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[4:30] Thank you. We think she's got hours, maybe days to go, so it's just looking after her. Thank you. Yeah. Yeah, thank you.
[4:44] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
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[7:28] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[7:40] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[8:18] Thank you. Thank you. All together lovely, all together worthy, you're all together wonderful to me.
[8:37] King of all days, oh so highly exalted, glorious in heaven above.
[8:52] Only you came to the earth you created, all for the sake became poor.
[9:04] Here I am to worship, here I am to bow down, here I am to say that you're my God.
[9:19] You're all together lovely, all together worthy, you're all together wonderful to me.
[9:33] So here I am to worship, here I am to bow down, here I am to say that you're my God.
[10:17] You're all together lovely, all together worthy, all together wonderful to me.
[10:31] Father God, we give you our praise, we give you our worship.
[10:42] We want to honour you this morning because we recognise you are so worthy. Because you are so holy. And yet we recognise that we're not worthy, we're not holy.
[10:55] We don't deserve to come anywhere near you Lord, but you have made that possible for us. By the blood of your son, shed for us by his saving sacrifice. And we're so thankful. And we want to honour you, praise you, continue to give you our thanks.
[11:12] Because you are so holy, you are so worthy Lord. Would you open our hearts to praise you more and more. To give you the praise that you deserve. Amen. Let's continue to worship God. Let's continue to worship God.
[11:23] Let's continue to worship God. A thousand generations falling down in worship to sing in the name of God.
[11:50] A thousand generations falling down in worship to sing in the name of God. And all who've gone before us, and all who will believe, will sing the song of ages to the Lamb.
[12:09] Your name is the highest, your name is the greatest, your name. He stands above them all.
[12:23] All thrones and dominions, all powers and positions, your name. All thrones and dominions, all powers and positions, your name is the highest, your name is the highest, your name is the highest.
[12:36] A thousand angels cry. A thousand angels cry. Holy, our creation cries. Holy, you are lifted high.
[12:51] Holy, holy forever. If you've been forgiven and if you've been redeemed Sing the song forever to the Lamb If you walk in freedom and if you bear His name Sing the song forever to the Lamb Sing the song forever and the Lamb Just die Holy, O creation's eyes Holy, you are lifted high
[13:52] Holy, holy forever Hear your people sing Holy to the King of kings Holy, you will always be Holy, holy forever Your name is the highest Your name is the greatest Your name stands above them all
[15:44] Holy, holy forever May your people sing Holy, holy to the King of kings Holy, you will always be Holy, holy, holy forever You will always be Holy, holy forever Amen Do you please sit down?
[16:34] now today we're continuing our pray big series looking at big prayers in the bible that paul prayed paul prayed in the new testament and the prayer that we're looking at today in colossians one encourage us encourages us among other things to always pray with thankfulness being thankful to god for his goodness and the good things that he's done and that's a great place to start when we pray it's also a great place to start when we when we gather together with one another so what i'd like you to do just take a couple of minutes turn to somebody that you've not already greeted this morning introduce yourself first of all and then tell the other person something that you're thankful for uh that maybe that you're aware of in the last week or in the last few days that's something that you're thankful for today so just go and greet someone you haven't already greeted introduce each other and share what you're thankful for this morning morning john what are you thankful for i think uh enthusiasm being enthusiastic a little bit yeah yeah yeah yeah that's great yeah that's right hi catherine good to see you what are you thankful for this morning yeah that's great we praise god for that that's amazing brilliant congratulations how are you i'm very good thank you who is this this is joffrey gabriel joffrey and how and how and how old is he he's he's gorgeous congratulations he is yeah well done oh that's awesome well it's obvious what you're thankful for so i won't ask you but that's hello joffrey i'm thankful um got to celebrate my dad's 88th last week and had a lovely sunny day and we took him out for lunch and he was he was very happy yeah yeah so that was really good yeah brilliant that's great um we can continue those conversations over tea and coffee after the service it's it's so encouraging that um we've got so much to be thankful for and a new arrival as well congratulations that little joffrey is with us for the first time he's three weeks old congratulations and uh yeah great to have you with us today um we're going to sing another song now this is called rescuer uh it's got a big fist bump guys so i really want to see you go all out on the fist bump so it's he's our rescuer hey and i want full enthusiasm on that like just like joanne is doing now thank you joanne we want to get the fists up in the air for the for the rescuer hey so let's stand and let's continue to give god our praise as we sing rescuer so
[20:14] Good news for the captive, good news for the shade. There is good news for the one who walked away. There is good news for the dad's turn.
