Let's bow our heads in a word of prayer. Let us pray.
Our Father in heaven, as we gather in your name this evening hour, we thank you for the shelter of this place.
We thank you for the peace that we can have, the calm that we enjoy in the midst of coming round your word when all around us there seems to be the storms of life as well as the natural storms.
We thank you for the great joy that there is in coming among your people and together to worship you, whether it's hearing the word and the presence of one another here or whether we tune in online at home.
We do pray to know your peace with us and to know that you are near, that you are speaking to us.
And we thank you for these words that we have sung together, the words that speak about the enduring nature of your city and the citadels, the towers that surround it.
And speaking of the great wonder of the strength of your place and where your people gather, for it is a city that will always endure, the city of the Lord.
And we thank you that you are the one who keeps it secure, that you keep your people secure down through all the generations.
We thank you that we can, with the psalmist, reflect and look back and contemplate your steadfast love, the steadfast love that the psalmist was able to see in his own experience and that God's people saw in so many different ways,
that enduring steadfast love that you have surrounded your people with.
And we thank you that that is an unchanging love, that your steadfast love is towards us this day,
that the same strength and security that you gave your people then, that you give to your people today,
and that we have that great assurance that whatever rocks this world, whatever shakes the world that we live in,
and knowing ultimately that the great shaking that will come in the day of judgment,
that there is a security in you, and that all who believe and trust in you, they will never be taken from you.
And so we thank you for your great steadfast love in that way.
And we pray that so many others would come to know and experience it for themselves,
that even this evening as we read your word together, as we are reminded of the great benefits that you show towards us,
all that is ours in Christ, that it would become fresh and anew to us all,
and especially to those who have never tasted it before,
that it would become a moment that would open their hearts to receive your word,
and to enjoy the warmth and the blessing of it.
Our hearts that are hard, Lord, we know that you are able to melt them.
We know that, for you have done it to your people.
You have done it to us in the past.
You have done it to people down through all the generations.
We think even of the Apostle Paul and how strong he was in his opposition.
He was persecuting the church, putting your people to the sword,
bringing them so much cruelty, breathing out cruelties, as the word says.
And yet in a moment, you brought him to see the power of God,
and to see the wonder of Christ, and to know your spirit working in him.
And we thank you that they marveled at Paul,
in the same way as they marvel at, we can marvel at the people that you bring to faith to this day.
We see so many lives transformed, even when we look at ourselves, Lord,
the things that were impossible for us to do because of the sinful nature that we have,
and how you brought us to know your grace, your mercy.
And we do thank you for that, and help us to always have that before us,
in order to lose our wonder at the precious nature of your covenant promises,
of all your steadfast promises towards your people,
that we will keep them always in mind, and long to know them more and more,
not just for ourselves, but for all around us.
In the midst of troubles, anxieties, fears, and worries that so many people have,
we pray for the peace of God that passes understanding to surround your people in so many different ways.
And we do thank you again for the church that you are building, that we are part of.
We are not just a congregation here, but we thank you, Lord,
that today is a day of worship to you, a day that has been put aside for that very purpose from the very beginning of time,
a day set aside when we put everything else to one side and come to worship you,
to fellowship with your people, to look to you, to refresh ourselves in you,
in all our activities of the day, that we would find our rest in you and refreshment for today,
and also as we go into the week ahead, that it would be an encouragement to us to feel and know your presence here
and to go out into the working week ahead, or school week, or whatever we are involved in,
whatever we are doing, to know that refreshing power of your Spirit with us,
to know the joy of the Lord as our strength, and to know the wonder of your grace and salvation.
And we pray, Lord, that your people near and far would know and experience that day after day.
For your people are to all ends of the earth, as the Word describes the great vastness of the world in which we live,
and we see it so much ourselves as we see the wonder of satellite images and the enormity of the world,
and yet the enormity of the number of people, yet the wonder of your knowledge towards us,
that there is no one and nothing hidden from you,
but that when the sun rises from the east to the west throughout your days,
that you have that knowledge of your people.
