We'll begin our worship this evening by singing to God's praise. We're going to sing in Psalm 106,
the Scottish Psalter version, Psalm 106, page 378 of the Psalm books. We'll sing from verse 1
to verse 5. The tune is done firmly in Psalm 106. At verse 1, give praise and thanks unto the Lord,
for bountiful is he, his tender mercy doth endure unto eternity. We'll sing from verse 1 to
5 to God's praise, and we stand to sing.
Give praise and thanks unto the Lord, for bountiful is he, his tender mercy doth endure unto eternity.
God's mighty works who can express, or show forth all his grace.
Blessed are they the judgment key, and justly do always.
Remember me, Lord, with that love, which thou to thine dost bear. With thy salvation, O my God,
for send me draw near. But I, my chosen stood may see, and in their joy rejoice. And may with thine inheritance,
Let us unite our hearts in prayer.
Let us pray.
Our gracious and everlasting Father,
we thank you that we come to you as our Lord
and as our God.
We come with so much to be thankful for.
We thank you for the peace that we enjoy.
We thank you for the blessing that we have
in coming to praise your name together.
We come, Lord, thankful for your tender mercies towards us,
mercies that are new each day.
And Lord, as we just look into our hearts this evening
and as we look into your word
and as we look out into the world, O Lord,
we come just thankful, Lord,
for the very fact that we have a God to call upon.
We have a God who hears the cries of his people.
We have a God who is able to do so much more
than we even ask or imagine.
And when there are times when we feel helpless,
when there are times where we feel much grief for our world,
when there is so much sorrow and sadness around us,
we thank you that you are a God who is able to comfort,
that you are a God who is able to change,
to change war into peace.
And as we have heard and seen in this last week, Lord,
the devastation of war in our midst once again in the world,
we do pray for you as the God of mercy,
the God of peace,
even to bring a quick end to this awful war in Israel,
as we are reminded on our prayer notes.
But in other parts of the world, too,
we see much devastation, much atrocities.
And we pray, Lord, for quick ends to it all.
In many ways, we know that that will not be until you return.
For your word reminds us that there will be wars
and rumors of war.
But we thank you, too, Lord,
that you are still God in the midst of it all,
that you are the one who is able to change evil to good.
And we pray, Lord, that in these days
that we would see your power at work,
that again, as we see, oh, Lord,
so much that we wonder at,
we don't have answers to the many questions we might face.
We don't have answers to the wickedness of mankind.
But, Lord, we thank you that in the midst of confusion
that you are able to bring more clarity.
We thank you, Lord,
that your word is such a great blessing to us
and to all your people,
even as we have sung in these words together this evening,
remember me, Lord, with that love
which thou to thine dost bear.
We thank you that your love is unending
and unchanging towards your people,
wherever they find themselves
and whatever circumstances they are in this evening,
that your love is unchanging towards them,
that you are the God of all covenant and all grace,
that you are the God who keeps his people,
not just here, but for all eternity,
and that whatever comes the way of your people in this world,
we know, Lord, that as your word says,
that it's greater to come,
that our blessings unending
and at the throne of God in heaven.
And we thank you, Lord,
that in the midst of turmoil,
that your word is such a blessing to us,
but how we need the eyes of faith,
how we need to hear your word through ears
that hear what you are saying to us.
For in the midst of it all,
there are warnings to our world
and to our people as well,
to each of us even here this evening,
that our times, O Lord,
are out with our control,
that all our lives are in your hands,
our days are numbered by you,
and teach us, Lord,
to do wisely with them.
For we know, Lord,
that we can so often put things away,
we can put them off till tomorrow,
when tomorrow is never guaranteed for any of us.
And so we pray, Lord,
that as you remind us again and again
of how quickly our lives and our world can change,
teach us, Lord,
to come near to you,
to call upon you,
to find our refuge in you.
And we pray, Lord,
that as a church and as a people,
that we will be spoken to in these days as well.
For we are reminded that there is nothing new under the sun,
that your church,
your people have been opposed
down through all the generations and all time.
And we are reminded even in your word,
as we will read it this evening
and as we study it together,
that whether we look in the Old or the New Testament,
we see your people suffering at the hands of evil.
We see, O Lord,
the church, as it were,
being attacked from all sides.
And yet we see,
Lord,
the need for your people to stand strong
and to stand strong in the Lord,
to be a people of vision,
to be a people who have fixed their eyes on God
and who trust in him with all their hearts.
And we pray, Lord,
that in our day and in our time here,
that you will help us to stand in the Lord,
to stand strong in the Lord,
to put on the full armour of God
and so to stand as your word sees.
And we pray, Lord,
and thank you for all the armour that we have,
for all the provision that you have made for us
through your word,
through prayer,
through your righteousness,
through the church at large, Lord.
