We're going to begin our service then, friends, worshipping God by singing to his praise from Psalm 103.
Psalm 103 in Sing Psalms.
That's on page 135 of the Blue Psalm books, reading at the beginning of the psalm, Psalm 103.
Praise God my soul with all my heart, let me exalt his holy name.
Forget not all his benefits, his praise my soul in song proclaim.
The Lord forgives you all your sins and heals your sickness and distress.
Your life he rescues from the grave and crowns you in his tenderness.
We'll sing down to the end of the verse marked 11 to the praise of God, standing to sing,
Praise God my soul with all my heart.
Let me exalt his holy name.
Forget not all his benefits, his praise my soul in song proclaim.
The Lord forgives you all your sins and heals your sickness and distress.
Your life he rescues from the grave and crowns you in his tenderness.
He satisfies your deep desire.
From his unending source of good.
So that just like the evil strength, your youth will be her is renewed.
The Lord is known for righteous acts, and justice to the God in once.
Till Moses he made known his ways.
His mighty days to Israel's sons.
The Lord is merciful and kind.
To thine best, low and full of grace.
He will not constantly do.
For in his anger hide his days.
He does not banish our mercies.
For he has been their just reward.
And great his love as high as men.
To hearts alone, to fear the Lord.
Amen.
Friends, let's unite our hearts in prayer.
Let us pray.
Lord our God, we come and we seek this evening to know what it is to worship you in spirit and in truth.
That we are a people who are richly blessed as we reflect this evening upon the reason of our gathering.
That we gather together in order to come before the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the one who is high and lifted up.
The one who is infinite, eternal and unchangeable.
What a wonder it is that this is our desire.
To come and to worship.
And as we gather, O Lord, at this time, we pray that we might know something of your Holy Spirit leading us and guiding us to those fountains of living water.
That our gathering together would not be born out of any routine or ritual.
But rather that we would come with that sense of expectation.
Expecting you to fulfill your promise to your people.
That where two or three gather in your name.
You promised to be there in their midst.
And so we pray that indeed we would be here in the name of Jesus Christ.
That you would honor this promise.
And that we would be able to say it was good for us to meet.
You are worthy of all praise and adoration.
Not least because although you are the God who inhabits eternity, you are the God who draws nigh to sinners just like us.
You are a God who accommodates our weakness and our infirmities.
You are a God who meets us at our very point of need.
You accommodate our finite mind by revealing yourself to us in a way that we can understand.
And for this we give thanks.
We give thanks for your word.
This special revelation of not only who you are, but who we can be in you.
What a blessing it is that for many of us here tonight, we can say that indeed we are in Christ.
That our identity is not found in anything in this world.
Not even in ourselves.
But in the one who died and gave himself for us.
The one who cried out upon that cross.
It is finished.
So that for us, our life would just begin.
And so as we reflect upon the wonders of such an identity, we pray that all the more we would find ourselves coming and worshiping your name.
Individually and collectively as a people who you tell us is your beloved bride.
We know that indeed we are those who have been chosen from all eternity.
We know not why and in many ways we cannot understand the depths of such wonders.
But yet we believe.
We believe that you are God and that there is none other.
And that in this very act of faith, we come and we cling on to you as the only one for life and for death.
And Lord, we pray this evening for all who gather here.
Those who perhaps are unable to identify as of yet as a child of God.
Those who are perhaps wandering aimlessly in the wilderness as we once were ourselves.
That you would be with them even this evening.
That you would speak to them mightily by your word through your spirit.
That you would bring them to that place where they recognize their need of you.
For indeed what should it profit a man if he should gain the whole world and lose his soul?
What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Help us to see the brevity of time.
The time is short and eternity is long.
And that in light of this, we would make our calling and election sure by coming and laying hold of these promises by faith.
That those who seek will find.
Those who knock will have that door opened unto them.
And so we pray also for any gathered here this evening who as of yet are to profess your name publicly.
Those who perhaps do identify in their hearts as a child of God.
But have not come out and publicly shown that they have been bought by the precious blood of Christ.
Help them we pray even this evening as your word goes out.
That it would encourage them and draw them and strengthen them.
To truly know the blessing that follows such obedience.
We know that Satan is like a roaring lion seeking whom he might devour.
He is the accuser of the brethren.
He is the one who even at this time is whispering in our ears and telling us that we are his.
Forgive us, O Lord, for listening to his voice.
Forgive us for doubting our salvation.
Forgive us for the many times that we lose sight of the fact that our security is not in our own righteousness.
