[0:00] Well, as we look to the Lord to lead us and to guide us in our thoughts this evening, turn back with me to Luke chapter 24.
[0:16] And if we could read again at verse 30, Luke chapter 24 at verse 30. When Jesus was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them.
[0:37] And their eyes were opened and they recognized him and he vanished from their sight and so on. Now, Jesus has been crucified according to the foreknowledge of God and by the hands of lawless men.
[0:57] Luke will relate to us in another place. And on this day, this day where Jesus will rise again from the dead, we find in this narrative, these two men are making a journey.
[1:12] And their journey is a difficult one, one where there is desperation, despondency, even a sense of depression.
[1:25] Because for them, they do not know that Jesus has risen from the dead. For them, all they know is the one that they presumed would redeem Israel is dead and buried.
[1:40] And so they're making this journey back to this village called Emmaus. And as they do so, this man comes up and joins them.
[1:52] Unbeknown to them, it is the Lord himself. And he begins to speak to them and preach to them. In what must have been one of the greatest sermons ever heard.
[2:03] By, of course, the greatest preacher who ever lived, the Lord himself. From the greatest textbook in all of the world, the Bible. On the greatest subject. The person and work of the Messiah.
[2:16] And they're listening to this address and they reach the place where they're going. And Jesus is going on further. And they compel this man. This man that they don't know.
[2:27] And they say, will you come in and enjoy supper with us? The day is far spent. And so Jesus comes in and he takes over the duties of a host. And he breaks the bread.
[2:39] He gives thanks for it. And he hands it out to these followers. And it's at that moment that everything changes. Because at that moment, their eyes are opened.
[2:52] And they see who this really is. And from then on, their lives really would never be the same again. And so this evening, when I was thinking about this narrative.
[3:05] About the changes that occurred after having a meal with Jesus. I thought of the similarities of where you are this evening as a congregation.
[3:17] Because just like for these followers of Jesus. Everything changed after they had a meal with him. So this weekend, as a congregation, you've had a meal in remembrance of Jesus.
[3:30] A meal where you have been remembering his death. Remembering what he has done. And so this evening, I want us to come and to learn lessons.
[3:40] To learn the lessons that these followers of Jesus learned. After having this meal with Jesus. How do we go on? How does life change for you as a congregation?
[3:53] As you go on from this meal in remembering Jesus. I want us to see three things this evening. I want us to see the first thing that changed for these men.
[4:04] Is that they were given the eye of faith. You see, sight is important in this narrative. Because when Jesus comes up to them to begin with.
[4:17] Their eyes are kept from recognizing him. And people have come to that. And they've asked questions about it. If these followers were really, truly followers of Jesus.
[4:28] How is it that they did not know that this was the Lord? And so that's led people to suppose that perhaps this was a resurrected body. That Jesus came to them in.
[4:40] And for that reason, it was perhaps unrecognizable. And when it came to them having this meal with Jesus. Perhaps the mannerisms of the Lord. Or perhaps even the holes in his hands itself.
[4:53] Were what triggered these followers to see who this really was. My problem with that understanding and that line of thought. Is that the Bible itself doesn't lead us to think that.
[5:06] It doesn't testify to that. The Bible is very simple in this passage. Where it tells us that when this man came up to them. Their eyes were kept from recognizing them.
[5:17] And both that word and the word that we have for in the verse 31. When their eyes were opened. These are both divine passives.
[5:28] They are words which signal that this was a work of the Lord. And in that respect. It's not unlike what happened in 2 Kings and chapter 6.
[5:42] You remember in that passage. When Elisha is coming up against the Syrians. And he's going to war. And his servant is with him.
[5:54] And his servant in verse 15. We can read 2 Kings chapter 6 and verse 15. The servant of the man of God rose early in the morning. And went out and behold an army with horses and chariots was all around the city.
[6:09] And the servant said alas my master. What shall we do? He said do not be afraid. For those who are with us are more than those who are with them. Then Elisha prayed and said oh Lord.
[6:22] Please open his eyes. That he may see. So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man. And he saw. And behold the mountain was full of horses. And chariots of fire all around Elisha.
[6:35] And just like the Lord was able to open the eyes of Elisha's servant. To see this heavenly host all around him. So in this chapter.
