[0:00] It's a pleasure to be with you this evening as we gather together for this Thanksgiving service. We bring you greetings from Bonnie Barber. I can assure you it's just as wet there as it is here.
[0:11] It's good to be together. It's lovely to meet together and worship this evening. So let us worship God. We're going to sing to God's face in Psalm 8. Psalm 8, we're going to sing from the beginning down to the verse 1 and 5.
[0:30] Psalm 8, a psalm of David. A psalm that reminds us that the God we worship this evening, he's a great God.
[0:43] He's a big God. And even as David looked up to the heavens and considered the world that the Lord had made, and then he considered himself and how small he is and how insignificant he is in comparison to the greatness and the vastness of God's creation.
[0:58] And then he says about God, that what is man that he remembered is by me, or what the son of man that thou so clangest of him should speak.
[1:10] It's a wonder to us that the God of heaven would look upon us at all. And that's why David says there in verse 1, So we're singing Psalm 8, we're singing from the beginning down to the verse 1 and 5.
[1:39] God's전. Of excellence is all the earth, Lord our Lord is thy King.
[1:56] Who has thy glory far advanced above the sunny rim?
[2:11] O infant, son, from suffering's mouth, thou getest strength ordained.
[2:25] For life was God's soul, thou might, the avenging for his reign.
[2:42] When I look up unto the heavens, which I know, they are in.
[2:57] Unto the moon, unto the stars, which will by thee ordain.
[3:12] But say I want his man that he remembered his mighty.
[3:27] Or want the sun of man that love so kind to him should be.
[3:42] For thou a little overhast, than thou the angels made.
[3:58] With glory and with dignity, thou crowned us his hand.
[4:13] Amen. Welcome to the fourth one. Gracious God and loving Heavenly Father, let me give thanks this evening for reminding us that how excellent in all we are, Lord our Lord, is thy name.
[4:38] And we give thanks this evening that we come in the name of thy Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who has a name that is above every other name. And as thy word teaches us, that it will be at his name, at the name of Jesus, that every people bow in heaven and in everything under the air.
[4:58] And every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. We thank you, Lord, that thy word teaches us that there is no other name given under heaven, among men, by which we must be saved.
[5:12] Other than the name of the Lord Jesus. And that he was given that precious name of his birth. Call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. And tonight, O Lord, we bless thee, that we as sinners such as we are, that we are able to call upon the name of a holy God, a God who delights in mercy, a God who is of pure eye and to be bold in equity.
[5:36] And yet we as sinners are able to call upon thy name and acknowledge that there are a God who is so good to us, who is so great towards us, and who is so gracious with us.
[5:48] And we thank thee, Lord, that we are able to gather in twos and threes in thy name. And that the promise remains for thy people, that when we gather in thy name, thou art there in the midst of us, and that thou art there in the midst to bless us.
[6:04] And so, Lord, we pray this evening that we have no blessing, that our prayer would be like the psalmist, where he said, Lord, bless and pity us. Shine on us with thy face, that the earth, thy way, and nations all would know thy saving grace.
[6:20] And we thank thee, O Lord, for even revealing thy saving grace to us in the glory of the gospel, and even in the person of thy son, the Lord Jesus. We thank thee, O Lord, for the wonder of salvation, that thou art a God who saves to the uttermost, who plucks brands from the burning, who draws sinners from darkness, unto thy own marvelous light.
[6:42] And tonight, O Lord, we pray, that each and every one of us can say that we have tasted and seen that the Lord is gracious, that he is gracious and merciful, he is long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.
[6:56] But, Lord, we give thanks this evening that as we gather together, that we gather to give thanks to our God, a God who provides for our every need, who not only has provided for us that new and living way through his Son, but has provided every temporal blessing that we enjoy.
[7:15] And, Lord, we realize that we have so much, so much to be thankful for, for even the homes that we live in, the clothes that we are on our back, the cars that we drive, and even the congregation that we gather in.
[7:27] There is so much to ask, and to give thanks to the Lord for. But help us then, we pray, to be thankful people, to live lives seeking to praise God.
[7:38] For as the psalmist said, praise God for he is good, for still his mercy's lasting be, that God's redeemed say so will he, from the enemies handed free.
[7:50] O Lord, that thou wouldst bless us then this evening. We thank you, Lord, for our gathering, and we pray for this congregation, that we thank you for them, for their faithful witness, for their testimony in this community, for their desire to see the name of Jesus lifted up.
[8:07] And our prayer for them is that that we have continued to provide for them, that was provided a pastor for them in the past. And we thank you for his faithful ministry, for the seed that has been sown, and our prayer is that that the seed that was sown, that will bring forth food to thy own glory.
[8:26] But Lord, our prayer is that thou wouldst provide for them again, that thou wouldst continue to be their Jehovah's duty. The Lord is my provider, and provide for them another shepherd, one to lead them and to direct them, one to come alongside them, to support them and to walk with them in this great harvest field.