[20:29] One religion failed, for the good Lord has come to see and say. He's our rescuer.
[20:41] Hey! He's our rescuer. Hey! We are free from sin forevermore. Oh, how sweet the sound.
[20:52] Hey! Oh, how praise the sound. Hey! We will praise the Lord, our rescuer. He's good news for the blind man, riches for the poor.
[21:08] He's rich in for the one the worldly lost. He is pastoral, the weary rest for those who strive.
[21:20] Oh, the good Lord is the way, the truth for the light. Oh, the good Lord is the way, the truth for the light.
[21:32] He's our rescuer. He's our rescuer. Hey! He's our rescuer. Hey! We are free from sin forevermore. Hey! We are free from sin forevermore.
[21:45] Oh, how sweet the sound. Hey! Oh, how grace abounds. Hey! We will praise the Lord, our rescuer. My God who has the Lord who has the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of the earth who have the birth of Come and be fearless Come to the earth of Calvary There is redemption For every affliction Here at the earth of Calvary
[22:46] He's our rescuer He's our rescuer We are free from sin forevermore Oh how sweet the sound Oh how grace the sound We will praise the Lord our rescuer We will praise the Lord our rescuer Amen. Do please sit down.
[23:19] I'd just like to share a few notices about things which are coming up. First of all this evening we have an evening service. A big communion service. A great opportunity again to worship together.
[23:32] To be fed from God's word. And to share communion together. So I do commend that to you and hope you can join us here in the chapel at 6.30 tonight. The exciting thing that's happening this week on Wednesday is that our Job Club Cafe is restarting.
[23:45] So this is open to anyone who would value meeting with others in a friendly environment. To be supported as you navigate changing seasons in your life or the journey to look for work or training opportunities.
[23:56] That's 10.30 till 12 in our welcome area. All are welcome to that. Coming up beginning next Sunday is our week of prayer. So our special week of prayer starts next Sunday Sunday the 10th.
[24:09] This is all about setting aside more time for prayer and learning to go deeper in our prayer lives. Which I hope you agree with something that would be really good for us to do as individuals and as a church.
[24:20] So during the week there's various things that we're encouraging you to do. We encourage you to set aside a time or multiple times during the week. To set aside a time to pray for a whole hour. So you can do that.
[24:31] If you'd like a room to pray in. You can pray in our Hazel Room. Which is just up on the level above me in the hub. It's a lovely quiet space where you'll be away from distractions. You can book to spend an hour in the Hazel Room during kind of office hours.
[24:46] And there's a link on there that you can follow. There's a link that we've sent out in this week's sheet. So you can book in to pray there. We'll send out during the week a prayer guide. You can use that to guide you in your times wherever you pray.
[24:57] Whether you're praying at home or here. To guide you in that. Now last year we had for the first time. Andy introduced us to the idea of a prayer labyrinth. And last year we had a small prayer labyrinth. This year we're going to have a big prayer labyrinth.
[25:09] Which is going to be set up in here. So if you don't know what a prayer labyrinth is. Come along and find out. The chapel will be open during the week for you to come and experience that. Basically you kind of guide.
[25:19] Guide it around a course that you can walk and pause. And it prompts you to pray. And it really helps you to kind of pray. To connect with Jesus as you move around the paths of the labyrinth.
[25:30] And there'll be various kind of prayer stations in this chapel space. So you can come along to that at any time during the week. We encourage you to try some other things that might help you in your prayer life.
[25:41] Journaling, writing down your prayers. Prayer walking and fasting. And there'll be some tips on how to do that in our prayer guide. And we encourage you as well at certain points during the week. To join with others to pray.
[25:53] So the times that you can join us are next Sunday evening. We're going to have a special prayer and praise gathering. That'll be 6.30 to 7.30 here in the chapel. For us to kick off that week of prayer.