And even as the sun sets and as people go to sleep, as they lay down in the watches of the night,
we know that you never slumber or sleep, as the Word reminds us,
and that you are one who is constantly watching over.
And so we pray, Lord, for all your people, near and far, that you would bless them,
that you would encourage, that you would remember those who are persecuted,
that you remember those who are in very difficult situations and circumstances,
whether it's in times of fear or worry or natural disaster, war or famine.
There are so many things going on, O Lord, in this world,
and we just pray for your goodness and mercy to be over us.
We do remember the cause of your church here.
We thank you for all our people and for all the endeavors to reach out with your Word.
Again, we commit the vacancy at this time to you and the committee that meet on Tuesday evening
for your blessing and wisdom and guidance towards them.
We pray, Lord, for patience as we wait upon you in these things
and that you would ultimately guide us, Lord, that you would show us your will
and that your will be done.
We remember, too, the prayer meetings through the week,
thankful for all that takes place where people gather in your name,
whether it's in Laxdale on Tuesday evening,
in the Seminary on Wednesday and Thursday for English and Gaelic,
we thank you for that unity in prayer.
We pray that you will build us up in that way
and help us always to be a praying people,
coming together to worship you and to wait upon you,
to look to you in dependence for all things.
We thank you, too, for being able to pray for so many different matters going on around us
and as we think of that response that we see on our bulletin that was involved with Tesco
and just the wider issue of the Lord's Day in our islands and far and wide.
Lord, we do pray for blessing and peace to reign over your day and over your people
and that you would bring people to see the wisdom that there is in rest.
It is not just something that Christians seek to demand of people,
but it's something that you and your wisdom have given from the very creation of the world,
an appointment that the more people try to do, the more they see that there is no end to work,
there is no end to tiredness or frustrations or no end to the life and the wheel that we seem to be so often caught up in.
But yet, O Lord, we thank you that you give a break in the week
and it's a wise day to use for your glory and ultimately for rest for all things.
And so we pray, Lord, for people to see and know the wisdom of God in all of that.
And we pray too, Lord, for our young people.
We thank you for them, for the Sunday school, the creche, the tweenies,
for the explorers, the YF and all that goes on with all our young people.
We ask your blessing on all that is done for them and upon them in school as well,
with the teachers and staff and primary schools and the high school.
And we pray for protection, for blessing, for help for those who will soon be sitting prelims in these coming weeks.
As we prepare for them, Lord, take away anxieties, fears and worries that they might have.
I help them to lean upon you and to trust on you and to pray to you for help in the midst of it.
We do pray for students away from home as well.
We remember them, Lord, and ask your blessing over them,
many as they go back to universities and colleges in these coming weeks,
that you would bless them and watch over them.
We remember those belonging to the congregation here in the past
who have gone on to serve you in ministry in different ways.
Remember Muriel, thankful for her, for her ministry in Cambodia.
Remember Scott and Fiona and the girls as they are in North Harris now.
Bless them, Lord, be with them.
Remember Muriel Campbell as he has moved away to Enoch Bain and awaits an induction there.
We pray for your blessing over him and the family.
And as they settle there, as the induction comes around, Lord,
that your blessing be on the congregation.
Think of Roddy Barvis.
He's been connected to this congregation in the past.
And as he comes to us in a few weeks' time, Lord,
we pray for encouragement together as he springs to us the work of international mission too.
And just ask your blessing on him in that work.
And so in all these things, Lord, we look to you,
thankful for the gift of prayer and yet so much that we could still pray for,
that you know our hearts, Lord.
You know our desires.
You know our needs.
And so we lay them before you and ask in all things that you will hear us,
you will pardon us for our sin,
and that your will be done in all things.
So go with us now.
Bless your word as we sing it,
as we open it up, reading it together and sharing from it,
that you would guide us in all of our thoughts.
For we ask it all in Jesus' name and for his sake.