But in the righteousness of another.
And so we pray then that you would be with this dear congregation in the days that lie ahead.
We give thanks for their witness here in the town of Stornoway.
That this would be a continued witness.
That they would shine as a beacon of light in a dark world.
And that they would seek to reach out with the good news of the gospel.
We pray for this new ministry that has commenced.
We give thanks for it, for Calamordo.
And we pray that as he partners in the gospel with James.
That together they will see great things happening.
Not only in terms of a leadership team.
But as a congregation.
That they would all have that shared vision and purpose.
To go out and to, as it were, from one beggar to another.
Show them where to get food.
What a wonder it is.
That you have not left us to ourselves.
But you have provided for us that way of salvation.
Help us then to be reminded of its urgency.
And to seek with every fiber of our being.
To fulfill that calling that is ours.
To make disciples of all nations.
And so we pray that you would bless our time together this evening.
And also every other congregation that is meeting in a like manner.
We pray your hand of blessing upon the ministry of your word.
Wherever it goes out.
That it would go out with sincerity and with power.
That it would penetrate hearts.
So that men and women, boys and girls.
Would be fed and nourished in their souls.
That they would be drawn even from darkness.
Into your own most marvelous light.
And so be with us now we pray.
Forgive us for all our many sins.
And all we ask, we ask in Jesus name.
Amen.
Well we're going to continue singing to God's praise.
This time from Psalm 106.
Psalm 106 in the Scottish Psalter.
This is on page 378.
Psalm 106.
We can pick up a reading from verse 4.
Psalm 106 and verse 4.
Remember me Lord with that love.
Which thou to thine dost bear.
With thy salvation, O my God.
To visit me draw near.
That I thy chosen good may see.
And in their joy rejoice.
And may with thine inheritance triumph with cheerful voice.
Let's lift up our voices and praise.
Let's lift up our voices and praise from Psalm 106.
Verse 4.
Standing to sing.
Remember me Lord with that love.
For the love of that love.
Which thou to light us bear.
With thy salvation, O my God.
To visit me draw near.
That I thy chosen to be.
To be.
That I thy chosen to be.
To be.
For the love of that love.
To be.
Is it me, John, near
That I, thy chosen to deceive
And in their joy rejoice
And here with thine inheritance
Triumph with cheerful voice
We with our fathers
Say it, God
Act of iniquity
Too long we have the workers' feet
We have done wickedly
Thou wonders great wish
That, O Lord, this work
In each of our
Our fathers
All they saw yet well
It did not understand
And may thy mercy
Is not assured
Yet not in memory
But at the sea
In mercy
Provoked in grieveously
Never the rest
He saved the dead
Been for his own name's sake
That so he might
To be well
Lord
His mighty power
May
Well, friends, let us now turn
To read the word of God together
We're going to read from the Old Testament
And from the book of Joshua
Joshua chapter 4
We'll read the whole chapter together
Let us hear the word of God
When all the nation had finished
Passing over the Jordan
The Lord said to Joshua
Take twelve men from the people
From each tribe a man
And command them saying
Take twelve stones from here
Out of the midst of the Jordan
From the very place
Where the priest's feet stood firmly
And bring them over with you
And lay them down in the place
Where you lodge tonight
Then Joshua called the twelve men
From the people of Israel
Whom he had appointed
A man from each tribe
And Joshua said to them
Pass on before the ark
Of the Lord your God
Into the midst of the Jordan
And take up each of you
A stone upon his shoulder
According to the number of tribes
Of the people of Israel
That this may be a sign
Among you
When your children ask
In time to come
What do these stones
Mean to you
Then you shall tell them
That the waters of the Jordan
Were cut off
Before the ark of the covenant
Of the Lord
When it passed over the Jordan
The waters of the Jordan
Were cut off
So these stones
Shall be to the people of Israel
A memorial forever
And the people of Israel
Did just as Joshua commanded
And took up twelve stones
Out of the midst of the Jordan
According to the number
Of the tribes
Of the people of Israel
Just as the Lord
Told Joshua
And they carried them
Over with them
To the place
Where they lodged
And laid them down there
And Joshua set up
Twelve stones
In the midst of the Jordan
In the place
Where the feet
Of the priests
Bading the ark
Of the covenant
Had stood
And there they are
To this day
For the priests
Bading the ark
Stood in the midst
Of the Jordan
Until everything
Was finished
That the Lord
Commanded Joshua
To tell the people
According to all
That Moses
Had commanded Joshua
The people
Passed over in haste
And when all the people
Had finished passing over
The ark of the Lord
And the priests
Passed over
Before the people
The sons of Reuben
And the sons of Gad
And half the tribe
Of Manasseh
Passed over
Armed before the people
Of Israel
As Moses had told them
About forty thousand
Ready for war
Passed over
Before the Lord
For battle
To the plains
Of Jericho
On that day
The Lord exalted Joshua
In the sight
Of all Israel
And they stood
In awe of him
Just as they had
Stood in awe of Moses
All the days
Of his life
And the Lord
Said to Joshua
Command the priests
Bearing the ark
Of the testimony
To come up
Out of the Jordan
So Joshua
Commanded the priests
Come up
Out of the Jordan
And when the priests
Bearing the ark
Of the covenant
Of the Lord
Came up from the midst
Of the Jordan
And the souls
Of the priests
Were lifted up
On dry ground
The waters of the Jordan
Returned to their place
And overflowed
All its banks
As before
The people came up
Out of the Jordan
On the tenth day
Of the first month
And they encamped
At Gilgal
On the east border
Of Jericho
And those twelve stones
Which they took
Out of the Jordan
Joshua set up
At Gilgal
And he said
To the people
Of Israel
When your children
Ask their fathers
In time to come
What do these stones mean?
