[0:00] I wish that I could introduce you to some of our students.
[0:11] Not just students from our own church, we teach students from all kinds of different churches and different backgrounds, different ages. And they're training for a variety of different ends.
[0:26] Some of them, one or two of them, are actually school leavers. They've left school and they've applied to study theology at ETS. One of them doesn't even know what he's going to do. He's not sure what he's going to do afterwards, whether it's going to be mission work or church work or ministry or whatever.
[0:42] We have our own students in the free church, but we also train. In fact, most of our students come from outside of our denomination, which is a tremendous privilege.
[0:53] Imagine that privilege of being able to train future church leaders in Scotland and beyond. This is a tremendous, very humbling experience for us.
[1:05] Some of them will go abroad. To listen to their testimonies is a humbling experience in itself. I wish you could hear how God has worked in the lives of some of our young people to bring them out of hostility.
[1:23] Like I was praying about earlier on, we think of our society as being so against the gospel. Well, some of our students, that's where they started. They had no time for the gospel.
[1:33] They had no time for Jesus until God worked in their hearts and brought them to discover Jesus. And that was the game changer. That was the life changer.
[1:45] They came into a living relationship with Jesus Christ and the rest is history. They're now training to be church leaders. So it's a great, great privilege to do what I'm doing.
[2:01] But most of our work is concentrated on training students for pulpit ministry.
[2:12] And it's particularly pulpit ministry that I want us to concentrate on this morning. Because that's what Paul is talking about as he writes to Timothy.
[2:24] Timothy, of course, had a very special relationship with Paul. He knew him for years. Paul met him in a place called Lystra. If you want to know the story, you go back to Acts chapter 16.
[2:37] And Timothy came from Lystra. And Paul, he was already a believer. He was a young man. His mother was a believer. And his grandmother was a believer. And there's every likelihood that it was through their witness that he came to faith in Jesus himself.
[2:52] We don't know. But in any case, Paul saw him. He met him in Lystra. And he saw in Timothy that there were gifts. There were abilities.
[3:03] There was an aptitude to teach and to be a church leader himself. So he took him on board. And Timothy began to travel with Paul. And that gave him an opportunity to witness for himself, to get first-hand experience of what the work of the church was all about.
[3:22] He was able to travel with Paul. He was able to learn from him in that way. And now, at the end of Paul's life, and this is the last letter that Paul writes before he is executed in prison in Rome.
[3:38] Paul's not worried about himself. He's not concerned about his own future. He knows what his future is going to be. As does anyone who comes to faith in Jesus.
[3:53] They believe in that promise. I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.
[4:05] And he that lives and believes in me shall never die. And so a person who believes in Jesus is able to look at death straight in the face. As Paul was, unable to say, I know who I have believed.
[4:20] And I know that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. He's able to say, for me to live is Christ. And to die is gain.
[4:31] He has that absolute certainty. Not because Paul did a whole bunch of things for God. Paul never rests his certainty in himself or what he's achieved for God.
[4:45] He rests the certainty that he has only in Jesus Christ. And that's the only certainty that we have. In life and in death and beyond. In Jesus Christ.
[4:57] So Paul is not concerned about the fact that he's only got days to live. What he's concerned about is the future of the church. And he's making every effort to make sure that he's given as much preparation to this young man who's going to take up the baton and he's going to continue where Paul left off.
[5:17] And here in this passage that I read are four things in which Paul stresses to Timothy as to how he is to continue the work of pulpit ministry where he is.
[5:31] And these are four things that relate to what we are doing as a church, as a denomination, at Edinburgh Theological Seminary and indeed in every seminary or every college that wants to prepare students for ministry and mission work.
[5:46] And indeed it's not something that's detached from you. Because you are the recipients of ministry. We are all part of this together.
[5:58] And so it's important that those of us who are involved in the preparation of students for ministry are listening to what the church is telling us. You, the church, are telling us.
[6:09] Part of my work is to go around congregations, different congregations. And often I'm invited to congregational fellowships. And I always ask the same question. I know it's sometimes an uncomfortable question, especially when the minister is right there.