[26:03] Praising God in an informal prayer and praise gathering. On Monday the 11th of May. So the Monday of that prayer week. You can join us on Zoom to pray for the world.
[26:14] And particularly to pray for the work that's being done around the world. By our mission partners. That's something you can join with every month. But we're particularly encouraging you to join us this month. On the 11th of May.
[26:25] For the international prayer meeting. And then on Tuesday the 12th of May. 7.30 we're going to have another prayer and praise gathering. Here in the chapel. And on Thursday the 14th of May. We're going to meet at 12 o'clock in the hub.
[26:37] And we're going to go on a prayer walk around the town. It's a great way to listen to what God is saying about our community. To open up our eyes. To ask God to show us how he sees things. And we often see experience.
[26:50] God doing stuff. And breakthroughs happening as we prayer walk for our town. So if you've never tried prayer walking. Do hope you can join us lunchtime on Thursday. So that's all coming up. And we'll send out a prayer guide during the week.
[27:02] With more information about that. Finally. Coming up on the 1st of June. Is our new Christianity Explored course. This is a great opportunity to discover more about Jesus.
[27:15] In a friendly informal group. It's going to be happening Monday afternoon. Starting on the 1st of June. Please sign up online. Invite your friends to come along as well. Now as part of our worship.
[27:27] We want to acknowledge God's generous provision to us. And recognize that giving back to God. Out of what he's given us. Is part of our worship. There's various ways that we can do that. Here at Union Baptist Church.
[27:38] There's information on the giving page of our website. About how you can do that through bank transfers. And electronically through our website. You can also make a cash gift today. In the offering box.
[27:48] Which is on my right there. As you go through to the welcome area. And we have a card reader in the welcome area as well. If you'd like to make a gift. Through that. As part of your worship this morning. Let's pray to give thanks for what we present to him today.
[28:01] Father God. We thank you so much. That you are a generous God. And we pray that by your spirit. You would impart your generosity to us. And that you would help us. To give back to you.
[28:13] What belongs to you. And what is due to you. As part of our worship. So we pray that whatever we give this week. This month. And however we give that. That you would use those gifts.
[28:23] According to your purposes. And that you would use them. To glorify your name. And build your kingdom. Here in Wickham. And around the world as well. We pray that in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.
[28:34] Now we're going to invite the musicians to get ready. Before the children go out. Which will be during the next song. If you haven't already registered your child. Please take them through. Into the welcome area here.
[28:45] And the lovely people on the registration desk. Will get you registered. And then show you where to go. All children. I need to ask you to come down. And go through the welcome area. So that the leaders can gather you together.
[28:56] And take you up together. So we don't lose anyone in between here. And the rooms that you're meeting in. Salt and Light is our group. For secondary aged young people. That's not meeting today.
[29:08] Because most of our young people. In that age category. Are on the United Youth Camp. If you are in that age category. If you're secondary aged. You have a choice. You can go through and come and help. With the iSearch groups.
[29:18] And just look for Jackie. And she will give you instructions. And be very grateful for your help. Or if you prefer to stay in the service. Then you're welcome to do that as well. Let's pray for our children.
[29:29] And their leaders. Father God. We thank you so much. For all our children. We want to pray. For the groups that are meeting here. As well as the young people. Who are meeting over in Latimer.
[29:41] At the United Camp. We pray for the leaders this morning. That you will fill them with your Holy Spirit. And enable them to effectively teach our children. And pray that they will grow closer to you.
[29:52] During this time. And that they'll be blessed. By having this time together. And have lots of fun as well. We pray that in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. So during the next song that we're going to sing.
[30:03] Leaders and children. Please go on through to the welcome area. And then up to your groups. Please stand and sing. Our Father everlasting. The all creating one.
[30:33] God almighty. God almighty. Through your Holy Spirit. Conceiving Christ the Son.
[30:47] Jesus our Savior. I believe in God our Father. I believe in Christ the Son.
[31:00] I believe in the Holy Spirit. My God is free in one. I believe in the resurrection. That we will rise again.
