[0:00] on that public worship, singing in the Scottish Psalter, and Psalm 46, that's Psalm we have sung many times and we love it so much, Psalm 46, that reminder of God's power and God's care.
[0:15] Psalm 46, we can sing verses 1 down to verse 6. Psalm 46, verses 1 down to verse 6. God is our refuge and our strength, and strength is a present aid. Therefore, although the earth remove, we will not be afraid, though hills amidst the seas be cast, though waters roaring make, and troubled be ye, though the hills, by swelling seas do shake. Psalm 46, verses 1 to 6. To God's praise.
[0:59] God is our refuge and our strength, and strength is a present aid. Therefore, although the earth will be known, where we will not be afraid, though hills amidst the seas be cast, we have the earth, though hills amidst the seas be cast, though waters roaring may, and God gently sing to the sea from about the day.ましょう.
[1:36] God will know, Jealous believed and our strength is a present aid. However, I will be Till the hills who see to now the city of the Lord, the holy days when the Lord was high and is above.
[2:28] God is the midst of earth and well, nothing shall renew the Lord to come.
[2:51] God is the midst of earth and well, nothing shall be.
[3:13] The kingdom's moving well, the Lord's kingdom's kingdom.
[3:25] God is the midst of earth and well, nothing shall be.
[3:39] Amen.
[4:39]
[9:09]
[11:39] Who goes home perhaps at times in tears. Asking and seeking answers for, is the work wasted?
[11:50] Is the day wasted? Is the year wasted? Is the life wasted? Lord, trusting that you give increase in your time. As we go forward, Lord, sharing that gospel seed publicly and privately, we ask you would give increase to it in your time and in your way.
[12:06] We would see, Lord, that slow but sure germination. Those early sprouts as they appear before the ground. And that small growth, growing slowly but surely into solid, immovable oak trees of your people.
[12:25] Help us, Lord, then to await these days expectantly. To have gospel positivity. To have gospel-based optimism. Not looking to ourselves or the world, but looking to a saviour who has died.
[12:38] So that his people would come to him. And he will not lose a single one of them. At the final day, though not one will be missing. He will gather all his people to himself.
[12:51] And we know that you still have your people in this place. We know that to be the case. Because you still have us here. Your church. As long as we're here, we trust and we are sure that there are more to come into the kingdom.
[13:06] We ask that to be the case, Lord, in our own experience. Leaving all the reality of it to you. That we point and we plead and we pray.
[13:17] And these things we must do fervently. But ultimately, it is you who gives the new life. It is you who gives that growth. We leave these things in your eternal hands.
[13:29] Help us to be encouraged this new week. To go out with the gospel truth in our hearts and our minds. To leave this place not just having grown in our knowledge. But also having grown in our love for you and for one another as brothers and sisters.
[13:43] We thank you once more, not forgetting our friends with us this evening. Those who have attended for many years in this place. We thank you for them. We ask that the gospel seed that they have heard again and again would take root this evening.
[13:56] Perhaps it has taken root already. Perhaps it has been growing quietly under the surface for some time. Perhaps outwardly they are not admitting it. But inwardly they know there is a change taking place.
[14:06] Lord, we ask in time you bring that change to the surface. And they would confess perhaps. Confess publicly perhaps. Even in the next few weeks. Jesus is their saviour, their lord, their king.
[14:21] But also their friend. We ask that be the case for some, for a number even here this evening. We leave these things once more with you. We cannot make things happen.
[14:32] But we trust and we pray just now to the one who is in full sovereign control. Not just of your people. But of all your creation. Forgive us, Lord, our sins of even this day.
[14:44] We give you praise that for an ability to sin that does not succeed over the finished work of our saviour. Who atone for all the sins of all his people.
[14:57] Who purchased for us that forgiveness for the precious price of his blood. It's in his name and it's for his sake we ask these many things. Amen. Let's turn to read in God's word.
[15:10] A letter to the Hebrews chapter 1. Hebrews chapter 1. If you recall, we said we'll start a short series this week.
[15:32] I have a habit of starting series just before communion times. But I shall wait until afterwards. But we'll start each now. We'll take a wee pause and start. Keep going after the communion. A short series on evangelism.
[15:42] Evangelism 101 we could say. The basics of evangelism. That in mind we can read Hebrews chapter 1. Let's again hear the word of God together.
[15:53] Long ago and at many times and in many ways. God spoke to our fathers by the prophets. But in these last days he has spoken to us by his son.
[16:05] Whom he appointed the heir of all things. Through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God. And the exact imprint of his nature.
