Thank you, James. It's a privilege and a joy to be with you once more this evening to worship
together the living God. Let me read to you just these few words from his word before we sing
praise together to his name. Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth. Let
us worship him together, singing to his praise from Psalm 96a. Psalm 96a and sing Psalms, page 126
in our Blue Psalm books, page 126. Singing Psalm 96a from the beginning, we'll sing to verse 9.
Sing a new song to the Lord. Sing praises to his name and his salvation day by day that all the
earth proclaim. His glory and his mighty deeds to every land declare how great and awesome is the
Lord with him no gods compare. Psalm 96a, we'll sing to verse 9 to the praise of God.
Lord with him no gods. Sing a new song to the Lord. Sing praises to his name and his salvation day by day that all the earth
sing a new song to the Lord. Let his salvation day by day that all the earth proclaim. Let glory and his mighty deeds to every day of the earth.
to every land declare. To every land declare. How great and awesome is the Lord. With him no gods compare.
All other gods are good and stone. The Lord may tell us high. All power and majesty are missed.
All nations do. The Lord has guide. The glory that is due.
The glory that is due. The glory that is due.
Holy that is true.
Glory and strength, and strength to God, and praise his name anew.
And turn his course with joy and ring, and offer him with you.
Worship the Lord in holy fear, all earth before him.
Let us join in prayer together. Let us pray.
Worship the Lord in holy fear, let all the earth before him bow.
Lord our gracious God, this evening from the outset of our time together,
we would acknowledge your greatness, your majesty, your holiness.
We acknowledge that you are altogether other, that you are our creator, sustainer, sovereign ruler,
majestic and glorious in power and strength and wisdom and might.
Lord, we humble ourselves before you this night.
And we know that that is the spirit and attitude and mindset of worship,
to bow before you, our creator, and to say in our hearts and to acknowledge in our songs,
the Lord, he is God, the Lord, he is God.
And so we pray that you would, Lord, look upon us in favour this evening.
That you would open your word to our hearts,
and in your spirit open our hearts to your word.
That we would again acknowledge and study and reflect on the good news of Jesus Christ.
This gospel of grace, this declaration that in him, your son,
there is forgiveness and freedom, there is life and immortality,
and it is ours through Jesus.
For we know that the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus, our Lord.
And so we come, Lord, before you,
and we humbly seek your presence and seek your face through Jesus.
It is all of him.
He is our hope, our joy, he is our surety,
he is our mediator, our intercessor,
our redeemer, our saviour,
Lord, King and Friend.
He is Lord of Lords, Lord of all.
And so we would acknowledge tonight the good news of Jesus.
He would lift up his name on high.
And we give thanks tonight that we know his name.
And we have come to know that by day and by night he is with and before and around his people.
For the Lord has said he will build his church,
and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
And so we tonight, Lord, would ask for your grace and strength
to don the armour of God as we are called to do,
to face the weak to come prepared fully in heart and mind and soul.
By worshipping you aright this evening, Lord,
we put you at the beginning of this week.
And we ask in so doing that you would be honoured
and that you would be pleased to dwell among us, Lord,
and bless us with your grace.
That we would be strengthened with your might in our inner beings,
ready and fit and willing to run the race that is set before us,
looking unto Jesus, the author and completer of our faith,
who for the joy set before him despised the shame.
Oh, Lord, our God, we think of the race set before us
because of the cross set before him.
And we ask tonight that we would maintain a sense of perspective
as we go through life and as we run our course.
At times, Lord, we are imbalanced,
we get selfish, we get impatient,
we become demanding before you.
Forgive us, Lord, for these times when we get things so badly wrong,
when we forget our place,
when we forget that you are almighty God,
glorious in power and wondrous in might,
amazing in grace.
Lord, at times we lift up our prayers to you
in a spirit that is less than satisfactory,
in a spirit that is perhaps demanding,
in a spirit of seeking after ourselves.
Forgive us.
And Lord, lead us to seek your ways
and to know your paths.
Give us that teachableness of heart
that we would say, here am I, Lord, send me.
And may we go into the week ahead conscious
that you have set us here
as signposts and missionaries,
each and every one of us,
missionaries in our districts and across our island.
And we thank and praise you, Lord,
that there are so many of your people
who are so called to be missionaries
here on our own island,
in our own districts.
And so we pray tonight
that as the word is preached here
and across our island,
that your people would be encouraged
and nourished and built up,
that we would be stimulated
to go into the week ahead
and to make Jesus known.
Sometimes, Lord, this is difficult to do.
Sometimes we are uncertain
of how to share our testimony,
how to share our faith.
Lord, give us grace and insight,
understanding, wisdom, patience,
tenacity and courage,
for we need all of these things
to make Jesus known.
And so we would seek to share
the good news of Jesus Christ,
the gospel of grace with those around us
and beside us,
in our homes, in our communities.
And we pray, Lord,
that as that witness unfolds this week,
that you be pleased to bless
the labors of your people,
for it is not in vain
that we labor in the Lord.