Amen.
Sing.
O God, what time thou didst go forth
before thy people's face,
and when through the great wilderness,
thy glorious marching was.
Then at God's presence shook the earth,
and drops from heaven fell,
the sign I shook before the Lord,
the God of Israel.
O God, how to thine heritage
did send a plenteous rain,
whereby thou went and weary was,
didst it refresh again.
Thy congregation then
did make their habitation there,
of thine own goodness for the poor.
O God, thou didst prepare,
the Lord himself did give the word,
the word abroad did spread.
Great was the company of them,
the same who published it.
We'll turn and read God's word together now.
We're going to read first of all
in the Gospel of John, chapter 1.
Gospel of John, chapter 1,
we're going to read from the beginning
down to verse 18,
and then we'll turn to the book of Psalms
and Psalm 103.
So our first reading is in the Gospel of John,
chapter 1.
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through him,
and without him was not anything made
that was made.
In him was life,
and the life was the light of men.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God
whose name was John.
He came as a witness
to bear witness about the light
that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to bear witness about the light.
The true light which enlightens everyone
was coming into the world.
He was in the world,
and the world was made through him.
Yet the world did not know him.
He came to his own,
and his own people did not receive him.
But to all who did receive him,
who believed in his name,
he gave the right to become children of God,
who were born not of blood,
not of the will of the flesh,
not of the will of man,
but of God.
And the Word became flesh,
and dwelt among us.
And we have seen his glory,
glorious of the only Son,
from the Father,
full of grace and truth.
John bore witness about him,
and cried out,
This was he of whom I said,
He who comes after me ranks before me,
because he was before me.
And from his fullness
we have all received grace upon grace.
For the law was given through Moses.
Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God.
The only God,
who is at the Father's side,
he has made him known.
Then we'll turn to a reading in Psalm 103,
in the book of Psalms.
And we can read from the beginning of the Psalm,
down to verse 13.
Psalm 103.
You'll find this around page 602.
We read from the beginning,
down to verse 13.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me.
Bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
Who forgives all your iniquities.
Who heals all your diseases.
Who redeems your life from the pit.
Who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.
Who satisfies you with good,
so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.
The Lord works righteousness and justice
for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger,
and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love
towards those who fear him.
As far as east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
As our Father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
And so on.
And may God bless these readings from his word.
Before we come and look at this passage together,
we'll sing again in Psalm 147.
The Sing Psalms Version, page 193.
We're singing from verse 14 down to the end of the psalm.
Psalm 147, page 193.
At verse 14,
We'll sing from verse 14 down to the end of the psalm.
The Lord will grant you peace within
The borders of your land,
And finest wheat will fill your fields
From his sustaining hand
To all the corners of the earth,
The Lord's commands proceed
For when he speaks,
His word goes forth
Through all the world with speed
He spreads the snow
As wool the frost
Like ashes on the land
He hurls forth, I say
Hail like stones
Who can such gold withstand
But when he sends
His mighty word
And makes the warm wind
The frozen waters
Start to melt
And once again
To flow
To Jacob
God
Declares
His word
And makes
His doctrines
Known
His ordinances
He reveals
To Israel
Alone
He has not dealt
In such a way
With any other race
To us
Alone
He shows
His laws
O praise
The Lord
Of grace
We can turn back
Together
To our second reading
In the book of Psalms
In Psalm 103
This evening
We're going to look
At the section
From verse 6
Down to verse 13
But just