[16:17] And he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins. He sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. Having become as much superior to angels.
[16:31] As the name he has inherited. Is more excellent than theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say. You are my son. Today I have begotten you. Or again.
[16:42] I will be to him a father. And he shall be to me a son. And again when he brings the firstborn into the world. He says. Let all God's angels worship him.
[16:54] Of the angels he says. He makes his angels winds. And his ministers a flame of fire. But of his son he says. Your throne oh God is forever and ever.
[17:05] The scepter of uprightness. Is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness. And hated wickedness. Therefore God. Your God. Has anointed you with the oil of gladness.
[17:18] Beyond your companions. And. You Lord laid the foundation of the earth. In the beginning. And the heavens have a work of your hands. They will perish.
[17:29] But you remain. They will all wear out like a garment. Like a robe you will roll them up. Like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same. And your years will have no end.
[17:41] And to which of the angels has he ever said. Sit at my right hand. Until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. I may not all ministering spirits.
[17:53] Sent out to serve for the sake of those. Who are to inherit salvation. Salvation. I may not give praise to God once more. For his holy and his perfect word.
[18:05] I'm singing again this time in sing psalms. Sing psalms in psalm 16. Sing psalms psalm 16.
[18:20] That's on page 17. Verses 7 down to verse 11. Sing psalms psalm 16. Verses 7 down to verse 11. I'll praise the Lord my God.
[18:32] Whose counsel guides my choice. And even in the night my heart recalls instructions voice. Before me constantly I set the Lord alone. Because he is at my right hand.
[18:45] I'll not be overthrown. Psalm 16 verses 7 to 11. To God's praise. I'll praise the Lord my God.
[19:03] Whose counsel guides my choice. And even in the night my heart recalls instructions voice.
[19:28] Before me constantly I set the Lord alone.
[19:44] Because he is at my right hand. I'll not be overthrown.
[20:01] That for my heart is tough. My tongue with joy will sing.
[20:19] My tongue with joy will rest at you. In hope and with my name.
[20:38] For you will not allow. My soul will never stay.
[20:54] Nor will you leave. You only want to see the truth today.
[21:12] You have made no journey. The power of life behind.
[21:30] Bless shall I know. A good right hand.
[21:42] Joy in God. Your face will shine. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[21:53] Amen. Let's turn back for a short time to the chapter we had. Hebrews chapter 1. Hebrews chapter 1. I'm taking in the whole chapter.
[22:06] For the sake of our text, just to help us. We can take verse 3. He is the radiance of the glory of God. And the exact imprint of his nature. And he upholds the universe with a word of his power.
[22:19] After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on the high. And so on. Again, taking in the whole chapter.
[22:30] So this is the start of a short series looking at evangelism. The very basics of evangelism. Knowing. Sharing.
[22:43] Loving. And we'll go on as weeks go on. For this evening. First of all. Loving. The gospel. There's plenty of sermons.
[22:56] And we'll touch on this. Go willing. The weeks ahead. Plenty of sermons on why do we evangelize. And how do we evangelize. And why and how. And all the details of it. Before we start any of that.
[23:09] The question has to be asked. Why do we evangelize. If we take evangelism quite simply as the term we use for sharing the good news. Sharing the gospel.
[23:20] Why do we share the gospel. There's right answers to that. We want to see people saved. Yes. We want to see God's kingdom grow. Yes. We want to see friends and family leave this world behind and go to glory.
[23:33] Yes. We want to see darkness turn to light. Death turn to life. All right answers. But take all that back to the very root.
[23:44] Why do we evangelize. If I ask you. Why do you care. Take aside your love for your loved ones and family and the community. Why do you care.
[23:56] What we love. Why. Because he first loved us. We want to evangelize. To share the good news. To share the gospel. Because at some point in our story.
[24:08] The gospel was made beautiful to us. How. Because Jesus was made beautiful to us. To us. He became real to us.
[24:19] He at some point. For some at least. He leapt off the page for us. So we see the very first layer of. Of why or how we evangelize.
[24:31] Our very first point is loving. The gospel. Knowing the gospel. We could say perhaps. As we said this morning.
[24:42] We. This way to. To counteract. A false gospel. Is by knowing the true gospel. But with that. The best way. To share the gospel.
[24:54] Is by reminding ourselves. Again and again. Why we actually care. And we find that of course. In being reminded. Who Jesus is. His wonder.
[25:05] And. His glory. Thomas Chalmers. He preached many sermons. Perhaps his most. Famous. Sermon. That he's preached. The one he is known for.