[8:47] For Lord, we know that the fields, they are white and the harvest. And as we are reminded time and time again, that the labourers should remain few. For Lord, help us, we pray, not to look inward, but to keep our eyes looking upward to the Lord of the harvest, knowing that he will thrust our laborers into this great harvest field.
[9:10] And so, Lord, call more men, we pray, call more men to give their hand to the plough, and not turn back. We thank you, Lord, for those whom thou hast called, those whom thou hast equipped.
[9:22] And Lord, we see so many vacancies, we see so much need, we see so many souls around us that are wandering in deserts pathless way, with no city found to rest.
[9:34] And Lord, our longing is that they too would hear about the name of Jesus, that they too would call upon the name of the Lord. But as thy word teaches us, that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
[9:48] So, Lord, hear us then, we pray, bless all those who are unable to be with us this evening, those who are confined to their homes, or even due to the weather, will be unable to come and join us in worship this evening.
[10:01] We pray that thou wouldst be gracious to them. Remember others, Lord, who are struggling with ailments or infirmities, those who are boring, those whose hearts are heavy, those whose hearts are broken.
[10:13] And Lord, we pray that thou wouldst continue to bind up the brokenhearted, and heal the wounds. For the Lord, the one who knows what we go through, the God who understands even the brokenness, and the heartache, and the sorrows of life.
[10:27] But we thank thee, Lord, that we are able to bring every prayer, every petition, every worry, every anxiety, every care, and every concern, that we are able to bring it all to the throne of grace, knowing, Lord, that he's there, that we find mercy, and even grace to help, in our time of need.
[10:47] So, Lord, remember us who pray. Remember those, Lord, whose homes are maybe separated by the gospel, whether our husbands out of Christ, or wives or strangers to grace unto God, or children, Lord, that a still of that God would.
[11:03] And Lord, we pray for our covenant children, how clean for them is, that they would receive these precious promises, that they would taste and see that the Lord is good, that they will always come to realize, that they are a generation that are faithful, and a people that are faithful, and that our longing is that our children, and even our children's children, and even the generation that is yet unborn, that our prayer is that they too would magnify the Lord.
[11:32] Oh, Father, hear us, we pray. We realize and we confess, O Lord, that how little we pray, and how much we lack in prayer. O Lord, we thank thee, and we praise thee, that despite our many failings, and despite the fact we have sought such failures, that our God who is able to do in us and for us, exceedingly abundantly above all, more than we could ask, or even think.
[11:59] And so, Lord, help us then, we pray, to keep coming to this throne, to keep pleading at thy food's rule, to keep bringing all these cares and concerns to the Lord, knowing that there are the one who hears, and who answers, in accordance with his will.
[12:16] And so, Lord, remember us then, we pray, remember this community, remember, Lord, us as an island as well. We think especially of the emergency services, in our island at present, and all that we're seeing going on in Stornoway, and all the worry and anxiety, Lord, that we pray for that family, and the worry about the loss of a son.
[12:36] Lord, we pray that if he's to be found, we're even recovered. Lord, we ask for peace. We know that thou are the one who is the Prince of Peace, and we pray for help.
[12:48] We realise, Lord, that we are so helpless, that we thank thee that we come to a God, who knows what we need before we ask it, who is able to do for us before we even think it.
[12:59] And so, Lord, we ask that thou wouldst be gracious to that family, and, Lord, bring help to them, that they would know how gracious they are. Lord, remember us, we pray, remember our nation, and even the nations of the world, help us, we pray, to keep pleading for those in government, those who are in the loyal family, those who are in places of war, and rumors of war, that we, Lord, will keep coming to the fruits of the Lord, and realizing that, Lord, the God who does hear, and who does answer, and who is working all things together for good, to those who are the called, according to his own purpose.
[13:41] Although we might not be able to see it, and sometimes we don't even understand it, but we thank you, Lord, that even though the dark threat to his needful, and the weaver's skillful hand, as the threats of gold and silver, and the pattern he has planned, help us, Lord, to know that, he is working it all, and he is in it all, and he is doing all things well.
[14:05] So, Lord, hear us and we pray, bless thy word as we read it this evening, as we meditate on it for a few moments, our prayer is that thy spirit would truly, take thy word, and make it alive, as it is as it being an active word, sharper than any two-edged sword, and so, Lord, challenge us in it, remind us of our great God, remind us, Lord, about responsibility to him, remind us, O Lord, help us, to worship thee in spirit, and in truth.
[14:36] Bless us then, we pray, lead us and guide us, we ask, and go before us, we pray, for we ask it in Jesus' name, and for his sake. Amen. We're going to read the word of God, as we find it, first of all, in the book of Genesis, Genesis, the book of Genesis, chapter 12, Genesis chapter 12, we're going to read from the beginning, down to the verse, mark nine, and then we're going to read, in the book of Psalms.