[6:47] The Lord keeps these men. In his own way. From recognizing who this is that comes up with them. And at the right time. He opens their eyes.
[6:59] But it leads us to realize this. That it's possible to be in the company of Jesus. And not recognize who he really is.
[7:11] Now that's what these men would testify to. They were in his company. But it was only at a certain point. That they were unable to recognize who he really was. And that's the way it is.
[7:23] For everyone in here who's a Christian. We can recall a time when we were not saved. When we were not Christians. And we had sat perhaps many a time.
[7:34] You sat in this place. Or places like it. Under the teaching of God's word. As the Lord himself was presented before you. And you were looking at him.
[7:45] And you were looking at the word of God. But you did not recognize who this really was. Until the time came when the Lord opened your eyes.
[7:56] And he enabled you to see who he really was. And then and only then you're able to say. Well how did I not realize the whole time who Jesus was?
[8:07] How did I not realize how precious he is? How did I not realize his beauty and his majesty? And maybe you're here this evening. And you're saying I still don't see that.
[8:21] I still don't see the beauty and the majesty. Well your prayer is not unlike what Elisha prayed. Lord open my eyes.
[8:33] Open my eyes that I might see you. Open my eyes that I might recognize who you are. And your beauty and your majesty and glory. And the Lord will answer that prayer.
[8:46] Those who seek him do find him. But what's even perhaps more remarkable. Is that the moment their eyes are opened.
[8:58] Is the moment that the Lord disappears from their sight. And people have come to that. And they found fault. And they've said well surely the Lord could have remained a wee while longer.
[9:11] Surely he could have stayed with them. Encouraged them for a wee while longer. Why did he disappear the moment that they realized who he was? Well it's not the fact that.
[9:23] It's not true that Jesus is no longer with them. Jesus is still with them. He is still present with them. It's just he's not with them physically. And that's a lesson that he is teaching his disciples even before now.
[9:39] You remember in John chapter 14. He's telling his disciples. I'm going to be with the father. And where I'm going. You cannot come at the moment. And at the same time.
[9:50] At the great commission in Matthew 28. He says to the disciples. I am with you always. To the end of the age. And you can come to that and say. Well is this a contradiction? Is Jesus telling me at one time that he's going to be with the father.
[10:04] And no longer with us. And yet at the same time telling me. He's with me always. But the truth is he is with us always. Not physically. He's no longer physically here with us.
[10:16] But he's here with us spiritually. He has sent his spirit to be with us. Always. To the end of the age. And that's the great encouragement to these followers.
[10:26] That you are to go on from this moment. Not seeing me physically. But seeing me through the eye of faith. Trusting in me. And knowing that I am with you always.
[10:38] And think about what it must have been like for them. As they had endured this journey. A difficult journey. A journey when they were coming to terms.
[10:50] With the fact that the one that they thought was going to redeem Israel. Was dead. Dead. And this man joins them. And they thought nothing of it. But when their eyes are opened. They would be able to come to the realization.
[11:04] He was with us all the time. We didn't realize it then. But he was actually with us. Even when we were going through that difficulty. And it's only perhaps in hindsight.
[11:15] That we see that from time to time. When you as a Christian look back on the difficult times. In your own journey. And in your own life of faith. And you think I'm all alone here.
[11:27] There's no one with me. And it's only perhaps sometimes with the blessing of spiritual hindsight. That you see that's never the case. The Lord has always been with me.
[11:37] He's always encouraged me. He's always been by my side. Wherever I've gone. And whatever I've been through. And so after having this meal with Jesus.
[11:51] These disciples are encouraged to see. That every single day. Is a day in which they are to look on Jesus. Not physically.
[12:02] Not with their own physical eyes. But spiritually. By the eye of faith. To realize that Jesus is always with them. Even at the moments that they didn't realize it. And you know.
[12:13] For a congregation as you too. Come from having this meal of remembrance. This meal of remembering the death of Jesus. And you ask.
[12:24] How do we go forward? Well you don't go forward by looking for the physical realities. You go forward with the eye of faith. Fixed on Jesus each and every day.
[12:36] No matter the difficulty. No matter the challenge. And realize that. As Jesus tells all who follow him. I am with you. Always. You just have to have the eye.
