And we'll read again from the beginning.
I'm going to look at verses 1 to 3.
They're very familiar words to us, I'm sure.
John 14, the first three verses.
Let not your hearts be troubled.
Believe in God, believe also in me.
In my Father's house are many rooms.
If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself.
But where I am, you may be also.
So often when you visit folk in hospital, which is always a privilege to do,
many times they'll say to you, I really wish I was home.
I'm longing to get home.
Even if they appreciate as they do, many of them the care that's given.
But they will also find them often saying, I'd love to be home.
I don't know when I'll get back home, but I know I need to be in this place just now.
I'm thankful for the care I'm getting.
And I know that it's all towards my good and my improvement.
Something along those lines.
So you've got the longing to get home and the appreciation of the present circumstances,
which really are part of what's going on in life at the moment.
And that's so it is for the Christian as well.
There is a God-planted longing in the heart, a desire, a looking forward to home in heaven.
And yet at the same time, a realization through the teaching of God's word that this is a necessity for us now to go through this life as we are,
to have the providence of God as he has arranged it,
so that we'll come ultimately as Christians, as believers in Christ,
all we believe to come to be in heaven at last.
Jesus here, as you know, is addressing troubled disciples.
That's evident from the first few words of verse one.
Let not your hearts be troubled.
He's not saying to them there, don't begin to be troubled.
He's really saying, I know you're troubled, but don't let them be troubled.
Put your troubles aside.
Here is my antidote to your troubles.
Let not your hearts be troubled.
And what's troubling them is what he has told them previously,
that he is actually going to go back to the Father.
That he's no longer going to be physically with them.
That they're not going to have him here as they've had him over these years,
since he took them and made them his disciples.
And now he's been telling them that he is going away.
And what he says, in the previous chapter especially,
Jesus is saying there, where I'm going, you cannot follow me now,
but you will follow me afterwards.
So he's been teaching them about the necessity of his going.
And in fact, he's been saying to them,
it's actually for your good that I'm going.
Knowing himself, of course, what was going to follow
this time that he spent with them in the upper room, as it's called.
And that he would actually then go back to the Father,
having gone to the cross and risen from the dead.
And as we'll see, all of that is in his immediate future there,
as he's speaking to the disciples.
So he's addressing the troubled disciples
who are thinking of a future without Jesus.
And sadly, so many people in the world
don't even have a thought of life without Jesus.
They don't actually look into the future
and say to themselves,
how am I going to manage this without God?
We're living in a world where unbelief
is such a constant feature of our experience
as we meet with people.
And they don't actually have this perspective,
this outlook, this forward-looking,
whereby they know that they're going to be at last with Christ.
And they face the future without Jesus.
And it's always a remarkable thing
when we see people, either we visit them
or we see them in hospital or whatever,
and they face sometimes really critical issues
in their lives.
Perhaps even it's a bereavement as well
as a physical illness or whatever.
And it's always amazing when you actually see,
how are they able to cope?
You ask yourself, how can they manage life without God?
And of course, the answer to that is,
well, we once did as well.
Or at least we thought we did.
It's just part of our fallen condition.
But here are these disciples,
and they're troubled because they're thinking
of a future without Jesus.
So he's redirecting their thoughts.
He's redirecting their minds to these things
that he says here in this chapter,
in this beginning of this chapter to them here
as we're looking at it immediately.
So what he's saying really is,
not only are they not going to be without him,
though that will be the case physically,
but in fact, they are actually,
eventually and ultimately,
going to be taken by him to be with them.
Here they are thinking,
how can we possibly manage without him?
What are we going to do?
How can we go about the business of daily life
as people who believe in God,
as people are called by Christ to witness for him,
but he's not there.
And he's saying to them,
don't let your hearts be troubled.
I'm actually going to prepare a place for you,
and that's a place to which I will come back,
to which I will take you when I come back for you.
And it's interesting if you compare the first verse there,
and we always refer to these chapters
as the upper room addresses or discourses of the Lord,
which of course includes his own prayer in chapter 17.