We thank you that you have equipped us
in every way to be your people,
to stand in this world and fight for your cause.
And we pray, Lord,
that you will encourage us,
that you will encourage us in these days
to see the urgency of the gospel
and to see the need to tell others of a saviour,
to show them the love of Christ,
the one who came to take away the sin of the world.
And so we pray and thank you, Lord,
that you are able to build your church
in the midst of every conflict,
every worry and every anxiety,
that your promise is that you will build your church.
And so we ask, Lord,
that to all ends of the earth today,
that you will speak,
that you will minister,
that you will draw people to yourself,
from all tribes and from all people,
from all ends of the earth,
Lord,
that you will be the God of salvation
that the psalm speaks of.
With thy salvation,
O my God,
to visit me,
draw near.
We sung these words
and we pray these words,
that it will be so for all your people,
near and far.
Draw near with your saving power.
Draw near with your grace
and with your mercy.
Lord,
remember us as a congregation here
and remember us in homes and families
represented and connected with us as a people.
Remember us,
Lord,
in all our different needs.
Help us and draw near to us,
Lord,
as we go through
all the different emotions
and experience of life,
whether it's times of joy,
O Lord,
as we saw the marriage of Yoin and Dawn on Friday,
as we saw such joy and happiness.
We thank you for that day.
We thank you for the marriage
and the celebration of it.
And we pray your blessing upon Yoin and Dawn
as they set on and married life together,
Lord.
We pray your blessing will be upon them
and for their families too,
Lord,
as they enjoyed the day together,
Lord,
that your blessing would be upon them also.
And yet in the midst of joy,
Lord,
we know that there is so often sadness,
even on the same hour,
Lord,
just here and along the road,
a wedding in one place
and a funeral in another.
And it's just a reminder to us
of our lives
and all that they entail,
joy in one place
and sorrow in another.
And we know that the experience of many,
even in this past week,
has been that sorrow and grief of loss.
And we pray,
Lord,
that in our communities here
and throughout our island,
that your comfort would visit homes
that have endured such sorrow and sadness.
We pray that your comfort will be with them,
Lord,
who mourn the loss of loved ones.
We pray also for those who are unwell.
We pray,
Lord,
for those who are in hospital and homes
and confined to their own homes,
Lord,
going through different experiences just now,
times of trial
and yet times when you minister,
Lord,
in powerful ways.
And we thank you
that your grace is sufficient,
sufficient for all experience,
that you are the one who draws near
in all our times of need.
And so,
Lord,
hear our prayers for one another
and do us good,
we ask.
Look down upon us,
Lord,
and continue with us this day
and in the days ahead as well,
Lord,
that we would know your leading,
your guiding,
your blessing with us
as we come confessing our sins,
Lord,
how we fall short of your glory
in so many ways
and as the word says in thought,
word and in deed,
how there are so often things
that we are convicted by
in our own hearts,
in our own lives,
in so many different ways.
But Lord,
we thank you
for that sense of conviction,
for for so many
their conscience is dead to sin.
But we thank you
that when you stir to life
there is that sense of conviction.
But we thank you too
that you do not leave us there,
but that with you
there is forgiveness,
that you are the one
who is able to lead us
to the rock that is higher,
to our Saviour Christ Jesus,
our Lord,
that we can come
confessing our sins,
knowing that he is faithful
and just to forgive.
So, Lord,
hear our prayers
and draw an ear to us now
and continue with us
in this time of worship.
We ask it all
in the precious name
of Jesus Christ,
our Lord,
and for his glory.
Amen.
We'll again sing
to God's praise.
We're going to sing
in Psalm 17
in the Scottish Psalter.
Psalm 17,
page 217
of the Psalm books.
We'll sing from verse 4
to verse 9.
Psalm 17,
page 217,
verse 4.
The tune for this one
is St. Andrew.
As for men's work,
I buy the word
that from thy lips
doth flow,
did me preserve
out of the paths
wherein destroyers go.
Hold up my goings,
Lord,
me guide
in those
thy paths divine,
so that my footsteps
may not slide
out of those ways
of thine.
We'll sing from verse 4
to 9
to God's praise.
St. Andrew.
ST.
those ways of life.
I call in love on me, O God,
because thou wilt me hear,
but thou is hearken to my speech,
to me in my, my ear.
Thy wondrous loving kindness show,
thou art not by thy right hand,
since them are just in thee from those
that up against them stand.
At the apple of the ivy keep,
in thy wings shake me close,
from lud of deserts compassing,
the hand of the heavenly voice.
We can turn together this evening to read in Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians,
reading in chapter 2.
1 Thessalonians chapter 2.
We read from the beginning of the chapter down to verse 16.