We look to you, Lord, and pray
that the gospel would flourish,
that it would take root in hearts and lives,
that men and women,
and boys and girls,
would be held and constrained
in their awareness
of their need of salvation
and see in Christ the Savior.
For it is through him,
through this man,
that is preached the forgiveness of sins.
This is the message of salvation
that the Christian church
has declared loud
and declared strong and clear
down through the generations.
May we continue to do so
as we build on the labors
of those who have gone before us.
May we continue to be faithful
to the task.
May we be good soldiers
of Christ Jesus.
May we endure hardship
as at times we must.
And may we look unto the one
who has called us to run our race,
sharing the message
of forgiveness in him
to all around.
We pray then, Lord,
for your work here in Stornoway.
We pray for James and Donna,
for Calamurdo and Joanne
and their families.
We pray, Lord,
that you would uphold them
and keep them in their ministry
here in the town.
That you be with the elders
and deacons
and all those involved
in Sunday school
and creche
and mother and toddler
and all the activities
that are ongoing,
the work that so many
put their hand to
here in the congregation
in Stornoway.
And may it continue
to be an encouragement
to all of us
that we too, Lord,
would follow this example
and work as hard as we can
where you have placed us
to your glory
and to the furtherance
of the gospel.
We long for the day
when we will see
men and women
and homes and families
transformed by grace.
So, Lord,
we pray for conversions tonight.
We seek conversions
through the preaching
of the word.
We ask that many
in our districts
would be brought
under conviction of sin
and there in Christ
to find relief
and peace and joy
for in him
there is forgiveness.
In him
there is plenteous redemption.
Lord,
we ask for your blessing
across our island
and nation.
We pray that you
would raise up leaders
who would be unashamed
of the testimony
of the gospel,
unashamed of naming
Jesus as Savior.
We long for leaders
who in the public square
would reflect
a love for Jesus
and would have at heart
an honouring of his word
that they would be
clearly people of prayer,
people of faith,
people who would
set an example
that they, Lord,
would lead us
by themselves
being led by you.
We long for this,
for an upturn
in our nation's spirituality,
for an outpouring
of the Spirit
to an extent
that we could not
contain it
or even begin
to imagine it,
but that many
in our land
would come to know
Christ Jesus
for themselves.
We pray, Lord,
that you'd remember us
this time as a nation
as we pray
for our parliament,
our leaders,
our politicians.
We remember
our armed forces.
We pray for the
emergency services
and the National
Health Service staff,
those who look after us
and do so much
on our behalf
to keep us safe
and to look after
those who are ill
and those who are housebound.
We remember carers
who are under
particular pressure
and stress
at this time.
And we ask, Lord,
that you would watch
over them
and bless them
in the wonderful work
they do across
our communities
in helping those
who are housebound
and unable
to leave homes
and unable
to join us
in worship,
unable to spend
time with family,
unable to do so much
because of ill.
Lord,
we pray tonight
for those bereaved.
We pray for those,
Lord,
who have known
sadness and loss
in their lives
and continue to feel
that the weight
of that loss.
We near them,
Lord,
and grant them
that peace
that passes understanding.
Be with them
in your grace
and in your mercy,
we pray.
And so, Lord,
we ask tonight
that you would open
your word to us,
that we would hear
something of the wonder
and splendor
and scope
of the gospel.
And all these things
we ask
through Jesus Christ,
our Lord and Savior.
Amen.
We'll turn again
to sing to God's praise.
Sing Psalms
in Psalm 65.
Psalm 65,
singing from verse 8.
That's page 82
in our blue psalm books.
Page 82.
Psalm 65,
singing from verse 8.
Those who inhabit
distant lands
with all regard
your ways,
where morning dawns
and evening fades,
you call forth
songs of praise.
You tend the land
and water it,
you make it rich
and good,
as you ordain
your streams are full
to give the people food.
Psalm 65,
we'll sing from verse 8
to 13
to God's praise.
Amen.
Psalm 66,
singing from verse 9.
When morning dawns
and evening fades,
you call for songs of praise.
When morning dawns
and evening fades,
you call for songs of praise.
to take the land
and water it,
you make it rich and good.
As you ordain,
your streams are full
to give the people food.
the grace of the earth
of the land,
you heaven off the ground,
you soften it
with showers of rain
and make its crops
above.
You end the year
with truthfulness,
your harvest overflow,
the grass that flourishes again,
the hills with madness glow.
The birds to stream
with thoughts are cold,
the meadows covering.
Above, he's there
themselves with corn,
they shout for joy and sing.
A song of gratitude
and thankfulness
for God's provision toward us,
his grace poured out
in that psalm.
We'll read together
from his word,
first of all,
from the Old Testament
and the prophecy of Isaiah,
chapter 40.
Isaiah and chapter 40,
we'll read from verse 18,
and then we'll turn forward
in our Bibles to the Gospel of John
and chapter 3.
Reading first of all,
then, from Isaiah
and chapter 40,
and verse 18.
