I'm delighted again this evening to welcome Reverend Colin Dow to the pulpit.
! He was saying this morning he was here as a student placement 24 years ago.
! So some of you will remember him, I'm sure.
Some of you might be a new face for you, but we're delighted to have him with us.
Colin is a minister in Crow Road Free Church in Glasgow,
what was previously St. Glasgow City Free Church.
And we're thankful for the ministry tours already today and look forward to his ministry this evening as well.
We pray God's blessing on Colin and the family.
We've been delighted to have them with us as well today as they return to Glasgow in the coming days as well.
Let the Lord be with them.
Thank you very much for your warm welcome.
Let us worship God and sing to his praise in Psalm 146.
Psalm 146 from St. Sams.
This is page 191.
We shall sing the whole psalm to the praise of God.
Psalm 146 from verse 1 to verse 10.
Praise the Lord, my soul will praise him.
I'll extol him all my days.
While I live, to God my Saviour,
from my heart I will sing praise.
Let's stand as we sing to God's praise.
Amen.
Thank you, Father, my soul will praise him.
Oh, praise him.
I'll extort it all my days.
I'll I live to God my Savior.
From my heart I will sing praise.
God, who do trust in princes?
Mortal men who cannot say.
All their plans will come to nothing.
When they perish in the grave.
Blessed is the one who truly looks for heaven.
To Jacob's God.
Blessed is the one who places all his hope upon the Lord.
He who made the earth and heaven.
And the sea split all their store.
He who gives his heavenly promise.
He who is faithful evermore.
He delivers from oppression.
And relieves the hungry's might.
He releases those in prison.
To the life the Lord gives sight.
He who does not know.
Let us pray.
O Lord our God, we join with the psalmist
in calling upon our souls to praise you
and to extol you all the days of our lives.
For you are God, our Savior.
You are the one who made the heaven and the earth,
the sea with all its store.
You are the one who keeps every promise.
You are the one who is faithful.
You are the one who delivers us from oppression
and relieves the plight of the hungry,
who releases those in prison and gives the blind their sight.
You are the one who raises those who are bowed down.
For you, O Lord, delight in righteousness,
protecting and caring for strangers,
for the widow and for the fatherless.
You are the one who frustrates the purposes of the wicked.
You reign to every generation, O Lord.
For over a hundred years,
the message of your sovereignty has been proclaimed from this pulpit.
That our God reigns.
You reign then, you reign still.
You will always reign as King and Lord.
And so our souls praise you.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
one true and living God,
help me worship you for who you are
and for all that you have done.
Our relentless Redeemer.
We thank you that you have demonstrated
your love for us in this.
While we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us.
The word became flesh and dwelt among us.
We have beheld his glory.
How then do we see the glory
of God on the cross?
If it is not that your own Son,
O Lord our Father,
was humiliated
and crucified in our place,
bearing the punishment our sin deserved,
bearing shame and scoffing rude,
in my place condemned he stood,
sealed my pardon with his blood.
Hallelujah.
What a Savior.
We draw near to you tonight
in the name of Jesus
as your people.
We thank you for the faith
that you have given us,
for even the faith
by which we are saved
is a gift from yourself.
Lord, we may have small faith,
we may have great faith.
It's not our faith that counts,
but the one in whom we have faith.
We thank you that you, O Lord,
are forever committed to us
in love and covenant promise.
You have said,
I will never leave you,
I will never forsake you.
Behold, I am with you
to the very end of the age.
Our Lord God and loving Heavenly Father,
we pray that you would comfort
those in distress.
We pray that you would give hope
to those in despair.
We pray that you would give strength
to those who are exhausted.
We pray that you would give joy
to those who are depressed.
We pray that you would give serenity
to those who are anxious.
We thank you that you are
the God of our hearts,
the God who overcomes our hearts
and is greater than our hearts.
We pray that you would speak truth
to us this evening.
We pray for our church here.