Bear in mind
Verse 2
Which is the theme
Of the psalm
That we started
Looking at a couple
Of weeks ago
In verse 2
It says
Bless the Lord
O my soul
And forget
Not all his benefits
Forget not all his benefits
And then in the psalm
It goes on to outline
The benefits
That are ours
Through God
And so we continue
That theme
In verse 6
To verse 13
This evening
We're going to look
At some of the benefits
That we find here
In verse 6
It says
The Lord
Works righteousness
And justice
For all who are oppressed
He made known
His ways
To Moses
His acts
To the people
Of Israel
And so it goes on
We all experience
Times of reflection
In our lives
In different ways
We come to points
And experiences
Sometimes it can be
Because of appointed days
Or special days
That come our way
Rememberance day
Is always a time
Of reflection
When we look back
And remember
Great sacrifice
Made for us
Our new year's day
It's always a time
When we reflect
We've just had that
And I'm sure
Many of us
Spent some time
There reflecting
And looking back
On our own lives
Or on the past year
The lives of others
It's a time
Of just looking
And seeing
What's going on
Around us
So we can see it
In a broad way
We can also see it
In a narrow way
In our own lives too
When we think of
Our own personal
Reflections
Or remembrances
It can be
Maybe a significant date
In our own experience
In life
It might be a special occasion
A happy occasion
It could also be
A sad occasion
That brings to mind
Things from the past
Or even things
In the present
That we reflect on
So we have them
In a personal way
And in a broad way
In a general sense too
But we also have
Moments of remembrance
When we see
In the scriptures too
When you look
Through God's word
You find
That God
God has always
Put that significance
Of remembrance
Into the hearts
Of his people
You think of
The Old Testament
And the remembrance
Of the deliverance
The exodus
From Egypt
He gave them
The Passover
Something that they
Were to remember
In all the generations
Afterwards
To remember
The deliverance
That God
Had given to them
And then you see
In the New Testament
As we see the Passover
Being replaced
By the Lord's Supper
And the deliverance
From sin
For God's people
Through the sacrifice
Made by Jesus Christ
So we have the Lord's Supper
That we continue
To remember
And it's a time
Of reflection
Personal reflection
Congregational reflection
And just reflection
In general
As to the benefits
That we read of
Here in Psalm 103
For example
We reflect on
God's goodness
To us
And in many ways
We're seeing in this
Psalm
David reflecting
And looking back
In his own experience
And also
Looking forward
In his own experience
Too
And in his reflection
You see
Sometimes it's a very
Personal reflection
Very intimate to himself
Other times
It's looking in a broader
Sense as well
But what he's doing
For us
Is showing us
The benefits
That are ours
In Christ
And for ourselves
This evening
We're thinking of it
Under that heading
The believer's benefits
To know
The benefits
That he's speaking of here
We must as a people
Have faith
In the Lord Jesus Christ
To enjoy
These benefits
In their fullness
And David here
Is just looking at
In this sense
And from his very soul
It begins with that sense
In the Psalm
In verse 1
Bless the Lord
Oh my soul
And all that is within me
There's a sense
Of everything that I am
Everything that I have
I want to praise it
I want to give praise
To you Lord
For all of your benefits
To me
And so we began
Looking at this Psalm
A couple of weeks ago
Looking at the benefits
And we saw
In verse 1 to 5
The benefits
That David
Outlines for us
We saw forgiveness
Healing
Redemption
Crowning
And satisfying
And we went into
The details
Of just what
These benefits
Mean
And meant
And we want to
Continue that theme
This evening
By looking at this
Psalm
And see the benefits
That we see
In verse 6 to 13
And there's four
I want to highlight
To us this evening
But before we
Before we do come
Into the details
Of it
Before we look
At it some more
I want to first
Share something
That Charles Spurgeon
Said about this
Psalm
It's like a chord
With me
And it just
Helps us to see
Just the wonder
Of these words
As we look at them
He's got away
With words
Charles Spurgeon
So I don't mind
Quoting him
His words
Are more eloquent
Than mine
But he says this
As in the lofty Alps
Some peaks
