[0:00] Friends, it's good to be together and a warm welcome to our service of worship. Today we are going to celebrate Communion, which is the Lord's Supper.
[0:11] And this is for all who know and who love Jesus, those who have come to believe and trust in him as their own Lord and Saviour. And he invites us to remember that at that particular time at the end of the service.
[0:28] I'll say more about that at the end of the service. Our call to worship is from Psalm 95. Come, let us sing to the Lord. Come, let us, everyone, a joyful noise made to the rock of our salvation.
[0:45] And that's what we're going to do as we begin our worship today in Gaelic. We're going to sing Psalm 95, the first two verses. Psalm 95, the first two verses. So come, let us sing to the Lord.
[0:58] Psalm 95, the first two verses.
[1:28] Psalm 95, the first two verses.
[1:58] Psalm 95, the first two verses.
[2:28] Psalm 95, the first two verses.
[2:58] Psalm 95, the first two verses.
[3:28] Thank you.
[3:58] Thank you.
[4:28] Thank you. Thank you.
[5:00] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[5:12] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. is a theory or a doctrine but that we would remember we worship the true God, the person of Jesus and we pray that we might know the Holy Spirit taking everything that we do and making it real to us, personal to us as well. We pray you will give us ears to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to us through word and sacrament and that we would be persuaded and enabled by the Spirit to believe and to respond as you command us.
[5:58] So thank you for this time of worship today. Be with us we ask as we continue in your presence for we ask in Jesus name. Amen. So it's good to see children with us today and I don't think they're Sunday school today but it's great to see you anyway and it's always good to see kids in the pews and kids in the congregation and long may that continue.
[6:29] I just want to tell you something boys and girls that I came over from Ullipool on Friday night and there's various ways that you can get over to Lewis. As you know you can either fly or you can get the ferry and there was a day when I was much younger, it's a long time ago now but there's a day the ferry never never didn't sail, it always sailed, it doesn't matter what the weather was like and I understand that nowadays things are very different which isn't great but I was very glad that the ferry sailed and it went across from Ullipool to Stornoway two and a half for two hours and forty minutes and what I did boys and girls was I just got on the ferry I didn't go up to the to the where the captain is and and and drive it across I didn't decide which direction it should go in sometimes when it's hit waves I didn't decide oh we need to put the bows to a certain direction I just went on the ferry and I enjoyed a bumpy crossing to be honest but it wasn't too bad
[7:33] I enjoyed this crossing coming over and landing on Lewis I know the Bible says boys and girls about Jesus a man who wrote the letter to the Hebrews we don't know who that was but because he remains anonymous he tells us that Jesus and it says he upholds all things by his powerful word he upholds all things by his powerful word and that word in the language that the Bible is written in first of all is the word ferry or it sounds like that he ferries all things by his powerful word and it's a lovely thought that isn't it's a lovely truth we think we have to make sure that we are going to carry ourselves through life but we don't we are being carried by Jesus and when you become a Christian boys and girls and I pray that every one of you will become a Christian the Christian journey is like going from
[8:37] Alapul to Lewis you see some people think boys and girls that Lewis is like the promised land and see you're smiling because you do think that Lewis is like the promised land so we're coming coming to the promised land people said to me where I am living just now in Locarno you're going to the promised land I said well I will one day but that's not the promised land but being a Christian is like going from this world to the promised land and you know what we are carried there we cannot get there ourselves we just have to let Jesus ferry us and he promises that when we put our trust in him he will ferry us he will carry us he will take us home to the real promised land where everything is perfect and Jesus himself is there and we look forward to seeing him and I hope for you boys and girls that that is what you will come to do as well believe in Jesus and for all of us here today that we will recognise that we are ferried to heaven we don't get ourselves there at all
[9:43] Jesus ferries us upholds us by his powerful word we're going to sing now in Psalm 19 Psalm 19 and we're singing there verses 7 and down to verse 11 Psalm 19 verse 7 to 11 God's law is perfect and converts the soul and sin that lies God's testimony is most sure and makes the simple wise and so on down to verse 11 Psalm 19 verses 7 to 11 to God's praise God's love is fair and they come from earth the soul and sin that lies God's testimony is culture and makes the simple wise the statutes of the Lord are right and do rejoice the heart the Lord's command is pure and a lighter device impart heart and sport is the fear of thought and dark angel forever the judgments of the
[12:03] Lord are true and might just fall together may more than gold ye much shine to be desired I am and hardly honey from the tomb that often sweet and often sweet and fine fall more over day thy servant warn how he his life should claim a great reward provided is for them that keep the same we're going to read now in the of ezekiel the prophecy of ezekiel and chapter 37 we looked at chapter 36 verses yesterday and today we're going to read chapter 37 and the first 14 verses of that chapter so ezekiel and chapter 37 and verses 1 and down to verse 14 the hand of the
[14:05] Lord was upon me and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord and sent me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones and and caused me to pass round about and behold there were very many valley and lo very dry and he said son of man can these live and I answered Lord God thou knowest again to me upon these bones and say to O ye dry bones hear the word of the Lord thus saith the Lord God bones behold I will cause breath I will cause breath to enter into shall live and I will lay sinews upon you and I will bring up flesh upon you and cover you with skin and put breath in you and you shall live know that I am the Lord the Lord and so I prophesied as I was commanded and as I prophesied there was a noise and behold a shaking and the bones came together bone to his bone and when I beheld lo the sinews and the flesh came up upon them and the skin covered them above but there was no breath in them then he said to me prophesy unto the wind prophesy son of man and say to the wind thus saith the Lord God come from the four winds
[15:42] O breath and breathe upon these slain that they may live so I prophesied as he commanded and the breath came unto them and they lived and stood up upon their feet an exceeding great army then he said to me son of man these bones are the whole house of Israel behold they say our bones are dried and our hope is lost we are cut off for our parts therefore prophesy and say to them thus saith the Lord God behold O my people I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves and bring you into the land of Israel and you shall know that I am the Lord when I have opened your graves O my people and brought you up out of your graves and shall put my spirit in you and you shall live and I shall place you in your own land then shall you know that I the Lord have spoken it and performed it saith the Lord
