Well, a very warm welcome to you all to our service this morning.
We're particularly glad to see visitors with us as well, and we want to give thanks to
you for joining us for this time of worship.
We trust that together we will know God's blessing as we come to worship Him here together.
I want to mention a few things from the bulletin sheet today, and the bulletin sheet is available
for visitors as well.
Please take a copy with you.
Everyone is welcome to the hall for tea and fellowship after the service just now.
That includes, of course, visitors as well.
You'll see the details for the meetings and services throughout the week on the first
page of the bulletin there.
The meeting with prayer link with Muriel in Cambodia on Tuesday, prayer meeting on Wednesday,
and Thursday the Gaelic prayer meeting, Saturday the English prayer meeting in the seminary.
Lots of prayer meetings, and prayer is essential to the well-being of any congregation, and
all of these prayer meetings themselves are an indication, I trust, of our concern to pray
for the Lord's blessing week by week.
There's also an indication of the services next Lord's Day.
The Holiday Club meets this week from Monday to Friday.
We're seeking God's blessing on the Holiday Club as the children will learn about the Lord
Jesus Christ.
And next Sunday, 7th of August, everyone is welcome to the morning service.
As a family service, it will be taken by Reverend Calumurro Smith, and then enjoy some fellowship
in the hall afterwards as well, God willing.
There's a change to the ladies' walking group.
You can just read the change for yourselves.
They're a slight change from the usual.
There's a thanks from the Elan Shear Food Bank.
And they're asking also for donations of these items, pasta, curry sauces, etc.
You can just read these items through for yourselves.
We all understand how the cost of living has increased so much in the last wee while.
And the food banks themselves are providing a very valuable service to our community and
many other communities as well.
And we're thankful for the provision that they make, and we're happy to support them that
way and also as we can financially.
You'll see the thanks there for the free breakfast that took place last week.
And there are a number of very encouraging responses and reports from those who attended
the prayer breakfast and have indicated, God willing, they'd be very happy to come back
next time.
And we had some who came to the service as well following the breakfast, and all of that
was most encouraging.
We thank God for the opportunity to reach out with the gospel to visitors like that to the
island.
You notice a congratulations there to Cara Hanlon.
It's very appropriate.
She is a young person brought up in the congregation here and still very much part of the congregation
through her family particularly.
And her achieving, getting to the swimming final of the 50 metre breaststroke at the Commonwealth
Games was really an amazing achievement in itself.
And it's worthy of note.
And we give Cara and her family her best wishes, but also seek God's blessing for them.
Now please also read the details there about the use of the car park, just to maximise the
use of the car park.
If you can please just read these three points that are set out there for you, it's so that
we can actually, as I say, maximise the availability of space in the car park.
A few things also not mentioned on the information sheet.
Firstly, we regret to hear about the passing of Margaret Rose MacLeod.
Margaret was a valued member of the congregation, lived in a trust housing on Madison Road, and
she passed away.
But her funeral is not going to be here.
It will be in Tain.
She lived in Tain for some time.
Her late husband is buried in Tain.
But there is a memorial service, and that will be tomorrow at 2pm.
And that will be in the seminary at 2pm.
And all friends and others are warmly invited to that memorial service tomorrow.
I'm also informed that little Jessica, Torkel and Jessie's granddaughter, for whom you've
been praying and we've been praying since she was born, she's actually here today.
She'll be outside with Torkel and Jessie.
So I'm sure anyone who wishes to see her and to see Torkel and Jessie with her as well would
be welcome to go outside.
It's such a nice day, but I'm told that she'll be outside, round in the hall area after the
service today.
And we're really thankful to God for Jessica's continued upholding by God and improvement in
her health as well.
Now there's a slight change in the order of service today, just at the beginning of the
service.
We're going to have the main prayer later on in the service, just so the tweenies can
actually not be in too long in the service, and they'll go through after the preliminaries.
There'll be the singing, a short prayer for the tweenies and Sunday school, then the address
and the Lord's Prayer, then a psalm and then the prayer after that.
So it's just a slight change.
We're singing then to God's praise.
We begin our worship singing to God's praise in Psalm 57.
This is in the Scottish Psalter on page 288.
And we're singing from verse 5 through to the end of the psalm.
Be thou exalted very high above the heavens, O God.
Let thou thy glory be advanced over all the earth abroad.
My souls bowed down, for they and yet have laid my steps to snare into the pit which they
have digged for me.
They fallen are.
This psalm is crying out to God for help, but also with thankfulness for his upholding
of him.
Let's sing these verses 5 to 11 to God's praise.
Amen.
Be thou exalted very high above the heavens, O God.
Let thou thy glory be advanced over all the earth abroad.
My souls bowed down, for they and yet have laid my steps to snare into the pit which they have
for me.
For me they fall in awe.
My heart is raised, my heart is raised, O God, thou sing the praise.
My glory with my soundry heart, my self by every way.
I'll praise thee, my heart, my heart.
My heart is raised, my heart.
I'll praise thee, my heart.
The people, Lord, what nations she will lie.
For me, my heart is raised, my heart.
For me to heaven, thy mercy is.
Thy truth into the sky.
O Lord, exalted be thy name.
Above the heavens to stand.
To the glory of God
Let's now pray for the Twinnies and for the Sunday School
and for the children of the congregation.