Then you shall let
Your children know
Israel passed over
This Jordan
On dry ground
For the Lord
Your God
Dried up
The waters
Of the Jordan
For you
Until you passed over
As the Lord
Your God
Did to the Red Sea
Which he dried up
For us
Until we passed over
So that all
The peoples
Of the earth
May know
That the hand
Of the Lord
Is mighty
And that you
May fear the Lord
Your God
Forever
Amen
And we pray
God's blessing
On that reading
Of his own
Holy word
Let's once again
Sing praise to God
This time from
Psalm 20
Again in the
Scottish Psalter
We're going to
Read from verse 5
This is on page
224
Psalm 20
And verse 5
In thy salvation
We will joy
In our God's name
We will
Display our banners
And the Lord
Thy prayers
All fulfill
Now know I God
His King
Doth save
He from his
Holy heaven
Will hear him
With the saving
Strength
By his
Own right
Hand
Given
We'll sing down
To the end of the verse
To the end of the psalm
Rather
To the praise of God
Standing to sing
In thy salvation
We will joy
In thy salvation
We will joy
In our God's name
We will
Tis
�
Now know I magazines
O my God, his gift has saved him from his holy hand.
We'll hear him with the saving strength, by his own right and clear.
In chariots sounded, all fiddeth, some horses passed upon.
The dear remember, well, the name of our Lord God alone.
We rise and up, but stand where they are, how it come and fall.
Deliver, Lord, and let the king pass here when we do call.
Well, friends, just for a short time this evening, if we could turn back to Joshua chapter 4.
Joshua chapter 4, and we can read again from verse 19.
The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month,
and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.
And those twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal.
And he said to the people of Israel,
When your children ask their fathers in times to come, what do these stones mean?
Then you shall let your children know.
Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.
For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over,
as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over.
So that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty,
that you may fear the Lord your God forever.
I wonder, friends, if there's anyone here tonight who would say that they have an especially bad memory.
They find it difficult to remember things.
I know myself.
I find it difficult at times to remember dates.
And I need to be reminded.
And of course, I suppose it's a case for all of us in many ways.
Our lives are governed by diaries and by schedules.
We're apt to forget.
That is the nature of who we are.
We have short memories.
There are few people, of course, who are gifted with good memories.
Those who remember every last detail of every last situation.
Those who remember every last date that's on their calendar in the year that's ahead of them.
But generally speaking, we have poor memories.
We are apt to forget.
And friends, as we gather here this Friday evening, we praise the Lord.
We praise the Lord because he is a God of mercy and of grace and of love.
He is a God who meets us at our very point of need.
He knows who we are and what we're like.
He knows our infirmities.
He knows our struggles.
He knows our challenges.
He knows our trials.
He knows our tribulations.
Whatever you're going through tonight, perhaps no one else in here knows, but he knows.
And the wonder of who our God is, is this.
That he accommodates us.
He accommodates us at our point of need.
I said that in prayer.
A God who is infinite, eternal and unchangeable.
A God who inhabits eternity and yet he reveals himself to us through words.
He doesn't need to do this.
But he does.
He accommodates our limitations.
And in terms of our memory, he does the same.
That's why we're here tonight.
And we see that, do we not, throughout Scripture.
That because we as human beings, due to our sinful fallen nature, we are those who forget time and time again.
