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[0:00] We're going to begin our worship this evening by singing to God's praise. We're singing in Psalm 40, the Scottish Psalter Version, page 259, Psalm 40.

[0:11] ! I'm going to sing from verse 1 down to the end of the double verse 5. I waited for the Lord my God and patiently did bear. At length to me he didn't climb my voice and cry to hear.

[0:24] He took me from a fearful pit and from the miry clay and on a rock he set my feet, establishing my way. And we thank God that he gives us a new song. He put a new song in my mouth.

[0:37] Our God to magnify. Many shall see it and shall fear and on the Lord rely. We'll stand to sing to God's praise. Psalm 40, verse 1 to 5.

[0:54] I waited for the Lord my God and patiently did bear.

[1:09] A day to me he didn't climb my voice and cry to hear.

[1:27] He took me from a fearful pit and from the miry clay and on a rock he set my feet, He put a new song in my heart.

[2:11] Our God to magnify. Our God to magnify. Then he shall see it and shall hear and on the Lord rely.

[2:36] O blessed is the man whose trust upon the Lord rely.

[2:54] Please, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are, if you are Thou hast done, thy gracious thoughts to us were far.

[3:39] Above all thoughts are gone. In order none can let on end, till ye at end ye bear.

[4:04] And speak of them, I would be more than can be number one.

[4:25] Let's bow our heads in a word of prayer. Let us pray. Lord, our gracious God, we come before you and you this evening thankful for these words that we have sung.

[4:41] Thankful for the reminder to us of all your gracious ways towards us, your gracious thoughts. To us were far above all thoughts are gone, the psalmist says.

[4:51] It just reminds us, Lord, that as we come, we want to give thanks and praise to you for your graciousness towards us in this day. For your goodness to us, Lord, that we have been blessed by you in so many ways.

[5:06] But as we look back to you, Lord, we see that your gracious ways towards us has been throughout our lives, throughout our experiences. The way that you have been patient with us, the way that you have watched over us, the way that you have guided us in every step, even when we're unaware of you.

[5:26] And we do pray and thank you, Lord, for your goodness to us in all of these things. And we thank you, Lord, that you are the one who we have come to wait upon, that you are worth waiting for.

[5:40] And for when we realize, Lord, what a God you are and what you have done for us in Christ Jesus. And what we've been remembering together here this day of the one who was condemned for our sins.

[5:54] And when we think of all that he bore for us, all the suffering, all the shame, all the mocking, all of these things, Lord, that he endured for his people.

[6:06] We can only but come humbly before you, recognizing how unworthy we are. And yet worthy is the lamb who was slain. And we thank you that the praise and glory is to him.

[6:20] And the way that he brings us to that place where we know what it is to trust, what it is to believe, when we are brought from that fearful pit and from the mighty clay, and have our feet set upon that rock, that rock that is Christ.

[6:37] And we thank you for all here this evening who know that security, that faith in him, and that it is not in anything worthy of ourselves that we come boasting, but boasting only in the cross of Jesus Christ.

[6:53] And we thank you this night, Lord, that you have remembered us in these things. And we pray, Lord, that you will give us that song, that new song to praise you, that new song to glorify your name, and to praise you with all our hearts.

[7:08] And we ask, O Lord, that even this evening as we gather for worship, that you would not just give thanks, that we would not just give thanks as people who have believed, but also those who are still waiting on you, those who are still waiting to trust in you or to confess you, those who may be long for it in their hearts.

[7:30] We pray, Lord, that tonight you would give them a new song, and that they would be able to praise and magnify your name in a new way and with a new song. And we do thank you, Lord, for the fellowship of your people.

[7:44] We thank you for the blessings that there are in that unity together, in that fellowship we enjoy, even the peace that we have had this day together. We thank you for that.

[7:55] And we just pray for that peace to continue over us, that as we go from here this night and into the week ahead, that we would go as a people who know your peace with us and among us, that peace that passes all understanding.

[8:11] But there would not be a peace that makes us complacent, but a peace that makes us recognize our dependence is upon you day by day, and that we long to see your blessing over us as a people.

[8:25] We long to see your spirit moving in our midst. We long to see your church being built up in more and more ways and in more and more places.