[16:46] Amen and trusting that God is going to bless that reading of the Bible to us before we sing another psalm let's bow our heads and we will pray once again so let's pray Our Father in heaven we give thanks today that we are called indeed commanded but yet invited to call upon your name and the Lord Jesus left this wonderful pattern for us in the Lord's Prayer which begins Our Father who is in heaven and so we are grateful today that as we come into the presence of the Lord God that Ezekiel the Son of Man spoke of as we come into the presence of the one who is from everlasting to everlasting God we also come into the presence of one who has become for us in Christ our Father and we are invited as children to come to their Father in heaven so we are grateful today that we can come with confidence and with respect and reverence into the presence of this God who through Jesus Christ has become our loving Heavenly Father and may we know your fatherly touch upon us today may we know your fatherly embrace around us who are your children today as we gather to celebrate the death of Jesus and as we look forward to a time of resurrection a time of ultimate resurrection where this world in which we live will be burnt up as with a fervent heat and then you will create a new heavens and a new earth where only righteousness dwells and where we will live with resurrected bodies in this new world
[18:34] We give thanks today our Father that we come in the name of the one who cried on the cross it is finished and will you remind us and help us to rest in what he did and in what he said we remember the Lord said if the Son set you free you are free indeed and so may we know that forgiveness that freedom that liberty that wonderful peace that comes from knowing it's not that we love God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins may our time in worship today be expressed in an atmosphere of grace in an atmosphere of hope and in an atmosphere of love because we are truly blessed by your wonderful provision for us in Jesus we thank you for the Lord's Day we thank you for this day that marks the beginning of a new week in fact the Lord's Day marks the beginning of a new era and so may we as we step out on this Lord's Day and as we do what we do today may we resolve to live for you may we resolve to put the Lord before us every day and may we remember what we do today as we celebrate the Lord's Supper the Lord's death until he comes we ask your blessing then upon us as we gather today we pray for every soul that is in here today praying for everyone and all the congregations that are also represented but asking your blessing upon this congregation praying you would bless membership and leadership that you would encourage and strengthen and guide that you would provide for them a man of your choosing to come alongside the elders and to preach the word to pastor the flock to join Presbytery here as well we give thanks Lord that you're the God who's promised to provide for our needs and so we pray as a congregation and indeed as a Presbytery you will provide for the people here we lift up our eyes and remember our denomination we give thanks today as we think of praying for one another we think of the Perth congregation remembering them also vacant us
[20:59] Paul Gibson has received a call to go and has gone to the United States we ask your blessing upon him and his new ministry and we ask your blessing also upon the congregation that are now vacant Lord will you look after them and we pray that they might know encouragement and support in these difficult days Lord we thank you for the work of Centre for Rural Ministry thank you for Ivor MacDonald based over in Duranish and for himself and the team that promote ministry in rural parts such as where we are we pray Lord you would encourage that work also we think of the big country conference coming up and we pray for it that it would attract people to come and learn more about rural ministry we remember the Lord Jesus himself spent most of his ministry in rural areas going in and out amongst the people Lord we pray that you would fill our pulpits and that you would encourage all of our congregations in these rural parts so that as we minister and as we live out our lives those that are outside of Christ would see and would hear and would be by your Holy Spirit brought into the fold they would hear the voice of the Good Shepherd calling them and they would respond by faith we thank you for the work of Asian Outreach we're praying for Duncan Peters and we just give thanks for the connections he has with a Muslim community down in Glasgow we thank you Father for the bridges that he has built for conversations that he has and we pray you will grant him wisdom as he shares Jesus as he shares the true and the living God with those who worship another God a God who is not the true God those who are in darkness who are on a broad road that is leading to destruction who have been beguiled the God of this world has blinded their minds will you enable Duncan and as he engages as he encounters that community to know the Spirit's presence opening the eyes and the ears of the folks that he speaks to so that he might speak clearly of Jesus and that they might see and hear that Jesus is the one that they truly seek
[23:24] Jesus is the one that they truly need and we thank you Father for Sashko and Anja ministering in Poland in various different ways in Krakow we give thanks for the work they do amongst the young we thank you for the holiday club that they were involved in recently and we pray that the connections that they made there would result in young folk and families coming to church coming to Christ we pray for our own young folk as well here today giving thanks for them all for those that are not here as well and Lord our prayer is that this place will be filled with youth and filled with families that they would be that we would together be a family that represents the community where we live young and old and middle aged those that are married those that are single all single all that all of us have broken lives that only Jesus can truly fix and mend and forgive and so we pray that you would hear and answer that prayer and so Lord bless us as we continue to worship you please be with us and carry us through this service and may we leave here refreshed and truly encouraged as we ask all of these things in Jesus name and for his sake
[24:44] Amen so we are going to sing now in Psalm 116 Psalm 116 we are singing verses 1 and down to verse 8 Psalm 116 verse 1 and down to verse 8 I love the Lord because my voice and prayers he did hear I while I live will call on him who bowed to me as here of death the chords and sorrows did about me compass round the pains of hell took hold on me I grief and trouble found and so on Psalm 116 verses 1 to 8 to God's glory I love the Lord Lord because my voice and prayers he did hear my while I live will call on him call on him who bowed to me as here
[25:59] O death the heart and sorrows did upon me The king of heaven took hold on me, I dream and trouble found.