[25:16] There's folks. Who have no idea. No care. For the free church. But they know. This sermon. Of charmers. The title. Tells us. The content. The expulsive.
[25:27] Power. Of a new. Affection. The expulsive. Power. Of a new. Affection. That's. Charmers. Preached. Amongst many other things.
[25:38] In that sermon. His main point. Was. How do you draw people. To loving Jesus. Well you. Show them the beauty. Of Jesus. The gospel. Yes.
[25:49] It reforms. Communities. It changes lives. Yes. It has wider. Social impact. All good. The very heart. Of the gospel. It's a new. Affection.
[26:00] A new. Affection. For someone. Who he wants. Therefore. Once we were scared of. Once we hated. The Lord Jesus Christ. And now. As Christians.
[26:11] His love. Enter into our hearts. It has an expulsive. Power. It excavates. And removes. Our hatred. And fear of him. And instead. We're now filled. With love.
[26:22] And zeal. For him. Here's. We come to our chapter. This evening. Just four. Or three or four. Headings. From our chapter. That remind us.
[26:33] That remind us. The wonder. Of who Jesus is. And quite simply. The goal. This evening. There's nothing new. To learn. But the goal. This evening.
[26:44] Is we leave this place. And start. This new week. With. Doxology. This new week. We have moments. Where God. Gives us. The chance.
[26:55] To share the gospel. And we perhaps. Shy away. From that chance. Because of. Awkwardness. Or embarrassment. Perhaps. Even shame.
[27:06] Or being honest. We're reminded. Hopefully. From Hebrews. This evening. That he is a Jesus. And he is a person. And he is a God. Who is worth sharing. That sounds obvious. But often.
[27:17] We're liable. To forget that. We get so distracted. With everything else. We forget the beauty. And the wonder. Of who he is. So a few headings.
[27:37] To remind us. Of the wonder. And glory. Of Jesus. Taken. From this chapter. There's plenty more points. We can make. But. As always. The clock.
[27:48] Keeps ticking on. First of all then. Our saviour. The heir. Verse 2. Our saviour. The heir. We want people. To know. About.
[27:59] Jesus. Who is. The heir. In these last days. He has spoken. To us. By his son. Whom he appointed. The heir. Of all things.
[28:10] Through whom. Also. He created. The world. The heir of all things. Through whom. Also. He created. The world.
[28:21] As we. As we. Worship. Jesus. This evening. As we. Share. To. To. To.
[28:32] To. To. To. To. To. To. To. To. To. To. To.
[28:43] To. To. To. To. To. To. To. To. To. To.
[28:54] To. To. To. To. To. To. It. To. To. To.
[29:05] To. To. To. To. To. To. To. To. To. To. To.
[29:16] Who created all things were made through him. All things were made for him. We worship a saviour. Who every atom. Every molecule of our daily existence.
[29:29] It belongs to him. Belongs to him. Every person we interact with. Every person we pray for. They can't know the gospel.
[29:41] He knows them. But created through and for him. All of creation. It's all his.
[29:54] And more than that. And this is an obvious point. But it bears reminding for us. Brothers and sisters. As we seek to serve together in North Tulsa. As we seek to go out with the gospel. In our homes.
[30:05] In our community. As we seek to see men and women. Boys and girls. Come to us saving faith in Jesus. We're doing it alongside brothers and sisters. Who belong to him.
[30:17] We've covered this before. In a different sermon. But just to remind ourselves. That without church unity. Without unity as a family body. Without brothers and sisters loving one another.
[30:29] The gospel work will not progress. In this congregation. Simple as that. We've seen it in the world again and again. We've seen it in the church again and again.
[30:39] The Lord never blesses disunity. If you know yourselves. You've discussed with people on this island. Family, friends, neighbours.
[30:51] In my generation. The same thing carries on. If you Christians can't even get along together. If you can't even worship in church. Next door to each other.
[31:01] Without having a falling out every five years. Ten years. Then why should we even believe in your Jesus? We can't stand one another. Why do we care about him? And to our shame.
[31:13] Yes, there's nuances. There's complications. And all that. The reality is. The world sees. An unloving church. A disunited church.
[31:25] And the gospel does not flourish in that context. Now I'm not saying that. Because I'm worrying about disunity. Quite the opposite. I have no worries. As it stands in North Tolstair. This last year.
[31:37] Both Emma and myself. We have felt very supported. I assume. And I hope the elders feel the same way. We feel supported as a session. But just to remind ourselves. As brothers and sisters.
[31:49] We're all made. And kept. By Jesus. The heir. With that. All our. As of yet. Unsaved. Family members.