Rise above all others
So among even
The inspired psalms
There are heights
Of song
Which overtop
The rest
This 103rd Psalm
Has ever seemed
To us
To be the Mount Rosa
Of the divine chain
Of mountains
Of praise
Glowing with
A ruddier light
Than any of the rest
It is as the apple tree
Among the trees
Of the wood
And its golden fruit
Has a flavour
Such as no fruit
Ever bears
Unless it has been
Ripened
In the full sunshine
Of marshy
He's got away
With words
All right
But what you see
Him saying there
Is basically that
Although all the word
Of God
Is precious
We're not
Putting it on
A pedestal
In that sense
Every word
Is God breathed
But yet he says
There are these ones
That just seem to
Rise higher
Than the others
The mountaintops
Mount Rosa
Is one of the highest
Peaks
In the Alps
And he's saying
On its pinnacle
You're just seeing
The height
The wonder
The glory of it
And that Psalm
103
In the midst of others
It rises above
And just shows us
The wonder
Of God's mercies
And God's benefits
Towards us
And so this evening
We want to continue
To climb this mountain
To see
What David is saying
To us
About these benefits
And just see
The wonder
Of these benefits
To all who believe
In the Lord Jesus
And so like I said
There's four
I want to look at
This evening
Four benefits
From verse 6
To verse 13
The first one
Is this
God acts
For us
That's one of our benefits
The second one
Is he is merciful
And patient
The third one
Is he is gracious
And the fourth
He is compassionate
So we want to go
Through these four
First of all
God acts
For us
We see this
In verse 6
And verse 7
I'm sure
You've either
Said it
Or you've heard
This said
Maybe you've said it
Today
Maybe you've said it
More than once today
Do I have to do
Everything myself
Maybe you've just said it
In the last hour
Before coming out
To church
Do I have to do
Everything myself
You've asked someone
To do something
And the usual reply
Is in a minute
And a couple of hours
Later you come back
Nothing's done
Do I have to do
Everything myself
As David reflects
On the benefits here
It's almost like
He's being reminded
Of God
Who's saying
Do I have to do
Everything myself
For you
But not in a way
Of having a goal
But in a sense
Of just realising
As David would
And we should
Our own helplessness
That we cannot act
In the ways that God can
And the way God has
For his people
That we realise
That our cause
Is hopeless
Except the Lord
Act on our behalf
He says there in verse 6
The Lord works
Righteousness and justice
For all who are oppressed
He has made known
His ways to Moses
His acts
To the people
Of Israel
And what we see here
Is left to our own devices
We stumble
And we fall
Left to our own devices
We would say to the Lord
In a minute
I'll sort it
And yet we leave things
We leave things undone
But the great benefit
That we see here
Is that the Lord
Acts for us
And we see He acts here
In two different ways
He acts in His actions
In what He does
But also in what He says
In His words
The Lord acts for us
How do you deal
With the sin
In this world
How do you make things right
We would love
To put everything right
In this world
We would love
To have justice
In this world
To those who are oppressed
We would love
To be able to take them
Out of that oppression
To right every wrong
In this world
But we can't
We can't do it
And when we look
At ourselves
Our own righteousness
Our own actions
They're just like
Filthy rags
Before the Lord
There is nothing
That we can put right
In this world
By ourselves
Because we are spoiled
We are marred
By sin
But what we find here
Is that the Lord
Works
The Lord
Acts
He acts righteously
And He acts on justice
To all who are oppressed
And He speaks
He has made known
His way to Moses
His acts
To the people of Israel
He has continued
To speak
To His people
And that's what we sang of
In Psalm 147
The last psalm
That we just sung
In verse 18
It says
But when He sends
His mighty word
And makes the warm winds blow
The frozen waters
Start to melt
And once again
To flow
It's this image
Just like what we've seen
Overnight
Last night
How the snow
And the ice
Was there
But when that warm wind
Comes
It disappears
How quickly
It's gone today
And that's
The way we can see
That God acts
That in the same way
That as He speaks
And as He acts
He is able to do things
That we could never do
Ourselves
It's impossible