[26:35] Upon the name of God the Lord, then did I call and say, deliver thou my soul, O Lord.
[27:03] I do thee humbly play, O mercy, full unrighteousness.
[27:21] Say, gracious is the Lord, God is the me, I must not know.
[27:39] He did, he held my heart. O thou, my soul, to thou return, under thy quiet rest.
[28:06] For our tree, O Lord, that mark to me, His bounty hath expressed.
[28:24] For my distance, O Lord, from death, it ever comes my need.
[28:41] The day of the holy night, some tears my feet from falling free.
[28:58] If you have your Bibles, please open your Bibles at the passage that we read together, Ezekiel chapter 37.
[29:09] Ezekiel chapter 37. The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of a valley which was full of bones, and caused me to pass by them round about.
[29:25] And behold, there were very many in the open valley, and lo, they were very dry. In 2024, in a certain region in India called Rupkand region, or Rupkand Lake in that region in India, the skeletal remains of 800 people were found on the shore of Ali.
[29:52] And those that know about these things reckon that these skeletons, these bones that were there, date back thousands of years. Nobody knows how they came to be there, but they're there, this array of bones that have been there for thousands of years, they reckon.
[30:11] And they're there, they're dead bones, bones that are just bones and cannot live. And what Ezekiel, in today's passage, is shown is exactly the same or similar to that.
[30:26] He comes upon this really strange encounter of a valley that is full of dry bones that were very, very dry.
[30:38] And what God does is, he takes this image, he takes this vision, and he says to him, Ezekiel, you look at what you see in front of you, and it's a picture of lifelessness, it's a picture of hopelessness, but I am going to do something here that you would never ever imagine.
[30:57] What was facing Ezekiel was an impossible task. But God says, I am going to raise these bones, and by raising these bones, I'm going to show you that I can raise up Israel as a nation, and bring them back to their land, which was coming back from Babylon to the promised land, way back in the day.
[31:17] But also through this passage, we learn not only can God raise Israel back to where they should be back in the day, but he's going to do for us, through Christ, the same thing.
[31:30] He's going to raise us from our death, and bring us life. And that's what we celebrate today. We celebrate the death of Jesus for our sins, so that we can have life in him.
[31:43] But more than that, this passage is telling us that it's looking to the time where we will, when Jesus returns, physically as well as spiritually rise, and live in a new era, in a new heavens, in a new earth.
[32:01] When the graves will literally be opened, and people, Christ's people, will rise to live with Jesus in this world forever. But equally, those who are not, will hear the words, depart from me, I never, ever knew you.
[32:17] And that's what I want to be looking at today, then, as we think of the Lord's Table. Well, I want to focus on this passage that reflects for us, and encourages us to remember that, first of all, Ezekiel is facing the impossible.
[32:32] And then secondly, he hears the irresistible. And then thirdly, he anticipates the imperishable. He faces the impossible.
[32:43] He hears the irresistible. Voice of God speaking through him. And then by that, he anticipates the imperishable.
[32:55] That final resurrection from the dead. So first of all, we're going to look at this, facing the impossible. Verses 1 to 3. Ezekiel is looking at a situation that is utterly impossible.
[33:09] It's a valley full of dry bones. It's not a graveyard. But it's just this valley of scattered bones. And the picture is clearly here. There's no life. There's no order.
[33:21] It's random. There's no hope. The bones are dead. And they're not just reasonably dead. They are long dead. They are very dry. In the end of verse 2, he says, Lo, they were very dry.