[15:10] So Genesis chapter 12, the moment where, the Lord called Abraham, before he was given the name, Abraham. So Abraham means, father of many, and Abraham means, father of many nations.
[15:27] And that's what he was called to be, in this chapter. So Genesis chapter 12, reading from the beginning, let us hear, the word of God. And the Lord said unto Abraham, get thee out of thy country, and from thy kingdom, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee.
[15:48] And I will make thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse of thee, and in thee all the families of the earth be blessed.
[16:05] So Abraham departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him, and loved him with him. And Abraham was seventy and five years old, when he departed out of Chatham.
[16:17] And Abraham took Sarai his wife, and lost his brother's son, and offered substance that they had gathered, and the souls they had gotten in Chatham. And they went forth to go into the land of Canaan, and into the land of Canaan they came.
[16:31] And Abraham passed through the land, unto the place of Shechem, unto the plain of Moray. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
[16:42] And the Lord appeared unto Abraham, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land. And there built it he, and offered unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.
[16:53] And he removed from things, unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Chai on the east. And there he built it an altar unto the Lord, and called it on the name of the Lord.
[17:08] And Abraham journeyed going on still toward the sun. And then we go to the book of Psalms. Book of Psalms and Psalm 100.
[17:26] Book of Psalms and Psalm 100. So if you're using the Oclanist version, that would be the title would be a Psalm of Praise.
[17:42] But the particular Hebrew word, or the word praise there, is Todah, which means Thanksgiving. So it's a psalm of Thanksgiving.
[17:53] So that's why we're looking at Psalm 100 this evening. It's a psalm of Thanksgiving. And as it reads, Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
[18:05] Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord, he is God. It is he that hath made us, and are we ourselves.
[18:17] We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise. We thank them unto him, and bless his name.
[18:31] For the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting, and his truth endureth to all generations. And so on, and the Lord connects, those readings, of his own holy quality.
[18:47] Now before we consider Psalm 100, this evening we're going to sing, at this time, Psalm 23. Psalm 23, the well-known shepherd psalm.
[18:57] I'm going to sing the whole psalm. I think there's always a danger of singing Psalm 23 so often, that we become so familiar with it, that we actually forget what it's saying.
[19:17] But it's always great to be reminded of who this shepherd is, and what this shepherd does for us. And he's a wonderful shepherd, a shepherd who goes before us into green pastures, and besides the waters.
[19:30] A shepherd who walks beside us, when we're going through the valley of the shadow of death. And then a shepherd who even trumps behind us, with his goodness and mercy, all the days of our life.
[19:45] He is the shepherd, and we all need to confess him, and say that the Lord's my shepherd, I am not one. He makes me let down to life, and pastures green he leadeth me, the quiet water fine.
[20:00] So the same psalm, we think we'll sing the whole psalm to God's face. The Lord's my shepherd, The Lord's my shepherd, I'll not want, He makes me let down to life, In pastures green he leadeth me, The quiet waters fine.
[20:40] My soul he doth restore again, And me to walk doth make, Within the paths of righteousness, In for his own name's sake.
[21:16] Dear, O my walk, In death's dark vale, Yet will I fear none ill, For thou art with me, For thou art with me, And I wrote, And scoff me, Come for still, My table thou hast furnished, In presence of my foes, My head thou dost, With oil anoint,
[22:20] And my cup overflows, Goodness and mercy on my life, Shall surely follow me, And in God's house, Forevermore, My dwelling place shall be.
[23:03] Well this evening, With the Lord's help, And with the Lord's name, We return back to, That second portion of scripture, That we write, The book of Psalms, And it's Psalm 100, The book of Psalms, And it's Psalm 100, And we'll just read again, From the beginning, But it says there, A Psalm of praise, Or, As the, If you can say it literally, It's a Psalm of thanksgiving, A Psalm of thanksgiving, Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, All ye lands, Serve the Lord with gladness, Come before his presence, With singing, Know ye that the Lord, Lordly is God, It is he that hath made us, And not we ourselves, We are his people, And the sheep of his pasture, Enter into his gates,
[24:04] With thanksgiving, And into his courts, With praise, Be thankful unto him, And bless his name, For the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting, And his truth, Endure it, To all generations.
[24:19] Psalm 100 is one of, If not the most well known, And much loved Psalm, In the Psalter. It has been sung for generations, In many different denominations, Many different dialects, Many different countries, And many different contexts.
[24:38] And Psalm 100, It's one of those Psalms, That's, You could say it's a universal Psalm, And it's also in many ways, A unique Psalm. In fact it was one of the first Psalms, To be translated, Into the medical format, That we now know, And love.