[12:50] To see me. And in. Paul's second letter. To the Corinthians. And chapter 5. And verse 7. He picks up on this. And Paul writes to the church there.
[13:01] And he says. We walk. By faith. Not by sight. And that's the encouragement. To these two followers. This day. As Jesus disappears from their sight.
[13:13] Not to disappoint them. But to lead them. To the point where they are able to say. No. I don't walk by seeing Jesus. Physically with me.
[13:24] But I walk every day. With the eye of faith. And we go each and every day. Into the challenges of that day. Trusting that the Lord is with us. Because of this.
[13:36] Eye. Of faith. Secondly. I want us to see. That they also had. A heart. On fire. The eye of faith. And the heart.
[13:47] On fire. Verse 32. They said to each other. Did not our hearts. Burn within us. While he talked to us. On the road.
[13:58] And while he opened to us. The scriptures. Having had this meal with Jesus. And having had their eyes open. To realize. Who he is.
[14:09] They also make. Another discovery. They also remember. Something else. And they say to each other. Did not our hearts. Burn. Within us. And that phrase.
[14:20] Is an interesting one. The idea of. A heart. Being. On fire. It's a phrase. That is used. Elsewhere. In the Bible. We sung of it. In Psalm.
[14:31] 39. David is. Saying my heart. Became. Psalm 39. Verse 3. My heart. Became hot. Within me. As I'm used. The fire burned. Then I spoke.
[14:42] With my tongue. And the prophet. Jeremiah. In chapter 20. And verse 9. Also makes mention of it. He says. If I say. I will not mention him. Or speak any more.
[14:53] In his name. There is in my heart. As it were. A burning fire. Shot up in my bones. And I am weary. With holding it in. And I cannot.
[15:05] But you see. Both. David. And Jeremiah. In their respective places. In the Old Testament. Are both referring. To the same. Kind of thing.
[15:15] They are both. They are both. Essentially saying. That there was. Words. That I wanted to say. I had on my heart. Words. That I wanted to say. And these words. Were like a burning fire.
[15:26] And I couldn't. Keep them in. Such was a fire. Within me. I had to express. What I was going to say. I had to get it out. But. What happens. Here.
[15:37] In Luke. Chapter 24. Is something. Quite different. What these two followers. Are saying. Are saying. To each other. Is. Our heart. Burnt within us. While. He spoke to us.
[15:48] And you see. The difference. It's not that they're saying. We had words. That we wanted. To get out. But as. He spoke. To us. Our hearts.
[15:59] Were set on fire. It's not so much. That we had words. Within us. That we wanted. To get out. But his words. From out. With us. Affected our heart.
[16:10] And set us on fire. It's not. The words. Of man. Towards. God. That we're on fire. But the words. Of the God. Man. Towards these men.
[16:21] That set their hearts. On fire. And what's. So. Fitting. Perhaps. For us. This evening. Is that they said it. To each other. You see.
[16:31] It's almost as if. You have this idea. Of them sitting together. And saying. Did your heart burn? Mine. Did as well. And there's this sense. Of fellowship. Albeit. If I can use the word.
[16:43] A communion. Between them. Where they're both. Able to say. Both of our hearts. Were on fire. As he spoke to us. Such. Was the power.
[16:53] Such was the grace. In his words. That it affected our hearts. And it. Literally. Almost. Well. Metaphorically. Set our hearts. On fire for him.
[17:04] And. You know. I was thinking of that. When you think. About. A communion weekend. And when you think. About. The amount of. Opportunities. The privilege.
[17:15] That we have. At a weekend. Such as this. To come under. God's word. And. To be there. Listening. To God's word. And we must. Ask ourselves.
[17:25] What effect. Is it having. On our heart. Not so much. Our words. Towards God. But God's word. On our heart. Are we able. To have that fellowship.
[17:35] That communion. Where you say. To one another. Did your heart burn? Is your heart. On fire. For the Lord. As you. As you. Listen. To. These words.
[17:46] Because. That's the effect. That being under. God's word. Should have with us. As we listen. To God's word. Impacting our heart. We should be able. To say. It has this.
[17:57] Feeling. It's more than a feeling. It's more than an emotion. These. These followers. Are saying that. His word. Actually. Impacted. The very core.