1 Thessalonians chapter 2,
and at verse 1.
For you yourselves know, brothers,
that our coming to you was not in vain.
But though we had already suffered
and been shamefully treated at Philippi,
as you know, we had boldness in our God
to declare to you the gospel of God
in the midst of such conflict.
For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity
or any attempt to deceive.
But just as we have been approved by God
to be entrusted with the gospel,
so we speak,
not to please man,
but to please God,
who tests our hearts.
For we never came with words of flattery,
as you know,
nor with a pretext for greed.
God is our witness.
Nor did we seek glory from people,
whether from you or from others,
though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ.
But we were gentle among you,
like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.
So being affectionately desirous of you,
we were ready to share with you,
not only in the gospel of God,
but also our own selves,
because you had become very dear to us.
For you remember, brothers,
our labor and toil.
We worked night and day
that we might not be a burden to any of you,
while we proclaimed to you
the gospel of God.
You are witnesses and God also,
how holy and righteous and blameless
was our conduct towards you believers.
For you know how like a father with his children,
we exhorted each one of you
and encouraged you
and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God,
who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
And we also thank God constantly for this,
that when you received the word of God,
which you heard from us,
you accepted it not as the word of men,
but as what it really is,
the word of God,
which is at work in you believers.
For you, brothers,
became imitators of the churches of God
in Christ Jesus that are in Judea.
For you suffered the same things
from your own countrymen
as they did from the Jews,
who killed both the Lord Jesus
and the prophets
and drove us out
and displeased God
and opposed all mankind
by hindering us
from speaking to the Gentiles
that they might be saved.
So as always,
to fill up the measure of their sins,
but God's wrath has come upon them
at last.
And so on.
May God bless that reading from his word.
Before we turn back to look at part of this passage,
we'll sing again to God's praise in Psalm 43.
Psalm 43 in the Sing Psalms version,
page 54 of the psalm book,
and we'll sing the whole of this psalm.
The tune is Marl.
Psalm 43,
We'll sing the whole of this psalm
to God's praise.
Amen.
Get me, O my God,
Against destruction
Bleed my cause.
Deliver me
From wicked foes
And hypocrites
To break your laws
You are my stronghold
And my God
Why then have you rejected me
Why must I go
Abound in me
Untrodden by the enemy
O send your life
For found your truth
Let them direct me
In your grace
And bring me to your holy hill
Into your sacred dwelling place
Then to God's altar
I will go
To God my joy
And my delight
And I will praise you
With the heart
O God, you are
My God of might
Why are you downcast
O my soul
Why are you so disturbed
In me
Trust God
For I will praise him yet
My Savior and my God is he
Well we can turn back
To our reading
In 1 Thessalonians
Chapter 2
We're going to look at
Verse 13 to 16
Together this evening
1 Thessalonians
Chapter 2
Verse 13 to 16
Reading at verse 13
There we also thank God
Constantly for this
That when you received
The word of God
Which you heard from us
You accepted it
Not as a word of men
But as what it really is
The word of God
Which is at work
In you believers
And so on
In some ways
We're picking up
Where we left off
This morning
Where James was preaching
On the gathered church
And being gathered
To listen
To God's word
We were challenged
At the end
To be hearers
Of the word
And not
Doers of the word
And not just
Hearers of it
And this evening
As I was sitting
This morning
I was saying
Stop James
You've got so many things
I'm going to say tonight
That there will be
A little bit of overlap
Perhaps this evening
But hopefully not just
Saying the same things
But we're continuing
Our study
In Nehemiah
And how are we
Continuing the study
In Nehemiah
When we're in
First Thessalonians
We're jumping forward
Some 500 years
We're in the New Testament
We're in the days
Of Paul writing
To this church
So how are we
Continuing our study
In Nehemiah
Well as I've said
As you go through
In the book of Nehemiah
The danger is
It can easily become
About us
And not about God
It's about our plans
Our works
Our strategies
All of these kinds
Of things
That naturally
Appear in the book
Of Nehemiah
As he comes to
To rebuild
The walls of Jerusalem
It can become
Very structured
And organized
In some ways
But as we saw
Before
When you look
At Nehemiah
As one commentator
Says
It's all about
Jesus
It's all about
The kingdom of God
And the kingdom of God
Being built
When you go back
To the days of Nehemiah
What was at stake
It was more than just
The walls
It was more than just
The city
Of Jerusalem
It was the good
Of the Lord's people
And it was the worship
Of God
And the spread
Of the gospel
You wonder
If Nehemiah
Had not had
That burden
And that burden
From God
To go back
And to rebuild
The walls
What would have become
Of Jerusalem
Jerusalem
A place where
500 years later
Paul left from
To take the gospel
To other parts
Of the continents
To reach out
To the churches
In Philippi
Thessalonica
Corinth
All of these
Different places
But it all goes back
To Nehemiah
In some ways
And you think
Nehemiah's ministry
Was more about
Just the there
And then
For the people
Of his day
It was for the kingdom
Of God
And generations
To come
In Nehemiah
Chapter 4
We saw
How the people
Had become
Overwhelmed
By the work
All they were seeing
Was the debris
Of the wall
And it was coming
To that point
Where they were
Starting
To be discouraged
And to ask
Different questions
And the question
That can often arise
In the midst of a work
Where you don't really see
The purpose in it
Is
What's the point?