A section that is all about
the greatness of God.
To whom, then,
will you liken God?
Or what likeness compare with him?
An idol?
A craftsman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and casts for it silver chains.
He who is too impoverished
for an offering
chooses wood
that will not rot.
He seeks out a skillful craftsman
to set up an idol
that will not move.
Do you not know?
Do you not hear?
Has it not been told you
from the beginning?
Have you not understood
from the foundations of the earth?
It is he who sits above
the circle of the earth,
and its inhabitants
are like grasshoppers,
who stretches out the heavens
like a curtain
and spreads them
like a tent to dwell in,
who brings princes to nothing
and makes the rulers
of the earth as emptiness.
Scarcely are they planted,
scarcely sown,
scarcely has their stem
taken root in the earth
when he blows in them
and they wither
and the tempest
carries them off like stubble.
To whom, then,
will you like compare me?
That I should be like him,
says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high
and see who created these.
He who brings out
their host by number,
calling them all by name,
by the greatness of his might,
and because he is strong in power,
not one is missing.
Why do you say,
O Jacob,
and speak, O Israel,
my way is hidden from the Lord,
and my right is disregarded
by my God?
Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the creator of the ends
of the earth.
He does not faint
or grow weary.
His understanding
is unsearchable.
He gives power
to the faint
and to him
who has no mighty
increases strength.
Even youth shall faint
and be weary
and young men
shall fall exhausted,
but they who wait
on the Lord
shall renew their strength.
They shall mount up
with wings like eagles.
They shall run
and not be weary.
They shall walk
and not faint.
And turning forward
to the Gospel of John,
reading from chapter 3,
the Gospel of John
and chapter 3.
We'll read the most famous of words
in this chapter
from verse 16.
For God so loved the world
that he gave his only Son
that whoever believes in him
should not perish
but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son
into the world
to condemn the world,
but in order that the world
might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him
is not condemned,
but whoever does not believe
is condemned already
because he has not believed
in the name
of the only Son of God.
And this is the judgment.
The light has come
into the world
and people loved the darkness
rather than the light
because their deeds were evil.
But everyone who does wicked things
hates the light
and does not come to the light
lest his deeds should be exposed.
But whoever does what is true
comes to the light
so that it may be clearly seen
that his deeds
have been carried out
in God.
Amen.
And may the Lord bless
the reading of his word
to his own name.
We'll sing again to God's praise
before considering together
this evening these words.
And we'll sing from the Psalter,
Psalm 130.
A song of redemption.
A song of provision
that is found in the Lord.
Psalm 130.
Page 421
in our blue Psalm books.
Lord, from the depths
to thee I cried.
My voice, Lord,
do thou hear
unto my supplications voice.
Give an attentive ear.
Lord, who shall stand
if thou, O Lord,
shouldst mark iniquity?
But yet with thee
forgiveness is
that feared
thou mayest be.
We'll sing the whole Psalm
to God's praise.
Lord, from the dead to thee I cry, my voice for to the hear.
Come to my supplications, Lord, in an attempted ear.
Lord, who shall stand in thine, O Lord, to spark in liberty?
But yet with thee forgiveness is the fear, the vainest being.
I wait for God, my soul doth wait, My hope is in His word.
For love, yea, love, for morning watch, My soul waits for the Lord.
On same or now, they have to watch, The morning light to see.
Let Israel open the Lord, For with Him mercy's thee.
On grandiacal redemption, His name were found within,
And from all His iniquities, He Israel shall redeem.
Let us pray together for a moment.
Lord, our dependence upon you is complete, is total.
We seek your face, and by your spirit we ask you would lead us this evening
as we consider your word, this eternal truth contained in scriptures and provided toward us.
What gracious provision.
Lord, we thank you that we meet tonight around the word of God,
and that brings us to the God of the word.
And as we worship and sing and pray and now study the scriptures together,
we ask above all that you be glorified,
and all that is done and said here would be pleasing and acceptable in your sight.
Lord, draw near to us.
And may we heed the Spirit's leading this evening,
and may we respond to your graciousness.
May we respond to the gospel.
And may we go from here knowing it's good to be here.
Bless, Lord, your word to us, we pray.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Amen.
Well, if you would open your Bibles at the gospel of John in chapter 3,
where we read from together already,
you will open your Bible at probably the most famous verse of the whole scripture.
John 3 and verse 16 is the Bible in miniature.
It is the gospel in summary.
And I'd like us to think about it this evening and to learn together what it has to teach us about the gospel,
and above all, what it has to teach us about God.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
I wonder sometimes what people who have never been to Scotland actually think of Scotland.
They might be depending on a tourist or a relation or someone who's lived here,
telling them what our country is like.
They might take their impression from the internet, from a travel magazine,
from a postcard, from TV, who knows?
I just wonder sometimes if they envisage pipers and haggis in every corner,
and the low mists and the songs that just float up and down our land.
I wonder if they ever think of the rain and the midges and all that stuff.
And I sometimes think about that because I often wonder, more so,
what people think about God without ever coming to his word.