[31:14] For I believe in the name of Jesus. Our judge and our defender Suffered and crucified Forgiveness is in you Descending into darkness You rose in glorious light Forever seated high I believe in God our Father I believe in Christ the Son I believe in the Holy Spirit Our God is three in one
[32:15] I believe in the resurrection That we will rise again For I believe in the name of Jesus I believe in you I believe you rose again I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord I believe in you I believe you rose again I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord
[33:18] I believe in life eternal I believe in the virgin birth I believe in the saints' communion And in your holy church I believe in the resurrection When Jesus comes again For I believe in the name of Jesus I believe in God our Father I believe in Christ the Son I believe in the Holy Spirit Our God is three in one I believe in the resurrection I believe in the resurrection That we will rise again For I believe in the name of Jesus I believe in the Holy Spirit
[34:20] I believe in the name of Jesus For I believe in the Holy Spirit So, ahead of our week of prayer I felt prompted to try something a little bit different With our preparation for intercessions So, today as a church I thought we could pray through Psalm 121 I lift my eyes up to the mountains Where does my help come from?
[35:01] Lord Jesus, many of us in this church today Both in the building and online Come to our service bearing burdens They come heavy laden with worries Anxieties and fear Whether that be personal situations Such as ill health Broken relationships Work or lack of it Or just concerned for the state of our world Often we can feel helpless Unable to see the right path Where does our help come from?
[35:30] My help comes from the Lord The maker of heaven and earth What an amazing verse Seemingly simple A few lines but an incredible truth Our God is sovereign over all things Our Lord made all that we have ever seen And known As well as that which has not yet been discovered This world and all of its people From the most powerful political leaders To the weakest and most vulnerable of us Unknown to him Are created by him Thank you God that you are not absent from this world But powerful in it Thank you that we can use your strength and power When we are weak He will not let your foot slip He who watches over you will not stumble We lift up all those in the congregation Facing challenges or big decisions We especially lift up those in grief or pain Bring your comfort to them That they may feel your arms supporting them And guiding them through We also lift up those we know are preparing for national exams
[36:30] Whether that be GCSE or A-level or 11 plus We pray for them and their families We pray that you would help them to trust That you are ruler over their exams Sovereign over the pressure and anxiety And that you call for them to lay it down at your feet Help them to maintain focus and effort But be freed from any worry or fear for the future For that is in your hands And you will not let them slip Indeed he who watches over Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep We thank you for this church Lord And for its leaders For our pastors and their families For our elders and deacons And for our ministry teams And all those who volunteer to serve your mission In this church and this community We thank you that you are continuously watching over them Protecting them and this church Guide them in their leadership And help us to lift them up in prayer And to aid them in acts of service For your glory in our town The Lord watches over you The Lord is your shade at your right hand The sun will not harm you by day
[37:32] Nor the moon by night We thank you for your promises over us Lord By day or by night you love and cherish us We pray for those of our church family At the United Weekend We praise you for your spirit at work In the teaching, the worship, the friendships and the fun We ask for renewed energy and passion In both the leaders and the young people May your hand cover them May your spirit bless all who attend With a greater understanding of you And a deeper heart knowledge of your love for them The Lord will keep you from all harm He will watch over your life The Lord will watch over your coming and going Both now and evermore Heavenly Father you are active in our world In its people and in your creation You are in the big issues Such as conflict, war, injustice And inequality For these we seek your intervention And ask for your peace to reign Show us where you are at work That we too might work in your fields Caring for your planet and its people Reaping in a harvest for your kingdom
[38:33] Father God you shepherd us in all things Even those issues that may seem small We lift up the demolition of Eastern Street car park To you Lord You know that for our church and the wider community Its loss has caused worry and concern Over the future We pray for your hand over the ongoing council meetings We thank you for the church members Representing Union Baptist at these talks Fill them with your wisdom Patience and perseverance Whatever the outcome Lord We will continue to pray That it will bring your kingdom to our community We lift all our comings and goings Over the next week Lord to you Knowing that we are safe in your hands Amen This morning's Bible reading is from Colossians chapter 1