[33:33] That means they have been dead for a long, long, long time. Bleached, dry by the sun. And what Ezekiel is facing is a total impossibility. And when he says in verse 2, The Lord caused me to pass by them round about.
[33:49] He took them around and said, Look, as if the Lord is taking them and saying, See, and see, and see. It's not a glance. It's an extensive reflection on what he sees before him.
[34:02] It's not just a quick look. He's taking them round this valley of dry bones. And to make sure that Ezekiel sees every single detail. Every single detail that reminds us of, Humanly speaking, this is a situation that is impossible.
[34:19] This is a situation that is beyond hope. This is not a story of the sick being healed. Or something that's broken being fixed.
[34:32] This is a story of the dead being raised. And that's impossible. And it's an image of what sin does. The Bible tells us the image, The sin, when it came into the world, You remember at the very beginning, God said to Adam and Eve, And you can have this fruit, And you can have that fruit, But do not touch the fruit of the tree That's in the middle of the garden.
[34:55] For the day that you eat thereof, You shall surely die. It's a result of sin. Wounding and breaking and corruption And all these other things that we see in life And in our lives and in our communities And on the world stage, But it's all over.
[35:10] A result of that initial sin, Which brought death. So sin brings death. And what Ezekiel sees is a nation that was dead. As good as dead.
[35:21] They had decayed. They were once God's covenant people. But now they were basically and essentially Skeletal remains. They were nothing without hope.
[35:33] It looked like. And without God. Without hope and without God. And Ezekiel must have felt the weight of this question In verse 3. He said to me, Son of man, can these bones live?
[35:48] And he answers, O Lord God, Thou knowest. Can what is lifeless ever live again? Can a nation that has perished ever be restored?
[35:59] Can a sinner so far gone ever actually be redeemed? Well Lord, he says, You know. It's actually a confession of the impossibility.
[36:10] And it's also a confession of faith. You know Lord. I don't know. I don't know. But you know. You know. He knows that he can't make life appear. But he also knows that God can.
[36:24] And so this valley is not only a picture of Israel in exile, Which is where they were. They were in Babylon. They were not in the promised land. It's a picture of humanity and their sin.
[36:35] Paul says in Ephesians chapter 2, As for you, You were dead. You were dead. You were dead in transgressions and in sins. He doesn't say we were weak. He doesn't say we were struggling.
[36:46] He says you're dead. We are as a human race dead. And no amount of religion and no amount of self-reform, No amount of that can make these dry bones live, could it? They couldn't get up and dress themselves up.
[36:59] They couldn't get up and start going to church. They couldn't get up and start doing what they should do. They couldn't do it. They were dead. And that's the whole point. Nothing can make these dry bones, these dead bones live.
[37:12] The world in which we live says we can do things to make things better. The world in which we live wants to make, revive things through progress or politics and self-help and psychology and counselling.
[37:26] And in a way a lot of these things can do some good to a certain extent. But none of them can raise the dead. Can they? None of them.
[37:37] None of them can reanimate what is spiritually dead. This Ezekiel is facing the impossible. But God is a God who specialises in the impossible.
[37:50] God is the one who says you might not think that's possible, but to me it is. For you it's impossible, but with God all things are possible. There's no such thing as impossible with God, is there?
[38:02] Well, there is actually. It's impossible for God to lie, the writer to the Hebrews tells us. It's impossible for God to sin. But other than that, impossible doesn't come into his dictionary.
[38:16] Because with him everything is possible. And you think of Abraham and Sarah, this barren couple, way beyond the years of childbearing, way beyond the years of child reading.
[38:30] It was impossible for them to have a baby. But the promise of God was that they would. And in the face of the impossible, the possible happens. Abraham and Sarah have a son called Isaac.
[38:46] Moses is leading the children of Israel up out of Egypt. And he's facing this impossible situation. Behind him is Pharaoh and his army. And ahead of him is the Red Sea.
[38:57] It's an impossible situation. But God opens up the Red Sea. Because nothing is impossible with God. And Mary, the mother of her saviour, hears that she's going to have a baby.
[39:10] And she says, but that's impossible. That's absolutely impossible. And the angel says, nothing will be impossible with God. And in the face of impossibility today, friends, we need to remember and rehearse, with God nothing is impossible.
[39:28] He's the God who raises the dead. And that's the whole point of this passage. Nothing is impossible with him. And God uses and he waits until the bones are so dry to show that what he does is by grace alone.
[39:42] It's as if there's not a single inkling of something that could be off the bones themselves, giving them life. And then Ezekiel comes and realises only God can do this.
[39:55] When we sit at the Lord's table, every one of us who sits there will be saying to ourselves, there was a day when I thought, this will never happen.
[40:07] This is impossible. I remember, friends, I remember saying, I will never become a Christian. I will never become a Christian, let alone sit at the Lord's table.
[40:19] I will never. It's impossible for me to become a Christian. And yet, I became a Christian. Because you know what? With God, all things are possible. And when we sit at the Lord's table, let's remember, there was a time when we would have thought, this is impossible.
