossible for God To lose his love for his people Because the love that God has for his people Is an eternal love It's an infinite love It knows no bounds And it's an unchanging love God continues to love his people Even when his people are astray from him He will remain faithful Even when his people are faithless And be unfaithful to their God He is willing to show them mercy He is longing to draw them back to himself And this chapter is full of the promises Of God's mercy
[33:40] If they will but return to him He calls them by the name of acceptance Throughout the book they're referred to as Ephraim But here Hosea refers to them as Israel Reminding them of the name that God had given To their forefather Jacob Reminding them that they were the heirs of promise That they were the children of the covenant So here we have a picture of God Showing his love to his people As he pleads with them through the prophet Hosea And even though they had prostituted themselves And were unfaithful to God By going after other gods He is still willing to have mercy upon them And to have them back And he continued to do that down through the years
[34:42] He had sent numerous prophets To warn them of the danger that they were in If they continued in rebellion against him And at this time in their experience They had wandered very far away from God And they had been a long time away from God They had not listened to the prophets that God had sent They had refused to accept the hand of mercy That God continued to extend to them Yet here again we see that he gives them a further offer Of coming back to himself And he is willing to stoop down To the level to which they had fallen And that's what the love of God does It stoops down to the level to which we have fallen
[35:43] And it's willing to accept us as we are So that we might be drawn back into our relationship with God His love is full of compassion Full of mercy And he is willing that we will establish a relationship with him Now the first thing that we want to consider from this passage is The objects of God's love The whole design of the dispensation of grace The whole design of the covenant of grace That God established for his people Before he created anyone in this world He had set up a covenant of grace Because he knew that man who he created in his image Wouldn't keep the covenant of works
[36:45] That was to be established between God and man So he had set up a covenant prior to that creation A covenant of grace A covenant that would invite sinners to be drawn back to himself So that they could fulfil the purpose of their creation Because the purpose for which God created man Was that they might live in fellowship with God So that they would show forth God's glory And that they would live to glorify God And to enjoy being in fellowship with God To enjoy the blessings that God is willing and able to bestow upon his people So sinners are not invited to purify themselves Before they come to experience God's love
[37:48] They're not to present anything towards God That will merit his favour Because there is absolutely nothing that we can present to God That will merit his favour And regardless of how diligent we might seek to clothe ourselves With an appropriate righteousness It will still remain as filthy rags in God's sight It will come so far short of the standard That God requires of his people Because his standard has indultered Even although we fell away from the standard His standard remains the same He requires perfection And he cannot have fellowship with anyone that is not perfect And that's why he sent his son into this world
[38:52] That we might receive the standard that's acceptable to God The righteousness that will make us Able to have fellowship with God And the covenant of grace Is revealing to us that This is the provision that God has made for us From before the foundations of the world Which he immediately began to show to our first parents When they fell and sinned against him That one would come who would reverse The damage that they had brought upon themselves And that they would receive mercy So we are to come as we are We are to come as sinners Because it's to sinners that he offers pardon If we weren't sinners He wouldn't need to offer us pardon
[39:55] But this is what he's offering us He's offering us pardon Because he knows that we're sinners And he knew that that's What was going to be true concerning us Now the fact that he's offering us pardon Presupposes that we're guilty And the fact that he offers to send us his Holy Spirit Presupposes that he knows that we are Unable of ourselves To draw near to him And to present to him the worship That is spiritual Because we are spiritually dead And we cannot offer God The living God A living worship A spiritual worship The worship that he requires of us A worship that's in accordance with the truth And lives up to the standard of the truth But he has made it possible for sinners
[40:58] To return And this is the invitation that he gives to Israel At this time O Israel Return Unto the Lord Thy God He's not content that we stop in our tracks Or that maybe we slow down in the pace That we are walking in away from him But that We will have a complete turnaround And these are the saving graces That he's made available in his covenant That we would repent of our sins Repentance requires a turning away And he enables us to put our faith In the Saviour that he promised That he would send His own Son The Lord Jesus Christ So we need to turn away from our own way
[41:58] And turn into his way And his way Is the Lord Jesus Christ That's how we will come back to God And that's the invitation that he gives us Every time that we read The Lord extending an invitation to us That we turn away from our own efforts That we stop trusting in our own works And that we look to what he has provided And that we trust in his work Now when a person is made aware of the danger that he's in And when he realises That there is only one place of refuge Then he ought to flee To that place of refuge That was the case for the prodigal son When he realised that he had wandered far away from the fathershows