[39:35] Starting at verse 3 through to verse 14 In the church Bibles it's on page 1182 We always thank God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ When we pray for you Because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus And of the love you have for all God's people The faith and love that spring from the hope Stored up for you in heaven And about which you have already heard In the true message of the gospel that has come to you In the same way the gospel is bearing fruit And growing throughout the whole world Just as it has been doing among you Since the day you heard it And truly understood God's grace You learned it from Epaphras Our dear fellow servant Who is a faithful minister of Christ On our behalf And who also told us of your love in the spirit For this reason Since the day we heard about you We have not stopped praying for you
[40:36] We continually ask God to fill you With the knowledge of his will Through all the wisdom and understanding That the spirit gives So that you may live a life worthy of the Lord And please him in every way Bearing fruit in every good work Growing in the knowledge of God Being strengthened with all power According to his glorious might So that you may have great endurance and patience And giving joyful thanks to the Father Who has qualified you to share In the inheritance of his holy people In the kingdom of light For he has rescued us From the dominion of darkness And brought us into the kingdom Of the son he loves In whom we have redemption The forgiveness of sins This is the word of the Lord Thanks Sarah Gonna pray for Lynn now
[41:37] Before she brings a message on that passage Let's pray Father God We want to thank you for our sister Lynn And thank you for the gifts you've given her To teach your word And we thank you for the ways That you've already been speaking to her As she's been preparing Over the last few days and weeks And we pray that you'll continue to speak To her now And speak through her Lord And we pray that her words Would be your words And we pray that you would Open our minds Open our hearts Open our ears To hear and to listen To receive from you And we pray that We will be inspired And that you would help us Through this teaching To grow In our prayer life with you Lord And grow closer to you As a result We pray that in Jesus name Amen Thank you Andrew It's good to be with you this morning And lovely to be looking at this next Prayer of Paul's In Colossians
[42:38] Especially as we Approach our week of prayer The week after next When we'll be encouraged to Pray big And I hope we're going to be Encouraged by this prayer this morning I am Yet What I am Who cares Or knows That's the first line Of a poem By John Clare A 19th century English poet And I wonder Have you ever felt A little bit like Those words Feeling a bit Unnoticed Perhaps a bit low Because We feel like Our presence Doesn't really Bear the weight Or significance That others have Do people care Do we match up To expectations Does God care Do we live a life That others see As being of worth It's something That can affect All of us At some point In our lives And these days Depression
[43:38] And feelings Of not being good enough Seem to trouble An awful lot of people Of all different ages And obviously Right now If you're having Those sort of feelings And they're getting Unmanageable Then I would encourage you To go and seek Professional help There are feelings That can be really Difficult to shift Psychologists talk about Imposter syndrome Where you consistently Have feelings Of self-doubt As Christians We can fall into The trap of Feeling like Spiritual imposters Feeling like maybe God might be Disappointed in us We can exhaust Ourselves by trying To live up to The expectations We think other Christians or Even God Might have of us In this letter To the Colossians Paul is writing To a group of Believers who Felt under pressure To add something To the gospel of Christ To be spiritual Enough They've begun To doubt That the truths
[44:38] They've been told Were enough On their own Maybe they should Add something else To it What enables us To live a life That's worthy Of the Lord Well the good news This morning Is that a life Worthy of the Lord Is not something We achieve Just by striving For it It's something That we receive And then live And we can Receive it By asking For it Through prayer Paul prays For the Colossians In order That they may Live a life Worthy of the Lord And may please Him in every way It's not something That he's telling Them to do It's something That he's calling On God for He's praying And praying Big Praying for God's filling For these people That he loves Even though He's never Actually met them So that they Can live A worthy life Two or three