But if you compare just now verse one of chapter 14,
and then let's go forward to the last verse of chapter 16.
Here we are at the beginning of chapter 14,
let not your hearts be troubled.
And here he is finishing chapter 16.
He's saying,
I have said these things to you,
so that in me you may have peace.
In the world you will have tribulation,
but take heart, I have overcome the world.
In other words, what you're finding is that
prior to his prayer,
as Jesus taught the disciples and addressed them
in what we find in these three chapters,
what you really find is he begins it
and he ends it with the same note
of redirecting them towards things
which will comfort them,
which will assure them,
which will give them the perspective
that he wants them to have
on a future that he has prepared for them.
And you might say that
everything in these three chapters
is directed really in the purpose of Christ,
and the purpose of God to you
and to me tonight as you read them,
that all actually,
all of these details
in these three chapters,
14, 15, 16,
are directed towards our assurance
and our comfort as Christians.
And isn't that a remarkable thing itself,
that all of the details
throughout these three chapters
are all channeled towards
what he says in 14 verse 1
and the end of chapter 16.
Let not your hearts be troubled.
And if you're troubled tonight,
as you often are,
and as I often am,
if there are things in the world
that cause you concern,
in your own life that cause you concern,
in your family that cause you concern,
in your friends over which you're concerned,
here is Jesus always redirecting our minds
to these things that he speaks of
to the disciples,
which really puts the present world
in perspective, doesn't it?
And which reminds us that
actually, ultimately,
that's what our mind should be focused on.
Not the immediate presence,
but what lies ahead,
the future that God has prepared
in this house
that he calls my father's house.
So here's their address to them,
his address to them.
What is he saying?
How is he actually,
how is he directing their minds
for their assurance and comfort?
Well, he's saying three things.
He's saying, first of all,
there is a place awaiting you.
There is a place awaiting you.
Let not your hearts be troubled.
In my father's house are many rooms.
If it were not so,
would I have told you
that I go to prepare a place for you.
Possible to translate these
in the older translations as well.
If it were not so,
would I not have told you?
Anyway, let's just stick with what it is.
If it were not so,
would I have told you
that I go to prepare a place for you?
Taking it in one sentence as question.
Here's the first thing he's saying to them.
Don't let your hearts be troubled.
There is a place awaiting you.
And the second thing he says,
connected with that,
is the place that awaits you
has been prepared
or will be prepared by me.
I go to prepare a place for you.
This place, my father's house,
that has many rooms,
I'm going to prepare that
as a place, as a residence,
as a dwelling place for you.
And thirdly,
he's saying,
not only is there a place for you,
and not only is it a place
prepared by me for you,
but I will come back for you.
I will come again,
and I will take you to myself
so that where I am,
you also will be.
And these are the three
great prongs
of his address here
in these opening verses,
where he brings this
great assurance
to our hearts tonight
as to how we face
the uncertainties of life,
the troubles of life.
How do we look beyond them,
and what do we see beyond them?
Well, we see,
as Jesus says here,
the Father's house.
So here's the first thing.
There is a place awaiting them,
and we can say as believers
there's a place awaiting us here.
But of course,
Jesus means heaven by this.
Nothing else.
It's pretty obvious
that's what he means.
In my Father's house
are many rooms.
He's talking about
life beyond this world.
He's talking about
where God is present
in a way that is different,
although it's connected with
the way that he's present
among his people.
Verse 23, for example,
you'll find as we read
through that,
Jesus saying,
if anyone loves me,
he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him
and make our home with him.
Wonderful words in themselves,
because he's talking there
about how he,
especially through
the Holy Spirit
and the Father,
will actually come
in the future
as he speaks to them
to make his home with them.
He's going to live in them.
He's going to come
by his Holy Spirit
to reside in their hearts.
He's going to make
a dwelling place
for himself
in their souls.
And now he's developing
that further,
and he's saying,
not only is that through,
but I'm going to prepare
a place for you
in my Father's house
where there are many rooms.
In other words,
we could say that,
of course,
God,
in a sense,
is present,
in a real sense,
is present everywhere.
There is nowhere
in the created universe
in which God is absent.