He is a God who meets us at our point of need and who prompts us to remember.
You remember in Exodus 12, what do we see there?
Well, we see that after God has saved his people, he does what?
Well, he passes over the houses, does he not?
And he puts blood on the lintels of those who he's going to save.
He saves his people.
And of course, in response to saving his people, he knows that his people will forget.
So what does he do?
He institutes the Passover, this time where they would gather together and they would remember as a people that great deliverance from God to safety.
Of course, that's what we see here tonight.
Not only in the chapter that we read, but also in our own experience.
Because as we reflect upon how the Lord deals with us, we see that he's continuing to prompt us to remember.
Take, for example, the Lord's Day.
Today, we are a people who are so busy in life.
We have so much consuming our time and our energy.
But yet the Lord, in his love and in his mercy, he gives us this one day that we can set aside things that so take up our time.
And we can focus on gathering with his people and worshipping his name.
Why?
Because we forget.
I spoke to some in lockdown.
Perhaps you yourself would be able to testify to this as well.
That during lockdown, when we didn't have that routine of gathering together as God's people,
before we knew it, yes, we would watch sermons online.
But before we knew it, the Lord's Day began to become just like any other day.
And we could see, if we're being honest, and good Christian people have confessed to this,
being honest, that yes, we found ourselves as a people, once we had got our services out of the way,
doing what we wanted with the rest of the day.
That's the way we are by nature.
Left to ourselves, we forget.
And so that's why the Lord gives us this Lord's Day, not as a bind, but as a blessing.
A blessing to remind us.
To remind us of what?
To remind us of that great resurrection power.
So that we can gather together as his people, and that we can celebrate, because that's what it is, a celebration.
We can celebrate that victory that is ours in him, that he is not dead, he is risen.
That's what the Lord's Day is.
It's for our good.
And we come to a passage here tonight in Joshua 4,
and we see that the Lord is reminding the people for their good.
The context of this chapter is, of course, the exodus of the children of Israel.
They are making their way to the promised land.
They've had the Jordan parted for them, and they've had the path made clear,
so that after decades of wandering in the wilderness,
finally, eventually, they make their way to Canaan's shore.
That land that God had promised long since would be a land that is flowing with milk,
milk, and honey.
You know the story.
I don't need to go into it in detail.
We don't have time to go into that side of the story in detail.
But we know that they were a people who were making no progress.
They had been offered this freedom that God had given to them to lay hold of by faith,
and yet time and time again, they thought they were better off where they were.
Sounds familiar.
Maybe you're like that here tonight.
Maybe you're not a Christian.
And you're here tonight, and you know of the gospel message.
You know of the freedom that's offered in the pages of Scripture,
Lord's Day after Lord's Day in your head,
but not in your heart.
And perhaps you refuse to acknowledge it in your heart because you're scared.
And because you're scared, you're happy to settle for the status quo.
As it were, as I once was myself and every one of the Lord's people here,
going round and round in circles, perhaps even for decades in this wilderness,
when all along there is something so much better on offer.
That land that is flowing with milk and honey.
That place where there is freedom and joy and liberty.
That place where you can say, as I said in prayer,
I am in Christ.
And what a place that is to be in our souls.
And so they make their way through the Jordan.
We know the narrative.
We know the story.
But that's not the end of the story.
That's not the end of the Jordan narrative.
Because as the Israelites find themselves safe on the other side,
before they can move on to the next part of their journey,
the next chapter in their experience to go on and to conquer the land,
they're stopped.
They're asked to pause.
To reflect.
And in this reflection,
essentially what they're being asked to do is
is to ensure that they don't forget what the Lord has just done for them.
And of course, looking at what the Lord has just done for them,
he's parted the seas.
So that the sea was, as it were, a wall on either side of them.
This miraculous phenomena took place before their very eyes.
This wasn't something that they would have been seeing every day.
This was something, a sight to behold even for themselves.
And so we might say, well, of course they won't forget.
How could they ever forget what the Lord has just done for them?
This will be etched upon their minds for as long as they live.
But of course they would forget.
If not reminded,
they were fallen human beings,
apt to forget like you and like me.
And so what does the Lord do?
Well, he accommodates again in his mercy and in his love.
He accommodates their weakness.
How?
Well, let's look together at verses 1 to 3.
When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan,
the Lord said to Joshua,
take 12 men from the people,
from each tribe a man,
and command them, saying,
take 12 stones from here,
out of the midst of the Jordan,
from the very place where the priest's feet stood firmly,
and bring them over with you,
and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.