[24:55] Because Psalm 100, First appeared, Just after the Scottish Reformation, Which took place, In 1560. And Psalm 100 appeared, In 1561.
[25:06] And the beautiful thing, If you know anything, About the Reformation, The beautiful thing, About the Reformation, Was that, What the reformers did, Was that they put the Bible back, Into the hands, Of the people.
[25:18] They wanted the people of God, To read, The word of God, And understand the word of God, For themselves. Because, Prior to the Reformation, The Bible, Was only written, In the Latin.
[25:31] And it could only be read, And understood, By all the Roman Catholic, Clergy. But the Reformation, It not only brought, Reform and restoration, To the reading of God's word, It also brought, Reform and restoration, To the singing, Of God's word.
[25:47] Because, Because what the reformers wanted, They wanted, Worshippers, To gather together, On the Lord's day, Not only to read, The word of God, In their own language, And to hear the word of God, Being preached, In their own language.
[26:00] But the reformers, Wanted everyone, To be able to sing, The word of God, In their own language. The reformers, Wanted people, Especially, The Scottish reformers, They wanted people, In all the cities, And all the towns, And all the villages, Of Scotland, To worship God, Using God's, Hymn book, The book of Psalms, If you want to get it, It's full title, It's the book of Psalms, Hymns, And Spiritual Songs, The reason it's called, The book of Psalms, Is simply because, There's more Psalms in it, Than hymns, Or spiritual songs, But one of the first, Psalms, That they sung, After the reformation, Was this, Psalm of thanksgiving, Psalm, 100, And the Scottish church, Amazingly, That has been singing, This psalm, For the past, 460 years, And I don't suppose, It's going to stop, Now, Because this psalm, Of thanksgiving, It reminds us of, Three things, Three things, I want us to see, In this psalm, This evening, This psalm,
[27:01] Of thanksgiving, It reminds us, To be thankful, For our salvation, To be thankful, For our shepherd, And to be thankful, For our saviour, So the psalm of thanksgiving, Psalm 100, It reminds us, To be thankful, For our salvation, Our shepherd, And our saviour, So first of all, It tells us, Or encourages us, To be thankful, For our salvation, See there, Verse 1, Make a joyful noise, Unto the Lord, All ye lands, Serve the Lord, With gladness, Come before his presence, With singing, Or as we know it, And as we love it, In this mythical version, All people that on earth, Do dwell, Sing to the Lord, With cheerful voice, Him serve with mirth, His praise will tell, Come ye before him, And rejoice, And you know, Where the mythical version, Of Psalm 100, Was written, Just after the reformation, In 1561,
[28:03] It was translated, From its original Hebrew, And set to this, Symmetrical format, And it was done, By a man, Named William Keith, Good name to remember, William Keith, And the amazing thing, About William Keith, Is that, Although he's not well known, Like many of the other, Reformers, That we all have heard of before, Like John Knox, Or John Calvin, Or Martin Luther, The thing about William Keith, Is that you could even go as far, As to say that, William Keith's works, Are read, And sung, More often, Than any of the other, Reformers, Because William Keith, The translation of Psalm 100, It's not only, Extremely accurate, But it's also been adopted, And sung, By many churches, Not only in Scotland, But throughout the world, And every church, Sings it, To the same tune, Old, 100, I'm sure you know that tune, The tune amazingly, Was composed actually, By a French man, The French man is called,
[29:05] Louis Bourgo, Louis Bourgo, And it's interesting that, In the 1560s, Louis Bourgo, Had helped John Calvin, To compile, Not the Scottish Sauter, As we say it, But the Geneva Sauter, In fact in 1561, When Psalm 100 was written, Louis Bourgo, Was put into prison, So this man, Who composed Samtunes, He was put into prison, For altering Samtunes, Imagine that, Put into prison, For altering, A psalm tune, And it was amazing, When you thought the story, It was amazing, It was actually John Calvin, Who paid the bail, To get Louis Bourgo, Out of prison, For altering, A psalm tune, But these two men, William Keith, And Louis Bourgo, They're responsible, For this moving, And motivating psalm, But what's known, Is that Psalm 100, It's one of these, Great missionary psalms, Because when you read it, It has this, Great missionary vision, The missionary vision,
[30:06] That all people, That on earth do dwell, Would sing to the Lord, With cheerful voice, And it was that, Missionary vision, Which the Lord shared, And which the Lord swore, To Abraham, Way back, In Genesis chapter 12, Because as we read earlier, When the Lord, Called Abraham, As he was named then, When he called Abraham, Out of, The idolatrous land, Of, Out of the Chaldees, The Lord commanded, And commissioned him, To go, Go, He said, The Lord said to Abraham, Well Abraham, Go from your country, And your kindred, And your father's house, To a land, That I will show you, And I will make of you, A great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great, So that you will be a blessing, I will bless those, Who bless you, And whom who curses you, I will curse, But through you, This is what the Lord said, Through you, Abraham, All the families, Of the earth,