And I think that's a massive problem in our own time, in our own land, this very evening.
There are vast numbers of people tonight who have a concept of God,
call it a theology of God, perhaps that's pushing things.
They have an idea, a system, a scheme,
whereby they think of God along their terms,
without ever coming to the word he has given us.
And that's something we must be on our guard against.
Friends, this evening, if you have a concept of God,
if you have an imaginary thought about what God is like,
and you have framed your thinking in isolation to the word,
then you need to stop now and come to this text with me this evening
and think about what this tells us about the living God,
the God of the word.
And I would say also right from the off that we shouldn't understand the Bible or approach the Bible
thinking that it's a book that is set before us to convince us about the existence of God.
That is not the Bible's focus and purpose.
The Bible has not been given to us this evening to answer the question,
does God exist?
That question is not addressed by the Bible.
The question the Bible addresses is not,
does God exist?
But what is God like?
And John 3 and verse 16 brings us right to the heart of the matter.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
It's a very high probability that most of us here know the words off by heart.
So I approach a text like this that's so well known with a level of trepidation
because it's a text that will always feature in any preaching ministry
because it's so deep and wide and beautiful.
There is so much here of God.
There is so much here of the gospel that it would take many, many visits to this text
to begin to just scratch the surface.
But it's good this evening to think about God.
That's why he raised up his church.
The church militant is here to profess faith in Christ
and declare the unsearchable riches of Christ,
to preach the cross.
And we will never exhaust that subject.
We read from Isaiah in chapter 40 and verse 18 begins,
To whom then will you liken God?
Or what likeness compare with him?
And then it says toward the end,
Lift up your highs on high and see.
Who created these things?
He who brings out their host by number,
calling them all by name.
This is God, the God of wonders,
the God of power, almighty God.
Wondrous in power and glorious in might.
And so we come to this answer he has given us.
And we come humbly and carefully to listen to what God has to say to us
in this most famous of texts.
And above all, we seek to form our thinking of God and toward God
based upon his word.
So there are a few things to think of this evening.
I want to think with you first of all, from John 3 and verse 16,
about what God has done.
What God has done.
God is a God of love.
Love flows from him.
It is part of who he is.
It is of his very essence.
And as we read through various passages in the scripture,
we come to see more and more of who God is and what God is like.
John, as he wrote of the love of God,
particularly in his letters.
And if I could just turn very quickly to 1 John in chapter 4,
to consider just a few things there we're told here of the love of God.
In chapter 4 of 1 John and verse 9,
in this the love of God was made manifest among us,
revealed, confirmed, declared,
that God sent his only Son into the world.
There is the declaration and affirmation and confirmation
of the love of God,
so that we might live through him
in his love for us.
He has sent his only Son into the world,
so that we might live through him.
Such is God's love
and its intensity
and its perfection
and its purity.
That God has made provision for sinners
in sending his Son.
And this is love.
Not that we have loved God,
but that he loved us
and sent his Son to be the propitiation
for our sins.
Beloved,
if God so loved us,
we also ought to love
one another.
That's why love must be at the center
of any gospel preaching
and gospel declaration,
because it is of the essence of our God.
And in his love,
he has provided his Son,
for God so loved the world
that he gave.
And that's the key word
in John 3 and verse 16
when it comes to thinking about
what God has done.
We speak of his character,
his nature,
being perfect
and pure
in love.
And we see that in his love,
he acts.
It's not just words with God.
It's actions.
And in his love,
because of his love,
through his love,
he gave.
God gave.
It's wonderful just to pause
and think and reflect
for a few moments about this,
to think of the love
of our God.
His love is limitless.
And this is how one writer
sums it up.
The magnitude of his love
is matched
by the magnitude
of his gift.
The magnitude of his love
is matched
by the magnitude
of his gift.
And when people ask you,
what gift?
What's God ever done for me?
Remind them
that he who did not
spare his own son,
but delivered him up
for us all,
how will he not also
with him graciously
give us all things?
He gave all.
The magnitude of his love
is matched
by the magnitude
of his gift.
How many people
in Stornoway tonight
and across our land
are thinking,
well,
what's God ever done
for me?
What's God ever given me?
Particularly when things
go bad
and when life
takes a downward turn
where there's a period
perhaps of ill health
or bereavement
or financial strain
and pressure,
unemployment,
when relationships
break,
when things get bad,
when brokenness
comes in,
when there's addiction,
people lash out
at God
and blame God
and shake their fist
at God
and will have nothing
to do with God
and if ever he gets
a passing thought
as well,
what's he ever done
for me?
And the tragedy
about that mindset
and that heart condition
is that it goes
straight past
this open declaration
of what God
has already done.
In love,
he's provided
his very own son.
You see,
the gospel's
not a bedtime story.
It's not about
a bunch of rules.
It's not about
a code of conduct
for religiously minded people.
The gospel,
as we've already noted
this weekend,
it's not a message
about religion.
It's a message
of salvation.