So basically what they were to do was this,
that one of each of the tribes of Israel,
one man from the tribes of Israel,
this was, of course,
representing God's people as a whole.
We see the collective of God's people coming together,
of course,
we know that two and a half of the tribes
had gone on before previously
to make their home in the promised land.
They had pledged to come back
and to help their brethren in the Lord
when the time would come,
and of course that time has come,
and so they all joined together
to send out one man to the riverbed
and to take a stone on their shoulder.
Now we can see that this was a large stone.
It wasn't a small stone.
It was one that would have to go on their shoulder,
a large stone.
And so 12 large stones made their way
from the riverbed up to the riverbank.
That's where they were to stay the night, in Gilgal.
And what they were to do with these stones
was to build a monument.
We don't know what this monument would have looked like.
In my own mind, I have a picture
of what we would call a cairn.
You see them on our island.
I know in Ness, in Skigersta,
there are two cairns out at a place called the Ka.
They're built up with stones.
They're a monument of something,
of what I'm not quite sure,
but of something.
There's another monument further out
called the Karnangyal.
This is a cairn that's speaking of a geologist
who, in years gone by,
worked in that part of Ness.
There's a war memorial in Stornoway,
a far more conspicuous monument,
a cairn, one that testifies
to the men who died in the war.
There are cairns, there are monuments
all around us.
And so that's what they're asked to do,
to build a monument,
to build a cairn.
But as we look at verse 9, friends,
we might begin to get a little bit confused.
Because there we read this,
and Joshua set up twelve stones
in the midst of the Jordan,
in the place where the feet of the priests
bearing the Ark of the Covenant had stood.
And there they are to this day.
So is there one monument?
Or is there two?
Is there one on the banks of the Jordan
and one in the middle of the Jordan?
This raises the question.
And of course,
commentators differ on this.
Even commentators of the same
Reformed tradition
will differ on their opinion
as to whether there are two monuments
or one monument.
Some who say that there's just one monument
would say that when this is speaking
of the twelve stones set
in the midst of the Jordan,
that the Hebrew would allude
to a translation that says
that Joshua had set up the stones
that had been in the midst of the Jordan.
So that he had taken up the stones
that had been in the midst of the Jordan.
And as we read the passage as a whole,
and as we read the comments
on the Cairn and Gilgal,
I think myself that this is most likely.
When we think logically
about there being a monument,
a Cairn in the middle of the River Jordan,
we would see that this poses
its own difficulties
if we look at verse 18.
And when the priests
bearing the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord
came up from the midst of the Jordan,
and the souls of the priests
were lifted on dry ground,
the waters of the Jordan returned
to their place
and overflowed all of its banks
as before.
The waters returned.
So that the valley of the Jordan River,
which went from 15 to 60 meters,
it was now full of water.
So that any stones,
any Cairns that had been built
in the middle of it
would either not be able to be seen,
which would defeat the whole purpose of them,
or would more likely be washed away.
But either way,
whether there's one or there's two,
what we know is this,
that this monument was set there
as a reminder.
That was its purpose,
to be a reminder.
But who was it to remind?
And what was it to remind them of?
Well, there are two or three things
for us to consider.
We read in verse 6
that they were to make this a sign among you,
so that when your children ask in time to come,
what do these stones mean?
What do these stones mean to you?
Then you shall tell them.
And these stones were there
to provoke conversation,
to stimulate discussion,
just as any Cairns or monument does today.
It was to be a talking point.
What do these stones mean?
Verse 21.
And he said to the people of Israel,
when your children ask their fathers
in times to come,
what do these stones mean?
Then you shall let your children know.
Israel passed over this Jordan
on dry ground.
For the Lord your God
dried up the waters of the Jordan for you
until you passed over,
as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea,
which he dried up for us
until we passed over.
Can you see, friends,
the purpose of this monument?
That this monument would be a talking point,
not only for the children of Israel.
This is a small detail,
but it's a significant detail.
And that's the wonder of Scripture.
The Lord includes these small details,
these small accommodations
for our weaknesses
so that we don't forget.
And that's exactly what this monument would do.
It would go on to act as a reminder
to the generations to come,
what the Lord had done.
People would say,
well, what does this mean?
What do these stones mean?
And those who would have heard it told to them
by their fathers,
who had been told by their fathers,
would say,
well, these stones tell a story.
They tell a story of the wonder
and the power of the God of Israel
who delivered his people.
Do you know that God?
Get to know that God.
He's a great God
who can do wonders for you.