[31:07] Will be blessed, The Lord promised, And pledged, To Abraham, He promised, And pledged, Blessing, That through his seed, All the nations, All the families, Of the earth, Will be blessed, And that was the great missionary vision, That all people, That on earth do dwell, Would sing to the Lord, With cheerful voice, That was the vision, That was the longing, That more and more people, Would know of the Lord's blessing, And sing of the Lord's blessing, With cheerful voice, But sadly, When you actually, Look at the history, Of Israel, When you read through the pages, Of the Old Testament, We see that instead of possessing, And practicing, This great missionary vision, The Israelites, They prohibited it, The Israelites, They were meant to, Bring blessing, To the nations, The Israelites, Were meant to bring, Life to all these, Neighboring nations, That surrounded them, But instead,
[32:07] When you look at the Old Testament, The Israelites, Were guilty of, Hiding their life, And veiling their life, And concealing their life, And even keeping, The blessing of God, To themselves, In fact, When you read through, The Old Testament, The Israelites, They became so selfish, And so self-centered, And so self-consumed, But they became, A proud people, A proud people, Who forgot, That God was gracious, And merciful, And long-suffering, And abundant in goodness, And through, And in the end, They kept the light of the gospel, To themselves, But that wasn't the vision, That wasn't the promise, The vision, And the promise, Was for the life, Of God's blessing, To go to all the people, All the nations, All the families, Of the earth, The vision, Was to be a light, To every neighbour, To all the neighbouring nations, And you know, This is right, When you go into the New Testament, And Jesus,
[33:08] Is there, Feaching in the Sermon on the Mount, And Jesus is speaking, To the New Testament church, And he's reminding them, Of what the Old Testament church, Built in, And Jesus reminds and reaffirms, The New Testament church, And he says to them, You are the light of the world, You are the light of the world, They were meant to be the light of the world, But they hid their light, Therefore you must let your light, So shine before men, That they may see your good works, And glorify your Father in heaven, Jesus was saying, Don't be like the Israelites of old, Don't be like the Israelites in the past, Who hid their light, And bailed their light, And concealed their light, And kept the light of the gospel, To themselves, No, You have received the light of life, You have received the light, Of the gospel, Therefore teaches Jesus, In the Sermon on the Mount, You must be a consistent Christian, In your witness, And your witness, In your home,
[34:09] And in your neighbourhood, And in your right place, Because the New Testament teaches us, If our gospel be hid, It is said to them, That are lost, If our gospel be hid, It is said to them, That are lost, And when you look at your Bible, And you think, Solomon was right, Without vision, The people perish, Without this vision, The people perish, Which means that we all need to adopt, And apply the missionary vision, Of Psalm 100, We all love this psalm, But we all need to adopt, And apply the missionary vision, Found within this psalm, Because without this missionary vision, The people in their congregations, And the people in their communities, They'll perish, Without gospel be hid, It is said to them, That are lost, And so Psalm 100,
[35:10] Is the psalm of thanksgiving, That reminds us to be thankful, Thankful for our salvation, That's the first thing, And secondly, We're to be thankful for our shepherd, Thankful for our shepherd, He says in verse 3, Know ye that the Lord, He is God, It is he that made us, And not we ourselves, We are his people, And the sheep, Of his pasture, Or as the medical brain puts it, Know that the Lord, He is God indeed, Without everything he did us make, We are his flock, He doth us feed, And for his sheep, He doth us take, During this psalm of thanksgiving, The psalmist reminds us, That we should be, Thankful for our salvation, And thankful for our shepherd, But we're to be thankful, For our salvation, Because our salvation, Is one that contains, The Lord's pledge, And promise,
[36:10] Of blessing, And as we said, There was a pledge, And promise given to Abraham, For all the families, Of the earth, It was given for all the families, Of the earth, Which ought to remind us, I think it's something, We often forget, God is interested, In your family, God is interested, In your family, As you know, And certainly through, The man's embargoes, As you know, There's no such thing, As a normal family, There's no such thing, As a normal family, Every family has flaws, Every family has failings, Every family has faults, Every family is different, Because there are families, Which experience, Breakups and breakdowns, There's families, Where there is sickness, There is suffering, And there is often sorrow, There's divisions, And divorce, There are single-cared families, There are young families, There are adopted families, Amalgamated families, But you know, The glory of the gospel, And this is what we always need,