[6:22] I say to them, what do you look for in ministry? What do you look for in a minister? And I usually tell them to forget the minister who's there. And I tell them there's no reflection on him or anyone else.
[6:36] But just in general, what do they... And I always get the same answers. The same three answers every single place I go. And these three answers, we are looking for someone who lives what he preaches.
[6:50] Someone who lives what he preaches. Someone who's not one thing in the pulpit and something else outside of the pulpit. The second thing they tell me is we're looking for someone who is a people person.
[7:04] Someone who can relate to people. Someone who is winsome. And someone who you can get to know on a personal level. Hugely important. Was there anyone as winsome as Jesus?
[7:17] Jesus is the ultimate model, isn't he? In winsomeness on someone who was in touch with the people he spoke to. But the third thing they tell me is this.
[7:28] That what they look for in ministry is someone who can clearly explain the Bible. After all, that's what you come to church for, isn't it?
[7:39] To hear the Bible explained in such a way that will challenge your soul. That will change your life. That will bring you afresh to the Lord Jesus Christ and what he's done for us.
[7:54] And that will send you out ready to serve him with new vigor and with new enthusiasm. The preaching of the gospel is absolutely key in that respect.
[8:06] Not just as the means to reach people who are not yet converted. But as the means to re-infuse and re-invigorate those of us who are weary and battle-weary.
[8:19] And those of us who are tired and who are struggling. As many of us are even here today, this morning. And as there are on any given Lord's Day.
[8:30] So there's these three things. And what I find remarkable about these three things is they are all features that you find in the New Testament. So I thought today that we would just spend a little time thinking about four things that Paul talks about.
[8:48] He writes to Timothy. Four principles as to how he is to conduct himself in ministry. In the ministry of the word.
[9:00] Now, before I do that. Let me remind you once again. I've often said this in the past. Ministry is not just for those of us who stand in the pulpit.
[9:14] All those who follow Jesus are ministers. The word ministry means just servanthood. We are all servants. And just as Christ gave his disciples the example when he washed their feet.
[9:28] That they must provide service to one another as part of the church. So he challenges us. That our Christian life must be seen as a life of service.
[9:39] So in that respect. We're all ministers. Every one of us. Male, female, young, old. Whoever we are. We are servants of Jesus. And we are to serve one another.
[9:51] And the most healthy church. Is the church in which everyone is a servant to one another. But we're talking specifically about pulpit ministry.
[10:01] And not everyone is a pulpit minister. Only those who God. The church has appointed. And that's not because they're any more important than anyone else.
[10:13] It's simply because they exercise a particular function within the church. To make us the most humble people in all the world. And I hope that's the case. Four things then.
[10:25] First of all. I want us to notice the model of ministry that Paul describes to Timothy. And we find that in chapter 3 verse 10. All the way down to the end of verse 15.
[10:39] And what he says is this. You however have followed my teaching. My conduct. My aim of life. My faith. My patience. My love.
[10:51] My steadfastness. My persecutions and sufferings that happened to me. And Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. Which persecutions I endured. Yet from them all the Lord rescued me.
[11:02] Now what is he saying here? He's looking back to his relationship with Timothy. And all the times that they spent. Working together. And it's what we might call.
[11:15] In today's language. An apprenticeship. Not the kind of celebrity apprenticeship. In which you run the risk of being fired at the end of the day. And that's not the kind of apprenticeship we're talking about here.
[11:27] We're talking about the classical apprenticeship. Where a young man or a young person wants to be a joiner. Or a plumber.
[11:39] Or an electrician. Or something like that. They want to learn a trade. And the way to do it. Is not to sit for five days a week in a classroom.
[11:53] But the way to do it is to attach themselves to a person who's already in the trade. A senior person. A person who's been a joiner for 10, 20 years.
[12:04] And who can show that young person their trade. And that young person shows up for work. And they begin to watch the older person. How he does things.
[12:15] Or how they put together pipes. Or the joints. Or the techniques that they have. To rewire a house. And all the rest of it. And so that they can not only watch.