[32:00] And friends. And neighbours. We're praying for. They all. Are made through him. And for him too. And yes. They might seem. So distant to us. So unreachable to us.
[32:12] So untouchable to us. He is in full. Sovereign control. They're not outwith. His reign. They're not outwith. His rule.
[32:23] And because. He is the heir. And because. The whole universe. Belongs to him. Where we think. We can't. Share the gospel. Well. We think. There is no gospel hope.
[32:34] He is able. Eternally able. To train. And transform. Lives. In other words. Keep praying.
[32:45] Brothers and sisters. Keep praying. For North Tolstice. Keep praying. For the family members. The spouses. The children. The siblings. Keep praying. For those. You've been praying for.
[32:55] For years. Because he is able. Because all belong. To him. The whole of North Tolstice. Is his. And every area. Outside North Tolstice.
[33:05] For ourselves. Our concern. Is North Tolstice. The whole. Of North Tolstice. Is his. We pray. For the Glen. To Gary. He owns. The Glen. To Gary. Every bit.
[33:17] Of sand. From our gardens. Down. To the beach. Itself. It's all his. Every drop of water. From the tribe. Over to Gary. Up to Ness.
[33:28] It's all his. He is the one. As verse 2 reminds us. All things created. He is the heir of all things.
[33:40] Through whom also. He created the world. All things made through him. And made for him. The exact dynamics of that. The mechanics of it. God. That's eternal knowledge.
[33:52] Not for us to understand. Or to know. We're told it. We believe it. In God's word. All things made through him. Made for him. Therefore. He is the heir of all things. Nothing is beyond him.
[34:04] As we share the gospel. We share the gospel. To a dark place. Yes. With a prince of the power of the air. In one sense. He rules. He reigns. And we see that.
[34:14] And we know that. That the evil one. Has such a hold. On so many of those. Who we love. We see that in North Tulsa. There are so many. In this area. And we said recently. The evil one is at work.
[34:27] The spiritual warfare. Seems to be ramping up. And ramping up. And do you know what? It's fine. Why? Because we worship our saviour. Who is the heir to all things. And yes.
[34:38] The evil one. Has. A sort of rule and reign. Just now. In many ways. Ultimately. Ultimately. Ultimately. We worship one.
[34:49] Who even the evil one's existence. Is based. And dependent on. Our saviour. Over and above. All things. He is.
[35:00] The heir. He also. Is the sustainer. Our saviour. The sustainer. Our second point. Verse three. He is the radiance.
[35:10] Of the glory of God. And the exact. Imprint. Of his nature. And he upholds. The universe. By the word. Of his. Power. Friends.
[35:25] And brothers and sisters. We have here. The reminder. That we come. To worship. A saviour. And we perhaps. Try and make him. In our image. At times. To our shame.
[35:35] We perhaps. Try and make him this. Or make him that. We have a saviour. Who does not belong. To any denomination. Any congregation. We have a saviour. Who is God.
[35:46] He is the radiance. Of the glory of God. And the exact. Imprint. Of. His. Nature. He is the exact. Image.
[35:57] As a well. Of the nature. Of God. It's interesting. We see here. The nature of God. And the image. Used here. The Greek. Words. Used here.
[36:07] The same words. Used in a secular sense. As to a wax. Wax impression. A wax impression. Being made. Of an object. Now. Human words.
[36:17] And human writing. Has its limit. We can't. Ever. Adequately. Adequately. Describe. The relationship. In the Godhead.
[36:27] We know that. But God's word. Tells us. All we have to understand. And all we can. Understand. And God's word. Tells us. Quite clearly. In the very nature.
[36:39] Of who our saviour is. In his very being. He is the radiance. Of the glory. Of God. And then.
[36:52] To help us. Further understand. That. The writer to the Hebrews. Goes on. So we're told. At the start of verse 3. That he is. The very nature of God. The exact imprint.
[37:03] He is God. God. And then. To help us understand. What that means. The second phrase. There in verse 3. And he upholds. Jesus.
[37:14] Of a son. And the son. Upholds. The universe. By the word. Of his power. No mere creation. Can do that. No angel. Does that. No higher being.
[37:25] Does that. Only God. Does that. Speaking this morning. Of our. Our. JW. Friends. If they do come. To your door. And ask you to prove. That Jesus is God.
[37:36] It's a good verse. For you to go to. We'll say this early on. The elders. Have seen. Our evangelism. Our discipleship plan. For this year. God willing. It's not a secret.