Almighty God, we give thanks that we are gathered here today in Your presence
and that all ages are welcome in Your presence as we come together to worship You.
We thank You for these words that You have given us to sing,
words that express our praise to God.
We thank You today, Lord, for our children, for our young people,
for those who belong to the congregation even at this early age,
we pray today for Your blessing for them.
And we pray that as they receive the teaching of Your Word,
we ask, Lord, that You would enable them, even at their youngest age,
to receive these things into their heart,
to plant them, Lord, in their minds,
and so to develop under the instruction of Your own truth
in a way that will be to their own life's fulfillment
and to the glory of Your great name.
Receive us now, we pray, and pardon our sin in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Okay, children, you'll know that this week the Commonwealth Games are being held in Birmingham.
Commonwealth Games have all kinds of sports, competitions,
and medals given out at the end of each of those to those who have won gold, silver, and bronze.
And really taking part, especially the Commonwealth Games,
we're told that taking part is just as important in many ways as receiving medals.
But, you know, that reminds us of two things about being Christians or the Christian life.
Because all of those people competing in the Commonwealth Games
have really trained hard for this event.
They've spent years training for this event
and dedicating themselves to preparing for the Commonwealth Games.
And the Bible tells us that that's also important for us as human beings, as Christians.
Because dedication is one of the things that Jesus emphasizes and stresses for His people.
To be dedicated to Jesus.
To be dedicated to following Him.
That's important for adults as well as children.
But many times you'll read in the Gospels
that Jesus spoke about how important it was
to put Him first.
To be dedicated to following Him.
To be His disciples.
So today I want you to think about
being dedicated to Jesus.
Not dedicated to the church as such,
though it's important you're here in church,
you belong to the church.
But most important to be dedicated to Jesus.
To be committed to Jesus.
To love Jesus more than anyone else.
And the second thing,
along with being dedicated or committed to Jesus,
or loving Jesus,
is that all of these people in the Commonwealth Games
are always saying to us how important it is
to listen to what their trainer,
what their coach has said to them.
They follow the instructions of their coach.
Now their coach is somebody who trains them.
Somebody who actually tells them
how to go about doing what they're doing.
Whether it's in swimming,
or in running on the track,
whatever activity it is,
they have a coach that tells them
this is how you do it
so that you can do the best
and be the best you can be.
And hopefully get a medal.
And very often,
the trainer that gives his time
or her time to training the athletes
have themselves been athletes before.
Somebody was asked the other day,
one of the commentators was asked,
what does it take to be a good coach?
And the answer was,
well, one thing,
most of these coaches
have already been through the experiences
that these athletes are now experiencing.
So they can take from their experience
and pass that on to those
who are now competing
in the likes of the Commonwealth Games.
And you know,
the Bible tells us
that's one very important thing about Jesus.
He is the coach of our lives.
And he has been through
the life that you and I are living
as human beings.
He came into this world.
He lived in this world.
He died.
He rose from the dead.
He's gone back to heaven.
And that tells us
that every single thing
we will experience,
Jesus has already experienced.
And he is able to help us
as nobody else can
in our experiences as well.
Even for you children today,
Jesus was a little boy.
Jesus came into the world as a baby.
He was nursed by his mom.
He was looked after in a family.
He grew up as a boy,
just as you little boys and girls
are growing up today.
And so he knows what it's like
to be brought up
as a youngster, as a child,
and then growing up
to be an adult.
And he's able to give
from the experience he's had,
as well as being the son of God,
everything that we need
to help us in our life as well.
So remember these two things.
Remember, first of all,
to be dedicated to Jesus.
And remember, secondly,
to listen to Jesus' instructions.
And he has given us
these instructions.
He is the spiritual coach
of our lives.
And the instructions
are set out in the Bible.
One of the things
we're doing here today,
as we do every Sunday,
is to listen to Jesus' voice
speaking to us from the Bible
and saying,
this is how your life
is to be lived.
This is what I've done for you.
And this is what I now need from you
in order to follow me
as my disciples.
Dedication and listening
to his instructions.
Now let's say the Lord's Prayer together.
Our Father, which art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
and forgive us our debts
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom
and the power
and the glory
forever.
Amen.
We're going to sing
to God's praise again.
And while we're singing,
the Twinnies will go through
to the hall.
We're singing from Psalm 25.
Psalm 25
in the Sing Psalms version.
That's from page 29.
verses 4 to 9.
And this is just really
as we've been saying to the children,
a prayer for God to lead us
and for us to listen
to the way that he leads us
in his ways.
O Lord, reveal to me your ways
and all your paths.
Help me to know.
Direct and guide me in your truth.
Instruct me in the way to go.
These verses 4 to 9.
And we stand to sing.
O Lord, reveal to me your ways
and all your paths.
Help me to know.
Direct and guide me in your truth.
Enstruct me in the way to go.
You are my Savior and my God.
I'll give my hope in you alone.
Remember, Lord, your love and grace,
which of my sins you have shown.
Do not recall my sins of you,
for my sins you have found.
For my sins you have found.
Take and guard me in your ways.
Remember me in your grace,
Fender me in your great love, for you, O Lord, are good always.
Because the Lord is just and good, He shows His path to all who stay.