[8:36] And we do thank you, Lord, that your word reminds us that you are indeed building, that you are a God who is always building. In times you are rebuilding, but always building your church, O Lord, that it would be for your glory throughout all the ends of the earth, that your name would be proclaimed, and that your people would be brought in to you and to the number who are being saved.

[9:02] And so we thank you, Lord, for the church that is yours and the head that is Christ, and the spirit that works all around the world, the spirit that calls, the spirit that convicts, and the work of salvation that we see going on in so many places and so many ways.

[9:19] We thank you that there is one God, and that you are God and Lord of all. And help this world to acknowledge and to recognize that. Help us to always have your name on our lips, confessing you and speaking of you, the wonders of your grace, the wonders of your power, and the wonders of the purpose which we have in this world.

[9:42] For our chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. And yet so often we are distracted from that. So often there are other things that come into our experience and into our lives, and into our communities, and even into our churches, that keep us from giving that glory to you.

[10:02] And yet we pray, Lord, that you will help us to glorify you and to enjoy you day by day. We thank you, Lord, for all that we are involved in as a church in this community.

[10:15] We thank you for all the meetings of prayer. We pray that you will encourage us in our prayers, that we would always pray and not lose heart. We can often feel that prayers are unanswered, or prayers are not having the impact we would want.

[10:31] We can often be mocked even for prayers offered up that seem to be unanswered. But we thank you, Lord, that your word reminds us that we are always to pray that your will be done.

[10:44] And teach us, Lord, that will. Teach us to know what it is. Teach us to be a people that are able to live in your will, and to delight even in the will of God for us, even when it seems so absurd or so ridiculous to us at times, that we would rejoice in things that seem to bring the church down.

[11:05] And yet, O Lord, as we are reminded so often in your word, it is often in these times when, in our weakness as we see it, that you remind us that you are indeed God, and that you alone are the one who is able to do what is impossible for man.

[11:20] And that is where we come in prayer, Lord, looking to you to help in all our different needs, whether they be personal to ourselves, whether they be very intimate to ourselves, might be things that are unknown to anybody else.

[11:36] And yet we thank you that we can come to you in prayer. And we thank you that collectively we come, that we come as a people who share one another's burdens, who are able to pray for even those who are unable to pray for themselves.

[11:49] And we thank you that we can bring all our cares and our concerns to you in that way. We do ask, O Lord, that you will hear our prayers for those around us, for those who are unwell at this time, for those who are in their homes, those who have maybe had difficult news even in this past week, for those who have been going through or are awaiting surgery, and for those who maybe are very uncertain as to what the future holds for them.

[12:16] And yet, O Lord, we pray that you will bring comfort and help and the presence and peace that only you can in the midst of all such experiences. Remember, Lord, our people around us then.

[12:30] We thank you too, Lord, that our prayers extend throughout our community. We again bring before you all that's been going on in our community with the search for that missing boy, Alexander, and just continue to pray for an outcome that would be in many ways a surprise to us, Lord, but something that we would be able to rejoice in.

[12:54] We thank you for all who have been helping in the search, for all that's been done looking for him and helping the family as well. And we just pray your nearness to all of them, that your peace would be with them.

[13:06] And Lord, we do pray for our communities when we see the direction our community and our islands and even our nation is going. Lord, we spoke so confidently in the past of this being a Christian community.

[13:22] And yet in these days, we recognize that we are in so many ways far from you, and there are so many with no interest in you. And we just pray, Lord, that you will help us to be a people with a purpose to share the gospel, to proclaim the good news, and to show forth the wonders of your work, the wonders that the psalmist speaks of, the wonders that thou hast done that are so numerous and numberless.

[13:49] Lord, we cannot number them for they are so many. But we pray, Lord, for others to see it as well, to see the greatest need in this world and in this life is to find that peace with God.

[14:03] And so we pray, Lord, for all endeavors to reach out to pray for these people. We pray for our nation again, Lord. We commit it to you.

[14:13] We thank you for every congregation of your people up and down our land who are faithful to your word, to your truth, and proclaim it day by day and week by week.