[12:29] But so that the older person can explain to them all the time. The reason why they're doing that. That's what we call an apprenticeship. Isn't it? It's hugely important. There are some trades that can only be learned that way.
[12:41] It's not an academic thing. It's a practical thing. And it's the same with ministry. It is not just academic. Don't think for a moment that we are some ivory tower in the heart of Edinburgh.
[12:56] Detached from everyone else. Where all our students are. The only thing they ever do is learn Greek and Hebrew. It is vitally important. For young people who are learning to prepare for ministry.
[13:11] To see it in practice. And the only way they can do that is by actually being there. And by being attached to real churches. In real places. And that's why our church.
[13:24] And other churches are moving. More and more towards. Towards the idea of an apprenticeship. Apprenticeship. As well as the kind of academic training that takes place where I am now.
[13:38] So that if a young person believes that they're called to ministry. They are attached to a real minister and a congregation. They spend time in that place.
[13:51] And they learn. They learn. They learn. Not only. How to preach. But how to conduct themselves. Look at what Paul is saying. You have followed my teaching.
[14:04] My conduct. My aim in life. You've got to know me. To the point where. You know what my motivations are.
[14:16] You know what my character is. You know how I respond to certain environments. And certain circumstances. You know my faith. You know my patience. My love.
[14:27] My steadfastness. These things can only be learned. Through personal contact. And so. It is. And what we're discovering.
[14:38] More and more. Is that. This model. Is much. Much. More biblical. Than just simply. An academic one. I think. Other walks of life.
[14:50] Are discovering. The same thing. The value. Of being able. To be attached. To someone. Who. Is more experienced. And who can. Who can. Show.
[15:00] As well as teach. How something. Should. Be. Done. So there's the model. Of ministry. Which is described here. By the apostle Paul. And again.
[15:12] I would ask you. To please pray. For. Young students. Who feel called. To ministry. And I would ask you. Perhaps. There are young people here.
[15:22] Who. You're praying. About your future. And you don't. Really quite know. What your future. Might be. I would hope. That every young person.
[15:33] Would at least. Consider the possibility. It may not be. For you. You may not be. Cut out for it. You may not have the gifts. For it. And that's okay. There's nothing.
[15:43] There's no shame. In not having gifts. For ministry. But. I hope you're praying. About your future. As we pray. About all the decisions. That we have to make. That God will guide us.
[15:54] And I hope we are praying. For young people. We're being asked. To do that. We're asked. The disciples. We're instructed. In Jesus' time. To pray the Lord.
[16:05] Of the harvest. That God would raise. Workers. To go out. Into his harvest. Field. But then secondly. Paul moves on. To what we might call. The material.
[16:16] Of ministry. And verse 14. As for you. Continue. What you've learned. And affirm. We believe. Knowing. From who you learned it. And how from childhood.
[16:27] You've been acquainted. With the sacred writings. Well that's the Bible. Which is able to make you. Wise for salvation. Through faith. In Christ Jesus. Then he goes on. To say this. All scripture.
[16:39] Is breathed out. By God. And profitable. For teaching. For reproof. For correction. For training. For righteousness. That the man of God. May be competent. Equipped.
[16:49] For every good work. Now let me just say. At the very beginning. That I'm very aware. That James preached on this. Quite recently. When you were doing. The five solas. Of the reformation. I don't want to duplicate.
[16:59] Anything that he said. And you stress. The authority. And the majesty. Of the Bible. As God's word. What I want to do. Is to see how it fits.
[17:10] Into this wider context. Of where Paul. Is describing to Timothy. The principles. That undergird. Ministry. And of course. The foundation of them all.
[17:22] Is the Bible. The foundation. Is the inspired. Word. Of God. Which means. That every word. In the Bible.
[17:33] Is as God. Wants it to be. Every word. Is in its right place. Now. I don't want to be too technical. About this. Because the Bible. Appears in all.
[17:44] Kinds of different versions. And languages. But it's all. As God. Wants it to be. It's all there. Because. We believe. We have come to be.