He guides the people in what is right, and teaches them His holy way.
Amen.
So let's turn to read God's Word.
Our reading today is from 2 Timothy, chapter 2, verses 1 to 26.
That's the second letter of Paul to Timothy, and chapter 2 from the beginning.
You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard
from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others
also.
Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted
him.
An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.
It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.
Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel,
for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal.
But the Word of God is not bound.
Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation
that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
The saying is trustworthy, for if we have died with him, we will also live with him.
If we endure, we will also reign with him.
If we deny him, he will also deny us.
If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.
Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words which
does no good but only ruins the hearers.
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be
ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness.
And their talk will spread like gangrene.
Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who having sweared from the truth, saying that the
resurrection has happened already, they are upsetting the faith of some.
But God's firm foundation stands bearing the seal.
The Lord knows those who are his, and let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart
from iniquity.
Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay,
some for honorable use, some for dishonorable.
Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable
use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
So flee youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who are
who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies.
You know that they breed quarrels.
And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome, but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently
enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness.
God may perhaps grant them repentance, leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may escape
from the snare of the devil after being captured by him to do his will.
Amen.
May the Lord bless to us reading that portion of his precious word.
Let's now call upon him once more in prayer.
Lord our God, we come before you to bow our minds to your truth.
We thank you that you have given us your truth in the record of your word.
We pray today, Lord, for receptive hearts, for hearts that will be freed from our own prejudices,
from our own inclination to understand things in the light of our own wisdom.
We pray, O Lord, that your word today will truly deliver us into the freedom with which Christ makes us free.
We thank you today, Lord, for the reliability of your word, the way that we can depend upon it,
for it has remained unchanged in itself down through the years.
We pray that we may look after it as you have given us charge, O Lord, to be custodians of your truth.
And we pray that as we seek to have our lives influenced day by day by your truth,
that we may be increasingly dependent upon it.
Lord, we ask that your Holy Spirit will today open our eyes further,
increase our understanding, we pray,
and enable us to delve into the deep parts of your word
so that we may find our lives develop in a way that will be holy and acceptable to you.
We thank you today, Lord, for this occasion.
We thank you for this day which you have set apart
and which was set apart even from the creation of the world
as a day to be different to the other six,
a day on which your people are able to gather as we do here in public worship,
a day that we can use to set aside,
in the most part, the ordinary things of life,
the ordinary course of our employment in the world,
and to give ourselves more fully to the study of your truth
and the worship of your name and the fellowship of your people.
We ask today your blessing, Lord, for our gatherings
and for the gatherings of your own church throughout the world
in very different circumstances at times to ours here.
And yet we are bound by that common tie
of grace and of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
And Lord, we pray today for our fellow believers throughout the world
that your cause will advance, that your word will be blessed,
and that you will, Lord, grant to all who serve you
in these various countries of the world
and in the varied circumstances of their lives
and of your providence for them.
Lord, we pray today that your blessing will truly reach them.
Bless all today who preach your word.
O Lord, we recognize the place you have given
to the preaching of your word
and the history and experience of your church
down to the present day.
For truly, faith comes by hearing
and hearing the word of Christ.
You have given us that truth
in the context of the preaching of your word
by those whom you have called to preach it.
Help us to be faithful to your calling.
Help us, Lord, to be faithful in speaking
as well as in hearing.
We ask your blessing for us,
for this congregation we belong to
in these days ahead, O Lord.
We pray that you'll bless all that we seek to do in your name,
following on from the services of worship today
and during the midweek.
We pray for the other activities, O Lord,
that have been set up without concern
to glorify your name,
to extend the teaching of your word by other means,
and to also specially instruct our young people.
Remember, we pray the holiday club.
We give thanks for those who have set it up
and for those who have contributed so much, O Lord,
to preparing for their children throughout this week.
We ask your blessing, Lord, to be upon it.
We pray that those who will act as leaders in it
will indeed find satisfaction in seeing your blessing
reaching these young lives.
We pray for our tweenies,
for our children in Sunday school,
in Bible class,
and in youth fellowship.
We ask that you'd bless them.
We pray that your blessing will be with all
who have dedicated themselves
and intend to do so in this year ahead
to the teaching of our young people.
O Lord, remember all our Sunday school teachers.
We thank you for their commitment,
for their way in which they have given of themselves
so readily to prepare week by week
lessons for the children.
We pray that they may be blessed,
that their prayers may be heard by you
in the blessing of their young children
under their care.
We ask too, Lord,
that you'd bless all who help
with the older age group in the congregation,
those who have reached adulthood,
those who come to Bible class,
those who are coming to the youth fellowship.
We ask that, O Lord,
you would bless all our efforts
in seeking to bring your truth
before young minds.
We pray for Marianne,
our youth leader,
and all who help her.
We ask today that you'd bless her.
She recovers from her time at camp.
We pray for your blessing
to follow the work of camps, O Lord,
and give thanks for the number of children
and young people that attended,
for those who gave up their time,
not only as leaders,
but as cooks,
and in other ways to help
with the running of the camps.
Lord, again, we commend this work to you
and ask that you'd be pleased to bless it.
And we pray that you would bless those today,
Lord, who we know are in difficulties
of various kinds.
Remember those facing hardship.