[14:24] We thank you, Lord, that in so many different places we find places of worship, maybe unexpectedly at times, when we think of a people or a place at times, maybe we have visited and we've been surprised to see numbers attending church or numbers believing in you.

[14:43] It is a reminder to us, Lord, that you have your people in every city, in every town, and every village, and that you are building your church throughout our land. And so, Lord, in days when things seem dark, we thank you for the light of the gospel that shines in so many places in so many ways.

[15:01] And we pray for a great harvest in our nation, a great turning of our people, Lord, that we would come to rejoice in you once more. We do pray for your help towards this world.

[15:14] We thank you, Lord, that it is yours, that the earth belongs to the Lord and all that it contains. And we thank you, Lord, that you are God over all. And we just pray for places and people to know the power of your salvation and the power of your word being blessed to them.

[15:31] We thank you, Lord, for our fellowship here, and we pray that you will continue with us in this day. We thank you for the fellowship to meet after the meeting this evening, and pray for Paul and Elizabeth as they come to speak to us.

[15:46] We thank you for their faith and for their witness for you. We pray that we will be encouraged together in that time of fellowship, that you will continue with us into the rest of the evening and even into the week that lies ahead, Lord, that you would guide us and help us, protect us and keep us.

[16:04] We have been encouraged. We have been blessed. And we know that so often when that is the case, we so often come under attack within the moments of leaving here and going into the workplace, going into the community, Lord.

[16:17] We know that we will be vulnerable in so many ways. And we are reminded, Lord, that we are in a battle. But we thank you for the armor of God. We thank you for all the protection you give us by your word, by your spirit, by your truth, and by your promise of presence with us.

[16:34] So hear our prayers, Lord. Continue with us and watch over as we pray. Bless your word to us as we open it up, as we share from it once again. That we will be blessed to each of us in the singing of your praise, that we will lift up our voices to you with that joy in our hearts, that joy of salvation.

[16:53] Hear our prayers, Lord. Continue with us and pardon all our sin as we ask all these things in Jesus' name. Amen. We're going to sing again to God's praise.

[17:08] Psalm 119. And let's sing Psalm's version. Page 167 of the psalm books. Psalm 119. We're singing at verse 161.

[17:23] Psalm 119. Verse 161. We'll sing the whole of this section. The rulers hound me without cause.

[17:34] My heart fears nothing but your word. For in your promise I rejoice. Like one who finds great spoil, O Lord. All falsehood I abhor and hate. With all my heart I love your law.

[17:46] I praise you seven times a day for your commands. I hold in awe. Great peace have those who love your law. They will not stumble in the way.

[17:58] I wait for your salvation, Lord. And your commands I will obey. We'll sing this section of the psalm. Psalm 119. Verse 161.

[18:09] We stand to sing to God's praise. O ruler's end me without cause.

[18:25] My heart fears nothing but your word. For in your promise I rejoice.

[18:43] Like one who finds grace for you, O Lord. All falsehood I abhor and hate.

[19:02] With all my heart I love your law. I praise you seven times a day.

[19:21] For you commands I hold in awe. Great peace have those who love your law.

[19:40] They will not stumble in the way. I wait for you salvation, Lord.

[19:59] And your commands I will obey. I will obey.

[20:09] I will obey your statutes, Lord. My love for him is great and true.

[20:27] Your laws and precepts I obey. For all thy ways are known to you.

[20:45] We'll turn to read together now in the Gospel of Luke once again. We're turning into chapter 24 this evening.

[21:00] Chapter 24. We're going to take up our reading at verse 28. So as we come into this chapter, we see Jesus has been buried at the end of chapter 23.

[21:17] And then beginning on chapter 24, we see the day of the resurrection and how there was a mixture of fear and trembling and delight and joy and unbelief in the midst of it all.

[21:29] It says in verse 11 of chapter 24, but these words seemed to them an idle tale and they did not believe them. So even as people were hearing that the Lord was risen, they wouldn't believe it.

[21:42] And then as we come up to verse 28, we come into the middle of the journey on the road to Emmaus, where two of them were going to that village called Emmaus. And the Lord Jesus came alongside them and started to speak to them.