And so conversations would be stimulated
for years to come.
These are stones that speak.
And of course,
as the Israelites themselves
went on to conquer the land of Canaan,
they would be overwhelmed, no doubt,
as they were faced with the magnitude
of what lay ahead of them,
the paralyzing fear
of the daunting task that was before them
to conquer the enemy.
They would forget.
Quite quickly, they would forget.
How often do you and I forget?
We're faced with something that's difficult.
We're faced with something,
if we're being honest in our mind's eye,
we say it's too difficult,
even for God.
And we forget.
In that blur of anxiety and of fear,
we forget.
We forget that this is the self-same God
who has delivered us in times past.
This is the self-same God
who seeks to lead us
to that place of safety and of refuge,
but still we forget.
We need reminded.
And so for us here tonight, friends,
these stones speak.
They speak to us.
They speak to you and to me.
And what do they say?
Well, they say plenty.
Because if you're here tonight
and you're a Christian,
the reality is that you too
have a memorial in your life,
your own personal memorial.
You have that marker
that you can go back to in your mind's eye,
that point in time.
It might be a specific hour,
day, week, month, year,
couple of years,
whatever it is.
You have a time in your mind's eye,
a period whereby you know
that the Lord did something miraculous
in your life.
Perhaps you can't remember a time
in your life when you weren't the Lord's.
That's also the case for some.
Some are converted so young
that they cannot recollect this time,
but still you know the Lord
has done something miraculous
in your life.
He didn't part the Jordan,
but what he did was this.
He parted your heart.
He opened your heart
so that you could receive Jesus Christ
as your Lord and your Savior.
So much more miraculous
than anything we read here before us.
And when we're first converted,
when we have our hearts opened
in such a way,
is it not true, friends?
We're so full.
We're so full of zeal
and vigor and wonder
and awe
as we look back upon
what Jesus has just done
in our lives.
Just as the children of Israel
were here
as they reflected at Gilgal
on what the Lord had just done,
they couldn't believe it
and so it is with us.
When we see lambs,
as it were, coming,
we pray for more.
We can almost see it in their face.
face.
This brightness,
this vigor,
this zeal,
that something wonderful
has taken place
in their lives.
and we think that will never end.
That we'll always be on that mountaintop.
And how disappointed we are
when we come crashing down to earth
with a bang.
And so we do.
And as we're left, as it were,
to, not left,
but as we're called
to go on
and to live that life
of faith,
it can be difficult.
So much so
that we lose sight
of what the Lord's done
in our life
at the beginning.
We forget
the wonder
of that grace
and mercy
and love
that has drawn us
to Him
in the first place.
So that our hearts
grow cold.
Or so that
we're so busy
even with the church
but we forget
the Savior,
the Lord,
the King
of the church.
The main thing
doesn't become
the main thing.
He becomes secondary
in all that we do.
And so we need
reminded.
Allow me to ask you,
what does Jesus mean
to you tonight?
And I ask myself
the same question.
And we know
the textbook answer
what we should say
but really
in working terms,
what does Jesus
mean to you tonight?
In your life
on this Friday evening
in August,
if you were to
honestly answer,
what does Jesus
mean to you tonight?
How would you
articulate that?
How would I
articulate that?
It's a challenge.
It's a question
that searches us
because we can tell
what many different
things mean to us
tonight.
We can even tell
what church means
to us tonight.
But what does Jesus
mean to you
tonight?
We forget.
We forget
the wonder
of who He is
and what He's done
and what He will do.
we lose sight
of our identity
as being
in Him
and in none other.
We get bogged down
and held back.
We forget.
But tonight,
friends,
we have good news.
And the good news
is this,
that He accommodates us.
It's not to justify
our neglect
of our Lord
and Savior
or far from it,
but still,
the Lord
accommodates us.
He's so different
to us.
When people forget us
or neglect us,
what do we do?
We turn our back
on them.
We let them know
in no uncertain terms
that we're not happy,
we're not pleased,
not the Lord.
He accommodates us,
He meets us
at our point of need.
How?
By giving
to His bride
that memorial
to return
to time
and time
again.
What is it?
It is,
of course,
the Lord's Supper.
What do we read
in Luke 22, 19?
And He took bread
and when He had given thanks,
He broke it
and gave it to them,
saying,
This is my body
which is given
for you.
We read these words
so often
and, of course,
when we read words,
often familiarity
can lead us
to lose sight
of the depth
of their meaning.
This is my body
which is given
for you.
Do this
in remembrance
of me.