We pray for the state of our nation,
Lord, in times of financial concern
and of the increase in the cost of living.
O Lord, we look to you
and ask that you would alleviate the stress
of those who find themselves without work
and need to provide for their families.
We pray for relationships affected
by these times of stress
and pray, Lord,
that you would protect marriages
and families from falling apart.
We ask, Lord, for those that have struggles
in different ways in dealing with a situation
in terms of mental health.
Lord, we pray for them
and ask that you'd bless them.
We pray for those who administer
the food bank locally
and other food banks throughout our nation.
We thank you for your provision in that.
For those who are in need,
we pray that they may not be exploited.
And we ask that you would bless those
who are in genuine need through them
and ask that your blessing, Lord,
will reach the ministry of mercy
and of help that is extended
to our communities.
And we pray for the Salvation Army
as they especially head up
the work of the food bank.
And we ask, O Lord,
that your blessing will follow
all their efforts
in providing for these needs.
We pray for those who are ill today
in different ways.
We pray for those with COVID,
those recovering from COVID,
those, Lord,
who have other illnesses to contend with,
whether physically or mentally.
We commend them all to you.
We pray for any of our young children
and toddlers who are ill at this time.
Remember them, we pray.
And those that we know
and other families too.
We give thanks for your continued upholding
of young Jessica.
We pray for her as she, Lord,
as we pray for her and continue
that her progress indeed
will be blessed by you.
Remember her parents,
grandparents,
Lord, grant to her
that she may know
your own blessing upon her young life
from day to day.
And so we pray for all others
that we know are ill at this time.
And we do commend them to you
in our congregational family.
We pray too for those who mourn
the passing of loved ones.
We pray for all of Margaret MacLeod's
own relatives
and her friends,
her many friends.
We give thanks for the bright witness
of her life
and for the way that she
was so unashamed
in her proclamation
of your truth through her life.
And we pray, O Lord,
that her witness may continue
even though she is now
no longer in this world.
So remember us, Lord,
we pray now
as we turn to your word.
Hear us in this,
our prayer
and cleanse us
from all our sin.
For Jesus' sake.
Amen.
Always turn with me, please,
now to 1 Timothy,
chapter 3 and verse 15.
1 Timothy and chapter 3
and verse 15.
We'll read again from verse 14.
I hope to see you,
come to see you soon,
but I'm writing these things to you
so that if I delay,
you may know how one ought to behave
in the household of God,
which is the church of the living God,
a pillar and buttress of truth.
Now we began a short series
on scripture portraits of the church
some weeks ago.
We're doing it during our morning service
whenever I'm here in the morning.
As you know,
every second week or so
I'll be in the Gaelic service,
but every week we're together
in the English morning service.
We're following this short study.
And we looked at this verse twice before,
looking at the descriptions
or the portraits you find
of the church in this verse itself.
We looked, first of all,
at the church described
as the church of the living God.
And we emphasized especially,
as the Bible does,
that the church is the people of God,
the worshiping, witnessing people of God.
And that's why they're called here,
it's the church of the living God.
Secondly, we looked last time
at the household of God
and how that description
really brings in the whole idea
of a family and relationships
in a spiritual family
as the church is described there
as the household of God.
And some of the aspects
of those relationships
we covered briefly.
And you can just remind yourselves
of them if you have time.
Just go back to the website
and you can just listen to that again
if you wish.
Now, tonight or today,
we're looking at the third description here
in this verse,
and that's the pillar
and buttress of truth.
Now, you all know, I'm sure,
what a pillar or buttress is.
You've just got to look around you
to see pillars.
And you can see pillars
in terms of buildings.
Mostly pillars actually support
something that's set
or situated above them,
just as you find the gallery
around this church
that's now supported
by all of those pillars
that you find
the length of the building.
They are supporting
of the gallery.
And that description
of the church
as the pillar of the truth
really shows
the support of God's truth
by the church.
The church is,
as God sets the church
in the world,
the church is
a pillar of the truth.
And the word buttress
is also very closely related
to that.
A buttress
is more particularly
in older buildings nowadays.
Newer buildings
have technology
that maybe doesn't require
the same amount
of support.
But those of you
involved in building
can correct me afterwards
if I'm wrong.
But a buttress,
you'll see in old buildings,
old church buildings,
for example.
And indeed,
I think there's some
outside this building itself.
Usually outside the walls,
there's a construction
of cement blocks
or whatever
starting down below
in a wider dimension
and then just going
all the way up
and narrowing
as they reach the top.
And that's a buttress
that's there
to support that wall.
You could say
it's to prevent
that wall
just falling out
or collapsing outward.
It actually helps
to keep that wall upright
and straight
without falling in
on itself
or outward.
So the buttress
is a support
as well as the pillar
and that's the description
that Paul is giving here
of the church.
That's the portrait
we have of the church.
This living body of people,
this church
which is the church
of the living God,
this household of God,
it is the pillar
and buttress
of the truth.
Now in our translation,
we don't have the word the,
but it should be there.
A pillar and buttress
of truth,
but strictly speaking,
it should be the truth.
A pillar and buttress
of the truth.
And that's important
because the truth
is God's revealed truth,
not just any kind of thing
that passes for the truth.
It is God's revealed truth
that Paul has in mind,
the gospel,
the word of God,
what God has revealed
as his truth
to us human beings.