[17:55] Persuaded. It. That God. Has revealed. Himself. To us. In the pages. Of the Bible. Not just some of them. But all of them. Look at what Paul says. He says.
[18:06] All scripture. We're not allowed. To pick and choose. The parts that we like. The parts that we happen. To think are more. Authoritative than others. All of them. The whole Bible.
[18:17] Is there. In its entirety. Because. God wants it. To be there. Which means. That. When I pick up my Bible. And open it. This is the voice of God.
[18:29] Speaking to me. Again. We're reminded. Of the importance. Of the Bible. In our everyday lives. And how important it is. To surrender. And to submit.
[18:40] To the authority. Of God's word. Because. It's not a book. Which is unintelligible. It's a way up there. It's beyond our reach. It's a book. Which is. Which is deeply.
[18:51] Personal. Full. Of. The. Majesty. And the glory. Of God. In which he has come. Into the sinful world. In the person. Of Jesus Christ.
[19:02] And he has made himself. Known. And he has left us. With this testimony. This record. This description. Of himself. So isn't that amazing.
[19:13] Again. I don't want to get too distracted. Could easily do so. But isn't it amazing. That God has chosen. To show himself. To us. In.
[19:24] The story. Of God. It's a narrative. God could have chosen. To describe himself. To us. In all kinds of. Obscure. Random.
[19:36] Unintelligible. Words. That nobody could understand. He could have done that. But he didn't. He chooses. To make himself.
[19:46] Known to us. In the story. Of the history. Of how he has dealt. With his people. Going all the way back. To the Garden of Eden. Creation. Genesis 1. The Garden of Eden.
[19:57] Adam and Eve. Our first parents. The fall. And all the devastation. That that brought in. Noah's Ark. The call of Abraham. Isaac. And Jacob. And how God placed.
[20:08] His own. Blessing. On that particular family. As they moved. All the way through. The Old Testament. In preparation. For the coming. Of Jesus Christ. And how Jesus. Came into the world. And gave himself.
[20:19] Rose from the dead. That's the story. Of salvation. It's God's story. It's the one that he has. Placed in writing. For us. In the Bible.
[20:31] Now. It is. Hugely. Important. To be. Absolutely. Confident. In this Bible. Because if we don't have.
[20:41] 100% confidence. In it. Then we don't have a message. We'll never go out. Into the world. With anything. That is going to be concrete. We have to be confident.
[20:53] In the Bible. And therefore. It is important. For our students. Students for ministry. To know. Why they believe the Bible. To be the word of God. What we believe. By inspiration.
[21:04] This means that. God. The words. In the Bible. Are God breathed. That doesn't mean that he. Dictated to the various writers. Like Moses. And Isaiah. And Luke. And Mark. God didn't dictate to them.
[21:16] What to write. They didn't hear a voice. From heaven. Telling them what to write. But they were moved. By the Holy Spirit. And as they were moved. God was putting in writing. Exactly.
[21:28] What he wanted us to have. And that's why we're able to say. With absolute confidence. This morning. This is. The word of God. God. Which means that we sit under it.
[21:41] We surrender to it. We listen to it. As the word that has more authority. Than anything else. In all. The world. Thank God.
[21:52] For. The Bible. But it's not only for. Profitable. For teaching. And for reproof. For instruction. But it's for training. In righteousness. Our lives.
[22:02] Are changed. As we. Place ourselves. Under. Its. Authority. It's. So important. For our. For our. Now. Let me just stop.
[22:14] At this point. And say that. That there are voices. Out there. That say. Well. You don't really need to go into. All the nuances. Of the Bible. Surely. In this day and age. What we need to know.
[22:24] What we need to do. Is to just. Present Jesus. Present Jesus. And then. And that's enough. You don't. We don't. We don't have time. For all the Old Testament stuff. And for the stories.
[22:34] About. Moses. And the tabernacle. Surely. They're all irrelevant. In today's world. Surely. What's important. Is that. God so loved the world. And. And sent his son. Into the world. And he died on the cross.
[22:45] That's all the people. Should hear. That's all they need to hear. And when I hear that. I think. Well. If that's the case.