[18:07] Of. My being. And I wonder. If you know. What that's like. If you've been. Under God's word. And you can't even. Qualify it.
[18:17] You can't even. Describe it. In a. In a. In a. Understandable way. But you leave. Being under God's word. And you say. It's. It's almost as if. His word.
[18:28] Is a way of. Getting to my heart. Like nothing. And no one else. Can. It affects. The very core. Of my being. And it's like. My heart. Was on fire. When I was listening.
[18:40] To God's word. Maybe you're here. This evening. You can honestly say. I don't know. What that's like. I don't know. What it's like. To have God's word.
[18:51] Affect me. Like that. And you pray. To the Lord. Just like. You pray. To him. And ask him. To open up. Your eyes. You pray. And ask. That he'll set. Your heart.
[19:02] On fire. For him. And he will. And how does he do that? How. How do their hearts. Be set on fire. For Jesus.
[19:12] Well. For them. It was God's word. And. And. When we think about. The impact. That. That makes. You think about. The effect. That. The sun. Has.
[19:22] On. The earth. And. And the way that. Heat is transferred. To this earth. And. And one of the ways. We're told is. By the energy. Of the light. Of the sun. As it comes.
[19:33] To the earth. And. It's interesting. That. That Paul. Takes that. In second. Corinthians. Chapter four. And verse six. And he says this. For God.
[19:43] Who said. Let light. Shine. Out of darkness. Has. Shown. In our hearts. To give the light. Of the knowledge. Of the glory.
[19:54] Of God. In the face. Of Jesus Christ. What a beautiful way. Of describing. The difference. That God makes. Into. A heart.
[20:04] As he takes. Our heart. That is. Filled. With sin. And with darkness. And despair. And he shines. His light in. And it's that light. That gives the energy. For our heart.
[20:15] To be set. On fire. And you ask. The question. Well. What's the light? And the light. Is the knowledge. Of the glory. Of God. In the face. Of Jesus Christ.
[20:27] And when I was. Considering. That. This morning. And thinking. About it. I was led. To read. A little. Book. By. One of the Puritans.
[20:38] A man called. John Flavel. And he writes. A really brilliant book. Entitled. Keeping the heart. And. It really is. Excellent. And I would recommend it.
[20:49] And in. The introduction. He says this. The heart. Of man. Is his worst. Part. Before it is. Regenerated.
[21:00] And the best part. Afterward. And you know. When you think. About the way. That God. Sends. His. Light. Into our hearts.
[21:10] He. He describes. This process. So well. Because our heart. The Bible. Tells us. Is. Desperately wicked. It is. Deceitful. It is.
[21:21] Full of sin. It is. A factory. Of sin. It is. Full of darkness. Before. God. Enters in. And as he comes. He shines. The light. Of the gospel. The light.
[21:31] Of the knowledge. Of the glory. Of God. In the face. Of Jesus Christ. And that light. Illuminates our heart. And it illuminates. The darkness. In our heart. And it allows.
[21:42] Christ. To enter into. Our heart. And it's no longer. It's no wonder. Then that. Flavel can say. Our heart. Which is the worst. Part of us. Beforehand. Becomes the best.
[21:53] Part of us. Afterward. Because it's. Set on fire. For Jesus. Because of the energy. And the light. That is shone into it. And it's that. That these men.
[22:04] Are testifying to. As we heard. Him preach. As we heard. His word. And we came. Under it. And it affected. Our heart.
[22:14] Our heart. Was. Set on fire. And you know. As. You pass. From this. Communion weekend. Are we able. To testify.
[22:25] That. To that. As we've. Come under. God's word. That is light. Has this weekend. And you. Shone into the darkness. Of our heart. And actually. Set our heart.
[22:35] On fire. For him. But you know. The challenge. For us. Going forward. Is that. We have to look. After our heart. As Flavel says. We have to keep.
[22:46] The heart. And he says. In another place. The greatest. Difficulty. In conversion. Is to win. The heart. To God. God. The greatest. Difficulty. After conversion.
[22:57] Is to keep. The heart. With God. Because. A burning heart. Is not. Just. For the meal. With Jesus. These. The tense. Of the verb.