And he's present,
as we see,
with his people
in a special way.
You could say that,
verse 23,
we might call that
his gracious presence.
He's present graciously
in your heart,
graciously in the hearts
of his people.
But now he's talking
about God's glorious presence.
His glorious presence
as he is
in the Father's house.
That's how he directs them
against their troubles.
But he also says,
in my Father's house,
there are many rooms.
In those days,
as indeed today,
would be important
for somebody like a king
or a prince or ruler
to make sure
that those that were invited
as guests
to important functions,
if they were staying over,
obviously it would be
embarrassing for him
if he didn't have
enough rooms for them.
So they always made sure
that the places
they had and lived in
were either in the place
themselves or round about
and plenty of places
and rooms
in which guests
could actually live.
And what God is saying
is,
in my Father's house,
there are many rooms.
It is a residence,
it is a palace,
if you like,
where the king himself lives.
But in it,
he's made sure
that there is enough room
for the many,
many people
who will come to be saved
and come to actually
live there forevermore
with them.
In my Father's house,
there are many rooms.
And the reference to many
is really important
because all the way
through the Bible,
you find a reference
to the multitude
of God's people
that will be saved.
Go to Revelation chapter 7
and verse 9
and you'll find there
that the vision
that John saw
as he saw
a great multitude
gathered before the throne
which no one could number,
which no man could number.
It's humanly impossible
to number
those actually
who will occupy
the Father's house.
He knows them,
but what he says
is there are many rooms
because there will be
many residents.
Heaven is not
going to be
sparsely populated.
You're not going to have
a look,
to look around
and complain
that there's
all too few people
there with you.
There are many rooms,
he says,
and if it were not so,
if it were not so,
would I have told you
that I go to prepare
a place for you?
In other words,
he's saying,
I have told you,
I've told you
that this is the case.
Would I have told you
if this were not true?
You know,
in other words,
the assurance
of the disciples
is led towards
the truthfulness
of Jesus himself.
He's saying,
I would never have said
such a thing
if this were not
actually the case.
But seeing it is the case,
I have told you,
I've told you
so that your hearts
will not be troubled.
And I've told you
that in my Father's house,
there are many,
many rooms.
And you notice
he's also saying here,
believe in God,
believe also in me.
And personally,
I prefer the translation
that says,
you are believing on God
or you believe in God,
believe also in me.
What he's saying,
I think,
is you already believe
in God,
you already believe
in God
and his word
has been given to you.
That's Old Testament,
of course,
the time,
what he's saying now
is you believe in God,
believe also in me.
And in fact,
the words don't come out
in the translation
quite as forcefully,
but these words
in me also
are thrown into emphasis
so that you can really say
this is how it reads literally.
You believe in God,
in me also believe.
Because he's pointing out
the fact that
their belief
in God,
the Father,
well,
their belief in him
has to be on the same level.
And of course,
that itself
is part of the witness
of the Bible
to the deity,
the divinity,
the Godhood
of Christ himself.
He could never have said
such a thing
about the Father
and himself
being,
if you like,
part of the same foundation
on which
our faith rests
if he wasn't
on that same level
with him himself.
You believe in God,
believe also
in me.
And of course,
he's preparing them
in that
for all that they're
going to
be witnesses to
as they leave
this upper room,
as they go towards
his trial
and eventually
his crucifixion
and everything
that's involved in that.
He is saying to them here,
don't actually
take your eye
off this.
You believe in God,
believe also in me.
Let your faith
rest as surely
in me
as it rests
in God,
the Father.
There is a place
awaiting them
and it's a place
of which Jesus
speaks truthfully.
He could never do
anything else anyway.
But the fact
that he is himself
truth
is
a foundation
for them
to accept
every single
word that he's
saying to them.
So,
whatever
troubles your
heart tonight,
whatever
comes into
my mind
or your mind
from time to time,
from day to day,
whatever fears
may come your way
of whatever things
you might be
troubled about,
here is where
Jesus will always
take us.
Here is where
we need to be led
to,
to the
certainties
of heaven
above the
uncertainties
of earth.