[37:12] To come back to, With this mission and revision, The glory of the gospel, Is that God is interested, In your family, God is interested, In your family, And this beautiful psalm, Psalm 100, Reminds us, And he affirms to us, That the gospel, Is actually a family message, The gospel is a family message, It's not just for, Us as adults, It's for children, It's for teenagers, It's for young people, It's for the young, The middle aged, And the elderly, The gospel is for, As the psalmist says, It's for all people, All people, Everywhere, It's, A family message, And it's a family message, For all people, Because it's shepherd, As you know, It's for all people, The shepherd is for all people, That's what the psalmist, Reminds us in verse 3, Know ye that the Lord, He is God, It is he that hath made us, And not we ourselves, We are his people, And the sheep,
[38:13] Of his pasture, So the psalmist, He reminds us, To be thankful, For our shepherd, Because the Lord, He's not only our creator, He's also our king, He's our sovereign, And he's also our shepherd, He's the one who brought us, And to be, As we sing, He made us, Without our aid, He made us, Without our aid, And you know, This is what the Bible teaches us, And tells us time and time again, That God created, Every single one of us, Uniquely, Uniquely, Beautifully, Personally, We've been laid and moulded, And formed and fashioned, In the image and likeness, Of our creator, And it's in him, Our Bible tells us, It's in him, That we live and move, And have our being, And yes, The image of God in us, Has been marred by sin, But yet we have been created, To worship him, And glorify him,
[39:14] Because, He's our creator, He gave us, A beginning, He gave us an existence, He made us, A living soul, He made us, Even for, Eternity, And you know, The amazing thing is, That our God, Made us so delicately, And with so much dignity, And he thinks so highly, Of the life that he has given, To each and every one of us, That one day, He will ask us, What we do with it, That's how much he loves us, He's going to ask us, One day, To give an account, Of the life, That he has given, To us, And you know, This is why, The God who has shaped us, And sustains us, And even wants to save us, From our sin, He's not only our sovereign, He's our shepherd, He's the shepherd, Who found us, As lost sheep, Wandering in the wilderness, Of this world, Aimlessly, Feasting on things, That we shouldn't have been hearing, Yet like the parable,
[40:14] Of the lost sheep, Our shepherd, He sought us, And he searched for us, As lost sheep, And he calls us, And he commanded us, And even compelled us, To come home, I always love those words, In John 10, Where our good shepherd says, I am the good shepherd, The good shepherd, Lay down his life, For the sheep, My sheep, Hear my voice, And I know them, And they follow me, And I give to them, Eternal life, And they will never perish, Neither shall they be plucked, Out of my hand, But you know, The Lord is, Not only the shepherd, Who finds us, He's also the shepherd, Who feeds us, The psalmist says, We are his flock, He does us feed, And for his sheep, He does us take, And as the shepherd, Refines us, And feeds us, He feeds us, Both temporally, And spiritually, He provides, For our every need,
[41:16] And that's why, We're giving thanks to him, He provides, Everything from his, Sovereign and shepherding hand, He provides our food, And our family, He provides our home, And our health, He provides our work, And even our wealth, It's all from him, He is our provider, He's the one who provides, For all our temporal, And spiritual needs, Provides everything, He is, We are his flock, He does us feed, And for his sheep, He does us take, He's our provider, I'm sure, Some of you will know, The retired minister, In Barbers, The Reverend William MacLeod, He was a minister, In the Uig, For, I think it was about, 40 years, And he often says it, And I've heard him, Saying it many times, Myself, When our cupboards, We're empty, The churches, We're full, But now that the cupboards, We're full, The churches, Are empty,
[42:19] When our cupboards, We're full, The churches, When the cupboards, We're empty, The churches, We're full, But now that the cupboards, Are full, The churches, Are empty, And the churches, In our communities, They're empty, Because we're comfortable, We're content, Without the Lord, Even though, We have an abundance, From our shepherd, We don't, Often acknowledge it, Or even appreciate it, That it came from his hand, And no other, We don't rely upon, The promises, And the provision, Of our shepherd, Because our shepherd, He not only promises, Provisions for our temporal needs, He also promises, Provisions for our spiritual needs, Because whether we are, Entangled in our sin, Or encountering sickness, Or even embracing sorrow, We have a promise, Of our shepherd's, Provision, He gives us, Abundance, That's what Paul said, To the Philippines, He said, My God shall supply, All your needs,
[43:21] According to his riches, And glory, By Christ Jesus, My friend, Our shepherd, Is a wonderful shepherd, Is not only a shepherd, Who finds us, Is a shepherd, Who feeds us, But it's also a shepherd, Who follows us, It's a unique thing, About this shepherd, Who follows us, That's what we're singing, About our, In Psalm 23, The shepherd's psalm, Because when we, When we confess, The Lord is my shepherd, When we believe in our heart, And confess, With our mouth, The Lord is my shepherd, We have the promise, Of his provision, Because he promises, As we said earlier, To lead us, In green pastures, And besides the water, He promises to, To walk beside us, When we encounter, And experience, The valley of the shadow, Of death, But more than that, He promises, To follow behind us, To follow behind us, With his goodness, And his mercy, And it's not just for one day,