[21:56] But even in the midst of that, their hearts were downcast and they were wondering who this was. But we come to verse 28 and pick up our reading there.

[22:08] So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He, that's Jesus, acted as if he was going further. But they urged him strongly saying, stay with us, for it is towards evening and the day is now far spent.

[22:23] So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him.

[22:35] And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?

[22:46] And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, The Lord has risen indeed and has appeared to Simon.

[23:01] Then they told what had happened on the road and how he was known to them in the breaking of bread. As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, Peace to you.

[23:17] But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?

[23:27] See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.

[23:39] When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, Have you anything here to eat?

[23:51] They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them. Then he said to them, These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.

[24:12] Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures and said to them, Thus it is written that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

[24:34] You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you, but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.

[24:45] Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.

[24:57] And they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy and were continually in the temple, blessing God. Amen.

[25:07] And may the Lord add his blessing to that reading of his word. Again, we'll sing to God's praise this time in Psalm 73, the Scottish Psalter version, Psalm 73, at verse 23 to the end of the Psalm, page 316 of the Psalm books.

[25:26] Nevertheless, continually, O Lord, I am with thee. Thou dost me hold by my right hand and still upholdest me.

[25:38] Thou with thy counsel while I live, wilt me conduct and guide, and to thy glory afterward receive me to abide. We'll sing from verse 23 down to the end of the Psalm.

[25:49] To God's praise we stand to sing. O Lord, I am with thee.

[26:15] Thou dost me hold by my right hand and still upholdest me.

[26:32] Thou dost me hold by my right hand and still upholdest me.

[27:02] Please, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray, if you pray The night is high, besides me there is none.

[27:42] My flesh and heart hath gained and failed, but God hath failed me never.

[28:00] For of my heart, God is the strength and portion forever.

[28:17] For, Lord, we are far from thee, forever perish thou.

[28:36] Then that thou rolling from below, thou hast destroyed all.

[28:53] But surely it is good for me that I draw near to God.

[29:10] In God I trust that all thy works I may declare, Lord.

[29:31] Well, we can turn back together to a reading in Luke's Gospel, chapter 24. Let me read again at verse 36. As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, Peace to you.

[29:54] Peace to you. As we've come together over this weekend, last evening and today, we've been seeing different ways that Jesus was with the people at the time of his crucifixion.

[30:10] We saw last evening how he was before Pilate and before the crowd. And we were thinking of the prevailing voices that were there then. But the voice of the Lord, especially, that was over it.

[30:23] And then this morning we've been at the cross. We've been looking on Jesus as he was pierced for our transgressions. Our Saviour died on the cross.

[30:35] So we've come. We've come towards the cross. We've been at the cross. But now we're maybe coming away from it in a sense as we come away this evening. And we want to ask, well, how are we going to come away?

[30:48] When you see people coming away from the cross here in the Gospels, and as we look at the Gospel of Luke, you see many of them came away despondent, despairing, doubting, all of these things going on in their minds.

[31:04] But then there was a great change. The most significant thing happened. They met with Jesus. And it says there, as they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them.

[31:21] This shouldn't happen. They had watched him be put to death, watched him on the cross there die, watched him be taken down and buried. But now he has appeared before them.

[31:35] And all of a sudden, there is delight. And all the doubts, all the despair, all the downcast spirit that they had, suddenly there's joy, suddenly there's delight.

[31:48] Why? Because he is risen. And today we have been remembering the Lord's death. But we don't come away just mourning his death.

[32:01] We come away remembering the great fact that he is risen. He is risen. Because that changes so much for us. If we were only worshipping someone who had died, like other religions do, we would be without hope.

[32:19] And yet here we have that great reminder that he is risen. That he died for our sins. But that he is risen. And there are some events that happen in the world.

[32:32] Sometimes it's just a small event that gets spoken about in the news. It may last for a few days. There are other events that are remembered for maybe a longer time.

[32:44] Significant events in the world that are spoken about maybe for months or even years after the event. But they still tail off after a time. Although there's some significant events that maybe appear on an anniversary or something like that.

[32:59] We hear about them occasionally. But what about the resurrection? As we read of the resurrection here, it's not something that's been forgotten about.