Let not your
hearts
be troubled.
I go to
prepare
a place
for you.
There is a place
awaiting them,
he says,
in my
Father's house.
We could develop
that a bit further
but I want to move
on to what he says,
I go to prepare
a place for you.
The place,
the Father's house
that he's speaking
of,
is a place
that he is going
to prepare for them.
That's why he's
saying he's
leaving this world
and leaving this
world is the
means by which
this place
is going to be
prepared for them.
And what does he
mean by that?
First of all,
what's involved
in this question,
what's in these
words,
I go.
I go
to prepare
a place
for you.
Now you can see
these two words
in literally
half a second.
I go
or I'm going.
But what did
he mean?
What is involved
in his going
as he now
draws the disciples'
mind to the
necessity of his
going and how
that's all part
of what he's
saying about
the Father's
house?
Well,
you can see it
in a couple
of seconds
but within
these words
I go
stands
his crucifixion,
his resurrection,
his ascension
to heaven
and his coming
to be seated
at God's
right hand.
I am going
involves all
that.
You can see it
in a half
second but
look at all
that's contained
in it for
the Lord
himself.
In Luke
chapter 9
and verse 31,
it's interesting
there on the
Mount of
Transfiguration
where Jesus
appeared in
glory with
Moses and
Elijah and
they were
speaking with
him about
something in
particular and
it's Luke
that actually
records this
for us,
not the other
disciples.
We have the
Transfiguration
but not these
words.
They spoke of
his departure,
you have it in
the ESV,
or decease
in the AV.
What did he
mean?
How could this
be the subject
of their
discussion,
of their
conversation,
in that glory
on the Mount
of Transfiguration?
How could that
particular thing
be at the
center of
their conversation?
Well, because
it meant the
going out of
Jesus.
That's why Luke
used the word
departure.
It's actually
in the Greek
text, it's
exodus, which
means a going
out.
That's what they
were actually
dealing with on
the Mount of
Transfiguration.
He was Jesus
transfigured so
that his glory
was made known.
His glory shone
through his
clothes.
He was
obviously for
those moments
dazzlingly
glorious.
And this
is what they
were speaking
about.
In the
middle of
that glory
was his
exodus.
In the
middle of
that glory
was his
passage out
of this
world through
death and
resurrection and
ascension.
All of that
is packed
into the
word
exodus.
And here
in the upper
room he's
saying, I
am going
to prepare a
place for
you.
I'm going
out.
I have
an exodus
through which
I'm going
to prepare
this place
for you.
Well, what
a going, what
an exodus,
what a
departure, what
a going
out.
And John,
especially in
his gospel,
is concerned
to show how
all of these
individual
aspects of
the Lord's
work and
the Lord's
experience are
essentially tied
together in
one great
event, his
going out,
his crucifixion.
his resurrection,
his ascension.
All of
these are
part of this
great exodus
that's going
out.
What is he
doing?
What's the
purpose of
it?
I am going
to prepare
a place
for you.
This must
be a really
special place
when it took
all of that
to prepare
it.
What is
heaven?
How can
you describe
heaven?
We can't
of course
adequately
by any
means,
but heaven
is the
place that
the departure,
the exodus,
the cross,
the resurrection,
the ascension
of Jesus
has prepared
for us.
And because
that's what's
prepared it,
it's bound
to be special
beyond any
words we can
actually use
in this
life.
It must
be simply
so exquisite
and so
beautiful and
so good
because this
is what
prepared it.
I am
going to
prepare a
place for
you.
And you
know that
place is
actually now
ready.
Nothing else
needs to be
done to the
place to make
it ready.
It was made
ready by his
going out,
by his going.
It was made
ready by all
of these steps
that are joined
together until
he took his
place at the
right hand of
the Father
on high.
Nothing more
needs to be
done.
Heaven is
ready.
It's all
prepared.
It's entire.
It's perfect.
It's complete.
All that's
required is
that God's
people will
come to
take their
place there.
But he has
already prepared
it.
It's all
there in
its pristine
condition
already.