[44:22] Or one week, Or one month, No, no, It's every day, All the days, Of our life, That's how good, The good shepherd is, Jesus, The good shepherd, Who finds us, And feeds us, And follows us, He finds us, He finds us, And feeds us, And follows us, Therefore, We have good reason, To give thanks, To our shepherd this evening, We're to be thankful, For our shepherd, As Osama, And the psalm, Of thanksgiving, The psalm, Of thanksgiving, Which reminds us, To be thankful, For our salvation, Thankful, For our shepherd, And then lastly, We say, Thankful, For our saviour, Thankful for our saviour, Today's air, Verse 4, Enter into his gates, With thanksgiving, And into his courts, With praise, Be thankful unto him, And bless his name, For the Lord is free,
[45:24] His mercy, Is everlasting, And his truth, Endure, To all generations, So, You know, We mentioned earlier, That this well-known, And much loved, Medical psalm, Or the medical version, Of Psalm 100, Was written by that man, William Keith, So remember the name, William Keith, It was written in 1561, And it was sung, To a tune, That was written by, A French man, Louis Bourgo, The tune, Old 100, What's amazing is that, Over a century later, So 1561, To 1674, In 1674, An additional verse, Was added to the medical psalm, Now we don't sing it, It's not in our psalter, But it was added by, An English bishop, Called Thomas Cain, And he added what, You often refer to as, A doxology, It's a concluding verse, To Psalm 100, Now the word doxology,
[46:24] It comes from the Greek word, Doxa, Meaning glory, It's actually a great word, Doxa, Glory, And so a doxology, It's a verse, Which seeks to ascribe, And a tenu, Praise, Honour, And glory, To God, And so Thomas Cain's, Doxology for Psalm 100, You've probably read it, Or heard it, Maybe even sung it before, This is how it goes, Praise God, From whom all blessings flow, Praise him, All creatures here below, Praise him above ye heavenly hosts, Praise Father, Son, And Holy Ghost, Praise God, From whom all blessings flow, Praise him, All creatures here below, Praise him above ye heavenly hosts, Praise Father, Son, And Holy Ghost, And although you don't usually sing, Thomas Cain's, Doxology, The reason he wrote it, Was because he was thankful, He was so,
[47:25] Thankful to the Lord, For providing, A saviour, He wrote this doxology, Out of our heart, Of thankfulness, Thankfulness, For his salvation, Thankfulness, For his shepherd, And thankfulness, For his saviour, And that's why I love the question, At the end of Psalm 100, It's an amazing question, Verse 5 of Psalm 100, For why, For why the Lord our God, Is good, For why the Lord our God is good, It's a great question, Isn't it, Why is the Lord so good to us, Why is the Lord so gracious, Towards us, Why is the Lord so great, In all that he does, Why is he so good, Gracious and great, And we're given the answer, The medical version says, For why the Lord our God is good, Why, His mercy is forever sure,
[48:28] His truth at all times firmly stood, And shall from age to age endure, You might think the Lord is good, And the Lord is gracious, And the Lord is great, And it's all because of Jesus, Because Jesus is, As the psalmist describes there, He is mercy, And he is truth, The Lord is good, Then it says, His mercy is everlasting, And is truth in Judah, To all generations, So the Lord is good, Gracious and great, Because of Jesus, And Jesus is mercy, And truth, He is mercy, And truth, He is steadfast love, And truth, He is grace, And truth, That's the word that he's using here, Mercy and truth, Grace and truth, Grace, And truth, Why is the Lord good, Why is he gracious, Why is he great, Because of his grace, And it's truth, It's all because of Jesus,
[49:29] And this is what John actually picks up on, The Apostle John, In his Gospel, John tells us in his Gospel, The word became flesh, Dwelt among us, And we beheld what?
[49:41] His doxer, His glory, We beheld his glory, The glory is of the only begotten of the Father, Full of what? What's he full of? John tells us he's full of grace, And he's full of truth, He's full of mercy, He's full of truth, That's who he is, That's who this Jesus is, He's the glorious, Of the only begotten of the Father, Full of grace, And full of truth, Which means that the Lord is good, He's gracious, He's great towards us, All because of Jesus, All because of Jesus, And it's because of that, That the psalmist here, He exhorts us, He's encouraging us, To possess and practice, This great missionary mission, And we can see that, We can see that he's telling us to do this, Because he uses all these imperatives, I don't know if you've noticed, But Psalm 100, When you read it, Even all the first, The first word in every verse, Is an imperative, It's a command,
[50:43] We've been commanded, To possess and practice, This missionary vision, Because he says there, Verse 1, Make a joyful noise, Unto the Lord, All he lands, Verse 2, Serve the Lord, With gladness, Verse 3, Know that the Lord, He is God, Verse 4, Enter into his gates, With thanksgiving, And his courts, With praise, And also, Be thankful unto him, And bless his name, We've been commanded, Again and again, And again, To possess and practice, This great missionary vision, Why?