[33:11] It's not something that's tailed away. It's something that's spoken about all the time. It's one of the greatest things we have to speak about.

[33:22] The wonders that God has done for us. We cannot number them. And yet here in these chapters that we've been looking at, we see how Jesus came for his people.

[33:33] How he was mocked and rejected by many. But how he was condemned. And yet caring, concerned for his people. How he was the chosen one. But it didn't just end there.

[33:46] And when you look through the Gospel of Luke, you see at different points, Jesus reminds us of what had to take place. In chapter 9, verse 22, he says, The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the scribes.

[34:04] We've seen that. We've been looking at that. How he was rejected by the elders and the chief priests and scribes. How you will be killed. We've looked at that. And you see it even here, as the angel appears to the woman at the tomb earlier in this chapter.

[34:23] In verse 7, it says that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified. So it's there again. It's repeated for us.

[34:35] But there's something else that Jesus said. In chapter 9 and here in verse 7 as well, Well, it's this, on the third day he may be raised.

[34:46] He would be raised. On the third day he would rise. And so there's the wonder of this. That he is risen.

[34:57] You see, the death of Christ, it wasn't just, it wasn't the end. It wasn't that everything was accomplished that needed to be through his death. No, there was more still to come.

[35:10] He would rise on the third day. He had told them so. And yet you find the two on the road to a maze, for example, going away, downcast.

[35:20] Even though they've started to hear whispers that he was risen. The disciples themselves, in verse 11 it says, These words seemed like an idle tale.

[35:31] And they did not believe them. It was unbelievable. This just couldn't register with them. He is risen. And there is power in that for us.

[35:43] The resurrection of Christ. But do we know that power? Do we have that power for ourselves? That as we come away from the Lord's Supper today, as we go away this evening, as we go into the week ahead, are we remembering, Yes, Christ died for our sins.

[36:02] We have remembered that. But that we remember, too, that he is risen. And that because he is risen, he goes with us. R.C. Sproul once said, Our natural inclination is to hide ourselves from God.

[36:18] And we see that so often in our own experience, in our past. We see it here in the Gospels, as Jesus was being crucified. The natural reaction to so many was to shun back, to hide back.

[36:32] You think of Peter and his denial. You think of those who we mentioned this morning, who watched on from afar. In verse 49 of chapter 23, the woman and those who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance, watching these things.

[36:49] Our natural inclination is to hide ourselves sometimes. And for the disciples here, and those who had been followers of him, they'd kind of hidden themselves away.

[37:01] They had gathered together in a room, just the disciples and a few others. The two on the road to Emmaus had gone away, heading off to another place, another village.

[37:12] They'd all turned away because Christ had died. But what changed everything was the fact that he is risen and that he appeared to them.

[37:23] Even as they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood in their midst and said to them, Peace to you. And what great peace that is to know that he is risen.

[37:37] The resurrection changes everything for us when we think of what that means for ourselves, for ourselves today, and for ourselves even in the future.

[37:48] Because there is no peace apart from God. But the peace that we know is that he is risen. And because he is risen, we have that hope of the resurrection ourselves.

[37:58] That we will not die, but live, as it says in the gospel so often. We live because he lives. Because he is risen.

[38:10] But what does that mean for us as we come away from this communion weekend? Well, there's three things I want us to take with us as we go from here this evening. And they're all based on this idea of this peace be with you.

[38:23] And this peace-filled people that we begin to see here at the end of Luke. And as you go on into the book of Acts, you see Luke continuing to show what these peace-filled people did, what the resurrection did for them as a people.

[38:40] But we get an indication of it here at the end of Luke in chapter 24. And the first thing that we see about them is the peace that they had. And then that leads us to see the purpose it gave them.

[38:55] And then the third thing we see is the power that was with them. This is all based on the fact that Christ died for our sins, but on the third day he rose.

[39:07] So we just want to look at these things. First of all, the resurrection brought this peace to the people. The disciples and those who had been at Calvary, coming away from there, they were like mourners.

[39:21] They had been to a death, they had seen the Lord buried and they came away as mourners. And the days following the crucifixion, they rested on the Saturday, on the Sabbath as it was, but they didn't have that rest.