[23:08] That's used here. For the burning heart. Is a continual one. They're not saying. Our heart. Burned once. Within us. But our heart. Was burning. The more.
[23:18] We were hearing. Almost. The more. It was burning. Within us. And as. You go forward. From having. This meal. Of remembrance. This meal. Where you remember. The death of Jesus. You need to go forward.
[23:30] And seek. That your heart. Would continue. To burn. It's not just. At communion. Weekends. That we should. Want to have. This. This feeling. On this. Coming under.
[23:40] God's word. That causes. Our heart. To rejoice. And to burn. Within us. It's something. That we should. Want. And long. For each. And every day. It's not just. At communion. Weekends.
[23:50] That we want this. But every day. Every day. That we seek. To live. And to love. The Lord. Is a day. Where our heart. Should be burning. But we must.
[24:01] Keep our heart. We must have. Protection. Over our heart. Because. Just as the light. Has shone in. So the darkness. Wants to. Take over.
[24:12] These places. Where the light is in. The devil. Wants to get into your heart. And he wants to. Bring back. Corners. Of your heart. To himself. And we must pray. That the Lord.
[24:22] Would keep our heart. And pray. That he would. Protect us. And pray. That his word. Would continue. To have. The impact. That it had. On these followers. In our lives. That our heart.
[24:33] Would not become cold. Or lukewarm. As it was. For the church. In Revelation. But our heart. Would continue. Underneath the preaching. Of God's word.
[24:43] As you hear it. Here in this place. That your heart. Would continue. To respond. We need to ask. Ourselves. Each and every day. And ask each other.
[24:54] How is your heart? Are you still. Responding. To the gospel? Or if you've never. Responded before. Why don't I tell you.
[25:04] This good news. Let me tell you. About the very news. That affects your heart. Like nothing. And no one else can. Let me point you. To the light.
[25:14] Of God. Which shines. Into the darkness. And illuminates. The knowledge. Of the glory. Of God. In the face. Of Jesus Christ. There's.
[25:25] The eye of faith. There's. The heart on fire. Thirdly. And finally. There's the walk. Of service. After.
[25:38] Having this meal. With Jesus. Their eyes are opened. There. They recall. That their heart. Was set on fire. And in verse 33. We read.
[25:49] They rose. That same hour. And returned. To Jerusalem. We read. In the narrative. That these men. When they reached. Emmaus.
[26:00] They said. To. The one. Who was accompanying. Them on the journey. Come on in with us. The day. Is far spent. But now.
[26:10] Having received. This knowledge. And recognized. Him for who he is. They don't mind. That the day. Is far spent. They have to get back. To Jerusalem.
[26:22] It's evening. And an evening. Journey. Of this. Respect. Would bring. Danger. In and of itself. But they think. Nothing of the dangers. They have to get back.
[26:33] To Jerusalem. They cannot. Remain. In a maze. With the news. That they have. They cannot. Remain. In a maze. When there may be. People in Jerusalem. Who don't have.
[26:43] This news. They have to get up. Rise. Straight away. And go back. On the seven mile. Journey. And I tell you. The journey. On the way back.
[26:54] Was much quicker. Than it was. On the way there. Because they were. Desperate. To get back. And tell of the good news. And they reach. Jerusalem. And they find. Where the disciples are.
[27:05] And they hear. That they too. Have heard the news. And in verse 35. We read. Then they told. What had happened. To them. On the road. Why.
[27:16] Did they respond. In this way. Well. They responded. Because the news. Was. Quite frankly. World changing.
[27:28] The one. That they thought. Was dead. Is no longer. Dead. He's alive. And because. He's alive. Their whole life. Has changed. And not only theirs.
[27:39] But the life. Of everyone. That they will share. The good news with. And because of that. There's a sense of. Urgency. In bringing the gospel.
[27:49] To other people. How can they remain. In Emmaus. With the news. That they have. And you know. When we think. About that. In our own situation.
[28:00] Here. As you've had this meal. Where you've remembered. The death. Of the Lord. And you've. Had this time. When you've thought. About the good news. Of the gospel.
[28:12] The urgency. Now. Is upon you. To take this good news. And to take it out. Let me ask you this. How can you.