And one
other thing
that's
important when
we think of
his going to
prepare a
place for
his people
and it is
this, that
the Bible
speaks about
Christ being
our forerunner.
In Hebrews
especially,
Hebrews chapter
6 and
verse 20,
wherein he
says, the
forerunner has
entered for us,
this Jesus.
And what does
that passage
mean by
forerunner and
how is that
connected with
this passage
here in
John 14,
where the
forerunner,
the word
actually means
someone who
goes ahead
in order to
take possession
of it.
Someone who
goes ahead to
secure it for
you.
Somebody who
goes ahead to
live there
as one who
now possesses
it for his
people so
that they will
come to join
him when the
time comes.
He is the
forerunner.
And the fact
that he's
already there
as the
forerunner,
as the
one who
has gone
to secure
and to
make this
place secure
specially for
his people,
to make it
his possession
if you like
first, so
that they
then can
come to
join him
in the
possession
of it.
He has
gone as
the forerunner
to do
that.
And the
fact that
he has
already done
it and
that it's
already
secured
means for
sure that
that's really
what it's
about.
That it
secures your
place in
heaven.
Because this
has already
happened and
it's now
ready and
prepared.
There will
be no
squatters in
heaven.
evictions
either.
Every
single
individual
and all
of them
together
for whom
he died
and rose
again and
ascended to
heaven and
sat at the
right hand of
the father.
Every single
individual and
all of them
together for
which for
whom he
prepared this
place will
absolutely
and certainly
come to
occupy their
place there.
Don't be in
any doubts
about that.
And it's
not by your
own achievement.
It's not by
how great your
faith is.
It's not by
how diligent
you've been in
this life or
you want to
be as
diligent as
possible.
It's not in
fact by
anything you
do at all.
It's by all
that he has
done that
makes it
secure.
There is a
place awaiting
God's people.
The place
has been
prepared by
Jesus
himself.
And we
remember that
of course as
we come in
steadily towards
our communion
in just over
a week's
time when
those issues
will be
before us
as we
think about
Christ and
his death
and the
remembrance of
Jesus and
his death as
we do in
the Lord's
Supper.
Well all of
that really
remembers this
amazing fact
that he
went to the
cross and
he went
through
resurrection and
he went
back to
heaven to
prepare a
place for
us.
He took
our place
on the
cross but
he prepared
a place for
us in
heaven when
he reached.
In my
father's house
there are
many rooms
and I'm
going to
prepare a
place for
you.
But then
he says
thirdly if I
go and
prepare a
place for
you I
will come
again and
take you
will take
you to
myself but
where I am
there you
may also
be.
So there
is a place
awaiting us
there is
that place
has been
prepared by
Jesus and
thirdly Jesus
himself will
come to
take us
home.
Of course
we've already
mentioned verse
23 that he
has already
come and
taken up his
place in our
hearts by
his Holy
Spirit.
He has come
in that sense
and in fact
in these
verses in
chapter 14
the father is
mentioned as
well.
We will
come and
make out a
board with
him as
you look
into your
soul as
far as
possible through
the teaching
of God's
word as
you apply
this teaching
to your own
person to
your own
life tonight
here is
something that
constantly should
amaze you and
amaze me that
you have in
your heart not
just God but
the three
persons of
the God
head that
form the
one God
actually saying
about your
heart this is
where I've
made a home
for myself.
Your father
lives in you
through the
spirit.
Your saviour
Jesus lives
in you through
the spirit.
The spirit
has come to
take up
residence and
they have
come and
made their
home in
that in
your heart.
but this is
something in
addition to
that when
he's saying
I will come
again and
I will take
you to be
with myself
or to
myself but
where I am
there you may
be also.
That's really
taking us
into if you
like the
final step
of our
salvation where
Jesus will
come and
take all his
people together
together to
be with
him in
heaven.
And it's
interesting and
significant that
he's not
sending a
representative to
gather all his
people together.
It's not an
angel that's going
to come on the
last day and
appear to
God's people and
invite them to
come and join
Jesus in
heaven.
He will
come.
If I go to
prepare a place
for you I
will come
again.