[37:47] It'll be shared. As it gets approved. And it goes on. But it's part of that plan. There is. A gentle. Angle. This year. Especially in our prayer meetings.
[37:58] Later on. In helping us. To grapple with. Some. Of the biblical truths. And how others. Perhaps in our village. Might disagree with these biblical truths.
[38:08] And how we find them. And how we hold to them. Here's the example. Of where we find Jesus as God. Again. Our friends. Perhaps again. The JWs. Would say. Well. He's not a created being.
[38:19] He is not God. Only God. Only the creator. And sustainer. Of this universe. Does what verse 3b.
[38:31] The second half of verse 3. Says he does. He upholds the universe. By the word. Of his power. That is the saviour. We come to this evening. He is close.
[38:43] He is caring. Yes. He loves his people. But with that. He is the one. Who sustains. And upholds. The whole of creation. Quite simply.
[38:53] By the very word. Of his utterance. By the word. He says. He is able. To sustain. All the various levels. Of reality.
[39:04] Of time. And space. The levels. Of which we have no understanding about. He sustains. It. All. Right. Now.
[39:15] Quite simply. This is the. Power. We see. Ascribed to the father. In Genesis 1. Is now ascribed. Here. To the son. In Hebrews. Chapter 1.
[39:27] By the word of his mouth. He sustains. The whole extent. Of. Creation. Our saviour. Is.
[39:39] The sustainer. That keeps going. Our saviour. Is also. The victorious one. The next phrase.
[39:49] The next phrase. Here. Of verse 3. It's a long verse. For us. Here. In English. He upholds the universe. For his power. Carrying on then. After making. Purification. For sins.
[39:59] He sat down. At the right hand. The majesty. On high. Our saviour. Is. The victorious one. We've seen.
[40:11] Who he is. The one. Who all things. Are made through. The one. Who sustains. All things. We now move on. To seeing. And be reminded. What he does.
[40:23] He is. The creator. He is. The sustainer. Now we see. He is the one. Who is. Victorious. He is the one. We see here.
[40:34] Who makes. Purification. For sin. By his life. By his death. We have a saviour. Who has purified.
[40:45] And saved. And fully. Made. Clean. His people. Brothers and sisters. When we go out. This new week. And share. Our saviour. Of North Tulsa.
[40:57] We are doing so. As those. Who are declared. Clean. Declared. Perfect. And this new week.
[41:07] You will prove. To yourself. You are not clean. We will prove. To ourselves. We are not perfect. In our thoughts. In our words. In our actions. We are. Quite the opposite.
[41:18] We will make a mess. Of things. We will say things. And do things. And think things. Which are awful. Of that. There is no doubt. But before.
[41:29] Our God. And glory. At the throne. Of. The very heaven. Itself. We are declared. As what? As perfect.
[41:40] Why? Because we are there. Covered. In the righteousness. Of the sun. That is a reality. This new week. And that should empower us. Especially in the face.
[41:51] Of the attacks. Of the evil one. Because. You can be guaranteed. As you try and. Share the gospel. More and more. He will hammer you for that. He will hate you for that.
[42:03] There is no time. In the place. But when I say. The. The. The. The. The. The warfare. Is ramping up. It certainly is. The warfare. Is ramping up.
[42:15] And why is that? Because. We keep. On. Hammering back. Against him. And keep bringing him away from that. And bring ourselves back to Jesus. And the enemy hates that.
[42:26] So be ready. As you pray this week. And as you seek for opportunities. To share the gospel. As you engage. In your calling. And in your duty. As Christians. Of sharing the word. Of friends and family.
[42:37] And sharing. The gospel of hope. You'll be battered for it. Absolutely battered for it. You'll be guaranteed of that almost. You'll be reminded of your own sin.
[42:47] Your own unworthiness. And so on. And so on. And in the face of that. Just do what. What Luther did. Actually don't do that. Luther. We shouldn't copy anything he did.
[42:59] Luther himself. Would argue back with Satan. Never do that. Highly. Highly. Unorthodox. And quite frankly dangerous. But Luther could get away with it. Apparently. Luther would.
[43:10] Would remind Satan. As to the truth of the gospel. Don't do that. When Satan assails you. When Satan attacks you. And brings to your mind. Your past sins. And indiscretions.
[43:21] And all your embarrassing reality. And rebellion against God. Remind yourself. Of the truth. Of this section of verse 3.
[43:32] That you have a saviour. Who has made full. And certain purification. For all the sins. Of all his people. Brothers and sisters.
[43:43] You have been washed clean. Of the blood of Jesus. And what he has washed clean. You cannot. By your own efforts. Make dirty again. He declares.