That is what the church
is set by God
in the world
to support.
the church
as the pillar
and buttress
of the truth,
of God's truth,
of the gospel.
The church itself
came into being
through the truth.
Way down through the centuries
from the very beginning
of time,
you will find
that God's church,
God's visible church,
the people of God
in the world,
came into being
through God's blessing
of his truth,
of his revealed truth.
And as God's revealed truth
was increased
gradually down
through the ages
and now we have
a complete Bible,
it's through that truth,
through that truth
being communicated
to people
like you and I,
that the church
comes into being,
that the church
is upheld,
that the church
is increased.
So through the truth,
God's church
came into being.
And born from the truth,
the church is now charged
by God
to be the pillar
and buttress
of that truth
of the gospel
through which we came
to be born
as Christians,
formed as a church,
as the household
of God.
Now there are two things
that I want to mention
just following on
from that
as to what the church
and we as the church
must be,
or a branch of the church.
This is through
of every congregation
of God's people,
that they are themselves
as a section
of the wider church,
the pillar
and buttress
of the truth
where they are.
First thing is
that the church
is a custodian
of the truth.
The church
exists
to guard
the truth,
a custodian
of the truth.
And secondly,
the church
is a conveyor
or communicator
of the truth.
The church exists
to present
the truth
to the world
as well as
to itself
in its own
internal consumption
of the truth
through the gospel.
So it's a custodian
of the truth
and it's a conveyor
or communicator
of the truth
as the pillar
and buttress
of truth.
Now first of all,
it is a custodian
of the truth.
You'll recall
that the first attack
on mankind
in the Garden
of Eden
was when the devil
in the form
of the serpent
came to Eve
and the attack
was on this
specific point,
on the point
of God's truth
or God's truthfulness
because the first words
of the serpent
of the devil
to human beings
was,
has God
indeed
said?
Is it really
the truth?
Are you sure
that this
is the truth?
Or
has he given you
the whole truth?
Has he kept
something back
from you
that you really
ought to have had?
You see,
all of that
is part of this
prong,
this attack
on human beings
and their relationship
with God
and it's on the basis
of God's truth.
Has God
really said?
And all the way
down through history
that has taken
different forms
but it's essentially
the same attack
in essence.
Has God
indeed said,
is this the word
of God
really?
Look at chapter 4.
No sooner has he said
this in chapter 3
than he begins
to deal with
what Timothy
is going to face
and what the church
is going to face
in the time ahead.
The Spirit expressly
says that in later times
some will depart
from the faith
by devoting themselves
to deceitful spirits,
teachings of demons
through the insincerity
of liars
whose consciences
are seared,
who forbid marriage,
who require abstinence
from food
that God created
to be received
with thanksgiving
and so on.
That is just
the church's
custodianship
of the truth
being attacked.
It's going to be
under assault,
Timothy is told,
and that's still
the case
very much today.
You'll find in Jude's
short epistle
that he says,
I intended to write
to you about
certain things
common to the faith,
but instead
he was led
to focus on this,
what he says,
that you should
contend for the truth
once for all
delivered to the saints
by God.
that's what Jude,
led by God,
set out in his
little epistle
because he lived
in days when that
truth was under
severe assault
and he was led
by God
to actually set
out this letter
to plead
with those
that were reading
it to contend
for the truth,
to fight the cause
of truth,
never to give up
standing for the truth.
A church
contradicting
the truth
is a tragic
sight.
Any denomination,
any congregation,
the church
visibly
actually not
contending
for the truth
or,
on the other hand,
compromising
the truth,
contradicting
the truth
is really a tragic
sight because
it's contrary
to and directly
against the command,
the instruction,
the privilege
that God
has given us
regarding his truth
to be custodians
of it.
And I didn't tell you
that today
that is actually
very commonly found
that foundational
doctrines
are being denied
or being distorted
or being contradicted
or being repackaged,
if you like.
You can use lots of words
but that's what you find
in the present day
and I'm not saying this
in any way
so as to try
and elevate ourselves
as if we were superior
to other denominations
or churches
is not to give ourselves
a pat on the back,
it's actually just
to take stock
of the situation
we face in the world
that we face
in the ecclesiastical
world of today
where people
who confess themselves
to be Christians
and bishops
and ministers
and so on
will actually
have no hesitation
in denying
the nature
of the Bible itself.
We'll have no hesitation
in denying
what the gospel
is about,
denying the trinity
that God is,
denying the resurrection
of Jesus,
distorting the terms
of salvation,
clouding the issues
of what comes
after death,
denying the reality
of hell
and a whole lot
of other things
I could mention.
That's what's out there
in the ecclesiastical world
and God is saying
to you and to me,
you are custodians
of my truth.
I have given you
my truth
to look after it,
to guard it,
to prize it,
to love it,
to believe it,
to embrace it,
to show it forth
as my truth.
Today here
in this locality,
we are the custodians
of the truth.
We're not the only
custodians of the truth
as a congregation.
Thankfully,
other congregations
are also,
other denominations
are also.
But for us ourselves,
this is what we're
focusing on,
how it affects
ourselves,
how it has a relationship
with us.
God is saying to us,
you are a pillar
and buttress
of my truth.