And likewise,
the cup
after they had eaten,
saying,
This cup
that is poured
out for you
is the new covenant
in my blood.
Do this
in remembrance
of me.
What we have here,
friends,
is a crucial marker
for God's people,
a time when we can
refocus on our Savior
and His loving kindness
and delivering us
out of the bondage
and the tyranny
of that wilderness
that we found ourselves in.
It's so easy to forget.
It's so easy,
even as the Lord's people,
to become high
and lofty
and to start looking down
on those who are not saved
and tutting
at their behavior
as if we ourselves
were never there.
We forget
that He took us
from the mighty clay,
from the fearful pit.
We didn't take ourselves,
He took us.
And so we need to be brought
back down to earth.
We need to be brought back
to that place
where we remember.
A reminder
of that miracle,
not the parting
of the Jordan,
but the miracle
of grace
that has taken place
in our lives.
That's what you hope
to do here
this Lord's Day.
And in this reminder,
there is strengthening.
Because it's important
to remember
that the Lord's Supper
isn't just a bare
memorial service.
That's not what it is.
We're not coming
to just remember.
It's so much more
than that.
The eating and drinking
in the Lord's Supper,
it shows forth
what they used
to call that
that mystical union
between Christ
and His people,
which essentially
refers to that
intimate,
that spiritual union
between Christ
and you
if you are His.
What the Apostle Paul
calls communing
or fellowshipping
in the body
and in the blood
of Jesus Christ.
Isn't that wonderful?
That He's given us that.
Do we deserve it?
No.
Are we worthy of it?
Certainly not.
But yet He gives us
that time
where we can be reminded
that we are in Christ.
This is not a bare memorial
or an act of remembrance.
And so never ever
treat the Lord's Supper
as such.
Come with that sense
of expectation
and praise
and worship.
that almost
sense of victory
within your heart.
He is not here
for He
has
risen.
And that's why
it's so important
for us to
avail ourselves
of such
a blessing.
God has given it
to us
for our good.
Now I didn't say
God has given it
to us
because we are good.
That's sometimes
what we can think.
Maybe you think
that tonight
you haven't professed
the Lord
as your Savior
and you are His.
You have a relationship
with Him
and you have done
for years.
But you say
I am not good enough
and neither you are
and neither you will be.
That is a complete
and I say this
with all love
and due respect
that is a complete
and utter
misunderstanding
of the whole
gospel of Jesus Christ
and not only that
but it undermines it.
Because with that
approach
you are saying
that there could be
a time that you
are good enough.
It will never come.
That's the whole point.
He is good enough.
And that's what
ought to draw us
all the more
that we take our eyes
off ourselves.
Yes we examine ourselves
but we take our eyes
off ourselves
and we look
to Him
and we say
Hallelujah
what a Savior.
What a Savior.
And so if you
haven't come forward
to the Lord's table
what's stopping you?
If you're His
we know that
this is the table
of the Lord
for His people.
It's a strengthening
ordinance.
What is it
that's stopping you?
You can't say
that you're not
good enough
or you can say that
but you're never
going to get over
that hurdle.
But what about
Christ?
What think
ye of Christ?
You answer that
and allow your
answer to that
question
to inform
the reason
why you are
or are not
at the Lord's table.
You're denying
yourself a blessing.
But more than that
this is important.
You're denying
others
your witness.
Remember
this memorial
was to serve
as a witness
to the children
of the people.
As many of you know
I grew up
in this very
congregation
and I would
sit up
in that seat
that has the
ladder in it
in the back
there
and the Lord's
Supper
would be
dispensed here
on a Lord's Day
morning
and I would
peer over
and I would
ask questions
what's happening?
Why are they
doing what
they're doing?
And I would
see people
partaking
some of whom
are here tonight
some are long
gone
and I would
look upon them
and they would
speak not as
stones
but as
living stones
those who
join
together
to build
the house
of God
that's what the
house of God
is not this
building but his
people
joining
together
I would
ask
what are they
doing?