[40:35] Utterly impossible. But it is possible through God who raises the dead. And we were dead in our transgressions and our sins. And maybe today you're sitting, you're not going to sit at the table, but you're thinking, it's impossible that I will ever be saved.
[40:49] It's impossible that I will ever trust in Jesus. It's an impossibility. You don't know my life. You don't know my heart. You don't know what I've done. You don't know the burdens that I carry. Well, it is impossible for you.
[41:01] But it's not impossible for God. Because with God, all things are possible. And that's what we learn today. Ezekiel faces the impossible.
[41:12] The second thing is this. Ezekiel hears the irresistible. And we listening on here, the irresistible. Again, he said to me in verse 4, Prophesy to these bones.
[41:26] Speak to them, he says. Speak to these bones. Say to them, dry bones. Hear the word of the Lord. I wonder how he felt when he was doing this. To these utterly dead, dry bones.
[41:37] Hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God unto these bones. Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. And he speaks, and he prophesied in verse 7, and there was a noise, and behold, a shaking.
[41:51] And then the bones came together, bone to bone, and when I beheld grow, the sinews and the flesh came upon them in verse 8, and the skin covered them above, but there was no breath in them.
[42:02] So, he speaks the word, and this rattling happens, and these bones start coming together, and sinew comes to join the bones, and flesh is put in the bones, but there's no breath.
[42:16] There's just this, skeletons with, well, they're not skeletons, they have flesh and bones, but they're just standing there without life in them. And he said, in verse 9, prophesy to the wind, prophesy, son of man, say to the wind, thus says the Lord God, come from the four winds, O breath, breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
[42:37] So I prophesied, as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up on their feet, an exceeding great army. So once there was this, this structure, these bodies, without any breath, and without any life, and then the spirit comes in them, and they're living.
[42:55] They're alive. The word, and the spirit, create life. You see? The word of God, and the spirit of God, together, together, together, that's what creates life, true life.
[43:12] And this is the irresistible, grace of God. The bones had to, respond. Why? Because it is the word of God, and the spirit of God, that is at work together.
[43:23] They had no option, if you like, but to come, to life. It's not that we can't, resist the word of God, it's not that we can't resist, the grace of God, but when God, begins to do that work, when he works with his word, and with his spirit, life must come, because his work is irresistible.
[43:42] That must be so encouraging for us, today. There's two things I want to reflect on with this. The first is this, this is the preaching of the scripture, and it is also, secondly, it's a preaching of the saviour.
[43:58] It's a preaching of the scripture, this miracle, happens through the word spoken, and the spirit breathed. The word, ruach, is the word for breath, or wind, or spirit.
[44:13] It appears ten times, in this passage. It means, wind, or breath, or spirit. It's the same word that's used in, Genesis chapter one, and verse two. The spirit of God, hovered over the waters.
[44:25] And in Genesis chapter two, it says, God breathed into Adam's nostrils, the breath, the ruach, of life. And so from creation, to new creation, God's word, and God's spirit, always work together.
[44:41] The word of God, and the spirit of God. The word gives shape, the spirit, gives life. And this, through this, Ezekiel is teaching us, the importance of preaching the word.
[44:56] The importance of preaching the gospel. Ezekiel himself, is not performing a miracle. He's simply proclaiming, God's word. The miracle is God's.
[45:08] It is God, that does the miracle. Preaching, may seem foolish, to the world. Preaching, Paul in 1 Corinthians, 1 says, the preaching of a cross, is foolishness, to those, who are perishing.
[45:20] But to those, who believe, it is the power of God, unto salvation. Preaching, what we do today, what I do today, might seem utterly foolishness, but it is God's means, of raising the dead.
[45:32] Not his only, but his primary means, of raising, the dead. And today, the word of God, is being preached. And today, by preaching the word, life is commanded.
[45:44] You are commanded, to come to life, to come to Jesus, that you might have life. Life is commanded, the spirit is being communicated. He's with us here today, in the preaching, prophesying, if you like, of the word.
[45:59] And what we need to reflect on, is this, both as church, here, and as individuals, as well as this. A church, with a word, but without the spirit, is just like a skeleton.
[46:13] So we can have a church, that preaches the word, but doesn't, have the spirit, and it is like, a skeleton, that Ezekiel saw, before him, to begin with.
[46:24] Structured, but lifeless. You get people like that. They live their lives, according to the word. They hear the word of God, they want to live, according to the word. They structure their lives, but they don't have, the spirit of God in them.
[46:40] So they're living, orderly lives, but lifeless lives, as far as being a Christian, is concerned. So a church, with a word, but without the spirit, it's just like a skeleton.
[46:52] And our lives, lived by just the word, without the spirit, is just like a skeleton. Also, a church, that chases the spirit, without the word, is just like, a wild wind.
[47:08] Something that's, a boat without an anchor, it's going here, there, and everywhere. Chaotic, and unstable. And there are some, that want the spirit, they're seeking the spirit, they're looking for the spirit, manifestations of the spirit, and the spirit, the spirit, the spirit, but they deny, or minimize the word.