Now to do that,
you and I personally
must believe this truth,
must embrace this truth,
must see this truth
as so significant
that we cannot
alter its terms
unless we're being
disobedient to God.
and we have to love
this truth
and we have to show
this truth to the world
and not be ashamed
of the fact
that God
has given us
this word,
this gospel,
this truth
to be shown out
as His will
for humanity.
We are custodians
of the truth.
It's a great privilege.
It's a great responsibility.
But it's something
for which God
Himself
will furnish us
by His Holy Spirit
to be true
to this calling,
to be indeed
custodians
of His truth.
Secondly,
it means
as the pillar
and buttress
of the truth
that we are
conveyors
or communicators
of the truth.
Not only
has God given us
the privilege
of guarding
His truth,
looking after it,
but also
conveying it,
presenting it,
communicating it
to the world
in which we live.
And there are
three elements
that I want to mention.
We could mention others,
but three especially
I want to mention
in relation to this
for the rest of our time.
First of all,
the word preached.
The word preached.
And the word preached
is both
an explanation
and an application
of God's truth.
That's essentially
what we go to
college,
to seminary for,
to actually
be trained
by those
who are able
to do this,
to train us
in how to explain
the Bible,
how to open up
the Bible,
how to bring out
the meaning
of the Bible,
how to apply
the teaching
of the Bible
to our everyday lives
as human beings.
That's what the preaching
of the gospel
is about.
And preaching
in the New Testament,
as you see,
you know very well
yourselves
this is the case.
In the New Testament,
preaching has a primary,
the primary place
in conveying
the truth of God.
It doesn't mean
we don't communicate
by other means,
but this is centrally,
foundationally,
how all the way
through the New Testament,
the truth of God
is disseminated
and broadcast
and set forth.
The preaching
of the gospel.
And as the preaching
of the gospel
has down through the years
been blessed
by the Lord,
so, for example,
Paul in Acts chapter 20,
where he said
a very emotional farewell
to the elders
at Ephesus.
I remember
they came to him
and they wept
that they were not
going to see his face
anymore after all the time
that they had spent
with him
and been taught by him.
But he said,
I did not shirk
from preaching
to you
the whole counsel
of God.
That's what he emphasized.
The whole counsel
of God.
In other words,
what he was saying
is whatever God
has revealed
in his word,
whatever he has revealed
in the gospel,
it's our business
to convey
as a church
and as a preaching
of the gospel.
All the different topics,
some more emphasized
than others,
but all the different topics
as they relate together,
that is the business
of preaching the gospel.
That is why
you're here today.
Yes, I know you're here
to worship the Lord
in the whole breadth
of the service
of worship,
worship,
but central to that
is the preaching
of the gospel,
the feeding of your minds,
the feeding of your souls,
the instruction
of your hearts.
You know,
and we're so,
we are so thankful
those of us who
are called
to preach the gospel.
One of the things
we're profoundly thankful for,
and let it never be
anything else,
that you're praying
for us,
that you're praying
that the preaching
of the gospel
will be effective,
that you're praying
that we will deliver
the whole counsel
of God
without compromise,
without fear,
without contradiction,
because that is what
God has given you
as a privilege
and me as a privilege
to be conveyors
of the truth,
to have the word
preached to you
and by us.
And that means
the truth of God
is applicable
in the preaching
of the gospel
to all aspects of life.
It's not just
for personal salvation,
of course it is that,
for your personal
relationship with God,
for your salvation,
for your justification,
for your hope
of eternal life.
But the preaching
of the gospel
must include
all things such as
social conditions,
moral issues,
political issues.
That doesn't mean
that the preacher
of the gospel
must become a politician,
that he must start
dabbling in politics
rather than preaching
the gospel.
But politics
has to come into it
because when the government
of the day
introduces law
that are contradictory
to the word of God,
introduces things
which are hateful
to God
in terms of personal morality
or public morality,
the church has to,
as custodians of the truth,
as communicators
of the truth,
raise its voice.
The preaching
of the gospel
has to deal with that.
And whatever governments
might say,
whatever people
generally might say,
well, the church
has no business
dealing with it,
that's a political issue.
If the politics
of the day
or the government
of the day
introduces legislation
that is harmful
to unborn children
or introduces euthanasia,
God forbid,
but it's on the horizon,
or anything else
that has to do
with moral issues
and ethics
in public life
or in private life,
the preaching
of the gospel
must set out
the will of God
against that.
It's not dabbling
in politics.
It's not dealing
with things
which are beyond
the reach
of the preaching
of God's word.
It's bringing
the light of truth.
It's communicating
the truth of God
to the current situation,
whatever it might be.
And it's our pleasure
and our responsibility
to raise our voices,
not just in preaching,
but as we'll see
in a minute,
also in Christian conduct
because you have voices
along with the preached word
that needs to actually
hold governments
to account
if they are
contradicting
or compromising
God's revealed truth.
So that's the first thing
in the conveying of truth.
There is the word preached,
but there's secondly
what I'm going to call
instructive evangelism.
When you go back
to the terms
of Matthew,
Matthew 28,
the Great Commission,
we usually refer to it
as the Great Commission,
Matthew 28,
and verses 19 to 20 especially.
This is what Jesus
said to the disciples
just before He left them
to go back to heaven.