[43:56] You clean. He declares. You his. And look where he is. We're calling this one. Our saviour. Our victorious saviour.
[44:07] Why? Because look where he is. He has saved his people. He has purchased us. Of his blood. He has cleansed us. With his blood. And what he is now. He sat down.
[44:17] At the right hand. Of the majesty. On high. We covered this before. Looking at Psalm 110. Psalm is quoted of course. In this chapter.
[44:29] Because in that Psalm. We are given the image. Aren't we? You look at verse 13. Quoting Psalm 110. The father says to the son. Sit at my right hand.
[44:40] Until I make your enemies. A footstool for your feet. Our saviour. Through his finished work. Through his perfect. Active obedience.
[44:52] Through his necessary death. Through his sacrifice. Through his atoning sacrifice. For being the perfect. Spotless lamb. And so on. And all that he has done.
[45:03] To achieve for us. Our salvation. He also now reigns. At the right hand of the father. That image of. Of glory. That image of victory. And he is there.
[45:13] As what? As the father. Pooks underneath his feet. Enemy. After enemy. Opposition. After opposition. And how do we know that's true? Well. Brothers and sisters.
[45:25] We are the evidence of that. Once we hated him. Once we ignored him. Once we avoided him. Now. In his way. We have been turned away from the enemies.
[45:38] And we are now. His servants. His friends. His brothers. His sisters. We have a victorious.
[45:49] Saviour. I assure you. And. Brothers and sisters. You know this yourselves. But just remind you. Don't think for a second.
[46:02] Don't think for a second. That. A few years in Edinburgh. And a £1.50 collar. Made of plastic. And hours to read. A bible. Which I love.
[46:12] Doing it. And it's a great job. And I would not. Do a different job ever again. But don't think for a second. That all these things. Makes sharing. The gospel. With my friends. And my family.
[46:23] Any more daunting. Any more terrifying. Any more nerve wracking. Being very honest. And. Our.
[46:34] Our. Ministers. Will say the same thing. And we've shared together. Even recently. In service training. We shared together. The reality. It's a daunting thing to preach.
[46:44] There's no doubt about it. It's a daunting thing. To share God's word. And you. You're praying. It's all correct. And right. There is nothing more daunting. For me.
[46:55] Myself personally. Is trying to share the gospel. With close family and friends. It's a terrifying experience. You think. Oh man.
[47:06] You forget all your words. You forget what you're trying to say. You get muggled up. And you think. Oh man. What a mess. I made a lot of that. We come.
[47:17] Just now. And are reminded. We have a saviour. Who is victorious. Who takes. As it were. The bread. And the fish. Of our small offering.
[47:28] And multiplies it. And multiplies it. And multiplies it. And our calling. Is not to become eloquent. Although we should try. Of course. And be clear.
[47:39] Our calling. Is not to become perfect orators. Although we should try. To simply share the gospel. Our calling. Is to be salt. And light. And let him.
[47:49] Then. Use our small offering. For his glory. The gospel. Shared honestly. And shared faithfully.
[47:59] With trembling hands. And a dry mouth. But done in faith. Is of eternally more impact. And the most polished. Cleverly written.
[48:11] Pompous. Sermon. From a hard. Academic heart. Brothers and sisters. Share the word. Share the gospel. Do it faultingly. Do it failingly.
[48:21] Do it. With trembling hands. And shaking knees. We must do it. Why? We do it for a saviour. Who is victorious. And he.
[48:34] Will use our words. For his glory. A victorious saviour. And finally. Just looking. Verses 10. Down to verse 13.
[48:45] In summary there. We have. An eternal saviour. Now we've actually covered. These verses before. At a different time. But just this evening. At this angle. We have. Finally.
[48:57] An eternal saviour. Verses 10. To verse 13. We see. These quotations. Of psalms. Psalm 102. Psalm 110. And if we're not careful.
[49:08] We skip over. These verses. But look. At the wonder. And look at. The majesty. Of the glory. Of these verses. Verse 10. Verse 10.
[49:20] And go back to verse 8. We see. That this is God. The father. Speaking in verse 8. And God. The father. Is saying. Off the sun. Your throne.
[49:32] O God. Is forever. And ever. And down to verse 10. God. The father. Is saying. Off the sun. You.
[49:43] Lord. Laid the foundations. Off the earth. In the beginning. And the heavens. Have a work. Off your hands. They will perish. But you remain. They will all. Wear a garment.
[49:55] Like a robe. You will roll them up. Like a garment. Will be changed. But you are the same. And your years. Will have. No end. Here we see.