For I'm not ashamed
of the gospel
for it is the power
of God to salvation
to all who believe.
It's about salvation
and being saved
and how does it,
how do we get there?
It comes from God.
It pleased God
from all eternity
to ordain
and appoint Jesus
as our mediator.
It's paraphrasing
our own confession
of faith.
For God so loved
the world
that he gave.
He gave his son.
And the gospel tonight
stands upon
this historical
giving of Jesus.
We have to assert
and maintain
and defend
that the one
who from all eternity
was with the Father,
through whom
all things were made
and through,
by whom all things
are sustained,
by whom all things
were created,
as a result of his
being given,
became flesh
and dwelt
among us.
He is the image
of the invisible God,
the firstborn
over all creation.
By him all things
were created
through him
and for him.
In him all the fullness
of God
was pleased to dwell.
How long have we got
to unpack
these words?
A lifetime
isn't long enough.
The fullness of God
was pleased to dwell.
This is our Savior.
And this is our song.
And this is who
God the Father
gave.
Why?
Because of his love.
What God
has already done.
You see,
he came
to finish a work.
He came
to complete
a task.
He was given
to do
and to do that
he gave himself
to death,
even death
on a cross.
He took our place.
He paid our price.
If you this evening
are asking,
what's God
ever done
for me?
Your answer
is the cross.
And the response
to your question
is one
that the gospel
raises.
What have you
done
about what
God has done
for you?
Have you come
to him?
Have you pled
for his mercy
and forgiveness?
Have you sought
his grace
in your heart
to take your sins
away?
Have you come
to him and cried
out the great
New Testament
prayer of confession?
Lord, be merciful
to me, a sinner.
Because that's
where we all begin.
And that's the point
where we all must come
in order to reckon
with God.
We must come
to him
on his terms,
by his appointed
means,
through our mediator,
our redeemer,
the Lord Jesus Christ.
What God
has done.
I want to think
secondly with you
about this.
What God
is doing.
Because this
incredible text
refers not just
to the past
but to the present.
For God
so loved the world
that he gave
his only son
that whoever
believes in him,
that whoever
believes in him
should not perish
but have
eternal life.
So if God
has already
done something,
what is it God
is now doing?
And what God
is doing
is calling us
to his son.
This is my
beloved son.
Hear him.
This is my
beloved son
in whom
I am well
pleased.
And as John
the Baptist
said when he
saw him,
he couldn't
contain himself.
He couldn't
keep the words
in.
He just
blurted out,
behold,
the Lamb
of God
who takes
away the
sin of the
world.
And he
does.
And there
are testaments
to that
saving work
in here
this evening.
Many,
many people,
men and
women and
boys and
girls,
who have
come to know
Jesus in
their own
hearts,
who have
prayed the
prayer of
faith,
come into
my heart,
come into
my heart,
come into
my heart,
Lord Jesus,
come in today,
come in to
stay,
come into
my heart,
Lord Jesus.
This is a
message of
salvation.
And that's
probably why
in John's
writings,
between his
gospel and
his letters,
when we put
them together,
we find the
word life
36 times.
It's a
message of
life.
And look
what he
says here,
that you
should not
perish but
have eternal
life.
Christ wants
to bring us
from death
to life,
from darkness
to light,
from estrangement
to being
children of
God,
not just
bringing us
into the
palace,
not just
bringing us
into the
kingdom,
but bringing
us right
into the
family of
God.
This is
grace.
Because,
friends,
in and of
ourselves,
what are we?
We're
sinners.
Look at
the last
verse of
this famous
chapter,
John 3
and verse
36.
We have
a solemn
perspective
and balance
presented by
God so
that tonight
each one of
us can go
home and
be under
no illusion,
no uncertainty
as to where
we stand
tonight before
our living
God.
Whoever
believes in
the Son
has eternal
life.
Whoever
does not
obey the
Son shall
not see
life,
but the
wrath of
God
remains
on him.
Solemn
words,
searching
words,
words that
I believe
the Spirit
will use
this evening
to seek
you out
and to
stir up
your conscience
so that
you would
come to
Christ
yourself,
that you
would come
and ask
the question,
what must
I do
to be
saved?
What
did Paul
say?
Believe
in the
Lord Jesus
Christ,
and you
will be
saved.
Believe.
And there
it is,
the gospel
in a moment
of time
as the
Philippian
jailer fell
to his
knees in
desperation,
knowing his
heart and
in his
spirit something
was wrong,
sensing the
void between
him and
God,
sensing that
he couldn't
get across
it himself,
he cries
out,
what must
I do
to be
saved?
Haven't
we all
done that,
Christian
friends?
Yes,
we have.
That's what
brings us
to Christ,
acknowledging
our need
for him,
and so we
come in
repentance
and faith,
and we
come to
him,
and we
come to
him in
conscious
awareness of
his summons,
his invitation
to come in
faith and
believe.
And look what
this verse
says,
whoever
believes in
him,
there's the
key word,
when we
think about
what is
God doing?