We ask that you would
open the floodgates of heaven
and send your spirit
to begin a movement
in these islands once again
that would cause people
to fill the church,
to rush into the church,
eager to hear the good news
of Jesus Christ and be saved.
We pray, Lord,
that you would do a work
here in Kenneth Street.
Once again, Lord,
we thank you for Callum Smith here.
We thank you for Callum
for his gifting
and for his godliness.
We thank you for the way
that he shepherds
and cares for this congregation.
We pray that you would bless him
and Johan and the family
richly
in their ministry among us.
and we pray, Lord,
that as he looks for a colleague
and as we look for a colleague
that you would give us
unanimity of heart and spirit,
focusing our minds
upon what you would have for us,
not upon what our
personal preferences may be.
We pray for our denomination
as a whole.
We ask, Lord,
that you would help us
to remain faithful
to your word.
We do not stand
on the laurels of our heritage.
As much as we look forward
to a dynamic future
of your blessing.
We pray for the growth
of the church
all over Scotland.
Lord, we ask
that you would work powerfully
in every pulpit
from which your word
is preached this evening.
We remember the missionary
endeavour of your church
all over the world.
We thank you for the growth
of your church
in many nations.
We also remember
those nations
where there's
great challenge.
We remember the nation
of Japan
where a tiny church
is faced with
further decline.
We pray for your people
there
in that
highly populated country,
technologically advanced
and yet spiritually dead.
Lord,
will you not open
the floodgates of heaven
and pour down
your spirit
upon that great nation?
We pray, O Lord,
for our world.
We ask, Lord,
that you would make
wars to cease,
that you would frustrate
the purposes
of wicked men,
that you would relieve
the plight of the oppressed
!
And the hungry.
And Lord,
we pray for
our politicians
and those
in authority over us.
We especially
remember them
as they debate
the proposed
euthanasia bill.
And we ask, O Lord,
that your word
would take
front and centre
in all
of their decisions.
Lord,
we ask and pray
for this bill
not to go forward,
for it to be defeated
in both
Holyrood and Westminster.
And we ask that
rather than ending life,
which is your prerogative,
you would help us
to invest our
care and resource
and money
in preserving life
and giving dignity
to those
who are dying.
And Lord,
we consider now
our own personal needs.
We are hungry
for your word
this evening.
That's why we're here.
So will you fill us
with a new vision
of Jesus Christ?
But Lord,
there may be some
among us here
this evening
who do not yet know you,
who are here
by force of habit,
or because they have been
forced to be here
by their parents
or by peer pressure.
But do not know you.
They have not yet
discovered
the great meaning
of life
and the pearl
of great price
that is to be found
in Jesus Christ.
Lord,
will your spirit
do a work among us
this evening
that breaks open
the hardness
of our hearts?
will your spirit
do a miracle
of grace
within us
this evening
to transform
our hearts
of stone
into hearts
of flesh?
Help us all,
O Lord,
this evening
as we come
to come
with that attitude
of those Gentiles
who came to the disciples
saying,
Sir,
we would see Jesus.
Now we ask
all these things
with the forgiveness
of our sin
in Jesus' name.
Amen.
We're going to sing again
this time in Psalm 1.
This is on page
number 200.
It's from the
Scottish Psalter.
Psalm 1.
That man
hath perfect blessedness
who walketh
not astray
in counsel
of ungodly men
nor stands
in sinner's way.
nor sitteth
in the scorner's chair.
But placeth
his delight
upon God's law
and meditates
on his law
day and night.
Psalm 1,
the whole psalm
to God's praise.
best best best
nor stands in sinners' way.
Lord sitteth in the scorners' ship,
and raiseth his delight.
At most grog, so grog, so grog, so grog,
so grog, so grog, so grog, so grog, so grog,
We shall be like a tree that goes near planted by our earth.
Which in this season yields its fruit, and its sweet faith ever.
And only thou shalt prosper well, now with it are not so.
But like they are bound to virtue, which when right to our goal.