[47:28] And here we have, in Ezekiel, the perfect balance. It's word, and spirit. Where the word, and the spirit unite, it is life. Real life.
[47:40] New life, life in Christ. Eternal life. In Christ. As the bones, stood on their feet, in verse 10. The word, and the spirit, coming together, they stood on their feet, and exceeding great armies.
[47:54] A lovely phrase that. This army, that was dead, rises. It's the church, can rise. The church, might look dead, but through the power, of the spirit, and the word of God, it can stand on its feet, and we will stand on our feet.
[48:09] Jesus said, I will build my church, and the gates of hell, will not prevail, against it. The preaching of, the scripture. But I think here, we see the preaching of, the saviour as well.
[48:24] Because here we have, the son of man, preaching, and, prophesying to the spirit. Who is, the true son of man? Who is, the son of man?
[48:36] Ezekiel was called, the son of man continually. Do you know that Jesus, that was his self-ascribed, title? He uses that, son of man title, more than 80 times, in the four gospels.
[48:47] It's how he called himself. Nobody ever called him, the son of man. He called himself, the son of man. Always remember, friends, all scripture, is pointing to Jesus, fulfilled in Jesus. Prophet, priest, and king, in Jesus.
[48:59] He is the son of man. And he comes, and he also, preaches and, by the power of the spirit, raises the dead. When does he do that? Think of him, coming to the grave of Lazarus.
[49:11] Now Lazarus, hadn't been dead that long, four days, but he was dead as dead can be. And the son of man, this title given to him, that speaks of his divinity, as much, much more than his humanity.
[49:24] He comes, and he stands here, in the face of death, and he commands, Lazarus, come out. And what did Lazarus do?
[49:35] He came out. He had to come out. Why? Because it's the irresistible grace of God. It's the irresistible power of the gospel. It is the irresistible power of the Holy Spirit.
[49:47] Lazarus, come out, and he comes out. He comes out of his tomb. The dead, raised to life. And so that same voice, that call Lazarus from the grave, calls you now, to life.
[50:03] Come out. Get up. Start living for me. However impossible that might seem, the word of Christ, still has power, to give us faith, to give us hope, to give us love.
[50:20] And when we gather at the Lord's table, when we sit at the Lord's table today, we're not remembering a silent saviour, but we're remembering a saviour who speaks, and who continues to speak. He speaks through his word.
[50:31] He speaks through his spirit. He speaks through the elements, the bread and the wine. He's speaking to us. He's speaking into our hearts, and into our lives. And we need him, as much today, as we ever did, even at the beginning.
[50:47] Jesus said, without me you can do nothing. We need him. We need the power of his breath, the power of his spirit, every single day, to live the life, that Jesus gives us.
[50:58] Do you hear the irresistible, word of God? Are you hearing that call, on your life? Are you saying, but it's impossible, I cannot live. And Jesus says, don't you see anything is impossible.
[51:11] Nothing is impossible with me. He's calling you to himself. He's calling you to new life. You can't do it, but he can. Structure your life, once again.
[51:22] Structure your life, in a new and a living way, and give life to your life, the spirit to your life, so you know, a new life in Jesus. Not just today, not just at communion, but every single day, of our lives.
[51:35] That is what we have here. So we have this, facing the impossibility, and we have also, here, impossible, hearing the irresistible, and then finally, we are anticipating, the imperishable.
[51:50] This looks to the, to a time beyond, the here and now, in Ezekiel's time, and even beyond, when Jesus himself, comes into the world, first of all.
[52:01] It looks to the, end of the world. At one level, this is about, in fact, in context, it is about, the return of Israel, to the promised land, at the time of Babylon.
[52:15] Because, in verse 12, prophesy, say to them, thus says the Lord God, behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you, to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land, of Israel, to bring them back, to the land.
[52:29] So it is about that. But it's beyond that. The language goes beyond that. It even goes beyond the day of Pentecost, when the word is preached. Do you remember, the word is preached, and what came on the day of Pentecost, friends?
[52:40] The spirit. Word and spirit. You see, the same thing. The word was preached, the spirit came, and the church was born. The church was born again, if you like. The church was empowered, by the spirit, to live this new life, in Jesus.
[52:54] But it looks way beyond that. It looks to a time, when Jesus will actually, open graves, and the dead, will rise.
[53:08] In 1 Corinthians chapter 15, Paul says, What is sown perishable, is raised imperishable. What is sown in dishonour, is raised in glory.
[53:21] What is sown in weakness, is raised in power. And, Jesus, Jesus raising Lazarus from the grave, represents to us, what we have through him, new life, when we become a Christian.
[53:36] Because Lazarus was raised from the dead, and, did he die after that? Yes, he died, didn't he? Yes, he did. So that's us. We are raised to newness of life, but we're going to die.
[53:48] Jesus' resurrection, Jesus went into the grave, into the grave. He rose again, and did he die again? No, he did not. And so this actually points us, to that time, when we will rise from the grave, and we will never die again.