What's God
doing in
Stornoway,
in Scotland,
across the
world,
now,
this evening?
God is
saving those
who come
in faith
to his
son.
And who
are they?
Here they're
defined,
whoever,
whoever.
See,
friends,
we don't
know.
We only
see the
outward,
but God
looks at
the heart.
God knows
tonight what
we've done
with this
gospel,
and what
we've done
with his
son.
He knows
that if we
have responded
in faith,
He knows
if we
have stayed
back uncertain,
unconvinced,
and unconverted,
waiting for
another time,
waiting for
that eternal
tomorrow.
There's always
tomorrow when
it comes to
the gospel,
the great
lie of
Satan.
Don't worry
about this,
that's fine,
the gospel's
a great
message,
the gospel
has changed
lives,
and yes,
it's true,
but listen,
you've got a
lot to see
to,
you're only
young.
Let's think
about this
at the next
communion,
let's think
about it
next Sunday,
let's think
about it
when you
talk to
this one
or talk
to that
one,
any time
but God's
time,
and God's
appointed time
for dealing
with salvation
is now,
when in
his spirit
and in
his grace
and in
his mercy
and in
his providence
he presents
his gospel
to you,
saying,
come to
me,
and I
will give
you rest.
this is
the wondrous
invitation
and summons
of Jesus
Christ.
The magnitude
of his love
is matched
by the
magnitude
of his
gift,
and his
gift is
nothing other
and no one
less than
his son.
So John 3
and 16
is vast
in its
teaching of
the scope
of the
gospel,
incredible
in the
lengths
that God
will go
to.
It's
tremendous
in what
it sets
before us.
First of
all,
in what
God has
done,
and we
can call
that a
statement
of fact.
He has
given
his son.
Golgotha
was 2,000
years ago,
and now
tonight we
have the
complete
canon of
scripture
in a
language
and version
we can
read easily
and follow.
Isn't
God good?
Isn't
God gracious
and loving
and merciful?
And that
he's given
us this
message of
his son
tonight in
a way we
can sit
in comfort,
not worried
about the
police kicking
in the
door,
not worried
about being
dragged off
to prison,
not under
persecution,
but in
wonderful comfort
and security
with plenty
provided for
us,
and we
can reflect
tonight for
this half
hour together
on the
wonderful
gospel and
provision of
Christ.
For God
did not
send his
son into
the world
to condemn
the world,
but in
order that
the world
might be
saved through
him.
Let's make
it more
personal on
that.
How about
you?
Because that's
the essence
and question
of the
gospel.
God
searches the
heart and
he's asking
now this
evening,
individually,
what have
you done
with my
son?
What have
you done
with my
gospel?
What have
you done
with this
knowledge that
you have?
What have
you done
with the
Bible?
What have
you done
with your
need to
be forgiven?
Will you
still stay
away?
Will you
still
prevaricate,
debate,
argue?
Will you
still get
into a
remonstrance
and a
standoff
with God?
Will you
rail against
the Holy
Spirit and
continue to
say in
your hardness
of heart,
what's God
ever done
for me?
Or will
you now,
friends,
stop and
pause and
think.
He sent
his son
in love.
He gave
everything.
And that's
why as we
go through
the wonderful
book of the
Acts of the
Apostles,
we read of
tremendous
instances
of clarity,
of great
theology,
but great
simplicity as
well.
Listen to
Acts 13
and verse
26.
Brothers,
sisters,
sons of the
family of
Abraham and
those among
you who
fear God
to us has
been sent
the message
of this
salvation.
And again
down Acts
13 and
verse 38.
Let it be
known to
you therefore
brothers that
through this
man forgiveness
of sins is
proclaimed to
you and
by him
everyone who
believes is
freed.
Isn't that
wonderful that
God has been
so plain and
clear and
purposeful,
tender and
compassionate and
gracious and
ensuring tonight
we'd be here for
this short time,
the end of the
month of August
2022, the
year opening up
ahead of us and
the week closing
in already.
And God in his
providence has
appointed this time
in this moment
that the gospel
would come before
you again.
that Christ in
his claims over
you would come
before you again.
That our
condition as
sinners would
come before you
again.
And again God
is calling in his
mercy, come to
my son.
Come to the
one who was
dead and now
was alive.
Come to the
one who gave
himself for
you.
The great
declaration of
Paul's earliest
letter to the
Galatians, the
life I now
live.
I live by
faith in the
son of God
who loved me
and gave
himself for me
and to give
himself for him
what did he
do?
He became a
curse.
That's what the
cross was.
It's an awful
scene.
It's a scene
that we have to
study and
survey but
friends let us
do so in awe
and wonder,
humility,
patience,
tenderness.
The son of
God, dead
on a cross
for the sins
of the world.
Him who was
no sin.
How is it put
in Romans in
chapter 8?
As Paul begins
to unpack this,
Romans 8 and
verse 32,
he who did
not spare his
own son but
gave him up
for us all,
how will they
not also with
him graciously
give us all
things?