What are we doing?
And why?
What are we doing?
And why?
And that's the question
That can continue
To arise
Arise in the days
Of Paul
As he was going out
With the gospel
To all these places
What are we doing?
And why?
The question that arises
In our day to day
What are we doing?
And why?
As a church
It's always
A danger
For ourselves
And that's why
It's important
That we see
The whole picture
Not just
Of the gospel
And the mission
Of the gospel
Not just from Nehemiah
But right throughout
The word of God
So as we go
Through Nehemiah
We intersperse it
With little bits
From here and there
We look before
At the team ministry
In Colossae
How everyone
Had a part
To play
And how we saw
That
Inacted too
In Nehemiah's day
Where all the people
Came together
To work
On the wall
Everyone had
Their part
To play
But I think
In the midst
Of everything else
That's going on
This question
Of vision
Is why
And what are we doing
And why
It's to see it
As the work
Of God's kingdom
That's what's important
To remind ourselves
Of constantly
It's not just
For us
It's not just
For today
It's for generations
Coming after
So that if we were
To think even
Of Nehemiah's day
And Paul's day
500 years apart
How they're connected
By the kingdom
Of God
And the work
Of the gospel
So that if God willing
500 years from now
There's still a congregation
Of God's people
Here
And the gospel
Is spreading
Far and wide
They may look back
On days
Long long time ago
And think
Well in difficult days
In days when the world
Was in crisis
We thank God
For those who were
Faithful to the gospel
In these times
That they stood strong
In the gospel
That they preached
The word of God
That their vision
Was for God
For his people
And for his cause
Far and wide
That is the aim
Of the gospel
In all generations
Our eyes
Fixed on God
Many churches today
They speak
Excuse me
About vision statements
Vision statements
It's a way of reminding us
About what we are about
Just a few words
That maybe give us
A summary of
What we are doing
The Free Church of Scotland
Has a vision statement
A healthy gospel church
For every community
In Scotland
Just one sentence
And yet
In that sentence
Is packed
So much vision
A healthy gospel church
For every community
In Scotland
Not everybody likes
These kinds of things
But isn't it good
To have something
To focus on
And ask ourselves
What are we doing
And why
The Free Church
Is this vision
A healthy gospel church
It wants God
To be worshipped
In the right way
In every community
In Scotland
That the gospel
Is for all people
Here in this land
Because it is
The word of God
That can make
Such a difference
And as you look back
In the word of God
You look
Into Nehemiah's day
You think to yourself
Well what was Nehemiah's
Vision statement
For the people
Of Jerusalem
In his day
Did he have one
Well as we see
Nehemiah is a man
Of vision
He is someone
Who is fully focused
On God
And in Nehemiah 2
Verse 17
You have
If you would like
A vision statement
A vision of what's
Happening
And a vision
Of what's to be done
In Nehemiah 2
Verse 17
We've looked at it
It says
You see the trouble
We are in
How Jerusalem lies
In ruins
And its gates burned
Come
Let us build
The wall of Jerusalem
That we may no longer
Suffer derision
So there's three
Aspects
To that vision
Statement
The trouble
That they are in
There's a realization
That we are in ruin
The walls are in ruin
The gates are burned
But there's a vision
For the work
Come
Let us build
The wall of Jerusalem
And there's a purpose
In it
That we may no longer
Suffer derision
That the people of God
Would no longer
Be mocked
And so that
As they come up
Against challenges
Along the way
They can go back
To this
They can go back
To these words
And look on them
And say
What are we doing
And why
When it doesn't seem
To be gaining
Any headway
When it seems
To be failing
What are we doing
And why
We don't like
What we're seeing
We don't like
What's going on
Around us
We want to build
The wall of Jerusalem
Because we don't want
The people of God
To be mocked
And for ourselves
There's a vision statement
There for us today
We look around
We see the ruins
We look around
And we see the work
That's to be done
And we are to go
To that work
To rise to it
But always
This vision of God
Before us
That we are doing it
For him
And so
As we come into
First Thessalonians
We are reminded here
Of another kind of
Vision statement
What are we doing
And why
Paul may be asking
In the days
Here in the New Testament
And you've got