[54:03] We will live forever and ever, in the new heavens, and in the new earth. So Lazarus gives us one model, but Jesus gives us, the everlasting model, of new life from the grave.
[54:14] Of life in Christ, a life that will never, ever end. Do you ever anticipate, that future? Whenever, and I often, of course, as a minister, going to gravesites, going to gravesites, going to gravesites, just looking into empty graves, looking into dug graves, which are not empty, because in them goes, a coffin.
[54:40] It's so solemn. And one of the things, I see every time, is this individual, is going to rise. It seems impossible, but with God, nothing is impossible.
[54:51] And we are all, going to rise again. That is why, the writer, Solomon in Ecclesiastes, says, it's good to, better to go to the house of mourning, than to the house of feasting, because we focus our lives, not just on the end of our life, but on the actual, ultimate end.
[55:07] What's going to happen, at the very, very end? See, where we are now, is not the end. Jesus coming back, that's the very end. And when he comes back, the Bible says, the dead in Christ, are going to rise.
[55:21] The dead in Christ, will rise, and we will forever be, with the Lord. And when we sit, at the Lord's table, we actually celebrate that. You mean, we focus very much, on the death of Christ, and of course we do.
[55:35] But you see, when, and we'll say the words, that, when you take the bread, and drink the wine, and you do show forth, the Lord's death, what does it say? Until he comes.
[55:48] See, we're not, this is, it's not now, that's not the focus. We look back, of course, we do look back, but until he comes, our focus, should be Ezekiel 37.
[56:00] Look into that day, when we're going to rise, physically rise, from our graves. And that, of course, is the same, for those, who do not know Christ, who are outside of Christ.
[56:12] We will all rise, and, physically, and, spiritually, and, those that are outside of Christ, will, depart from him, forever, and forever. And, friends, genuinely, I just, almost, I can't bear to think of that thought.
[56:28] It's just unbearable, that there will be a people, will hear, depart from me, I never knew you. And they will go and live a life, they think they're living life, to its full here, and it's great, when deep down they know, I'm not really happy.
[56:42] Oh man, it is going to be a million times worse. It really is. Hell itself. But what we do today, is celebrating, the sure and certain hope, that the value of the dry bones, gives us, that the death of Jesus, and the resurrection of Jesus, gives us, that in whom, we will rise, to an eternal, beautiful world.
[57:07] A world that is more beautiful, even than Kalanish. A world that is more beautiful, even than this part of the world. I mean, if you look at the world around us, and you see beauty in it, and in Scotland, and in many parts of our nation, we're so thankful, for a beautiful creation.
[57:23] If you think this is beautiful, this is marred with sin. What's it going to be like, without any sin whatsoever? We can't comprehend it. But we do know, that as we sit at the Lord's table, we're looking towards that day, when we will be in that new order.
[57:40] And we will live with Jesus, forever, and forever. Facing the impossible, healing the irresistible, and anticipating, the imperishable.
[57:54] Let's pray. Our Father, we ask and pray, that you would, so bless, to us, the power, of your word, and the power, of the Holy Spirit.
[58:06] That we would, hear, the voice of Jesus, in the word, and by your spirit, speaking to us, inviting us, to a resurrected life, now, a new life, in Jesus.
[58:19] And that, everlasting life, when the end comes, when the Lord returns, and where we will be forever, with the Lord. We ask in Jesus' name.
[58:31] Amen. Amen. This is the, the point in time, where we fence the table, where I say a few words, about, who should be, who can be, at the Lord's, table.
[58:50] And, there's a white cloth, at the back, and that's a reminder, to us, that, it's not an open table, in the sense, that it's open, for anybody, and everybody, but it is a place, where, those who have, come to know Jesus, and know this new life, in him, can sit.
[59:07] It's a family, meal. It's for those, who belong to the family, of Christ. And, in this passage, that we read together, the, the prophet saw this, valley of, of dry bones, but, when this, the word, and the spirit came, this, vast army, was brought, to life.
[59:26] And that's what we represent. We're not a vast army, this morning, in the afternoon, I should say, we're not a vast army, but we are an army, of the Lord's people. We're not a vast family, here, but we are the family, of the Lord's people.
[59:40] And we're here together, by his word, and by his spirit, to celebrate, we have new life, in Jesus. We have new life, in him. So this table, is for those, who have been made alive, in Christ.
[59:52] For those, who have heard his voice, and, and believed his word. For those, who have been born again, by the Holy Spirit, and, those, who confess their sin, and trust in the Lord Jesus, alone, for forgiveness.
[60:05] And if that is you, then, we're trusting in the, crucified, living Saviour. Then, come, and you sit, at the table, and share, in the meal. If that is not you, then, or if you're unsure, of where you stand, then, it's good to watch, it's good to reflect.
[60:22] One of the first times, when I became a Christian, I didn't go forward, the first time, and, what did me, what really impressed upon me, was looking on, I realised, that is where I want to be, not there.
[60:37] Or, in Stornow, it was upstairs, I thought, that's where I need to be. That is where I need to be. So, looking on, actually, may be a time, of serious reflection, and serious consideration, and, serious consideration, of your life, but also, of what you make, of Jesus.