In judgment therefore shall most and such as the God we are.
Nor in the assembly of the earth shall we yet men appear.
For while the way of God remain, unto the Lord is Lord.
Where as the way of the earth shall white be overgrown.
We are going to read now in God's word from the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 13.
2 Corinthians chapter 13.
This is the word of God.
This is the third time I am coming to you.
Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.
I warn those who sinned before and all the others.
And I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit.
That if I come again I will not spare them.
Since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me.
He is not weak in dealing with you.
But is powerful among you.
For he was crucified in weakness.
For he lives by the power of God.
For we also are weak in him.
But in dealing with you.
We will live with him by the power of God.
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith.
Test yourselves.
Or do you not realize this about yourselves.
That Jesus Christ is in you.
Unless indeed you fail to meet the test.
I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test.
But we pray to God that you may do no wrong.
That not that we may appear to have met the test.
But that you may do what is right.
Though we may seem to have failed.
For we cannot do anything against the truth.
But only for the truth.
For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong.
Your restoration is what we pray for.
For this reason I write these things while I am away from you.
So that when I come.
I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority.
That the Lord has given me for building up.
And not for tearing down.
Finally brothers.
Rejoice.
Aim for restoration.
Comfort one another.
Agree with one another.
Live in peace.
And the God of love and peace will be with you.
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
All the saints greet you.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And the love of God.
And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
Be with you all.
This is the word of God.
Before we turn back to that passage.
We'll sing in Psalm 19.
On page 23.
Psalm 19.
On page 23.
From which we shall sing.
Verses 7.
To verse 14.
Psalm 19.
Page 23.
From verse 7.
The perfect law of God.
Revives the soul of man.
His statutes which are sure.
Make wise the simple one.
The precepts of the Lord are right.
And fill the heart.
With great delight.
Let's sing Psalm 19.
From verse 7 to the end.
To God's praise.
The perfect law of God.
Revives the soul of man.
His statutes which are sure.
Make wise the simple one.
The precepts of the Lord are right.
And fill the heart with great delight.
God's praise.
For great, the earth commands.
Share light on what we see.
The fear of God is pure.
At last eternally.
The standards of the Lord express.
His perfect truth and righteousness.
The power of God is pure.
You can discern His cause, forgive my hidden sin, keep me from willful deeds, may they not rule within.
And then I shall be free from blame and guiltless of transgressions.
Lord, let the words I speak, be pleasing in Your sight, and may my endless thoughts be in Your judgment right.
O Lord, You are the rock to me, You have redeemed and sent me free.
May I begin by once again thanking you from the bottom of my heart for the welcome that myself and my family have received this weekend up here.
It's been wonderful for Kathmer and myself to renew friendships.
You don't seem to have changed one little bit in the last 24 years.
As I said this morning, I have far less hair and far more children than I had back then.
But you don't seem to have changed at all, except the man standing beside me, Callum Smith.
He is your minister now.
My first experience of Callum was when he was inducted to Dumfries Free Church.
And over the years, I felt very blessed to work with him on the presbytery.
And it's wonderful to see him as your shepherd at this time.
But of course, we pray for a colleague for him.
Please turn with me back to 2 Corinthians chapter 13 and verse 14.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
At the end of every service of worship, the presiding minister will raise his hands and pronounce the benediction.
The word benediction literally means blessing or more literally to speak well.
The minister on behalf of God dismisses God's people with his blessing upon them.
The service concludes with the minister, or God rather, speaking well over his people.
Pronouncing both his pleasure in them and his intention for them.
His pleasure in them in that they are his children whom he loves, protects, and will provide for.
And his intention to strengthen them for all the challenges which lie in the week ahead.
So the benediction is an essential component in every Christian service of worship.
It is the public announcement of God's blessing upon his people.
As Christians, we are to listen carefully to the benediction.
Recognizing it's for us.
It's God's gift to us.
It's God's words of pleasure and intention for us.