[50:05] Father. Speaking to his son. And here we see. A glorious exchange. A strange exchange. For us. It feels almost. Too holy. For us. To approach. Here we see.
[50:15] And here we hear. Perhaps more accurately. A conversation. That takes place. In glory. Where the father. Declares. Once more. Of the son. As to his holiness.
[50:28] As to his full divinity. The father. Says to the son. Your years. Your years. Have no end. Your scepter.
[50:39] Your scepter. Your. Your righteous. Scepter. Literally. Is one of uprightness. The scepter. Of your kingdom. We have a savior.
[50:51] This evening. Quite simply. Who is eternal. Brothers and sisters. When we see. The opposition. To the church.
[51:02] Not just ourselves. Locally. But we see the opposition. To Christ. Church. Locally. Nationally. Across the world. There are great. Areas of concern. Locally.
[51:13] Or nationally. In Scotland. We know that there. Have been bills recently. And this is not. Scare mongering. This is just the truth. Where bills. Gone through recently. Or in the process. Of going through.
[51:24] And the free church. And other churches. Other denominations. Together. Are working on this. I'm more familiar. With the free church's. Views. The free church.
[51:34] Has been quite clear. To members. And to ministers. But if this bill passes. Which is quite likely. Then. The chances are. In the future. Some of what we preach.
[51:45] Will be deemed. As hate speech. It will be deemed. As illegal to say. Now that's not fear mongering. That's the truth. But.
[51:55] There's a time coming. And it's. Coming quite quickly. Where. If I preach. Certain parts. Of scripture. Even without comment.
[52:07] If I just read them. There's a potential. For that. To be defined. As a crime. Now that sounds. Like make believe. That sounds about there. But. That's what the free church.
[52:17] Is currently writing. And working very hard. Behind the scenes. To work with. There's emails about this. Two weeks ago. In the inbox. It's there.
[52:27] It's happening. Now that's not a fear monger. That's not a scare. Because. If that happens to us. We just join in now. With the rest of the church. Across the world.
[52:38] We've had a few hundred years. Of peace. And safety. Give or take. We've been very fortunate. In God's providence. Towards us. He's given us. This time. And this space.
[52:49] But the rest of the church. Has faced. And the rest of the world. Has faced nothing. But persecution. And pain. And misery. And sadness. For century. After century. And how do they.
[53:02] Keep on going. How do the early Christians. Torn to shreds alive. Body parts. Cut off. What's alive. Stuck on poles. And set alight.
[53:13] How do the church. Thrive and carry on. Because they worship. And they loved. And they were loved by. A saviour. Who is eternal. In his power.
[53:24] In his glory. In his plan. And quite simply. We go to the gospel. And this new week. You share the gospel. With friends and family. And you take hold.
[53:35] On every gospel opportunity. Every gospel chance. Lay hold on it. And you think. I don't want to say. Go in faith. And pray. Whilst you're walking. Towards it. Pray in your mind.
[53:45] Whilst they're sharing. With you. And there's no harm. In saying. I don't know. Can I get back to you on that? I don't know the answer to that. Can I think about it? Can I pray about it? Can I read the bible? And I'll get back to you. In fact.
[53:56] People respect you more for that. Go out in confidence. Not in your own confidence. Go out in the confidence. Of the early church. As they face the lions.
[54:06] The confidence. Of our persecuted brothers and sisters. We prayed for the ones today in Turkey. As the whole state system. Is functioning against them. They keep sharing the gospel.
[54:19] Why? Because they worshiped one. Who is eternal. Who the whole creation. Verse 12. Like a robe. Will be rolled up. Like a garment.
[54:29] They will be changed. But you are the same. And your years have. No end. A grander.
[54:40] More beautiful. By grammar. But it works. More beautiful view of Jesus. Is essential for us. To have. Because the more glorious our view.
[54:53] The grander. The greater our view of our saviour is. The more desperate we are then. To share. That glorious news. With everyone around us. Think back to when you were first saved.
[55:06] I don't know yourself. But for myself. When you were first saved. You had little shame. In general. A far less shame. Far less awkwardness. Far less embarrassment.
[55:17] You have now. You were happily. I'm sure. Telling everyone about Jesus. As the years go on. The heart becomes a bit more hardened. A bit more hardened.
[55:28] A bit more hardened. So our job then. To. As it were. Remind our hearts. As to the first love. Of which we have. Again. A grander view of Jesus.
[55:38] Equals. A greater desire. To share. The glorious good news. With family and friends. In a wider village. This is the saviour. We proclaim.