The son of
God given
to death.
and he
died there
to complete
the work
the father
had given
him to do
in this
eternal
covenant,
this covenant
of redemption.
So maybe
you think
that it
doesn't apply
to you,
doesn't extend
to you,
maybe you
think you're
not good
enough,
maybe you
think you've
got time,
friends,
whatever you're
lining up in
your lines of
defense to
resist the
gospel call
in your heart,
I would urge
you to put
them aside,
listen to the
words you've
just sung
together,
and plenteous
redemption is
ever found
with him,
that's a
wonderful Old
Testament word,
that word
there,
plenteous in
the Hebrew
is rabba,
and it
speaks of
abundance,
and a
great abundance,
so there's an
abundance of
what?
Redemption,
and it's
ever found
with him,
and from
all his
iniquities,
he Israel
shall redeem.
What do we
need to do?
We need to
acknowledge your
sin,
and cry out
for forgiveness,
and come to
him for his
mercy.
Friends,
the Bible
nowhere delutes
or denies the
awfulness of
sin.
That's what the
world does.
That's what
cultural thinking
does.
That's what
world leaders do
who are not
interested in the
gospel.
They dumb it
down,
and they expect
and demand the
church to do
likewise,
to dumb down
the teaching of
the gospel,
not to talk
about sin,
not to mention
hell,
not to raise
the issue of
judgment and
God's eternal
damnation that
waits all those
who turn away
from him.
As the gospel
says,
whoever does not
obey the Son
shall not see
life,
but the wrath
of God remains
on him.
God is love
and light
and truth
and mercy
and wrath,
and God's
wrath will be
poured out
upon sin,
and unless and
until you come
to Christ,
and under his
cover,
and under his
righteousness,
the wrath of
God remains on
you.
That's what the
scripture tells
us,
and we'll be
tied to church
if ever we
move away from
this declaration
of good news.
I read the other
day a nice story
about Voltaire,
can't claim to
know much about
the man,
but I know he
was a 17th
century critic,
thinker,
philosopher,
writer,
and he had a
great career of
poking fun at
the church and
tearing away at
the tenants of
the church,
and as one of
history's best
known atheists,
he often stated
by the time I
am buried,
the Bible will
be non-existent.
A few years
after his death,
the Geneva Bible
Society purchased
his home and
turned it into a
print shop for
Bibles.
God will not
be mocked.
God had the
last word with
that man,
and we remember
his arrogance,
his atheism,
his emptiness,
and his
hopelessness,
his being
bound in by
this humanism
and this
atheism,
this pluralism
that said,
anything but
God,
don't bring this
message of
personal salvation
to me and a
need for forgiveness.
How dare you?
And what we have
in Voltaire is
this shaken
fist,
this arrogant
denial of giving
God his place
in our hearts.
And what does
God do?
He comes to us
again and
again in
his gospel and
in his grace,
saying,
whoever believes
in him should
not perish but
have eternal
life.
And this is the
last thing.
What God has
done, a
statement of
fact.
What God is
doing, a
statement of
promise.
He's saving to
the uttermost
those who call
upon him.
Then there's
this last thing,
what God will
do.
And this is a
statement of
intent.
whoever believes
in him should
not perish but
have eternal
life.
Now the Bible
takes this
teaching of
what it is to
perish before
God.
It's called
the second
death.
It's called
banishment in
a place called
hell.
John 3, 36
makes it clear,
the wrath of
God remains on
him.
It's possibly
the most
unpopular
teaching in
the New
Testament
today in
many denominations
that profess to
be Christian.
They have
Christian above
their door.
When you go
inside, you'll
hear none of
this.
Why?
Because it's
offensive.
Because it's
difficult.
Because it's
searching.
Because it's
not the God
who's on a
shelf in a
box, kept
there nice and
neat for Easter
and Christmas
and baptisms
and weddings
and funerals.
This is the
God of wonders,
the God of
might and
splendor, who
is holy and
just and of
pure horizon to
behold in
equity.
A God who
calls us to
account and
who tells us
that the day
is coming when
he will appoint
the end of
time and usher
in eternity.
And that day
is coming.
We don't know
when it will be,
none of us do.
And when the
JWs and the
Mormons and the
rest of them
ring your doorbell
and start talking
to you about
fulfillment of
prophecies, don't
listen to them.
They don't know
what they're
talking about.
They've created
a scheme of
teaching and
thinking that's
in isolation to
God's word.
Nobody knows
the day or the
hour.
We just know
it's coming.
And we know
that we need
to be ready.
And this is
the ultimate
question.
Are you
ready?
Are you ready
for that day?
Because here
we're told that
God is coming
again and he
will judge the
world in
righteousness.
Read through
Thessalonians and
the other letters
where the
apostle is
moved to
explain and
express the
teaching of
Jesus.
He came once,
will come again
to judge the
world in
righteousness.
It's a day of
reckoning.
It's a day of
accounting when
all will stand
before the
judgment seat.
And there the
question will be,
what did you do
with my son?