He said,
all authority in heaven
and on earth
has been given to me.
Go therefore
and make disciples
of all nations,
baptizing them
in the name
of the Father
and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them
to observe
all that I have
commanded you.
You see,
there are two things
very closely
joined together there,
making disciples
and teaching.
You can't extract
the teaching element
from the making disciples element.
What Jesus is saying
to His church is,
I'm sending you forth.
I have the authority
and you are,
on that basis,
sent into the world
to make disciples.
But you make disciples
not just by baptizing them,
but by teaching them.
You have an instructive evangelism.
And that follows through
into our evangelism as well.
Because evangelism
has to be instructive.
It's not that we evangelize,
just looking at things practically,
and then different
or separate from that,
we instruct,
we teach.
No, it has to be a teaching
or an instructive evangelism.
As you seek to bring
the gospel to people,
as you reach out
with the gospel
into our communities,
you reach out
with the truth of God.
You lay out
the truth of God
as you're seeking
to have people
give attention
to the claims
of God upon them.
And indeed,
that's what we've been
seeking to do.
And that's what we're seeking
to do this coming week,
even,
in the holiday club.
We are seeking
to have a means
alongside
the formal services
of the church,
a means by which
our young people,
our children,
can receive
the truth of God.
It's not entertainment.
There is
an attractive element
in it.
There are certain things
involved in it
that are,
if you like,
not exactly
lecturing
or preaching
in its own right.
It's creating
an environment
that will give pleasure
to our children,
but will also
be a means
of bringing
the truth to them,
of educating them
under the truth.
And the same is true
of our Sunday school.
Why do we have Sunday school?
Why do we have Bible class?
It's so that our young people
can actually come
to have the truth
of God
communicated
to their young minds,
to bring them under
the shaping effect
of God's truth.
Same thing
with the free breakfast.
You'll notice
in the bulletin sheet,
the details
from that,
that free breakfast,
which maybe not everybody
would agree with,
but what we're seeking
to do in that
is use the opportunity
that God has given us
in His providence
to bring the gospel
to people
who otherwise
wouldn't have it,
or most of them
at least wouldn't have it,
because many,
many people
left that free breakfast
with a free copy
of the Bible,
which they didn't have.
They asked,
some of them,
asked for a Bible.
We gave them a Bible.
We gave them
the Word of God.
We gave them
the truth of God.
Some of them
came to the service
afterwards.
They weren't used
to coming to church services,
certainly not to free
church services,
but they came,
and they came willingly,
and they came
under the truth of God.
That's the intention.
That's the purpose.
We are communicators
of the truth.
That is the church itself.
And in all of that
instructive evangelism,
our concern,
of course,
our overriding concern,
is the glory of God,
the praise of God.
Not making a name
for ourselves.
Nothing like that,
but to bring the truth
of God to bear
upon people's lives.
Young ones,
middle-aged,
old,
doesn't matter.
This is the church
as the pillar
and buttress
of the truth,
communicating the truth
through the preaching
of the gospel,
through instructive evangelism,
thirdly,
through Christian conduct.
Let me come back
to the verse itself
in 1 Timothy,
which says,
I hope to see you soon,
verse 14,
but to come and see you soon,
but I'm writing
these things to you
so that if I delay,
you may know
how one ought to behave
in the household of God,
which is the church
of the living God,
a pillar and buttress
of the truth.
A worldly church,
a church that's packed
with worldliness,
and by that I mean
things which especially
are contradictory
to the Word of God,
to the truth of God,
or have displaced
the likes of preaching
with something else.
A church that exists
just to entertain people
or to draw praise
to people themselves.
A worldly church
is a sure way
to create more atheists.
It's always been the case.
Atheists are not created
by the church
withstanding assault
from those who are
in enmity to the gospel.
Atheists are created largely
through the church
abandoning its custodianship
of the truth
and its communicating
of the truth
as the truth of God.
Let me just briefly,
before we close,
go to Ephesians.
So I want to show you
a pattern there in Ephesians.
That's important.
Ephesians 5
and verses 1 to 6.
It starts there,
therefore be imitators
of God
as beloved children,
children beloved by God,
and walk in love
as Christ loved us
and gave himself up for us,
a fragrant offering
and sacrifice to God.
Then he says,
but sexual immorality,
all impurity or covetousness
must not even be named among you
as is proper among saints.
And all the way through then he says,
these are the things
that ought not to be found
in the people of God
in the church of God.
Let no one deceive you
with empty words.
For because of these things,
the wrath of God
comes upon the sons
of disobedience.
Therefore,
do not associate with them.
For at one time
you were darkness,
but now you are light
in the Lord.
You see,
there is an antithesis.
There are two opposites there.
You were darkness,
past tense,
but now you are light
in the Lord.
You are in the Lord,
therefore you are light.
You are a contradiction
of what you once were
as lost sinners.
But then he says this,
walk as the children
of light.
At one time you were darkness,
but now you are light
in the Lord.
Walk as the children
of light.
For the fruit of light
is found in all that is good
and right and true.
And try to discern
what is pleasing
to the Lord.
Take no part
in the unfruitful works
of darkness.
Instead,
expose them.
How is it to expose them?
By walking
as the children
of light.
By being
in their practice
what they claim
to be in their profession.