Great statements
In First Thessalonians
In chapter 1
Verse 3
It's wonderful
Verse 2
And verse 3
It's wonderful
The way Paul here
Looks at the church
At Thessalonica
We give thanks to God
Always for all of you
Constantly mentioning you
In our prayers
Remembering before
Our God and Father
Your work of faith
And labour of love
And steadfastness of hope
In our Lord Jesus Christ
What vision
What vision there is
In these words
What purpose
There is
In these words
How
Your work of faith
Your labour of love
Your steadfastness
Of hope
But as you come
To the end of chapter 2
Where we're going to focus
On this evening
You see it kind of
Builds on that vision there
So that as the believers
As he's praying for them
As he's so encouraged
In all of their faith
Their love
Their hope
In the Lord Jesus Christ
In verse 13
To verse 16
Although it's
A slightly longer section
It's like a vision statement
It's like a mission statement
For us
Where it's highlighting for us
Three things
That the church
At Thessalonica
Was about
And it's these things
That I want us to focus on
This evening
These
This section
Verse 13
To verse 16
It highlights
Three things for us
Three things that
Nehemiah would have
A focus on
In his day as well
Three things that we
Can have our focus on
In our day as well
A vision
For the church
Here
A vision for
Any congregation
Of the Lord's people
And the three things
That we can take
From these verses
Are this
One
Preach the word
This is what we were hearing
This morning
The focus
The centrality
Of preaching
The word of God
The second thing is
Building up
Of believers
Building up
Of believers
A sense of
As it says
In verse 14
Become
You become
Imitators
Of the churches
Of God
In Christ Jesus
That are in Judea
The believers
Are being
Built up
And then thirdly
You see the focus
In verse 15
And 16
Of the opposition
That Paul
And the people
In Paul's day
Were facing
Those who were
Opposed to the gospel
Just as we saw
In Nehemiah
There were those
Who were opposed
To the work
And there is
This sense
Of reaching
The lost
So you have
These three things
Preach the word
Build up
Believers
And reach
The lost
And you could
Take them
In that order
It is so
Necessary
First and foremost
To preach
The word
And in the
Preaching of the word
Believers
Are built up
And in believers
Being built up
There is this burden
And this sense
Of reaching
The lost
You know
What are we doing
And why
It is such an
Important question
For us
To always have
In focus
Preaching the word
Building each other up
And reaching the lost
We can ask the question
What is the point
In preaching
And you can come at it
In two ways
You know
What is the point
In preaching
And come at it
In a negative way
Nobody is listening
People are rejecting
The word of God
What is the point
In preaching
That is the focus
Of those who would
Lose heart
In it
But we don't
Lose heart
We don't lose
Confidence
In the word
Of God
What is the point
In preaching
It is because
The word of God
Is powerful
To change
God
Is able
To change
This world
To change
The people
Of this world
So we do not
Lose heart
In the work
We fix our eyes
On God
In it
Nehemiah
Did that for his people
As they set
To rebuilding
The walls
Of Jerusalem
Don't think
The encouragement
Was there last week
To rebuild
A wall
From the church
Here to plaster
Field and back
But we're involved
In the kingdom
Work
Of God
That's our work
Today
Not building
A physical wall
In many ways
We're breaking
Down walls
We're breaking
Down barriers
And we're here
To build
The kingdom
Of God
To be used
By him
So the three things
That he reminds us
Of here
To have
In our focus
As we get on
With the work
Of building
The kingdom
Of God
Firstly
Preach
The word
Because of the
Faithfulness
Of Nehemiah
And the people
The gospel
Is here being
Preached
In Thessalonica
And look at what it says
In verse 13
We also thank God
Constantly for this
That when you received
The word of God
Which you heard from us
You accepted it
Not as the word of men
But as what it really is
The word of God
Which is at work
In you
Believers
There's a powerful
Reminder to us there
Of what the church of God
Is about
In every generation
We'll see it more
As we go back
To Nehemiah
Again we'll look at it
In a later date
But throughout
Every generation
Of God's people
The importance
As we are hearing
This morning
Of listening
To what God
Is saying
Nehemiah
Listened
To God
He was given
A burden
But he listened
To God
The good hand
Of God
As it says
Again and again
Was upon him