[28:22] Keep the good news. In Emmaus. When there's many. In Jerusalem. Who need to hear it. How can you. Keep the good news. Here. Amongst yourselves.
[28:32] When there's many. In this town. Of Stornoway. Who need to hear it. And the urgency. Is that they need. To hear it immediately. Their very lives. Could be changed.
[28:44] In their hearing. Of this gospel. And in their hearing. Of this good news. And so we cannot. Keep it to ourselves. We have to have. That urgency.
[28:55] We must challenge. Ourselves. Each and every one of us. Have we lost. That urgency. I once heard it said. That there's no. Greater. Evangelist.
[29:06] Than the born again. Christian. Because when we're born again. For that first time. There's that sense. Of urgency. That sense.
[29:17] Of excitement. When you go out. And you say. How can everyone else. Not see what I'm seeing. I need to tell everyone. The good news. That I've just heard. We should always.
[29:28] Have that urgency. Because the gospel. Demands that urgency. Urgency. And those who have not heard. This good news. Demand that we.
[29:40] Respond with that urgency. And when they reach. Jerusalem. The verb that's used. In verse 35. For told. Really means.
[29:51] To relate. In full. Or really to rehearse. Everything that happened. To them. It's a beautiful picture. They burst into this scene. And it's essentially. They're saying.
[30:02] Let me tell you. What happened. Let me tell you. Everything that happened. I don't want to miss out. Anything. And they begin. All the way back. In Jerusalem. And they recall.
[30:12] How everything was despondent. Everything was depressing. Then we met with this man. And he began to preach. And we reached Emmaus. And we invited him in. And then at that moment.
[30:22] When we had the meal with him. We realized who he was. And everything changed. And our hearts. They were burning. As we remembered. What he said to us. And we had to rush back.
[30:33] And tell you. He's not in the grave. He's alive. And you know. When we come. To tell the gospel. There is that sense of.
[30:44] Relating in full. Don't leave anything out. All that we. As. As a congregation. As you go back. Into the world. After this communion weekend.
[30:56] And you meet with people. And they ask you. How did you spend your weekend? How do we respond? Do we say. Well let me tell you.
[31:07] Or let me tell you. Everything that happened to me. This weekend. Let me tell you. Who I had a meal. In remembrance of. Let me tell you. About the good news. That I heard. Let me tell you.
[31:18] About my Jesus. I have to share. The good news. With you. We must challenge. Ourselves. Are we still doing that? Perhaps you're saying.
[31:30] Well. There was a day. When. I thought nothing. Of doing that. I would happily. Do that. When it comes. To get involved. With the work.
[31:40] Of this church. I would happily. Get involved. To spread the good news. Of the gospel. But my day. For doing that. Is beyond me. I'm allowing other people.
[31:51] To do that now. Let me ask you. Where do you find. The age. Restrictment. In this verse. Where do you find. The allowance.
[32:01] For any one of us. To say. I'm too old. For this. I'm not good enough. For this. I don't know enough. About this. These followers.
[32:12] Simply took. What they had experienced. And shared it. With those. Who needed to know. And you might say. Well. It's well and good. For you.
[32:23] As you are just. Beginning. That's true. The challenge. Is not so much. To begin well. But to end well. And there's no retiring.
[32:35] In this service. There's no getting out. Of this. As a Christian. If we are his. Children. We are called. To serve him. Each and every.
[32:46] One of us. We all. Have those. Who need. To hear. This good news. And there must be. A sense of urgency. And there must be.
[32:56] A sense of. Of getting out. This news. You know. As I was thinking. Again. Of that. Heart being set. On fire. It's interesting. That although.
[33:07] It began. With Jesus. Speaking into their heart. And then their heart. Being set on fire. By the end. Of this narrative. They're not unlike. David and Jeremiah. Because they have.
[33:18] This good news. Within them. And they reach. Jerusalem. And they cannot. Keep it in anymore. They have. To tell. This good news. And that's.
[33:29] What happens. When God. Sends. His light. Into our heart. And sets. Our heart. On fire. We are those. Who have something. On our heart. That we must.
[33:39] Get off. We must. Share it. With others. We. As having. God's light. Shown. Into our heart. Are to be those.