Whatever issues I may be facing, whether grief or depression, whether joy or thankfulness, anxiety or doubt,
be it peace or tranquility, God wants me to experience his pleasure in me as his child and his loving intention toward me.
Now the benediction that I choose to use most often is this one taken from 2 Corinthians 13, 14.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Now we're tempted, are we not, because we've heard these words so often,
not to think too deeply about what they mean.
In truth, we're rather spoiled by them because there's a richness here which goes beyond anything the world can offer us.
God blesses us not so much with grace, love and fellowship, although these are wonderful things.
God blesses us with himself and in essence says to us,
I will know you this week and you will know me this week.
I'll be with you through all the trials of this week.
Know this, my beloved child, I take great pleasure in you.
I love you and I'll be with you always.
Out of this benediction in 2 Corinthians 13, verse 14, we could say many things,
but I want to reflect this evening on just three.
First of all, it tells us about God.
Then it tells us about salvation.
And then it tells us about prayer.
Tells us about God, salvation and prayer.
At the end of the service this evening, listen carefully to the good words of this benediction.
They are for us as a Christian church.
And they are for us as individual Christians.
First of all then, these words tell us about God.
These words tell us about God.
My wife and I were privileged recently to travel down to Newcastle to attend a celebration for the ministry of Dr. Ian Hamilton.
Known to many of us, Ian is an influential Christian pastor, writer and theologian.
He has influenced many of us, myself included, for the good.
And inspired us to be the best servants of Christ it's possible for us to be.
At that celebration dinner, one of the speakers highlighted some of the distinctive emphases of Ian's preaching.
And he read something that Ian had written some years ago.
Ian wrote these words in a banner of Truth magazine.
We as Christians worship one God in three persons.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
This is the chief and distinctive doctrine of the Christian faith.
The doctrine of the Holy Trinity.
It's a mysterious doctrine without any earthly pattern.
But it's a doctrine we must believe if we are to call ourselves Christians.
It's a doctrine clearly taught in the Bible even if the word Trinity is never used.
We serve one God.
But the Father is God.
And the Son is God.
And the Holy Spirit is God.
The early fathers of the church, like Athanasius of Alexandria, stood firmly on the truth of the Trinity.
This year marks the 1700th anniversary of the formulation of the Nicene Creed.
The fundamental confession of the Christian faith.
In my church, we'll be studying the Nicene Creed a little later this year.
Athanasius was the key figure in its formulation.
We may be familiar with some of the language of the Nicene Creed by virtue of the Christmas carol,
O come all ye faithful, where in verse 2, it quotes verbatim some of the language of the Creed.
The Apostles' Creed, O come let us adore him, Christ the Lord.
The Apostles' Creed, for as valuable as it is, does not definitively declare the divinity either of Jesus as the Son nor of the Holy Spirit.
As such, a Mormon or a Jehovah's Witness can recite the Apostles' Creed.
But not the Nicene Creed.
For in unmistakable terms, the Nicene Creed declares,
The Son is God, the Father is God, and the Holy Spirit is God.
They are not of a similar essence to God.
They are the same.
Later, the Nicene Creed declares,
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son, he is to be worshipped and glorified.
People often ask whether Christians worship the same God as Muslims or Jews.
The answer is an emphatic no.
No.
We believe in the divine trinity.
It is the cardinal doctrine of our faith.
Both Jews and Muslims worship a God who we may describe as a monad.
One God, one person, who alone, eternally has been alone,
and as alone, has nothing else other than himself to love.
For the Christian, because God is trinity, love stands central to the being of God.
The Father has always loved the Son and the Spirit, for they are not him.
The Son has always loved the Father and the Spirit, for they are not him.
And the Spirit has always loved the Father and the Son, for they are not him.
Such a strong inner Trinitarian love allows that infinite, eternal, and unchangeable love
each person of the Trinity has for the other to spill over into all he's created.
It's the doctrine of the Trinity which allows the Apostle John to say,
God is love.