[42:59] And when he realised that his ways Weren't as good as he thought that they would be That he was far better off Under the Lord's sovereign control over him Living under the directions that his father had given him And he made haste to return to his father's house And that's how it is for every sinner That comes to realise the danger that he's in He longs to return to the father's house And when God gives an invitation There's an urgency to respond to it The sinner is asked to return And the injunction requires instant compliance Instant acceptance Because God will not have to deliberate
[44:04] Whether he's going to accept us or not He's already waiting for us Isn't that what the prodigal son discovered When he made his way back to the father's house He found that the father had always been looking out for him to return And that he didn't leave him to come to the house on his own That he went out to meet him And that he didn't meet him with a frown on his face He didn't meet him to judge him He met him to show mercy to him And to clothe him in the best clothes available And to bring him back into the family Not as a servant as he had asked But as a son Having the privileges of sonship restored to him And this is the reception that he will give to all those who will come back to him
[45:07] He will not cast out anyone who comes to him When you receive the invitation from God You have to act right away Because you've all probably experienced That if you don't act right away You miss the opportunity How often has the Lord laid it upon your heart To do something And you thought I'll leave that until later But that time never comes The convenient time will never come You need to act on it right away Or you'll have missed the opportunity Because Satan will not miss the opportunity If you delay Of implanting thoughts in your minds As to why you should delay And the other things that you have to attend to Before you come to look at what God wants you to do The more convenient season never comes
[46:11] Hell is full of people That delayed to accept the invitation In their youth they delayed Because they thought that there was plenty of time As they started out work They thought Well once I get a few good years behind And I get some money behind me Then I look to the things of God Once I get to establish my business And I'm living comfortably Then I will look to the things of God Well let me tell you What the word of God says concerning that You're a fool You're a fool because you're not Acknowledging that God is speaking to your heart You're denying that God is striving with you And you're ignoring the invitation
[47:11] That God is giving to you And there are plenty of people today in hell Lamenting the fact that they Didn't make use of the opportunity When it was afforded to them They had very good intentions But the convenient time never came We need to take The invitation that God gives us seriously And we need to respond to it immediately Because this is far more serious Than being told that you've got cancer And maybe only a few weeks left to live This is far more serious Because there are eternal consequences Attached to ignoring
[48:12] What God reveals to you And you need to respond to it As soon as it's revealed to your soul As the psalmist said I thought upon my former ways And did my way well try And to thy testimonies pure and feat Then turn and die You need to respond And the second thing That we want to consider Is the way back Because you may realise That you're living in darkness And that you're not really that sure As to what the way back for you is And you might be thinking to yourself Well I've longed to come back to God For many years I know that I'm not in the place That I should be in But I don't know How I'm going to change that
[49:14] And I've allowed other things To come in That keeps me in this darkness I haven't diligently solved the Lord Because the word of God Makes it clear That God is the rewarder Of all those who diligently seek him And maybe we've become complacent Maybe we've been resting on our laurels And we haven't taken seriously The message that God sends to us Through his prophets and apostles And maybe our minds have become darkened And the knowledge that we once thought we had Isn't so clear to us any longer And we're wondering How are we going to come back to God Well Jesus made it clear to us Because he's the light That will dispel the darkness of your mind I am the way I am the way I am the way back to God I am the truth
[50:15] And I am the life Because you see Jesus has taken away All the barriers That stand in our path And maybe you haven't come back Because you've believed Satan's lie That you're not worthy And you're still hoping To make yourself worthy You're still hoping To purify yourself And make yourself acceptable Before God Well that's as useless As trying to cure yourself From cancer Before you go to the doctor It's impossible You're never going to be worthy You're never going to be able To purify yourself Before you're accepted by God The gospel makes it clear to us
[51:17] There is only one way back Jesus made the claim I'm the way back The apostle Made the claim To the Philippian jailer When he asked What must I do to be saved Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ And you'll be saved That's the way back And you think to yourself Well I've heard that I've heard that all my life But that's That's too simple There must be far more to it than that There is absolutely no more to it than that God couldn't make it any easier For anyone to come back to him Than what he has done All you're required to do Is to put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ Salvation Is as near to you As the God who is all around you But you don't realise That God is all around you Even those of you Who know God
[52:18] And who are in a relationship with God Did you plan to meet with God today When you left the house? Did you expect that he was going to be present Here in the building?