[39:38] They didn't have that peace. Because, as you see, with the two on the road to Emmaus, when you read verse 18, it says there, one of them named Cleopas answered him, are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?

[39:57] And he's saying, you know, what things? And they said to him, concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet, mighty indeed, and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him.

[40:13] And you see there that they've got two out of the three things there, of what Jesus had taught and what they had seen, that he had been delivered and that they'd been crucified, but the third bit is missing.

[40:26] Because what they say is, but we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. We had hoped, but it's like their hope is gone.

[40:38] But like Jesus had said, on the third day he will rise. But they had forgotten that it was like their hope was gone. The resurrection changes all of that.

[40:51] And that's why we see the amazing way, the amazing power of what Jesus says in verse 36. Their mourning has been turned to joy. And Jesus stood among them and said, peace to you.

[41:06] Here he was, here he was beside them all, with them all, speaking these wonderful words, peace to you. and what a difference that made to them.

[41:19] And we've reflected on how so much of what we read here about the death of Jesus, we also go back to Isaiah 53. And again, this evening, as we think of Jesus saying, peace to you, we go back to Isaiah 53.

[41:35] And in verse 5, we are reminded there, he was wounded for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace.

[41:48] That brought us peace. And with his stripes, we are healed. And so as we look here and see that Christ was brought before the scribes and the Pharisees as he was crucified, but on the third day he rose.

[42:07] there is peace. There is a peace that Jesus brought to his people then and there is a peace that he brings to us now to know that he has risen.

[42:22] Another example of what a difference it made into those who were around him in these days was the Gospel of John speaks about the account of Mary meeting Jesus at the tomb.

[42:32] in another way it goes into more detail. She was weeping over Jesus. She was looking for his body. And Jesus himself came to her and in John 20 verse 15 it says, if you have carried him away tell me where you have put him and I will get him.

[42:52] She didn't know it was Jesus. But Jesus said to her, Mary, one word. And she turned to him and cried out in Aramaic Rabboni which means teacher.

[43:06] Her despair, her tears are turned to joy. She turns there and sees him Rabboni teacher. Suddenly there is joy, there is peace.

[43:20] And what did this lead her to do? Well she threw herself at his feet and clung to him. She didn't want to let go. But when she left him she met with the disciples and said, I have seen the Lord.

[43:33] I have seen him. And these are the words that they are saying were just idle tales and they did not believe until they saw him himself. She had something worth talking about and so do we.

[43:46] So do we have something worth talking about when we think of this peace that the Lord is able to give. Peace for life, peace for death, peace for eternity.

[43:58] one of the saddest things I have seen on the television in these last few days has been as we have been seeing the vote that took place in the parliament and the response to it.

[44:11] One lady broke my heart as she spoke on television saying, I can now die in peace. peace. And it breaks your heart when you see because that is someone with no thought of Christ, no thought of God, no thought of eternity but saying, I can now die in peace.

[44:32] peace. But there is no peace. There is no peace apart from Christ. Somebody once put it like this, the most unhappy person in the world is not someone who didn't get what he or she wanted.

[44:47] The most unhappy person is the one who got what he or she wanted and then found out it wasn't as wonderful as expected. And that's the reality of our situation today.

[45:00] People have got what they wanted. But it will never be as wonderful as they expected. You see, the secret isn't getting what you want but getting what you need.

[45:13] And what we need is this peace of Christ, the peace that he speaks because this is the peace that changes lives. This is the peace that brings us to see the world in a different way, to see our lives in a different way, to look at the cross in a different way even and see he died for our sins but he rose again.

[45:35] He's victorious and therefore we have hope in his death and his resurrection. We find peace in that because that is the peace that is ours through faith in Christ and the peace that leads us on.

[45:53] So we look to this part and we see the peace that Jesus gives to his people. but we also see the resurrection and the peace it brings.

[46:03] It brings a new purpose to the people as well. When the disciples met with Jesus after the resurrection it gave them a new purpose.

[46:15] You think of Mary who we spoke of as soon as she met with Jesus. What did she want to do? She wanted to go and tell others he is risen. And you look at the two on the road to Emmaus and suddenly their eyes are opened and what do they want to do?