So friends,
what God will
do is the
very essence
of the gospel.
It's what gives
the Christian
church her
sense of
urgency,
her determination
and mission,
her clarity of
thought in
forming strategies
and plans and
developing courts
of the church.
Why?
To feel good
about ourselves
and to think,
well, we've done
well, haven't we?
Let's wave the
flag of our
denomination.
Not for a
minute.
It's not what
it's about.
We don't
impress the
Lord with
these things.
Our sense
of urgency
comes simply
in wanting
people lost
in sin
to be saved.
This is a
message of
salvation,
not a
message of
religion.
salvation.
Christ Jesus
came into
the world
to save
sinners.
He came in
to seek
and to
save the
lost.
I'll share
with you a
nice story
I read just
as we close
of a
sculpture,
a sculpture
that was made
by Michelangelo.
Michelangelo was
consumed with
self-loathing
and self-criticism
as he came to
the end of his
life and he
rarely finished
the sculptures
he began.
All his
finished works
are from
early in his
career.
He was free
and expressed
his amazing
skills to
sculpt marble
things that
today are
still looked
at in awe.
But toward
the end of
his life he
began to
lose patience
with himself
and he was
so critical
he would
destroy his
works and
he'd been
working on
three,
four,
five years.
One of
them was
the Florentine
Pieta.
It's a
sculpture that
as far as
we can tell
he lost
patience with
after working
on it for
a number of
years and
he began to
smash it up
with a hammer
and then he
left it.
Then some
time later
a young
sculptor
apprentice was
brought in
to restore
the damaged
work that the
master craftsman
had abandoned.
And over
time and
with patience
and skill
and ability
that masterpiece
was returned
to its former
state telling
the story
that Michelangelo
had started
but hadn't
finished.
It's a
wonderful story
of restoration
and I think
that's a theme
that we find
here in
John 3
16.
For God
so loved
the world
that he
gave his
only son
that whoever
believes in
him should
not perish
but have
eternal life.
Christ would
restore you
to communion
with God
the Father.
Christ would
restore you
to a place
of favour
and grace
and blessing
and peace.
That's what
Christ does
to all those
who come to
him in faith
to all those
who come to
him in repentance
to all those
who come to
men and women
and boys and
girls in
repentance
and wholeheartedness
and that's why
we have these
wonderful statements
such as this
in Romans 8
verse 1
there is
therefore now
no condemnation
for those
who are in
Christ Jesus.
Are you?
Are you in
Christ?
Thanks be to
God.
But if you're
not in Christ
I ask you
in this moment
of silence
we're going to
bow together
in prayer
call out to
him
seek him
and seek
the forgiveness
of heart
that only
Christ can
effect by the
spirit and in
his grace
to restore
you from
alienation
and distance
and hardness
of heart
to being
made new
and being
made right
with God
may he bless
us that this
would be so.
Let's pray
together for a
moment.
Our
gracious God
we bow
in your
presence
we thank
you that
you have
given us
the gospel.
Thank you
Lord God
that we
have this
word of
life
the promise
of life
in Christ
Jesus
tonight
Lord we
pray you
would bless
your word
to our
hearts
that we
might take
your word
into our
life and
home with
us this
evening to
reflect upon
your amazing
grace
that you
gave your
son in
love
and he
came
willingly
in
obedience
sins
and died
in our
place and
in our
stead on
the cross
by his
wounds we
are healed.
We give
thanks that we
have a
redeemer.
We give
thanks that we
know him as
our saviour and
we pray now
Lord God for
your blessing to
rest upon those
this evening
who may be
struggling with a
sense of sin
who may be
struggling with a
sense of
estrangement.
Lord open
their eyes
open their
hearts
draw them
to Jesus
there to
meet with
the one who
is all
together
lovely
the one who
is the
way
the truth
and the
life
in his name
we ask it
amen
we'll turn to
sing psalms
this evening
and we'll sing
from psalm 34
in verse 7
to close our
service
psalm 34
and we'll sing
from verse 7
we'll sing to
verse 11
to God's
praise the
angel of the
Lord surrounds
and guards
continually all
those who fear
and honour
him he sets
his people
free come
taste and see
the Lord is
good who
trusts in him
is blessed
oh fear the
Lord you
saints with
need you
will not be
oppressed
psalm 34
verses 7
to 11
and at the end
if you give me a moment
just to get to the main door
please that would be
appreciated
we'll sing from
verse 7
to God's praise
prayer for the Lord's
you
love the Lord is
and guards
pant mutually
All those who fear that God and Him
He sets His people free
From this town see the Lord is true
Who trusts in Him is blessed
O fear the Lord, you saints with me
You will not be oppressed
We of my own state grow weak and faint
And hunger for their food
But those who wait upon the Lord
Will not lack any good
Come here, my children, gather round
And listen to my word
And I will help you understand
How you may fear the Lord
May the blessing of God Almighty
Father, Son and Holy Spirit
Rest on you and those whom you love
Now and forever
Amen