[22:55] Why did God give us. The Old Testament. He gave us it. For a reason. He gave us it. Because it provides. The fullness. The background.
[23:07] The flesh. Of the gospel. And the story. Of how. The world. Was. The world. Was. Prepared. For the coming. Of.
[23:18] Jesus. Christ. Of course. A person. Can be converted. By being given. A gospel of John. And I don't want to dissuade. Anyone.
[23:29] From giving out. The gospels. To people. Of course. A person. Can be. Converted. By just hearing. About the cross. But once. That person.
[23:39] Is converted. That person. Needs to. Grow. In their understanding. Of everything. That God has done. Including. The Old Testament. And the New Testament. New Testament.
[23:51] And that takes place. As we come. On a Sunday. Or on a Wednesday. Or in your Bible studies. Or in your own. Personal Bible study. And as you. You grow. In your understanding.
[24:02] Of. The Bible. All scripture. Is breathed out. By God. And is profitable. For teaching. For reproof. For correction. And for training.
[24:14] But then the third thing. Is this. Paul goes on. To talk about. The method. Of pulpit ministry. Which is this. In verse. In chapter four. He says. He says.
[24:25] Preach. The word. Verse two. Be ready. In season. And out of season. See God is. And Paul is. Telling us. And God is telling us.
[24:35] Here. Because remember. This. This letter. This letter. Is as inspired. As any. Any other. Book of the Bible. That. The method. By which. God expects.
[24:46] The Bible. To be transmitted. Is. Preaching. Now that doesn't mean. That we can't discuss it. In Bible study groups. Or discuss it. On a one-to-one. Or even read it. Personally. Of course.
[24:58] The Bible. Speaks for itself. That was one of the. The great. The tremendous changes. That took place. At the time of the Reformation.
[25:08] I know that. Every church. Has been celebrating. The. The nailing of the 95 Thesis. Over the last three months. And that's a great thing. But it's important to understand. How. How things changed.
[25:20] As a result. Of the Reformation. Beforehand. The pre-Reformation church. They said. There's only one way. Of understanding. The Bible. And it's the way.
[25:30] That we tell you. But after the Reformation. In the Protestant church. The Bible was. Do you know. Do you know. That it was an offense. In Scotland.
[25:42] To have a Bible. Before the Reformation. It was actually. An offense. To have a Bible. It was outlawed. And people.
[25:52] Who had Bibles. They were arrested. They were put in prison. There were. There was a black market. There were ships. Arriving at Leith. With Bibles.
[26:03] From the continent. And they were being. Sold on the black market. Can you imagine that? And that was because. The church at that time. The pre-Reformation church. They didn't want people.
[26:13] Reading the Bible. And the reason. They didn't want people. Reading the Bible. Was because. They didn't want people. To understand the Bible. They wanted to be in control.
[26:25] Of how you understood. God. It was all a control thing. And so. After the Reformation. They said. No, no. The Bible speaks for itself.
[26:39] And so. Preaching. Is all about. Helping people. To understand the Bible. For themselves. It's not about me. Standing in a pulpit. And saying to you.
[26:49] This is what I think. And this is what you must believe. No. It's not. It's me. It's. It's the preacher. Opening up the Bible. So that it speaks. For itself. And so that you get to.
[27:02] Experience. The power of God. Speaking to you. From his word. And in his word. I remember. A number of years ago.
[27:13] Here. In Storway. Long long time ago. There was. It was July. And there were visitors. And visitors from the continent. Can't remember exactly.
[27:23] Where they were. Coming from. But I was talking to them afterwards. And. One of them said. We've never been in a church like this. And. It.
[27:34] Turned out. They would belong to. Another tradition. Which I shall not mention. Another tradition. But. They said. What struck me. About. Your church. Was. You don't do anything.
[27:46] Except explain the Bible. Well. And I thought. Yeah. That's what. We do. That's what our church is all about. It's just simply. Presenting people.
[27:58] With the truth of God. The simple truth of God. In the Bible. There's no frills. No attachments. And they couldn't get over it. And they loved it.