So to the answer of whether Christians worship the same God as Muslims, Jews, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses,
the answer is an emphatic no.
There is no common ground between the God of these religions.
For their gods are monads, our God is divine Trinity, three in one.
The God who offers himself to us in this blessing, this benediction,
is the God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the fullness of his Trinitarian glory.
The great church father, Gregory Nazianzus, beautifully said,
No sooner do I conceive of the one, than I am illumined by the splendor of the three.
No sooner do I distinguish him, than I am carried back to the one.
No sooner do I conceive of the one.
It's a beautiful mystery.
Don't feel threatened by it.
Feel invited by it to participate,
even as the overflow of each divine person's love for the other
overflows into the life of the church
and into the life of individual believers.
Now one of Ian Hamilton's famous phrases is that
every doctrine of the Christian faith must be practical
or it's of no use.
Every doctrine of the Christian faith must be practical.
The doctrine of the Trinity is the cornerstone of our faith.
So it's not surprising it is the most practical
of all the doctrines of Christianity.
What warrant do I have to believe
that God loves me?
How do I know that God loves me?
When I've failed him,
when I've backslidden,
when I've become spiritually cold,
when I've sunk into pits of depression and anxiety
where I cannot but hate myself,
when I've fallen away from him,
what assurance do I have
that God loves me?
It is because
by virtue of his being Trinity,
God is love.
It is more natural for him to love
than it is for me to breathe.
Among many other warrants,
this is the most powerful,
the eternal,
infinite,
and unchangeable
inner Trinitarian love
between Father,
Son,
and Spirit
which overflows
into our daily experience
as Christians.
Shall such love
now hate me
who it has loved
since before I was born?
Shall he now hate me?
Shall such love
cast me away now
who it has held close
to its heart
since before the sun
began to shine in the sky?
Shall he?
If I am united to Christ,
the Father cannot look upon me,
yes,
even the ugly,
messy,
sinful me,
without seeing
the glorious righteousness
of his Son,
and he loves me.
Furthermore,
if the inner Trinitarian love
of Father,
Son,
and Spirit
has overflowed
into my life,
surely that love
should overflow
from my heart
into the lives
of others.
Why do we bear
with one another,
forgive one another,
and comfort one another?
We do it
because
the love
of a Father
for a Son
and the Spirit
has flooded
our hearts
with the love
of God,
a love
which spills
over into
our love
for others.
And so
the Apostle John
writes,
Beloved,
if God so loved us,
then we
ought to love
one another.
You see,
this wonderful
doctrine of the Trinity,
far from being
an abstract theological
doctrine,
is the most practical
of all Christian doctrines.
It serves
as the foundation
for all we are
to believe
concerning God
and for our life
together
as Christians.
When hands are raised
at the end
of the service
and a blessing
is pronounced,
it's as if God
himself is saying,
Go,
my children,
live in love,
even as the Father
loves the Son
and the Spirit
and the Son
loves the Father
and the Spirit
loves the Father
and the Son.
So this blessing
tells us,
first of all,
something about God.
Secondly,
it tells us
something about salvation.
Tells us about salvation.
This benediction
is remarkable
on many accounts
but chief among them
is what it tells us
about the source
and the means
and the purpose
of our salvation.
Here we have
the Christian gospel
in miniature.
The grace
of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The love of God.
The fellowship
of the Holy Spirit.
The source
of our salvation
is to be found
in the love
of God the Father.
The source
of our salvation
is to be found
in the love
of God the Father.
God so loved
the world
that he sent
his only begotten
Son.
We wrongly
attribute
to God the Father
the sternest
of all the divine
attributes.
wrath,
judgment,
righteousness,
etc.
But time and again
the Bible
wants us to understand
that the source
of our salvation
is to be found
in the infinite,
eternal,
and unchangeable
love of the Father.
God,
to be understood
as the Father,
demonstrated
his love
for us
in this.