[55:49] To North Tolstown. This is a saviour. Who has full power. Indeed full ability. To bring. To his service. Every single soul.
[56:00] In this place. Every single soul. In North Tolstown. From the Glen. To Gary. It's all his. Nothing's beyond him. This is. The very purpose.
[56:11] The very power. Of our evangelism. We said before. And I won't go over again. But. We should be. Gospel. Optimists. Your own personal life.
[56:23] Be as pessimistic. As you like. I'm one with you. I'm a pessimist. It annoys everyone around me. But in terms of the gospel. I am a gospel optimist. Why?
[56:34] Because we worship a saviour. Who rules. Who reigns. Whose enemies. Are being placed under him. At this very moment. As a congregation. We want to be one. Full.
[56:45] Of gospel optimists. We will again see. Days. Where this building. Is filling up. Again. Days. Where next door. Is filling up.
[56:56] Days again. Where. Man. Woman. And child. Family. Home after home. Will come to know. And love Jesus. It's not. Kind of. Out there.
[57:08] Extraordinary. Wondrous. Dreams we have. No. That is the gospel reality. That's what happened. Everyone here. Knows the Lord. Can happen again. And again. And again. Because we know.
[57:19] This saviour. We've heard of this evening. In Hebrews 1. Because all we said. Is true this evening. We have to be gospel optimists. Why? Because.
[57:29] Actually. We know how the story goes. We know the end. Of a story. We don't know our own futures. The Lord doesn't give us that. And that's good. He doesn't. But he does give us.
[57:41] The future. We know that the church. Triumphs in the end. We know the church. Is an eternal home. In the end. We know that Christ. Will not lose a single one. Of his own.
[57:52] In the end. That includes. Every soul. In North Tolstair. Who is his. Not one. Will be lost. His glory.
[58:03] Is the purpose. For evangelism. And his word. Is the source. And power. Of our evangelism. Let's then begin. This new week. Reminded.
[58:13] As to the love. As to the love. Of which he has loved us. Let that then. Inspire. And enthuse us. To go out with that same love. And share it. To all. And everyone. We encounter.
[58:25] Spirit. Spirit heads. In that hour. Of prayer. Lord. We thank you. Once more. For the gift. Of your word. As a reminder. Just a snapshot. As to the wonder.
[58:35] And glory. Of who our saviour is. Help that Lord. To encourage us. This new week. To inspire us. In our hearts. In our souls. In our minds. To lay hold. In every gospel chant.
[58:47] Understanding. That you. Bring. Your people in. Where we fail. And fall short in our words. You are able to use. Our small words.
[58:57] Our stuttering words. And to bring. Goodness. And glory. And power. For the gospel cause. Out of these things. And we pray once more. For North Tulsa. Bless. This village.
[59:08] With the gospel light. And we ask. We see. Days of renewal. And days of revival. Till we see. These days. Help us. To be pleased. To live. And to serve. In a day of small things.
[59:19] With that. Christ. Based. Gospel. Optimism. Relies only. On the true power. Of our glorious. Saviour. In his name. And for his sake.
[59:30] We ask these things. Amen. Let's sing. In conclusion. From Psalm. 98. Sing. Psalms. Psalm.
[59:40] 98. Sing. Psalms. Psalm. 98. Psalm. Psalm. Psalm. Psalm. Psalm. That's on page. 129.
[59:54] Psalm. 98. On page. 129. We can sing. Verses. 1. Down. To verse. 4. Of the psalm. Psalm. 98. Verses. 1. To 4. Sing a new song.
[60:05] To the Lord. For wonders he has done. His right hand. And his holy arm. The victory have won. And the Lord declared his saving work. And made it to be known. To all the nations of the world.
[60:16] His righteousness is shown. Psalm. 98. Verses. 1. To 4. To God's praise. O sing a new song.
[60:31] To the Lord. For wonders he has done. His strength and love.
[60:45] His holy arm. Heaven's glory have won.
[60:56] Let our heart be given. His saving work. And made it to be known.
[61:11] Give all the nations of the world. His righteousness is shown.
[61:27] In the past. His sponsorship,衛生, that the King. Have won. The Son of God. He has Whoo.
[61:40] em Cameron theífic the well it well it and all the nations from the earth have still For God has found Her glory in the hands Thy grace I have found I am the Lord A King, the Lord, The Lord, the earth, Sheldon, the young rejoice,
[62:46] May music and be jubile hands To Him with a pure voice.
[63:02] The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ And the love of God the Father And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit With you now and forevermore.
[63:13] Amen.