If we were to think
Of this for ourselves
And think
Well
We have to sort
These problems
We have to sort
The injustice
To people
We have to sort
Our own righteousness
We have to be right
With God
By ourselves
It would be such
A burden
That we could never
Carry it
We could never manage it
We could never do it
But the benefit
That we have
Is that the Lord
Works
And the Lord
Acts
God has acted
On our behalf
There is no justice
That we could achieve
Ourselves
There is no salvation
That we could achieve
Ourselves
It is He
That acts
And we thank God
That He does
The Lord has
Acted on our behalf
The Lord has showed
This towards us
We saw it
In the last time
We were looking at it
How He redeems
Our life
How He
All these benefits
He forgives
In our iniquities
He heals our diseases
We can't do it
Ourselves
But yet we are
Precious
To Him
He crowns you
With steadfast love
And mercy
It says in verse 4
And we see this again
In verse 6 and 7
How He acts
In His steadfast love
And mercy
Towards us
We hear the wind
This evening
Going up again
And bad forecast
Again overnight
We see storms
Coming
And so often
Storms bring damage
With them
A few years ago
During one storm
That came our way
There was a barge
It was a salmon feed barge
That was moored
And it broke
Its mooring
I can't remember
Exactly where it was
But it ended up
Drifting in the minch
And it ended up
Being sunk
Because it had drifted
It had been damaged
It went on the rocks
It wasn't old
It had just been
Fairly newly built
Cost a million pounds
But after I'd been
Raked
On the rocks
The question was being asked
Is it worth salvaging?
Is it worth doing anything
To try and
Get it back?
Something that cost
A million pounds
You're thinking
Surely
There's got to be
Some benefit
In getting it back
Something can be done
But even the question
Being asked
Is it worth it?
And you think to God
Well
The way God acts
The way God works
Does he act in that way?
Does he look on us
And say
Is it worth
Saving these people?
Is it worth
The difficulty?
Is it worth
The hassle?
Is it worth
That what he says
Yes
We know that God
Didn't count up a cost
For our salvation
And say
I'm not sure
Is it worth it?
Because as we see
The words that are used here
Who redeems your life
From the pit?
He's saying
It is worth it
My action is worth it
He took action
He acted on our behalf
Because what was impossible
For us
He did
He did in his son
Christ Jesus
He acted
For us
So we have the benefit
There
Of God's action
And God's
Word
To us
As we read
In John 1
We read of the word
Who became flesh
And dwelt among us
And we have seen
His glory
Glory of the only son
From the father
Full of grace
And truth
The Lord
Has acted
And the Lord
Has spoken
And so he continues
To give us
This benefit
He communicates
To us
He speaks
To us
He acts
For us
The second benefit
We see here
Is he is
Merciful
And kind
He is
Merciful
And kind
The Lord
Is merciful
And gracious
Slow to anger
And abounding
In steadfast
Love
Patience
It's something
That we don't
Always have
Again you think of
Do I have to do
Everything myself?
You're asking that
Out of impatience
Have you ever had
Your patience
Tested?
It's not so much
A question to ask us
How many times
Have you had
Your patience
Tested?
I'm sure we could say
Many times
And we've tested
People's patience
Ourselves
Many times
But have you ever
Asked yourself
I wonder
Have I tested
God's patience?
Are my actions
Are what I'm doing
The way I'm living
Is it testing
God's patience?
Patience
The question again
Should be
Have I tested
It shouldn't be
Have I tested
God's patience
But how many times
Have I tested
God's patience?
You see it with
The children of Israel
In the Exodus
Testing God's patience
Again and again
With the way that
They were treating him
The way that
They were acting
No matter what he did
For them
They seemed to just
Do their own thing
And we're the same
I just have to look
At my own life
And examine
How many times
Have I grumbled
Or complained to God
How many times
Have I said
God
You don't know
What you're doing
I'll do it my way
We do it all the time
We're testing his patience
And yet here we read
The benefit that we have
That he doesn't act
As he should
Towards us
Or that he could
Towards us
The Lord is merciful
And gracious
Slow to anger
And abounding
In steadfast love
How do you know
When someone's angry
Against you?