That's why
your heart gets
excited at the
thought of
what's going
to happen at
the end of
your course
of the
world.
That's why
your heart
really takes
on an
additional
beat if you
like because
you know
what Jesus
means is I
will come
again.
I'll come
and take you
to be with
myself.
Not just in
the sense of
when you die
and leave this
world that he's
going to
welcome you
into heaven
while your
body remains
in this
world and
goes back to
the dust.
That of course
is true but
it's beyond
that as well.
I will come
and I will
take you to
be with
myself.
You and
your entire
redeemed
saved person
body and
soul together.
So that
where I am
there you
may be
also.
And it's
interesting that
he's saying
here that
I will take
you to
myself.
and again
these words
literally
are full
of beauty
and full
of power
because what
they say
what they
mean literally
or what it
is literally
translated
different ways
but again
in the Greek
text that we
have in the
New Testament
what really
Jesus literally
says is I
will take you
to be beside
me.
I will take
you to be
beside me.
so it's
going to be
close to
Jesus.
You find
people saying
well I
don't think
I'll be as
close to
Jesus at
all as
other people
that were
far better
Christians in
this life
than I am.
Whatever that
may be what
Jesus is saying
is nobody is
going to be
distant from
me because
heaven is a
place of
closeness,
a place of
intimate
fellowship with
the Lord and
with his
people together.
I will
come and I
will take
you to be
with myself,
to be beside
me so that
where I am
you will
also be.
And you
know we
take such a
great comfort
don't we
on the fact
that Jesus
is true to
his promise
that he will
be with us
throughout life,
that he will
actually be our
companion through
life, that his
presence will be
there, that
he has promised
to be with
his people all
their journey
through life
until we leave
this world.
And that's a
wonderfully comforting
truth in itself.
But our
ultimate comfort
will come from
being beside
him in heaven,
will come from
being with him
in his company
in heaven,
will come from
this what he's
saying here,
I will come and
I will take you
to be beside
myself, that
where I am
there you may
be also.
Yes, he's
with us on
the journey,
but ultimately
we're going to
be with him
in the place
of many rooms
in the
Father's house.
And that's
where our
comfort
ultimately
lies.
That Jesus
himself not
only has
prepared a
place and
that that
place is now
secure, but
will come
again and
take us
to be with
himself, to
be beside him,
to be alongside
of him.
And that
will never
again change.
You will
never not be
beside him
once you get
to heaven.
There is no
alternative to
being with
Christ if you're
in heaven.
You don't want
of course there
to be one,
but that's
really what he's
directing their
minds and
our minds
to tonight
for our
comfort in
this life,
but for
ultimate comfort
of course,
as it will
be the case
in heaven
itself.
And of
course you
remember in
chapter 17
as he finished
off his time
with the
disciples in
the prayer
that he uttered
there in the
upper room,
look what he
said in
verse 24,
father, I
desire that
they also
whom you
have given
me may
be with
me where
I am to
see my
glory that
you have
given me
because you
loved me
before the
foundation of
the world.
And again,
the translation
there is not
as good as it
was in the
older translation
where desire
is fine,
but it's not
quite strong
enough because
what Jesus
was saying
is father,
I will.
Father, I
will.
He's really
speaking there
with his own
authority as
the mediator,
as the saviour
of his people
and he's
saying,
father, this
is my will
for them.
This is what
my authority
requires for
them.
Of course, the
father isn't
against that,
but what he's
saying is now
that this has
been done for
them, now
that I have
in chapter 17
is really a
remarkable chapter
because it's
set as if
the cross
has now
passed.
I have
finished the
work which
you gave
me to do.
Now,
father, glorify
me with
yourself, with
the glory I
had with you
before the
world was.
This is how
he finishes it.
Father, those
whom you have
given me, I
will that they
be with me
where I am.
We will be
in heaven
by the grace
of God.
by the work
of preparation
that Jesus
has executed
and completed
for us.
But we will
not be there
without his
own authority.
We will be
there because
he has
willed it.
We will be
there because
the father
will answer
his prayer.