While we were
yet sinners,
Christ died
for us.
God the Father
is simply
filled with love.
In 1 John 3
verse 1,
see what kind
of love
the Father
hath lavished
upon us
that we should
be called
children of God
and that is
what we are.
It's a love
with no beginning
and no end,
no start
and no finish.
A love
for us
as infinite
as God
himself
is infinite.
It can't be
measured
or calculated
not even
by our actions.
It's an
unconditional
love.
No human
love
is unconditional
but God's
love for us
carries no
condition.
If someone
was to ask
me this
evening
why I
am a
Christian,
I could
only answer
I love
him because
he first
loved me.
And then
if that
someone
was to
explore with
me why
God loved
me,
all I can
say is
that God
loves me
not for
any qualities
I have,
not for
anything he
can make
out of me,
but because
it's in the
nature of
God the
Father to
love.
Many of us
are fond of
the Christian
singer-songwriter
Stuart Townend,
how deep
the Father's
love for us,
how vast
beyond
all measure.
if the
love of
God the
Father is
the
source of
our
salvation as
Christians,
the grace
of the
Lord Jesus
Christ is
the means
of our
salvation.
How our
becoming
Christians
came about.
The
mechanism
of our
salvation
is the
grace of
God in
the Lord
Jesus
Christ.
In
2 Corinthians
8 verse
9,
the apostle
writes,
you know
the grace
of our
Lord Jesus
Christ that
though he
was rich
yet for
our
sakes he
became
poor so
that you
by his
poverty
might become
rich.
When we
think of
Jesus we
cannot but
think of
the grace
of God
toward us.
Because of
Jesus we
did not
receive what
we deserved.
We received
what we did
not deserve.
On account
of our
sins we
deserved
the
condemnation
of death
but on
the cross
Jesus was
punished
for our
sins and
died to
bear our
condemnation.
On account
of our
sins we
did not
deserve the
riches of
the mercy
and glory
of God
but on
the cross
Jesus earned
them all
for us
and has
freely gifted
them to
us.
Our
salvation may
have cost us
nothing but
it cost the
glorious son
of God
his life
blood shed
on the
cross for
us.
What gift
of grace
is Jesus
my redeemer
that is no
more for
heaven now
to give.
Because of
Jesus Christ
I who
deserved to
die eternally
now by
faith in him
shall live
eternally in
the glory of
my heavenly
father.
because of
Jesus Christ
I whose
sins were
once as
crimson as
blood
now by
faith
wear the
white robe
of the
righteousness
of Christ.
Well if the
love of God
the father
is the
source of
our salvation
why we
are Christians
the grace
of the
Lord Jesus
Christ
the how
of our
becoming
salvation
the means
the
fellowship
of the
Holy
Spirit
is the
purpose
of our
becoming
Christians
the purpose
in the
upper room
discourse
in John
between
John 14
17
Jesus
tells his
disciples
what will
happen to
them
after his
death and
resurrection
and he
says
I will
ask the
father
and he
will give
you another
helper
to be
with you
forever
even the
spirit of
truth
whom the
world cannot
receive
because it
neither sees
him nor
knows him
you know
him
for he
dwells
within you
and will
be in
you
later
Jesus
says
if anyone
loves me
he will
keep my
word
and my
father will
love him
and we
will come
to him
and make
our home
with him
in other
words
the Holy
Spirit
whom
when we
believe
the
father
sends
to live
within
us
is the
presence
of the
fullness
of the
triune
God
with us
in and
through the
Holy Spirit
we have
fellowship
with God
the father
God the
son
here then
is the
purpose of
our salvation
that we
may know
God
and have
fellowship
and communion
with him
in his
high priestly
prayer in
John 17
verse 3
Jesus
describes
what eternal
life is
this is
eternal life
he says
that they
know you
the only
true God
and Jesus
Christ
whom you
have sent
God
when we
read these
words
the
fellowship
of the
Holy
Spirit
we are
to think
of how
the
Holy
Spirit
brings
to our
hearts
the glorious
knowledge
of the
fullness
of God
Father
Son
and Holy
Spirit
that is
why
this is
a
benediction
offering
us
Son
Father
and Spirit
one
God
oh yes
in this
blessing
God is
offering
us
grace
love
and
fellowship
but more
importantly
he is
offering us
himself
he is
saying to
us
I will