[45:40] Weeks ago I was talking To Rachel Dillon About this passage In Colossians And we were We were chatting About what Does it mean To walk In a manner Worth of the Lord And she was Telling me That the Greek Word for worthy Axios Has the sense Of scales Of the need To balance Equal weights And that's Where we get The words Axis From And it reminded Me a little bit Of some Playground equipment That we used To play on As children When I was young We used to love To play on A seesaw I don't even know If we still have Those anymore I'm not sure I've seen them In playgrounds Maybe they've Become too Dangerous I don't know But I don't know If you remember The two of you Used to sit On either end And you used To push each other Up and down But the whole point Of the seesaw Was that it needed Two of you To balance it If you sat on one end Without someone else On the other end It was pointless You just didn't get
[46:41] You just sat on the ground Without that Counterbalancing weight Whatever you Whatever you did You just ended up Dropping to the floor And we need God Through his spirit To give us A spiritual weight So that we can be Lifted off the ground Only by receiving From God Can the scales Be tipped So that we can Live a life Worthy of the Lord Just as when we Were children We felt exhilarated By someone heavier Sitting on the other End of the seesaw And lifting us Higher and higher So too As we experience More and more Of God's Divine weight In our lives Can we sense Him lifting us And giving us joy That joy of life Shared with God Together This morning I want you to feel The burden And pressure You may be Putting yourself under In striving to be Worthy in other People's eyes To be lifted
[47:41] From your shoulders Paul's letter To the Colossians Is a beautiful Reminder to us That although We should walk In obedience We don't need To strive On our own God works With us Pray big Pray big For God To fill you With the knowledge Of his will So that his spirit Gives you So that you can Walk more closely With God Paul starts his letter Not by talking about What the Colossians Have been doing But noting what They're like And giving thanks To God for them He says We always thank God The father of our Lord Jesus Christ When we pray for you Because we've heard Of your faith In Christ Jesus And of the love You have for all God's people The faith and love That spring from the hope Stored up for you In heaven And that you've already Heard about In the word of truth The gospel That has come to you Paul knows
[48:44] From what he has heard That God has been At work God has shown His grace Towards these Colossians And they've responded And received it And it shows In how they now are He sees faith Love And hope In action He's heard evidence Of their faith In Christ Epaphras Has faithfully Told the Colossians About who Jesus Really is And they've believed it And trusted In Jesus Knowing who Christ is Hasn't just become Head knowledge It's impacted On the way They behave Towards each other People have noticed People have heard About their Paul has heard About their love For all the saints Or that means God's people really As it should be Better translated They're showing love To all God's people Without favoritism Something beautiful The promised hope Of eternal life Is their source Of their faith in Christ And love for God's people Faith Love
[49:44] Hope That triad That we often see All the way through The New Testament The markers Of a true Christian They are evidence Of gospel power At work Or transformation Hope brings faith Faith in Jesus Enables us to love Like Jesus Because his spirit Is within us And as we live In faith and love It further builds Our assurance Of eternal hope Paul is delighted To remind them That he can see That the gospel Is bearing fruit In them They are naturally Sharing their love Of Christ With others Their numbers Are growing Just as they are Across the world He's reminding them Of where their identity Lies Their identity Is firmly rooted In Christ He affirms The worth They already have Before calling them To do anything He reminds them That God sees Worth in them That they may not Even be seeing In themselves
[50:44] He encourages And reminds them Look God Is clearly at work At work amongst you Already And he gives thanks For what he's heard about Maybe something That's something We need to do More often ourselves Reminding each other Of the worth We see in each other Because we can see How we are rooted In Christ How we are showing Those key traits Of faith Hope And love All of us Need encouragement From one another In verses 12 to 14 Paul then shows us That worth is rooted In what God does Not in what we do He sets out Just how much Is God initiated Many people try To live a worthy life To earn God's favour But Paul tells us It has to be The other way round He starts with What God has already done To give us a life Worthy of him He says God has qualified them
[51:44] He supplied What was lacking And what they couldn't Do on their own To be able to share In the inheritance Of his holy people We can't qualify Ourselves We're qualified By the king He's rescued them He tells them That they were set For the dominion Of darkness But God has stepped in To rescue them He's brought them Into the kingdom Of the son He loves That means They are no longer Ruled by evil But have come under This kind And generous Rule Of God's son He's redeemed them Christ's death Paid the price That was owed For their sin It delivered And freed them So often In society Worth is measured By monetary things Someone struggling With a burden Of debt Can sometimes Somehow be seen As of less worth Than someone Who lives in a Mortgage free house With a fancy car But God doesn't See it that way To him