And so it was
With Paul
As he listened
To God
As he took
The gospel
To all corners
Of the world
In that day
As he preached
The gospel
Look at how it was
Received
In Thessalonica
Not as the word
Of men
But what it really is
The word of God
There was power
In this
There was hope
And there was
A realization
That this is
What we need
Nehemiah's day
This is what we need
We need
God with us
No other God
Can help us
And this is
What we need
Today
The same God
And it's
The same word
That we have
Today
It is
The word
Of God
Which is at work
In you believers
It is
A powerful
Word
Jim Packer
He says this
Of preaching
In preaching
The word of God
Delivers through the preacher
A message from God
To his people
About God
And godliness
How we trust in God
And how we live
For him
There is commands
And there is instructions
For us
And as we come under
The preaching
Of God's word
It should stir up in us
A love
And appreciation
For the word of God
The blessing that is ours
To be able
To come and hear
The word of God
Proclaimed
And to share
In this together
The gathered people
Of God
With God's presence
With us
We should hunger
To learn
More of this Christ
More of God
And what he has done
For us
And this is what
Paul
Is rejoicing in here
We also thank God
Constantly for this
That you received
The word
Of God
It was something
To rejoice in
And what we
See here
Is God's word
And being received
And at work
In them
And you wonder
What does it mean
The word of God
At work in them
It's keeping
The people going
Day by day
It's this word
Of God
That's sustaining them
And encouraging them
And building them up
And keeping them going
Day after day
Think about it
In this way
It's like a car engine
And a car engine
Needs certain things
To keep it going
You need to put fuel in
To keep it going
You need to put water in
To keep it cooled
But you also need
To put oil in
To keep all the parts
Moving and lubricated
And all working
Together
So for ourselves
Too
We need all aspects
Of the gospel
Of God
In our lives
We need prayer
We need fellowship
But we need the preaching
Of the word
That keeps everything
Moving
And lubricated
Together
The preaching
Of the word
Is essential
Essential
In any vision
And mission
Statement
That we're going
To have
We are going
To preach
The word
Of God
Romans
Chapter 10
Verse 15
Shows us
Just how important
The preaching
Of the word
Of God
Is
And says
How are they
To preach
Unless they
Are sent
As it is written
How beautiful
Are the feet
Of those
Who preach
The good news
But they
Have not all
Obeyed
The gospel
For Isaiah
Says
Lord who
Has believed
What he has
Heard from us
But faith
Comes
From hearing
And hearing
Through
The word
Of Christ
Faith
Comes
Through hearing
So the word
Of God
Preached
Is essential
In our vision
In our mission
The next thing
We see here
Is the building
Up of believers
There's a sense
Of the believers
Responding
To the word
Of God
In verse 14
For you brothers
Became imitators
Of the churches
Of God
In Christ
Jesus
That are in Judea
For you suffered
The same things
From your own
Countrymen
As they did
From the Jews
You look at this
And you see
The similarities
With Nehemiah's day
You know
As soon as
The people
In Nehemiah's day
Started to build
The wall
They were met
With opposition
Opposition
From hostiles
Outside
Their own people
But opposition
Within
From their own
People as well
And here it is
Again in the days
Paul writing
To the Thessalonians
There's opposition
From out with
Which you can
Understand
But here it's
Coming within
As well
The same things
That you suffered
The same things
From your own
Countrymen
As they did
From the Jews
It's fascinating
How whenever
There's something
Good happening
With the Lord
There's always
Opposition
Nehemiah's day
The work
Had been
At a standstill
There was
Nothing
Happening
There was
No opposition
But as soon
As the stones
Started to get
Built up together
All of a sudden
The evil one
Is in there
And the same
Is true here
The gospel
Is spreading
Through the ministry
Of Paul
And his partners
And again
The evil one
Is in there
Straight away
There'll be
Opposition
And for ourselves
Today
There'll be
Opposition
In whatever
We do
For the gospel
If we are
Going to stand
For the gospel
If we are
Going to preach
The gospel
If we are
Going to be
Witnesses
For the gospel
Whatever the
Lord puts us
There will be
Opposition
And so
What do we need
In our vision
In our mission
Statement
Well we need
To be built up
As the word
Of God
Is preached
We need to be
Building one