[46:28] They want to go back to Jerusalem and tell others that they have seen the Lord. We have seen him. He is risen. And so their lives are transformed.

[46:39] Their hearts were burning within them just wanting to burst and go and tell others. And you see it go on with the disciples at the end of this chapter and then as you go into the book of Acts you see Peter in all boldness standing before the crowds proclaiming the gospel proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ.

[47:04] The Christ who was condemned by the scribes and the Pharisees the Christ who was crucified the Christ who is risen the Christ who is risen.

[47:18] You see Paul and his purpose in life transformed by meeting Jesus from one who was condemning the Christians in his day to going out and proclaiming the Christ.

[47:29] And again and again he makes that point in his letters. We do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel.

[47:40] And what is at the heart of this is the resurrection. The resurrection that Christ is risen. And that's the peace filled people that we see.

[47:51] Lives that were so despondent so dismayed transformed because he is risen. It is the peace that Christ gives as Paul says in Colossians chapter 3 verse 15 let the peace of Christ rule your hearts to which indeed you were called in one body and be thankful.

[48:12] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom. You see the peace that he gives it gives us something worth talking about.

[48:24] It gives us that purpose. And they go from being startled and frightened even as you see here in verse 37 they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit they didn't know what they were seeing and yet in verse 41 it says while they still disbelieved for joy and they were for joy and were marveling he said to them have you anything to eat.

[48:52] They're transformed they're brought from startled and frightened to joy even in the midst of disbelief they can't believe what they're seeing and that's the wonder of the gospel it's a wonder that we see and the purpose that it gives something so unbelievable something so amazing something so wonderful and yet Christ has spoken to us and Christ has given to us that peace and that hope Christ is good news Christ is the good news that our world needs and even as we think of the month that comes ahead of us as we think of the run up to Christmas when so much is about distraction from the real meaning of Christ and what he means to this world it's being pushed out yet what an opportunity it is for us to tell the story of Christ who came into this world to save sinners because we realize that Christ died for us and rose again and when people come to understand that as you see here it changes everything and so this is worth speaking about this is worth telling others about the resurrection gives us purpose when we know the peace of Christ in us it gives us purpose to go and share with others the gospel it's central to our mission it's central to what we are as a people what we are as a church these three things that Christ must suffer at the hands of sinful men be crucified and on the third day rise the importance is there because Jesus himself told it so often and so the purpose as he says to them here now as he comes into their midst and speaks this word of peace he says then in verse 44 these are my words and I spoke to you while I was still alive that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled and then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures and then he goes on to say thus it is written that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead and the purpose then is that repentance and forgiveness of sin should be proclaimed in his name to all nations it is the purpose given to the church to the people of God to proclaim this message of a risen saviour to a world that is perishing so we see the resurrection and the peace it brought we see the resurrection and the purpose it brought but finally we see the resurrection and the power that was brought as well the resurrection reminds us of the power of Christ his power over sin and death that he has conquered and the power that he has to save to the uttermost you see he is saying there the repentance and forgiveness of sin should be proclaimed to all nations beginning in Jerusalem you are my witnesses to these things and behold

[52:17] I am sending the promise of my father upon you that he is going to be with them that the Holy Spirit is going to come down upon them and be with them so the resurrection and the mission of the church are so connected with the promise of the power of Christ with his people the Holy Spirit poured down upon them and that is the way that we see the gospel this amazing way it transforms people's lives the way the gospel opens hearts the way the gospel brings us to see a new purpose in this life instead of worshipping self and the gods of this world we come to worship the true and the living God the resurrection brings power Paul again writing in 1 Corinthians says the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing it is foolishness to those who are perishing the cross means nothing but he goes on to say but to us who are being saved it is the power of God the cross is the power of God

[53:36] God's word is powerful God's word is active God's word is able to save in a world that sees so much folly in the cross we should never lose heart instead there is the power of God the power of God to salvation that is our hope that is the gospel that we are called to proclaim with purpose and with power all for the glory of God John Wesley was a great evangelist and his vision was never a small vision and he once said this I want the whole Christ for my saviour I want the whole Bible for my book I want the whole church for my fellowship and I want the whole world for my mission field he never underestimated the power of God the power of God to save and the peace filled people of God are always to be a people of purpose and a people of the power of God with them because we have something to talk about we have something to tell the world around about that