[28:09] Because it was different. From anything. They had ever experienced. In the past. For them. Church was all about. The trappings. The ceremonies. The vestments. But it's not about that.
[28:21] Is it? When you come to church. In a church like this. And again. This is another contrast. Between the pre-Reformation church. And the post-Reformation Protestant church.
[28:32] Is this. That the pre-Reformation church. Was so ornate. There were all these images. And statues. And the priests wore these. These ornate. These elaborate robes.
[28:44] And they had censers. And incense. And there were all kinds of. Fancy liturgy. And all kinds of things like that. In a church like this. Which is a Protestant church. You come in.
[28:54] And there's nothing. This building. This building. Is beautiful. You know what's beautiful about it? It's beautiful in its simplicity.
[29:08] The one thing that stands out. In a church like this. Is the one thing that should. Stand out. Which is. The Bible. Why do you have a pulpit? You have a pulpit. Because we love the Bible.
[29:19] The pulpit is the place. Where the Bible. Is expounded. Spirit. So that's the one thing. We want to be elevated. Over everything else. We don't want anything else.
[29:31] Except. To hear. God's word. Because that's how our lives. Are going to be changed. And so preaching. Preaching the word. Is crucial.
[29:42] In today's church. Preaching the word. Is crucial. In the church. In every age. I know that people talk about. Attention deficiency.
[29:52] And we live in a world. Where young people. Are distracted. By all kinds of different things. All the more. Why we need to train. Our students. To preach the word.
[30:03] In a lively way. In a way that's going to keep. People's attention. And a people. And that's going to. Explain clearly. What God is saying to us. In unmistakable terms.
[30:14] From the old. And the new testament. And that's a skill. It's a skill. That people need to develop. And need to be encouraged. And develop. Please pray. For our young.
[30:26] Preachers. We have some of the finest guys. That I've come across. For a long. Long time. Young men.
[30:38] That God is preparing. For pulpit ministry. I don't know. What's going to happen. I don't know. What the future is. And I know. The kind of world. We live in.
[30:48] Where there's so much. Against us. And where. Christians are in a minority. But God is doing something. I don't know. What he's doing. But he's doing something. He's raising up.
[30:59] Young people. Of a caliber. That is. Truly impressive. People who love God. And who love the gospel. And who want to spend. Their lives. At great cost.
[31:11] Great personal cost. In. Proofit ministry. And then lastly. I want us to. To see. The challenges.
[31:22] How Paul is not. Unaware of the challenges. That there are. Even in his day. He says this. For the time is coming. When people will not. Endure sound teaching. But having itching ears.
[31:34] They will accumulate. For themselves. Teachers. To suit their own. Passions. And yet. Despite. All of that. Despite. All the hostility.
[31:44] That there was. In Timothy's day. And in various. Other parts. Various other eras. In history. The gospel. Has spread. The church. Has enlarged. The church.
[31:54] Today. Reaches. All over the world. There are more Christians. In today's world. Than there ever. Have been. In the past. Christ. And God.
[32:05] Is continuing. To advance. His kingdom. Jesus promised. I will. Build my church. And the gates of hell. Will not prevail. Against it. That promise. Has been fulfilled.
[32:15] And is being fulfilled. Whatever the obstacles. Are. There have been times. When. It appears. The church. Has reduced. To almost nothing. And maybe.
[32:29] That's what it will be like. In our culture. For a while. But there are also times. In which God has come. In great power. And has changed. Societies. And countries.
[32:40] And empires. He's changed. The direction. Of people's minds. By breaking them. By giving them to see. By bringing them to see. That they are not. The masters.
[32:51] Of the universe. And they're not. The masters. Of their own destiny. Either. But they are. Accountable. To God. And once people. Are brought.
[33:01] To that reality. Once they're brought. To the reality. Of Jesus Christ. And what he has done. On the cross. That's when a person's. Life is changed. As we accept.
[33:12] The gospel. For ourselves. Have you. Have you. Accepted. Jesus. As your savior. That's the most. Important thing. This morning. Have you.
[33:23] Accepted. Jesus. As your savior. Let this be the opportunity. Where you ask God. To change you. And to bring you.