Another up
As well
What do we need
Most
As a church
Today
Do we need
More people
To come
Yes
We long
For that
Do we need
What do we need
Is it not
Spiritual
Growth
Is it not
So that when
People come
In
They meet
With mature
Christians
People who
Have experienced
Life in all
Shapes and
Form
And who are
Able to meet
People in
Their need
Now
And to show
The power
And the wonder
Of the gospel
That the gospel
Can help
In every
Situation
A church
Will never
Grow or
Prosper
When there
Is no
Spiritual
Growth
When there
Is no
Growing
In our
Understanding
Of god
And who
He is
Again
This is what
We see
Paul
Teaching
Again and
Again as
He's writing
To all
These different
Churches
Encourage one
Another
Build one
Another up
That the
One
Another
Are there
Constantly
For us
And there's
Just another
Reminder to
Us here
You brothers
Became
Imitators
Of the
Churches of
God in
Christ Jesus
That are in
Judea
We learn
From one
Another
We share
With one
Another
And it is
This that
Will see us
Through
The times
Of persecution
The times
Of our
Afflictions
The times
Of our
Suffering
When we
Have been
Built up
Through the
Preaching of
The word
And we
Are built
Up in
The fellowship
Of god's
People
It is this
That enables
Them to
Stand
It is this
That will
Enable us
To stand
As well
And you
Go back
Again to
Verse 3
Of chapter
1
Verse 2
And 3
Where he's
Giving thanks
To god
Always
In his
Prayers
Remembering
Before our
God and
Father
Your work
Of faith
Your labour
Of love
Your steadfastness
Of hope
Why was this
So important
Why were
These things
Three things
There so
Important
A labour
Of love
Steadfastness
Of hope
All of these
Things
Were so
Important
Because it
Is what
Kept them
Going
When the
Days
Were hard
And difficult
It's what
Kept them
Going
God
With them
God
Giving them
Assurance
It's what
We're seeing
In Nehemiah
Chapter 4
As the people
Were dismayed
At the rubble
That seemed
To be everywhere
The lost cause
Asking these
Questions
What are we
Doing
And why
It's for
God
It's because
God is
With us
Because God
Is at work
In this place
He wants
Good
For his
People
God is
On our
Side
So
Paul
Is thankful
Here that
He sees
The word
Of God
At work
In these
People
Building
Them
Up
And this
Is again
Is a great
Part
Of our
Vision
Statement
For us
As well
We preach
The word
We build
Up one
Another
And all
Of this
Is focus
On God
Who is
Good to
His people
A focus
On Christ
Our
Savior
That is
What keeps
Our vision
Right
But added
Unto these
Two things
Is the
Last
Part
Reaching
The
Lost
What you
See
At the
End of
Verse 14
Down to
Verse 16
Is again
A reminder
To us
Of the
World in
Which we
Live
Today
That the
Gospel
And Jesus
Christ
Is so
Often
Rejected
Verse 15
Who killed
Both
The Lord
Jesus
And the
Prophets
And drove
Us out
And displeased
God
And oppose
All mankind
By hindering
Us
From speaking
To the
Gentiles
That they
Might
Be saved
You see
What's
Happening
Here
Paul is
Reaching out
With the
Gospel
And he's
Got his
Church
Reaching
Out
With the
Gospel
Reaching
Out
Speaking
To the
Gentiles
That they
Might be
Saved
But in
This
There is
Opposition
And again
You ask
What are
We doing
And why
What's
Our vision
In the
Midst
Of this
What was
Nehemiah's
Vision
In his
Day
As all
Around
Was
Opposition
Well it
Was so
The nations
Wouldn't
Ridicule
God
And his
People
So that
Jerusalem
Would stand
Tall
Once again
As a
Place that
Worshipped
God
And honoured
Him
And sought
For others
All around
Them
To see
This is
Our
God
He is
On our
Side
And you
Will not
Defeat
Us
And when
You look
Into the
New Testament
When you
Look at
The days
Of Paul
Here
Where he's
Saying
You know
Those are
The ones
Who killed
The Lord
Jesus
They were
So opposed
To the
Gospel
That they
Killed
The Lord
Jesus
Did they
Win
Were they
Victorious
Was the
Gospel
Silenced
No
The
Gospel
Spread
Even as
Paul was
Preaching
Here
Ministering
Here
To the
Church
At
Thessalonica
To all
Ends
Of the
Earth
The
Gospel
Still
Goes
Out
God
Is
Building
His
Church
And we
Are part
Of this
Work
We are
Involved
In the
Kingdom
Work
Of God
What's
The point
What are
We doing
And why
We are
Seeking
To worship
God
Through
His
Word
To build
One another
Up
And to
Reach
Those
Who are
Perishing
Those
Who are
Lost
Those
Who as it
Says at
The end
Of this
Verse 16
But God's
Wrath
Has come
Upon them
At last
To realize
God's
Wrath
Is a
Thing
To be
Feared
And you
Want no
One
To experience
And to
Suffer
That
And so
We preach
The gospel
So we
Reach out
With the
Gospel
Even when
It means
At times
That we
Suffer
For it