[51:18] Verse 5, The Lord is good, That's not going to do it, The Lord has been so good, Towards us, His, His, His mercy is everlasting, His truth endures, To all generations, Why are we to possess, And practice this, Great missionary vision, And it's all because of his son, The Lord Jesus, Because the amazing thing, About the Lord, As we already know, He's not willing, That any should perish, But that all would come, To repentance, The Lord's longing, Should be our longing, That all people, That on earth to dwell, Would sing to the Lord, With cheerful voice, This vision, Should be our vision, Because without vision, The people perish, Therefore the Lord's, Missionary vision, Needs to be our, Missionary vision, Because, The missionary vision, Of Psalm 100, Is actually a missionary vision, For the whosoever, The missionary vision,
[52:20] For the whosoever, And there's no one, Who spoke more about, The whosoever, Than Jesus himself, For God so loved, The world, That he gave, His only begotten son, That whosoever, Believes in him, Would not perish, But have eternal life, And that whosoever, That includes everyone, And excludes, No one, The missionary vision, Includes everyone, It excludes, No one, And so without this vision, People in our congregations, People in our communities, They're perishing, We need to have this vision, Because if our gospel be hid, It is hid to them, That are lost, And you know, It reminds me, I take it to myself, First, You boy, Whatever future to you, We need to be proactive, Instead of reactive, We need to be forward looking, We can't live in the past, We have to be striving,
[53:22] Instead of sinning down, We have to be reaching out, Instead of relaxing, We have to be lively Christians, Because we can't afford to be lazy, We need to fan into flame, Just like Paul said to Timothy, Fan into flame, A passion for the Lord, And a passion for the lost, We have to let our lives, So shine before men, That they may see our good work, And glorify our Father in heaven, We're not to conceal our life, Or hide our life, Or keep our life to ourselves, No way to let it shine, My friend, Psalm 100, Is a psalm of thanksgiving, Wonderful psalm, That reminds us to be thankful, For our salvation, Thankful for our shepherd, And thankful, For our saviour, So I'll sing this psalm, With that heartfelt desire, A heartfelt desire, To ask God, To a sky, And a tribute, Praise, Honour, And glory,
[54:24] To God, As Thomas Ken said, Praise God, From whom all blessings flow, Praise him, All creatures here below, Praise him above the heavenly coast, Praise Father, Son, And Holy Ghost, Amen, So be thankful, For this wonderful psalm, May the Lord bless you, God, To us, Let us pray, Our Father in heaven, We just pass today, Reminding us this evening, Of that great missionary vision, That the Lord the Lord gave us, To Abraham long ago, That through his seed, All the nations of the earth, Will be blessed, And that we are testimony tonight, To that promise, That we are so far away, From Israel geographically, And yet we have experienced, And we enjoy, The great blessings of salvation, That we have come to know, The covenant promises,
[55:25] That are yea and amen, In Christ Jesus, And help us then, We pray, To have this missionary vision, Not to hide our life, Or to keep it, Concealed to ourselves, For God may be Lord, To live, For the glory of Jesus, To live, And to lift up his name, That more and more, Would be drawn to him, More and more, Would see, His beauty, And his glory, Oh Lord bless us, We pray, Together, Let us worship, Lord we ask, That everything, That has been said, And done this evening, That it would be God on earth, God glorified, And Christ exalted, And that in everything, That thou wouldst receive, All the glory, That Christ would have, The preeminence, And that we as mine people, We would leave here, Blessed, Knowing that it was good, For us to be here, Do us good, And we pray, Go before us, We ask, For we ask you, In Jesus name, And for his sake, Amen.
[56:22] We are going to conclude, This evening, By singing, Psalm 100, Psalm 100, We are going to sing, The whole song, All people that on earth, Do dwell, Sing to the Lord, With cheerful voice, Him serve with mark, This praiseful cell, Come ye before him, And rejoice, The whole song, To God's praise, All people, That on earth, Do dwell, Sing to the Lord, With cheerful voice, Him serve with mark, This praise, Forth tell, Come ye before him,
[57:26] And rejoice, Know that the Lord, Is God indeed, With underweight, He did us make, We are his flock, He doth us be, And foolish, He doth us take, O enter, Enter in his gates, With praise, Approach with joy, His course unto, Praise Lord, And bless his name always,
[58:29] What it is, He will so to do, Of why the Lord, Our God is good, His mercy is forever stood, His truth, His truth, At all times, Burmish, His mercy is due, A child from its curate, And due, Amen.
[59:14] The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, The love of God the Father, And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, Be with you, Now and forevermore.
[59:27] Amen.