[33:34] Into this. Wonderful. Endless. Eternal. Kingdom. In which. Jesus. Is the king. And in which. Everlasting. Life.
[33:45] Is promised. To all those. Who trust. In him. I hope. That you will. Continue to pray. For the church. In Scotland.
[33:56] And beyond. I hope. That you will. Avail yourself. Of all the. Information. That there is. Of what's happening. In various parts. Of the church. By way of.
[34:07] Websites. And the internet. And. There's never been a day. When more information. When there's been more. Information. Available. I hope. That you avail yourself. Get to know. What the church.
[34:17] Is doing. In various parts. Of the country. In various parts. Of the world. What the questions. Are. What the debates. Are. Where. Where missionaries. Are going. Pray. For the ongoing.
[34:28] Expansion. Of God's kingdom. And please. Pray with me. For the preparation. Of students. For pulpit ministry. As we've been thinking. About today. And for other. Kinds of ministry.
[34:40] Many of our students. Are going to be doing. Youth work. They're going to be doing. Women's work. They're going to be doing. They're going to be going. Abroad. They're going to be. In various capacities. In various churches. Please pray with me.
[34:51] That what they learn. Now. Will be. The foundation. For what God. Is going to do. Through them. In. Wherever.
[35:02] God. Places them. In their small corner. And. Me. In mine. Let's pray together. Our father. Father. In heaven.
[35:12] We thank you. For. Your church. And for the promise. That. God. Will build. His church. The gates. Will not prevail.
[35:23] Against. Us. And we thank you. That we're part of this. We don't know. What lies ahead. We don't know. What the future is. But we do know. One thing. That. He.
[35:34] Who has. Begun. A good work. Will continue it. And. Will. Will. Complete. The.
[35:44] Plan. Of God. In which. The earth. Will be full. Of the knowledge. Of the glory. Of the Lord. Since. As the waters. Cover the sea. We pray. That we will be witnesses.
[35:55] In our community. That we will minister. That we will learn. To minister. As members. As office bearers. As men. And women. As people.
[36:06] Of God. By first of all. Living consistent. Christian lives. But then being ready. In season. And out of season. Knowing that. Your.
[36:18] Word. Is effective. And powerful. And is able to break hearts. And change lives. In Jesus name. Amen. Psalm 36. To close with.
[36:28] We're going to sing. The new. The sing psalms version. Of Psalm 36. It's page 44. Soon as brother.
[36:44] James Ayer. We're going to sing. From 5 to 9. Psalm 36. Verse 5 to 9. Your steadfast love.
[36:55] Is great. O Lord. It reaches heaven high. Your faithfulness. Your faithfulness. Is wonderful. Extending to the sky. Four verses. From 5 to 9. Of Psalm 36.
[37:05] We'll stand to sing. Your faithfulness. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Your steadfast love.
[37:15] Is great. O Lord. It reaches heaven high. Your faithfulness. Is wonderful.
[37:27] Extending to the sky. Your faithfulness. Your faithfulness. Is wonderful. Extending to the sky.
[37:42] Your righteousness. Is very great. Like mountains high and steep. Your justice.
[37:54] Is like ocean death. For man and beast you keep. Your justice. Is like ocean depths.
[38:05] Both man and beast you keep. How precious is your steadfast love. What confidence it brings.
[38:20] Both high and low. By shelter in. The shadow of your wings. Both high and low.
[38:31] Find shelter in. The shadow of your wings. They feast within your house.
[38:42] And drink. From streams of your delight. For with you is the source of life.
[38:53] In your light we see light. For with you is the source of life. In your light we see light.
[39:08] Now may the grace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The love of God the Father. And the communion and fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Rest on and abide with each one of you. Both now and always. Amen.
[39:19] Amen. Amen. Amen. Thank you. Amen. Amen.
[39:29] Am I right. Thank you. 그럼 seansa labour! May I'm alright. Vaya Maria. May I'm alright. smiling. Thank you. I'm alright. You thought here. Are we all your own praw.
[39:40] Bye. Come on.