[55:01] Christ came he came to be put into the hands of sinful men to be crucified but on the third day to rise and that is a reminder to us that for everyone around us for us all here for us all everyone we see around us that the day will come when we must appear before the judgment seat of Christ the day of the resurrection the final resurrection and what then where will we stand then will the cross then be foolishness will it be folly to us on that day when we see indeed Christ appearing in our midst will it be foolishness to us or will it be too late the cross is the power of God to salvation it's the cross that we look to the cross where we see the one who was pierced for our transgressions the one who we look to in the midst of a world that's calling in so many different voices to go this way to go that way to shun

[56:20] God to turn away from him are we going to listen to these voices or will we listen to the voice of the Lord the voice of the Lord who even this evening we could say is here with us he is here with us through his word and his word this evening is peace to you peace but do you have this peace do you have that peace that can only be found in Christ nothing in this world can offer the peace that he gives because it is a peace for today it is a peace for tomorrow it's a peace that passes understanding and it's a peace that will see us through into eternity there is a peace for us but it's only found in Christ we despair for those who would say that to die without

[57:25] Christ is to be able to die in peace it never is the only way to die in peace is to die with Christ in your heart and that assurance of believing in him the one who was condemned the one who was crucified but the one who is risen the one who rose on the third day and the one who will come again the one who is victorious the one who is building his church the one who would want to come and say my lord my god my king may we find our peace in him let us pray lord our gracious god we do thank you for all that you do for us all that you have done as we have reflected so much on the cross and all that you suffered there yet we thank you that as we come this evening we see too that just as you had spoken to your people that you would rise on the third day so it was that you appeared to them even though it brought disbelief in so many even though there were so many who were frightened and startled yet we thank you that there was joy there was joy in the one who was risen in the one who they saw in disbelief at times and yet the one who they rejoiced in and we thank you that you are the lord who is risen today that we look to the one who rose from the grave who ascended to heaven who is even now at the right hand of god the father making intercession for us and the one who we know will come again and to bring that day of peace that we long for but we thank you today lord that with you that there is peace to be found and we pray that we will know that peace going forward this evening and into the days ahead and that that peace would give us a great purpose in sharing the message of the gospel with others and that that peace would remind us of the power that is ours through christ so hear our prayers continue with us and forgive our sins as all we ask we ask in jesus name amen we're going to conclude by singing to god's praise in psalm 16 in the sing psalms version psalm 16 in the sing psalms version we'll sing from verse 8 to verse 11 and these words are the words that remind us how we go from here setting the lord before us but also speaks to us too of the peace that it gives to us as we go on before me constantly i set the lord alone because he is at my right hand i'll not be overthrown therefore my heart is glad my tongue with joy will sing my body too will rest secure in hope unwavering we'll sing from verse 8 to the end of the psalm to god's praise voy voy voy!

[61:05] voy! voy! voy! voy! voy! voy! voy! voy! voy! voy! voy! voy! voy! voy! voy Because it is that my right hand I'll not be overdone.

[61:25] Therefore my heart is loud, my tongue which I will sing.

[61:44] Thy body too will rest in pure in hope and withering.

[62:03] For you will not allow my soul in death to save.

[62:21] For when you leave your holy blood to see the truth today, you have made hope to me.

[62:49] Where hath the light divine, This shall I hope that you're right hand, Joy from your face will shine.

[63:19] We'll give thanks for the food we're going to have next door, and then the benediction, and after that I'll go to the main door. Lord, our gracious God, we ask you to continue with us now in our fellowship together.

[63:31] We thank you for all that's been prepared for us. The food that we are about to receive, Lord, bless it to our bodies and continue to bless our fellowship around your word and the encouragement that we have in sharing and hearing of your goodness in the lives of your people.

[63:48] We pray that you'll bless both Paul and Elizabeth as they speak to us and all that we do in your name this evening. Now may grace, mercy, and peace from God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit rest upon and abide with you all now and forevermore.

[64:06] Amen. Amen. Thank you.