[52:45] Those people Have the same Debt to pay That debt Is at a price So high That no money Can ever pay it off Yet God stepped in And paid it For every single person No matter their status And God has forgiven Them If any of you Have experienced That relief Of a human Forgiving you For something bad You did And that relief Of letting go Of that sense Of shame And guilt Then how much More wonderful Is it Of knowing That God Has fully Forgiven you Guilt And shame No longer Need to rule Your life These are Completed actions We don't live A worthy life To become Worthy people We live a worthy Life because We have Worth already Because God Has shown And given it To us And what fuels A worthy life If you look
[53:45] At verse 9 It says Being filled With the knowledge Of God's will Through all the wisdom And understanding That the spirit Gives You can't walk In a way That's worthy Of the Lord If you're trying To do it On your own Or if your mind Is set The wrong way Knowledge of God His wisdom And his understanding Matter Maxwell Maltz Was a skilled And famous Plastic surgeon And during his career He noticed Something interesting He noticed That while surgery Could fix A patient's Physical flaws Like a bent Or crooked nose It didn't always Fix their lack Of confidence Or their negative View of themselves He realised That after surgery Lots of patients Still held on To the negative View they had Of themselves Even after Their physical Appearance Had changed He realised That if their Mindset Didn't change No amount Of external
[54:45] Surgery Would make A person Feel successful Or happy Their mindset Impacted Their feelings Of worth About themselves And as Christians We need To have The mind Of Christ To recognise The worth He has Given us And that He helps Us live A life Worthy Of him To live A worthy Life We need Our minds Renewed By spiritual Wisdom We need To see The world And ourselves The way God does In Romans 12 Paul tells us Do not conform To the pattern Of this world But be Transformed By the renewing Of your mind Then you will be Able to test And approve What God's Will is His good Pleasing And perfect Will Paul wants Them to know God's greater Will And by that He means His will For all people For all things Over all time That Christ
[55:46] Is the fulfilment Of God's plan To redeem And save people And how He intends Christians to live In whatever situation They find themselves It's not so much About discerning God's will For every minor Life decision Obviously we can Pray about those But it's much more About calling On the Lord For his wisdom To know how To imply His unchanging Principles Revealed to us In scripture To everyday life And being obedient To those God is much More concerned With how we live And how we work Than where we live Or work The more we Understand his will The more likely We are to live A life worthy Of the Lord And please him But this can Only happen Through the wisdom And understanding That the spirit Gives It's a knowledge Supplied by God And not by us We have natural Capacities But those can be Distorted by Our sinful Nature
[56:46] The source Of our knowledge Must be God himself With the Holy Spirit As our teacher You can sit And read the scriptures As much as you like But until the spirit Opens your eyes To its truths It will just be like Reading any other document That's why we need To pray And pray big For the spirit's Filling And if we're filled With knowledge Wisdom And understanding That the spirit Gives What does a worthy Life look like Well we bear fruit In every good work We do things Which reflect God's character And his purposes Our faith Is not reflected Just in our Illy and feelings Alone But other people Notice how Our faith Changes our actions Our attitudes And the choices We make And those changes Attract other people To God We grow In the knowledge Of God As we get to know
[57:46] God better It compels us To be more obedient And do his will Which in turn Leads to a deeper Understanding of God's will And pleases him The more you walk With him The more you know him It's a relationship We're continually Strengthened by God We're strengthened With all the power According to his Glorious might God wants us To rely on his Strength And not on ours And through that He gives us Endurance And patience Not strength To be the best Preacher in the UK Or the best Deacon or elder Strength Strength to endure And be patient Strength to endure The circumstances We're in And strength to be patient With the people around us The ability to Hold fast And keep going Sometimes we find ourselves In much deeper waters Than we ever Ever anticipated And we can feel like We're sinking