know you
and you
will know
me this
week
I'll be
with you
through all
the trials
of this
week
know this
my beloved
child
I take
great
pleasure
in you
and I
will be
with you
always
in the
raising of
hands
at the
end of
the
service
God
is
reminding
us
of the
purpose
of our
salvation
that
he
himself
shall
be our
inheritance
our
portion
and our
reward
not what
he gives
us
but
he
himself
what
does
any
lover
want
but
the
one
he
loves
he
doesn't
want
her
money
he
doesn't
want
her
gold
he
wants
her
the
triune
God
and the
mysterious
glory
of his
trinity
says to
us
you can
have
my
grace
and you
can
have
my
mercy
and you
can
have
my
fellowship
but more
than
anything
else
I
want
to
give
you
myself
God
goes
with us
into the
week that
lies ahead
God
in the
fullness
of all
he is
he goes
with us
and he
says I'll
never leave
you
no I'll
never forsake
you
tells us
about
salvation
well
finally
this
benediction
tells us
about
prayer
one of
my
senior
Christian
mentors
recently
gave me
a book
to read
it's
entitled
distinct
communion
and written
by
Dan
Peters
who some
of you
may
know
building
upon
the
work
of the
English
Puritan
John
Owen
in his
book
communion
with
God
which
some
of you
may
have
read
Dan
suggests
and
proves
from
scripture
and
historic
theology
that
we
as
Christians
can
enjoy
distinct
communion
with
each
person
of the
Holy
Trinity
that
depending
upon
our
situations
and
circumstances
we
may
pray
either
to
Father
to
Son
or
to
Holy
Spirit
Dan
seeing
something
very
important
in this
book
which
is
something
I
want
to
work
on
in
my
private
and
public
prayers
in
this
book
in
this
verse
we
read
the
grace
of
the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
and
the
love
of
God
and
the
fellowship
of
the
Holy
Spirit
be
with
you
all
the
triune
God
is
inviting
us
to
enjoy
his
grace
and
his
love
and
his
fellowship
but
under
the
inspiration
of
the
Holy
Spirit
Paul
is
choosing
his
words
very
carefully
he's
attributing
grace
to
the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
he's
attributing
love
to
God
the
Father
he's
attributing
fellowship
to
the
Holy
Spirit
it's
not
as if
we
can't
attribute
love
and
fellowship
to
the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
it's
not
as if
we
can't
attribute
grace
and
fellowship
to
God
the
Father
and
it's
not
as if
we
can't
attribute
grace
and
love
to
the
Holy
Spirit
but
under
the
inspiration
of
the
Holy
Spirit
in
this
verse
Paul
attributes
grace
to
the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
love
to
God
the
Father
and
fellowship
to
the
Holy
Spirit
remember
the
love
of
God
the
Father
is
the
source
of
our
salvation
the
grace
of
the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
is
the
means
of
our
salvation
and
the
fellowship
of
the
Holy
Spirit
is
the
purpose
of
our
salvation
surely
the
exactness
of
Paul's
words
together
with
the
meaning
for
our
salvation
opens
up
a
new
horizon
for
how
we
can
enjoy
distinct
communion
with
each
person
of
the
Trinity
if
I
feel
rejected
and
unloved
if
I'm
not
sure
whether
God
loves
me
or
not
I
can
address
my
prayers
to
God
the
Father
because
love
comes
from
him
if
I
feel
guilty
and
ashamed
not
at
all
convinced
of
my
right
to
eternal
life
I
can
address
my
prayers
to
God
the
Son
because
grace
comes
from
him
and
if
I
feel
distant
from
God
and
very
much
alone
not
at
all
sure
of
whether
I'll
ever
feel
close
to
him
ever
again
I
can
address
my
prayers
to
God
the
Holy
Spirit
because
fellowship
comes
from
him
if
my
problem
concerns
the
source
of
salvation
I
can
take
it
to
God
the
Father
in
prayer
if
it
concerns
the
means
of
salvation
I
can
take
it
to
the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
in
prayer
if
it
concerns
the
purpose
of
the
salvation
I
can
take
it
to
the
Holy
Spirit
in
prayer
it's
not
wrong
to
pray
just
to
God
for
he
is
triune
and
he
is
one
but
for
our
benefit
Paul
allows
us
access
into the
contributions
of each
person of the
Trinity
to our
salvation
on a
daily
level
why don't
you give
this a
goal
in your
prayers
I
am not
a
fan
of
sci-fi
but
I
know
enough
about
it
to
have
learned
that
in
the
future
spacecraft
!