You know
As Paul
Was writing
To them
Here he
Was saying
You will
Suffer
As Nehemiah
Was speaking
To the people
In his day
You are going
To suffer
In this
There is
Opposition
All around
It
But all
He was
Doing was
Confirming
One thing
That people
Were noticing
They were
Noticing
That they
Were faithful
To God
The Lord
And because
They were
Attacked
The question
For us
Today is
Are we
Noticed
Does anybody
Notice
What we're
Doing for
The Lord
Does anybody
See the
Faith that
I have
Do they
Challenge me
For it
Do they
Take notice
Of who we
Are and
What we
Do
Do they
Because if
We do
If we
Are doing
It right
There will
Be those
Who oppose
It
There will
Be those
Who reject
It
But we
Have God
On our
Side
And that
Is what
We are
Always
To remember
To set
The Lord
Always
Before us
What do
We do
And why
When Hudson
Taylor
Was director
Of China
Inland
Mission
He would
Often interview
Candidates
For the
Mission
Field
On one
Occasion
As he was
Meeting with
A group
Of applicants
He wanted
To ask
What their
Motivation
Was
In going
On the
Mission
And he
Asked the
Question
To each
In turn
Why do
You wish
To go
As a
Foreign
Missionary
The first
One replied
I want to
Go because
Christ has
Commanded us
To go into
All the
World and
Preach the
Gospel
The next
Replied
I want to
Go because
Millions
Are perishing
Without
Christ
So the
Answers
Kept coming
One after
Another
And at
The end
He had
Them all
Together
And he
Started sharing
Some of the
Motivations
That people
Had shared
And he
Says
He says
You've all
Given your
Motives
Many of
Them are
Good
Motives
But these
Motives
Will fail
You in
Times of
Testing
Times of
Trials
Times of
Tribulations
Times even
Of possible
Death
He says
There is
But one
Motive
That will
Sustain you
In all
Of these
Situations
Love of
Christ
That is your
Greatest
Motive
The love
Of Christ
All these
Other things
Are good
A burden
For people
Perishing
A burden
To go and
Preach to
All the
Ends
Of the
Earth
But it's
All to be
Done in
The love
Of Christ
Because he
First loved
Us
So everything
That we
Do is to
Be for
Christ
For his
Sake
And for
His glory
And so
What is our
Vision here
What is our
Mission here
In Nehemiah's
Day
It was for
The glory
Of God
That the
People
Would worship
God
And not be
Mocked and
Ridiculed as
They were
In Paul's
Day
It was a
People
Would hear
The word
Of God
Be built
Up by it
And reach
Out to
The lost
Is it not
Still the
Same for
Ourselves
Today
For the
Glory of
God
And for
The love
Of Christ
We are
To preach
We are
To encourage
And we
Are to
Reach
May that
Be our
Vision
And our
Mission
Statement
Day after
Day
Our eyes
On Christ
Who loved
Us
And gave
Himself
For us
Let us
Pray
Our
Father
In heaven
We rejoice
In you
As the
God of
All glory
The God
Of hope
The God
Of all
Love
And grace
And mercy
And we
Thank you
Lord
That you
Are indeed
Building
Your church
And that
Through your
Word
Proclaimed
There is
Such power
Such mighty
Power
Even as the
Psalmist
Says
It is the
Power that
Is able to
Convict
And convert
The soul
That lies
In sin
And we
Pray Lord
That as
Your word
Has been
Proclaimed
Today
Through all
Ends of
The earth
That it
Will have
Gone out
With power
That it
Will accomplish
All the
Purposes
That you
Have for it
And that it
Will not
Return to
You
Empty
Or void
We commit
Ourselves
Into your
Hands
Oh Lord
Take care
Of us
Lord
Help us
To be
Strong
In this
Day
To stand
Up for
You
To have
A great
Vision of
Christ
And to
Love him
With all
Our hearts
To serve
Him
With all
We have
Knowing that
He has
Loved us
And given
Himself for
Us
So Lord
Hear our
Prayers
Watch over
Us and
Continue with
Us now
In Jesus
Name
Amen
We are
Going to
Conclude by
Singing to
God's
Praise
In Psalm
84
Psalm 84
On page
339 of
The
Psalm
Books
We will
Sing from
Verse 8
To the
End of
The
Psalm
Psalm 84
At verse
8
Lord
God of
hosts
My prayer
Hear
O Jacob's
God
Give
Ear
See
God
Our
Shield
Look
On the
Face
Of
Thine
Anointed
Dear
The tune
is
Gerlach
And we'll
Sing from
Verse 8
To the
End of
The
Psalm
Lord
God of
Us
My
Prayer
Hear
O
Jacob
God
Give
Ear
See
God
Our
Shield
Look
On
The
Face
Of
Thine
Anointed
Dear
For
In
Thy
Course
One
Day
Excels
A
Thousand
Brother
In
My
God
Has
Thine
Adore
And
Dwell
In
Tempts
Of
Sin
For
God
The
Lord
Thine
Son
And
Shield
Heal
Grace
And
Glory
Heir
And
Well
With
Hope
No
Good
From
Them
But
Thine
Who
I'll go to the main door after the benediction.
Now may grace, mercy and peace from God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon
and abide with you all now and forevermore.
Amen.