[52:31] Well if you didn't expect to meet with him Don't be surprised if you go home Having not met with him It's not because God is not in the building God is all around you He is here His light is all around you His word is shining that light Into your soul And maybe you've shut out The door of your heart to him You're not allowing the light To shine You're not willing to accept What the word of truth The light is revealing to you That all you have to do Is to put your hope and confidence In the Lord Jesus Christ Not trust in your own religious efforts Not as a result of you attending church On a Saturday morning When it's such a beautiful day And you've got so many things To do at home All you have to do
[53:32] Is put your trust In Jesus Christ And you will have fellowship with God But maybe you can't see the word for the trees And if that's the case Then what's required of you Is to confess it And tell him I can't see you And I'm not seeing you As clearly As others may be seeing you And I'm not hearing you As clear As others may be hearing you Because others claim To have heard the voice of God Speaking to them But I was listening To the same sermon And I heard nothing What God requires you to do Is to confess it Because he knows That that's how you are As a sinner That you can't see him And that you can't hear him And all that he requires of you
[54:33] Is to accept That you are a sinner And he wants you to come As you are As a sinner Because it's sinners That Jesus came into this world To save It's sinners That will take their place At this table here tomorrow It's not the righteous And if you're waiting To make yourself worthy To take your place at the table Then you're going to wait eternally Because you will never be worthy In anything That you think you're going to be able To do yourself But if you acknowledge That you are A sinner And if you come With that great prayer That we have in the Bible God be merciful To me A sinner Then you will partake Of the feast That Christ has prepared
[55:33] For you You didn't have to Prepare it yourself The table is furnished He has prepared Your justification Your sanctification Your glorification Everything that your soul needs Is on the table And Christ is offering it To you freely He's not saying You must earn this He's saying I know you can't earn it I know that you can never merit it But I've provided it for you So I'm asking you to return And this is what God Is wanting his people To do In the day of Hosea Return unto the Lord Stop putting your trust In these religious works That you're now engaged in Stop looking to these false gods That you've been introduced to Stop thinking that you're going to have
[56:33] Power from the Hoshes That other nations Put their trust in Stop looking to Assyria Come back to the Lord And he will save you This is The invitation That he gives to us here That we come to him With words What words Well let's look at the words That he's provided We don't even have to make up Our own prayer We have the prayer Revealed to us In God's own word Take away our iniquity That's the prayer That he wants them to come with Acknowledge your iniquity And ask God to take away Your iniquity And come as you are Not waiting
[57:34] For anything else to happen Because he will graciously Accept you If you throw yourself Simply upon his mercy Listen to what he says You are You are In verse 3 Asher shall not save us We will not ride upon horses Neither will we say Any more to the work Of our hands Ye are our gods For in thee the fatherless Findeth mercy For in thee the fatherless Findeth mercy Are we in that Intimate relationship With God That we can look upon him Not as our creator Not as our judge But as our father in heaven Are we God's children And if we're God's children
[58:36] The only terms on which God will deal with his children Is on the terms of mercy It's not As a result Of anything That we do As the prophet Says here Stop trusting In the work Of your own hands Stop thinking That they're your gods That's going to save you Come back to the Lord And trust in his mercy Because that's the covenant That he has made For his people He has adopted His people Into his family And they're able To call him Their father in heaven Now he tells us To come with words But words In and of themselves Are useless Unless they proceed From the heart And what we find
[59:38] In the heart Is what God wants To hear We need to acknowledge Our son We need to acknowledge If we're not seeing him We need to acknowledge If we're not hearing him And we need to throw ourselves On his mercy Because he delights To show mercy To those who are honest Before him And who are not trusting In themselves Not trusting In the power of others But trusting That God Will be merciful According to his promise And that he will bestow The necessary grace Upon us And it's people Who realize that That are to take the place At the Lord's table People Who are not trying To justify themselves People
[60:38] Who are not waiting To purify themselves So that they will feel Worthy to come To the table But people Who realize I can do Absolutely nothing To merit God's favor I'm coming As I am And I'm throwing Myself On his mercy So that he will Receive me Into his family And that I can partake Of the family meal May God grant That he would bless To us These thoughts Let's pray Our Father in Heaven We give you thanks That you're the God Of grace That you're the God Who continues To act Graciously Towards All those Who come to you As they are Those who acknowledge That the work Of our own hands Will achieve nothing Those who acknowledge
[61:40] That we Are living in darkness As we are by nature And that we fail To see the glory Of the love That you have For your people And the mercy That you are willing To bestow upon us People who acknowledge That we don't Always hear you When you speak To us Through your word And even When we do Hear you That we don't Act upon it As we should Lord give us The grace To ask That when we Do hear you That we would Rush to give Obedience to you Because it's In the path Of obedience That you're going To be willing To bless your people And the obedience That you require Of your people Is that they put Their hope And confidence In Christ alone Not coming With anything Added To what he Has already Accomplished for us
[62:40] Because he Finished the work So we're asking As a result Of him Finishing that work That you Would be pleased To bless us And mercy Upon us For our sins For we ask it In his precious name Amen We're going to Conclude by singing In Psalm 119 At verse 57 Psalm 119 At verse 57 Thou my Shewed portion Art alone Which I did Choose O Lord I have resolved And said That I would Keep thy Holy word With my Whole heart I did Entreat Thy face And favour Free According To thy Gracious word Be merciful To me We're going to Sing to the End of verse 60 Psalm 119
[63:40] From verse 57 Thou my Shewed portion Art alone Which I did Choose O Lord Thou my Shewed portion Art alone Which I Did Choose O Lord I Have Resolved And said Thou Thou Would Keep Thy Holy Word With My Whole Heart I significativ ens понялmiや
[64:42] TERL educ щё 're Citizen Elle Changes vate I thought upon my former ways that did my life well cry.
[65:20] Until I tested all these pure, my feet inferred I.
[65:39] I did not save nor linger long as those that saw the light.
[65:57] But it is to me, if I lost to keep, I shall have my death prepared.