[60:59] And then, let us come, as those who have been raised, from death, to life, humbled by his mercy, and, united by his spirit, and nourished, by his grace, to the table of, the Lord.
[61:13] So, what we do, is we're going to sing, verses in Psalm 118, as the, the bread and the wine, are brought out, and, and, set up, and, we're singing, verses, Psalm 118, verses 15, and, down to verse 23.
[61:29] So, Psalm 118, verses 15, down to verse 23, and, if you, haven't sat at the table yet, and you wish to come forward, please do. In dwellings of the righteous, is heard the melody of joy and health, the Lord's right hand, doth ever valiantly, verse 17, says this, and this is what we say, at the Lord's table, I shall not die, but live, and shall the works of God discover.
[61:58] So, Psalm 118, verses 15, and down to verse 23, to God's praise. in dwelling of the righteous, holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy The Christ of the mighty Lord, Exalted is all right,
[63:04] The Christ of the mighty Lord, The heaven of the earth, I shall not die, But live and shine, The works of God discover, The Lord on me does thy sense for, But not good and good moment, O holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy
[64:32] And I am all relents This is the gift of God I am the true star and star in He will my grace, heart and fear And trust my safety be Not to this great and armored soul With the mercy despise
[65:39] This is the glory of the Lord And one that is in our eyes So we come to the Lord's table And the Apostle Paul And Paul gives us our warrant For what we do in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 But I wanted to say a couple of words Before we do celebrate the Lord's Supper Where we engage in or enjoy What I call the meal that matters most Scripture and just our general view Of what we are going to do There are three terms that are used When we talk about what we are doing The Last Supper The Lord's table And our love feast
[66:40] Three things The Last Supper It is on the night that Jesus Before he died He sat with his disciples And he broke bread And said And we are going to read this soon This is my body Which is given for you This was his last meal Commonly called the Last Supper The Last Supper Before the Cross But it is also The first of many for his people Last Supper for him But then as we As with others do We celebrate it again And again It is the last thing That he did It is called the Last Supper Last things are important Last things are significant And by it being called the Last Supper Shows this is a significant thing That we do As we celebrate What he has done for us In his death And in his resurrection So every time we Have bread And take the cup We look back with thankfulness To what Jesus has done The last thing he did The Last Supper The second time Is the Lord's table
[67:41] And that is what we commonly call it Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10 We cannot share in the table of the Lord And the table of demons We cannot share in the table of the Lord And the table of the world He was saying to the Corinthians He can't live a life That is contrary to what Christ Calls us to live Happily And then come and Celebrate the Lord's Supper You can't do it You can't celebrate At the table of demons At the table of the Lord Coming to the Lord's table Reminds us whose table we are coming to It reminds us It's the Lord's table It's his table It's his table He's the host He's the one who set it out for us He was the one The key figure At the very last supper It was his table And when you go For a meal to somebody's house Would you ever Ignore your host The answer to that is no
[68:43] You will never do that You Thank the host Defer to the host Jesus is the host Jesus is the host of this meal today So we're together And we're family together Yes but remember the host Remember who it really is All about It's him It is the Lord It's not our table It's not a free church table It is the Lord's table So we set our eyes on Jesus We fix our thoughts on Jesus We think about Jesus The Last Supper The Lord's table And finally it's a love feast In the book of Jude Jude's a tiny little book He speaks of the early church Sharing meals of love Love feasts And the early church we believe Had these meals together Probably a bit like the meals We've been enjoying over this lovely weekend Meals together which then grew into Or a part of it grew into The Lord's Supper Began as a feast And then part of it became The Lord's Supper
[69:44] And then they became distinct from one another But what we do is Celebrate a love feast What we do today is Celebrate God's love Don't we?
[69:55] The love of God To the one who is impossible to save Me and you But he did save us The son of God who loved me And gave himself for me This is a love feast We should be full of joy today Really Because Not that I love God But that he loved me And gave a son to be the propitiation For my sins And the apostle John says As God has loved us So let us love One another Let there be love between us Let there be love amongst us Let us love one another Friends, dear friends Show the world That we are different By love By having a different value system And that different mindset That is based in And rooted in The Lord Jesus Himself Last supper Lord's table Love feast Love feast Love feast
[70:56] Paul says On the night that Jesus was betrayed He first of all gave thanks So let us also give thanks Our Father We thank you for the bread And the wine That symbolise That supreme reality Of what Jesus Christ did For us And we pray as we Share bread and wine together We would know your spirit Feeding our faith And strengthening our love And growing us In an awareness of Our unworthiness But of your wonderful grace And love to us In Jesus Be with us we pray In Jesus name Amen So After the supper He took bread And he Broke it And he said This is my body Which is for you Do this In remembrance Of me And then after supper He took the cup This cup
[71:57] Is the new covenant In my blood Take And drink For as often as you Eat this bread And you drink this wine You do show forth The Lord's death Until he comes And you drink Thank you.
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