[58:47] It can feel exhausting But it's often In those deep Deep waters That we recognise That we can't do it In our own strength And we find that God is underneath us Giving us the buoyancy We need We shouldn't Underestimate The power of prayer To give us the strength We need at those times Praise God For those times When we have seen And continue to see God upholding us And brothers and sisters In Christ Through some incredibly Difficult times God provides strength That is beyond Our human understanding And we joyfully Give thanks to the Father God delights When we bring him Praise and thanks As we voice our thanks For the grace He's shown to us Others are encouraged To praise him too And God is glorified Gratitude is the ultimate sign Of a worthy life A person who knows
[59:48] They are qualified By grace Is naturally A thankful person These are all the signs And outworkings Of the Spirit's work Of being rooted In Christ So what do you do If you feel Unworthy When you feel inadequate Remember that God Has qualified you Paul's world Qualified means To make sufficient To make competent To make fit This is God's initiative Not ours We are part of God's Chosen people You don't have to Make yourself adequate When you feel weak Remember that God Can strengthen you A worthy life Is not powered By human determination But by divine strength Feeling weak Doesn't disqualify you It puts you in a place To be able to receive God's power better In 2 Corinthians It says My power Is made perfect
[60:48] In weakness God's strength Is most visible When we feel Least capable God gives strength To the weary Pray for his strength When you feel unseen Recognize that God Has brought you Into his kingdom Paul says God has transferred us Into the kingdom Of his beloved son He has placed us Into a kingdom Where we are fully seen And fully loved We are members Of God's household We are not invisible You aren't a nobody God has chosen you To be part of his family And when you feel Like you're failing Remember that God Has rescued Redeemed And forgiven you If you've struggled With shame And guilt If you're living With the knowledge Of things you've done That you desperately Wish you hadn't Remember Romans 8 There is now
[61:49] No condemnation For those in Christ Jesus Failure doesn't define you A life worthy of the Lord Is not a flawless life There are numerous examples Of Old Testament And New Testament people Who did awful things That God then used For his purposes A life worthy of the Lord Is a forgiven life Lived in the freedom Of God's rescue Living a life worthy Of the Lord Does not rely On our feelings A worthy life Is something we receive And live out It is grounded In God's actions But we need to pray For God to fill us With the knowledge Of his will Through all the wisdom And understanding That the Spirit gives So as we close This morning I'm going to pray For us What Paul prayed For the Christians Let's pray Father God
[62:49] As your Apostle Paul Prayed May you fill us With the knowledge Of your will Through all the wisdom And understanding That the Spirit gives So that we may live A life worthy Of the Lord And please him In every way We pray that we May bear fruit In every good work Growing in the knowledge Of God Being strengthened With all power According to his Glorious might So that we may have Great endurance And patience May we give Joyful thanks to you For qualifying us To share In the inheritance Of your holy people In the kingdom of light For rescuing us From the dominion Of darkness And bringing us Into the kingdom Of the Son you love In whom we have Redemption The forgiveness Of sins All praise And glory Be to you O God Amen Thank you so much
[63:58] Lynn Really appreciate that And going to have Some time to respond To that As we As we worship God And acknowledging That we can't do Anything on our own Strength But it's all down To him And his work In our lives So we're going to Sing our final song Be thou my vision Let's sing this As our response To God For what he's done For us We invite you to stand If you're able For who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who who Thou my nation, O Lord of my heart, Lord, be honest to me, save that Thou art.
[65:06] Thou my best, Lord, my day, or my night, Pray, O sleeping, Thy presence my light.
[65:29] Be Thou my wisdom, be Thou my true word, I ever with Thee, and Thou with me, Lord.
[65:48] Thou my great Father, and I Thy true Son, Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
[66:08] Be Thou my battle, shield sword o'er the highest, Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight, Thou my soul, sheltered, and Thou my high tower.
[66:38] Praise Thou the heavenward, O power of my power.
[66:48] Christ, I heed not, O band's empty face, Thou, Thine inheritance, Thou and always, Thou who have the birth of My heart.
[67:19] My King of heaven, My tuxuxion of power. I, King of heaven, what a victory won.
[67:42] May I return to your right heaven's sun. Heart of my own heart, whatever it all, still be my vision, the rule at all.
[68:12] As we stand, let's pray. Lord God, we thank you for this time we've had together. As we go from here, we pray that by the power of your Holy Spirit, we would live lives worthy of who you are and please you in every way, bearing fruit in every good work, growing closer to you and being strengthened with all power according to your glorious might by you.
[68:37] Be glorified in us, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Do please sit down. Thank you for...