What
does
this
mean?
if you
are not
coming to
the Lord's
table
and you
are his
and again
I say this
in love
what you're
doing is
this
you're
marrying
your witness
your friends
your loved
ones
your children
your grandchildren
your husband
your wife
your mother
your father
they're seeing
you holding
back year
after year
refusing
to identify
with the
people
of God
and not
only that
and this
is a real
challenge
to us
you're
marrying
your witness
to the
community
at large
what do
I mean?
well let's
come back
to our
text
and with
this
I'm
nearly
finished
because
as well
as reminding
the Israelites
and their
children
that this
simple
monument
this simple
monument
was to
remind
all
people
the pagans
the godly
the ungodly
all that were
living in the
vicinity
all who were
worshipping
false gods
they were
this
monument
would serve
as a reminder
of what the
God of Israel
had done
and was
doing
verse 24
so that all
the peoples
of the earth
may know
that the
hand of
the lord
is mighty
that you
may fear
the lord
your god
forever
these stones
spoke to
the people
at large
and you know
that's what
our profession
of faith
does
it speaks
to people
we're nailing
our colours
to the mast
that is the
nature of
faith
we will not
walk on
water
till we
step out
of the
boat
and when
we nail
our colours
to the mast
people see
that we
identify
not in
this world
but in
Christ
so that
when you
go back
to your
workplace
on Monday
you can
say I
have
professed
I have
come out
on his
side
when you
go back
to your
street
you can
say to
your neighbours
I have
now
identified
as a
child
of God
by being
obedient
to his
command
you're
witnessing
to those
around you
not of
yourself
but of
your
saviour
and you
can say
then with
all confidence
come see a
man who
told me all
things that
ever I
did
is this
not the
Christ
is this
not the
Christ
I'm not
ashamed to
call him
my saviour
you come
and know
him
for
yourself
what a
witness
that is
don't we
need that
witness
in the
day that
we live
in
that's
what faith
is
stepping
out
in the
strength
of the
Lord
and so
friends
if you
are his
come
you come
and you
show forth
in humble
remembrance
of what
God
has done
in
your
life
you be
part of
this
marker
of this
cairn
we've
often heard
it said
that the
church is
like a
wall made
up of
stones
different
sized
stones
there are
large
stones
there are
small
stones
but every
single
stone is
needed
you might
look at
other people
here and
you might
say I
will never
be as
godly as
that person
of course
that's the
voice of
the devil
but no
matter how
you see
yourself
the reality
is that if
you're
Christ's
he sees
you as
a precious
stone
a needful
stone
and so
come
be part
of
this
glorious
body
of Christ
by identifying
as him
as his
rather
that you
would
unashamedly
allow that
flag to
fly above
that cairn
he
has died
for me
let us
pray
what wonderful
words oh
lord that
any of us
can say
he
has died
for me
and as
we reflect
upon
what you
have done
we come
and we
seek
forgiveness
for our
apathy
and our
coldness
but yet
we don't
stop there
because our
identity is
not found
even in
our own
obedience
but in
Christ
but help
oh lord
our identity
in Christ
to inform
our obedience
so that we
might come
come and
know for
ourselves
the blessing
that follows
therein
for us to
come
and identify
that indeed
we have been
brought into
your banqueting
house
the banner
over us
is love
and so we
pray for any
of our dear
friends here
who are
perhaps
struggling
and have
been for
years
who have
got so
many fears
and anxieties
of what it
means to
profess your
name
draw them
we pray
by your
spirit
give them
that boldness
to come
forward
a step
that they
will never
ever regret
and so go
before us
now we pray
be with
our friends
here in the
remainder of
their communion
weekend
as they
remember
your death
until
you come
again
that they
would do
so so
mindful of
the fact
that you
are here
with them
part us
then with
your blessing
and forgive
us for
Jesus
sake
amen
we're going
to conclude
singing to
God's praise
from Psalm
136
Psalm 136
again in the
Scottish
Psalter
this is a
psalm of
reminders
what we
read in
every verse
is that
his mercy
for certainly
his mercy
is due
most firm
and sure
eternally
each and
every verse
reminds us
why because
we forget
so let's
sing friends
together
verses
first of
all verses
1 to
4
1 to
4
and then
down to
13 to
16
so verses
1 to
4
and then
verses
13 to
16
praise God
for he is
kind
his mercy
lasts for
he's
standing to
sing
praise God
for he
is
kind
his mercy
lasts for
aid
give thanks
with heart
and mind
to God
across
his mercy
away
for certainly
his mercy
dear
most firm
and should
be
turned
away
the Lord
is here
his mercy
still
endure
with
one
verse
only
he
that
were
by his
great
power
for
certainly
his mercy
sure
was
destroyed
from
his cities
nor
one
or
his
has
his
Chloe
or
his
Devil
has
just
been
he
to
нож
CHOIR SINGS
For certainly is mercy sure, most pernature, eternally.
After the benediction, if you'd just allow me to meet you at the door.
Now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit,
rest on and abide with you now and forevermore. Amen.
Amen.