I will
that those
you have
given me
be with me
where I
am.
And so
tonight,
this world,
as he says
in chapter
16,
will be
full of
tribulation,
sorrow,
challenges,
difficulties,
disappointments,
pain, all
sorts of
things like
that.
But he
said,
take heart.
Don't let
your heart
be troubled.
You believe
in God,
believe also
in me.
Believe me
when I say
to you,
there's a
place prepared
for you.
I have
prepared it
for you.
And I
will come
again to
take you
to be beside
myself in
the place
that's ready
and waiting
for you.
Let's pray.
Our
father in
heaven,
we give
thanks that
you sent
your son
into this
world with
a specific
mission and
purpose to
prepare a
place for
his people
ultimately in
heaven.
And we
thank you,
oh Lord,
for all that
went towards
that preparation,
a preparation
that we
cannot
ourselves
describe for
all that we
read in your
word of the
events in the
life of our
savior,
his death,
his resurrection
from the dead,
his ascension
to glory,
his session at
the right hand
of God,
his continuing
intercession for
his people.
We thank you,
Lord,
that all these
things are
true.
That they are
verities for
your people.
And we pray
that when this
world assaults
us, when our
own hearts,
Lord, produce
doubts in us,
when we find
ourselves instead
of taking you
at your word,
sometimes measuring
ourselves against
other people.
Lord, forgive us,
we pray, for
diverting our mind
from those things
that do give us
assurance and
certainty in what
you have gone to
prepare for us.
Help us especially,
Lord, to focus
upon your own
person, upon the
wonder and the
glory of your
person and on
the work that
you have done.
Bless us, we
pray, as we
anticipate shortly,
God willing, to
remember the
Lord's death once
again in the
Lord's Supper.
We ask, Lord,
that you'll prepare
us for that.
And we pray that
we may give
serious mind to
what we do as
we remember the
Lord's death in
coming to
partake of the
elements of the
supper of bread
and wine, which
represent the
Lord in his
death to us.
Bless those,
Lord, who have
not yet come to
sit at your
table.
We thank you
that there are
among us those
whose desire it
is to be there.
We pray that you
would help them to
focus on yourself
and to focus on
the fact that you
have made all the
preparation necessary
for them, not
only for heaven,
but to come to
have a foretaste
of heaven to
sit at the
Lord's Supper.
And so bless
them, we pray.
Bless those
tonight who have
illness to contend
with, those who
have bereavement
and sorrow.
Remember them,
Lord, we pray,
in all the
troubles that
accompany such
events in your
providence.
We pray for all
in the congregation
laid aside at
this time,
whether it be
mental illness,
mental health
issues, or
physically, we
ask that you
would continue
to bless them
and help us to
continue
pray for them.
Receive our
thanks, cleanse
us from all
our sin, for
Jesus' sake.
Amen.
Let's now
conclude our
service singing
in Psalm 23.
Psalm 23,
the Lord's my
shepherd, that's
in the Scottish
Psalter, the
Lord's my
shepherd, page
229.
Lord's my
shepherd, I'll
not want.
He makes me
down to lie
in pastures
green.
He leadeth me
the quiet
waters by.
And we
all know
how the
psalm finishes.
Goodness and
mercy all my
life shall
surely follow
me and in
God's house
forevermore.
The
Father's house,
my dwelling
place, shall
be.
Let's conclude
with these
verses.
The Lord's my
shepherd,
water,
love,
and watch
one.
He
makes me
down to
high.
In
pastures
gr только
dead, iw.
He
chained to
beat by
he
stone
last
ativ Madame
and
My
soul
he
then
Some light樹, Jonin, pralent twerk of the Torhai concerning stone.
Whyst have you come from this temporal ti-founder?
Though I walk in death, star-filled, and frail, my dear brother,
for thou art with me at thy home, and staph me comforted.
My table thou hast furnished, in merceness of thy clothes,
and breaded, lord, and Hebrew breeds with salt, with coveríth mure.
I shall surely follow me, and in the times forevermore, my gladness shall be.
Now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you now and evermore. Amen.