[33:49] Who are lights. In this world. Itself. And to illuminate. In the darkness. Of this world. And to point. Others. To the light. Of the world.
[34:01] To the one. Who changes lives. And hearts. Forever. We are to be. Like. A candle. And Matthew. Henry.
[34:11] When he picks up. On this. He says. What were candles. Made for. But to burn. You see. It's no use. To put a candle.
[34:23] Into a cupboard. Or under. Some protection. A candle. Is to be out. And a candle. Is to be burning. So that light. Will be given.
[34:34] If I can change. Henry's. Statement. What were. Christians. Made for. But to serve. Their God. And their King.
[34:45] We are in. His service. And as such. We should be serving him. Each and every day. Going out. With the good news. Of the gospel. And bringing it to people.
[34:57] And saying. Let me tell you. About the light. Of the world. Who shone. Into my darkness. And can shine. Into your darkness. Too. These followers.
[35:08] Of Jesus. They had a meal. With the Lord. And as a result. They had an eye. Of faith. To look for him. Each and every day. In their spiritual journey.
[35:21] They had a heart. That was set on fire. Under. His word. God. And they had a walk. Of service. To share the good news.
[35:31] To everyone. That they came in contact with. As a congregation. As you. Have had this meal. In remembrance. Of Jesus. You go on.
[35:42] Living. By faith. And not by sight. Trusting. That he is with you. As a congregation. Each and every day. And as individuals. Each and every day.
[35:53] No matter what you go through. Knowing that his word. And his word alone. Is what sets. Hearts on fire. For him. And knowing that. Our responsibility.
[36:05] And our service. To him. Is to point others. To the light. Of the world. Who shone. Into our hearts. And made our darkness.
[36:16] To be light. May God bless. These thoughts. On his word. Let us pray together. Our father in heaven.
[36:30] We give you thanks. For your every. Blessing to us. And for the privileges. That we have enjoyed. We give you thanks. For the privileges.
[36:41] Known and experienced. In this congregation. Even over past days. But we pray. And we ask. That you would remind us.
[36:52] That to those. Who much has been given. Much will be required. And so we ask. Oh Lord God. That you would enable us. To go on.
[37:03] And to face tomorrow. And every day like it. Trusting in you. Trusting in you. And not in ourselves. To go on. In seeking.
[37:13] In seeking the primacy. Of the preaching. Of the gospel. And to come under your word. As the only thing. That will set our hearts. On fire for you.
[37:25] But we pray. That you would give us. To remember too. That we are to go out. With this gospel. And to bring it. To the hearts. And to the lives.
[37:35] Of lost men. And lost women. Lost boys. And lost girls. In this town of Stornoway. And to go to them. And say to them.
[37:47] Come see a man. Who told me all. That I ever did. Give to us. Oh Lord God. To serve you well. And to return.
[37:57] Thanks to you. For all that you have done. For us. In the gospel. Of all grace. For Jesus sake. Amen. We conclude.
[38:14] With our final item. Of praise. In Psalm 4. In the Scottish Psalter. Psalm 4.
[38:26] You'll find that on page 202. In the blue Psalm books. Psalm 4.
[38:38] We sing from verse 4. To the end. Of. The psalm. This. All of our singings. All of our psalms. This evening. Have been focusing.
[38:49] On the heart. We began. By praising God. And asking. That we would sing. From the very depths. Of our heart. And here. In Psalm 4. In verse 7.
[39:00] The psalmist. Is enabled to say. Upon my heart. Bestowed by thee. More gladness. I have found. Than they. Even then. When corn and wine.
[39:11] Did most. With them. Abound. We'll sing. From verse 4. To the end of the psalm. To God's praise. Emmanuel Bohemers. Amen. Amen.
[39:22] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[39:34] Amen. Amen.
[39:46] The present of righteousness, and in the Lord trust ye.
[40:00] Who will show us any good, it's that which many say.
[40:16] But all thy counted as the light, Lord, it dawned us away.
[40:33] Upon thy heart is told by thee, more gladness I have found.
[40:51] And they, even when hard and wide, they boast with them of hand.
[41:09] I will obey me now in peace, and quiet sing will take.
[41:25] Because thy lonely need could dwell, in safety, Lord, dost may.