will
all
have
shields
to
defend
themselves
against
the
laser
beams
of
enemy
spacecraft!
Now
there's a
sense in
which
when a
minister
raises
his
hands
at the
end
of a
service
of
worship
and on
God's
behalf
proclaims
the
benediction
God is
placing a
shield of
protection
around us
so that
whatever may
happen in
the week
ahead
we shall
not merely
cope
but we
shall
overcome
the
blessing
is
placing
a
shield
of
God's
protection
around
us
but
ultimately
as I
said
earlier
the
benediction
is our
glorious
triune
God's
gracious
offer
to us
not just
of the
virtues
of his
love
and of
his grace
and of
his
fellowship
but his
offer
of himself
to us
the
Lord
the
Lord of
heaven
and earth
the
sovereign
God
on the
throne
he
offers
himself
to us
and he
pours
himself
out
upon us
like a
mighty
waterfall
baptizing
us with
his
glorious
and his
gracious
presence
the
only
remaining
question
for us
is this
benediction
for you
is God's
gracious
offer of
himself
in the
blessing
enough
for you
to respond
to him
now in
faith and
trust
praying
Lord
I can't
do life
by myself
I need
you
will you
forgive my
sins even
as I turn
away from
them
will you
grant me
eternal life
even as I
commit myself
to following
you always
will you
do this
now
as even
in a
moment
this
minister
raises
his hands
to offer
you
God
we're
going to
close
as we
sing
together
now
in
Psalm
130
from
the
Scottish
Psalter
page
421
Psalm
130
from
page
421
the
Scottish
Psalter
words
we
all
know
so
well
Lord
from
the
depths
to
thee
I
cried
my
voice
Lord
do
thou
hear
and
to
my
supplications
voice
give
an
attentive
ear
Lord
who
shall
stand
if
thou
O
Lord
should
mark
iniquity
but
yet
with
thee
forgivenesses
that
fear
thou
mayest
be
Psalm
130
the
whole
Psalm
to
God's
praise
verse
!
verse
!
verse
to
thee
I
cried
!
My
voice
for
to
are
here
unto
my
supplications
voice
give
love
a
tent
in
ear
Lord
who
shall
stand
if
thou
O
Lord
to
strive
in
equity
!
But
yet
with
thee
forgivenesses
that
fear
thou
mayest
be
I
wait
for
God
my
soul
doth
wait
my
hope
is
in
his
word
more
than
may
us
are
!
my
soul
wait
the
Lord
!
say
for
how
they
to
watch
night
to
take
!
to
watch
the
morning
night
to
see
!
Let
Israel
open
the
Lord
for
with
mercy
be!
God
see
God
to
!
will
see
and
!
see
us
see
us
in
our
the
earth
completed
and
from
all
his
in
the
in
the
days
he
is
that
shall
be
he
may
the
of the
Christ
the
God
the
of the
Holy Spirit
be with you
all
Amen
who