By being
in their way of life.
What their gospel
actually sets out
for them
as they should be.
And then,
of course,
in Ephesians
you find a pattern.
I mentioned a pattern
there.
There is a pattern.
He doesn't leave it at that.
He then goes down
at verse 22,
wives.
Verse 25,
husbands.
Chapter 6,
children.
Slaves,
obey your earthly masters.
That was the world
of the day.
Masters,
do good to
those who are
your slaves as well.
And so on.
You see,
he's building on
layer upon layer
of application
to what it means
to walk
as the children
of light.
Wives,
husbands,
children,
employees,
employers.
The credibility
of Christ
and the gospel
and the truth
of the gospel
is hung upon
these hooks
of your life
and my life
because that world
out there
doesn't read the Bible
and sometimes
doesn't possess
a Bible
but it knows
how Christians
ought to behave.
It knows
what kind of people
Christians ought to be.
It knows
what the church
ought to be
and what the church
ought to say
and how the church
ought to behave.
And it is Paul's burden
that as a pillar
and buttress
of the truth
so we be
a pillar
and buttress
of the truth
not just by the word
preached
and not just by the word
preached along
with instructive evangelism
but by our own
Christian conduct
by the biblical
morality
of our life
and of our lifestyle.
the church
as we saw
in our first
study
is the people
of God
the called out
called together
people of God
called out
from the world
called together
to be
a distinct
people of God
in the world.
And we really
want to be
all of that
as a congregation.
We all know
there is no
perfect church
no perfect congregation
no perfect Christian
in this world
and none
of what I am
setting out
today is intended
in any way
to discourage
you or to
discourage myself
because the more
we find the standard
of God
in his word
set out
the more we should
be determined
to actually
match up to that
and deal with the ways
in which we don't
match up.
It is not to
discourage us
it is rather to
encourage us
to be
more Christ-like
than we are.
But we want to be
as we saw
in our more recent
studies in Philippians.
Philippians 1
verse 27
this is what Paul
is saying
it doesn't matter
he says
whether I come
and see you
or else be absent
only let your
manner of life
be worthy
of the gospel
of Christ
so that whether
I come and see you
or I am absent
I may hear of you
that you are
standing firm
in one spirit
with one mind
striving side
by side
for the faith
of the gospel
that is God's truth
striving side
by side
that means
every individual
of the church
has a contribution
to make
to the overall
guardianship
and communicating
of the truth
of God
by the church
and he says
and not frightened
anything
by your
opponents
R.C. Sproul
the late
American theologian
and Bible
expositor
and preacher
who left
a great legacy
to the church
and the
Lagonia ministry
you can find
that online
just check it out
there's so much
good stuff there
but in one of his
sermons
he said this
I think
the greatest weakness
and I'm saying this
in relation to
both the
word preached
and the instructive
evangelism
and the Christian
conduct
that I've mentioned
because it applies
to all three
he said
I think the greatest
weakness
in the church
today
is that almost
no one believes
that God
invests his power
in the Bible
everyone is looking
for power
in a program
in a methodology
in a technique
in anything
and everything
but that
in which God
has placed
his word
he alone
has the power
to change lives
for eternity
and that power
is focused
on the scriptures
the revealed
truth
of God
we are to be
custodians of it
and communicators
of it
in the world
in which he has
placed us
let's pray
Lord our God
there are so many
challenges
that we face
in the teaching
of your word
a challenge
to convey
your truth
accurately
a challenge
to live
your truth
in our lives
consistently
a challenge
oh Lord
as we find
these descriptions
of your church
which involves
ourselves
help us
to be
pillar and
buttress
of your truth
Lord help us
to love your truth
even like the
psalmist
who could say
with a deep
appreciation
oh how I love
your law
it is my study
all the day
it makes me
wiser
than my foes
and we pray
that today
oh Lord
we may
continue
and rededicate
ourselves
indeed to God
and to his truth
help us
as a congregation
as a denomination
and all those
denominations
and congregations
that are true
to you
help us Lord
we pray
to truly be
a pillar and
buttress
of your truth
give us to
delight in being
so
whatever it may
attract to us
by way of
opposition
we know that
your spirit
is more than
able to uphold
us
hear us
we pray
for Jesus
sake
Amen
now we're going
to conclude
our worship
this morning
singing Psalm
111
again we're
singing from
the Scottish
Psalter
on page
391
and verses
6 to 10
and the
psalmist is
here in the
psalm dealing
with the way
that God
has made
himself known
through his
works in the
world
and how he
especially has
made known
his grace
and compassion
and his
covenant love
for his
people
so from
verse 6
we'll sing
to the end
of the psalm
he did the
power of
his works
and to
his people
show
when he
the heathen's
heritage
upon them
did bestow
his handiworks
are truth
and right
all his
commands are
sure
and done
in truth
and uprightness
they evermore
endure
these verses
to the end
he did the
power of
his
what
unto
his
people
show
when
he
and
are
through
And God in truth and uprightness
Be evermore endure
He sent redemption to his soul
His heaven and glory
He did from an holy is named
And reverend is always
With John's beginning
Is God's fear
Good understanding
And all that is promised
Fulfill his grace endures for him
If you could allow me to get to the main door, please, I'll greet you there on the way out.
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 always.
Amen.
...