If it's getting serious
If it's getting to a point
Of rage
Quite often
It's the nostrils
That give it away
They start flaring
There's a real anger
And we're not here
Talking just
In a bad mood
With someone
We're not talking about
I'm not talking to you
At the moment
We're talking
A serious kind of anger
That the Lord
Restrains from
Because you see
The words that are used there
The Lord is
Merciful and gracious
And especially
The Lord is slow
To anger
The literal translation
Of slow
To anger
There is
His nostrils
Don't flare
In anger
That's the literal
Translation
It doesn't
Go to the point
Where his nostrils
Flare
Because if it did
We could never stand
Against God's anger
And God's wrath
We could never
Stand
Psalm 130
Speaks of that
Who could stand?
Who could stand
Before you Lord?
We couldn't
But the benefit
That we see here
Is he is merciful
He is gracious
He is slow
To anger
And abounding
In steadfast love
His ways
Are not our ways
His thoughts
Are not our thoughts
He doesn't act
Like we do
He has a greater
Patience
Than we do
The Lord
In other words
God's mercy
It's relentless
It's unending
He wants his people
To be saved
That is his longing
That is his desire
Because a day is coming
When that wrath
Will come
But in his mercy
Just now
He is gracious
And slow
To anger
It is not never ending
Because there is a warning
There is a warning
There for us as well
It will not always
Be so
He will not leave
The guilty unpunished
He will bring justice
As it says
To the oppressed
But he will bring
Judgment upon
All who reject
And all who
Put him away
All who ignore him
You ignore him
At your peril
But today
We live
In a day
Of his mercy
He is slow
To anger
And so it is a day
To respond
This is one of the
Great benefits
For you
If you are not
Believing this evening
That he is patient
That he is slow
To anger
But it is a warning
It is a warning
Of the serious nature
Of who God is
That he will
On the day of judgment
Pour out
That anger
And we cannot stand
Then
The Lord is merciful
And gracious
Slow to anger
And abounding
In steadfast love
But he will not
Always
Chide
Nor will he
Keep his anger
Forever
We also see
It is closely
Linked to this
As well
His gracious
Nature
As well
We mentioned
The word
Gracious
There
But it goes on
In this psalm
As well
In verse 10
He does not
Deal with us
According to our sins
Nor repay us
According to our
Iniquities
As we come in
To worship
God
As we come
We realise
Our sin
We realise
Our sins
That are many
And worse
Than we want
To believe
And it sounds
A strange benefit
That that's one of
The benefits
We have
When we come
In to worship
God
But God shows us
As we are
He is merciful
He is gracious
He is slow
To anger
But when he shows us
Our sin
It's in a benefit
Way as well
Because it helps us
To understand
That in our sins
That are many
His mercy is more
As the hymn says
We realise
How much
We have
Fallen short
Of his glory
We realise
How far away
We are
From where we
Should be
As we come in
To worship
A holy God
As we come
Before his word
We realise
He does not
Deal with us
According to our sins
Nor repay us
According to our
Iniquities
What's he talking about?
Are we not good people?
No
We're not
But he is
Gracious
He is gracious
And we should
Never lose sight
Of that
The great cost
Involved for our sins
To be forgiven
The great cost
If he was to deal
With us
According to our sins
We would be lost
But what did he do
To deal with our sins?
He sent Christ
That he would take
Our sins
For us
Because we couldn't
Do it ourselves
We see there
His action
Towards his people
That he might
Save them
From their sins
He sent his son
Martin Luther
Described it
In this way
He said
Although out of pure grace
God does not
Impute our sins
To us
He nonetheless
Did not want
To do this
Until complete
And ample
Satisfaction
Of his law
And his righteousness
Had been made
Since this
Was impossible
For us
God ordained
For us
In our place
One
Who took upon himself
All the punishment
We deserve
He fulfilled
The law
For us
He averted
The judgment
Of God
From us
And appeased
God's wrath
Grace
Therefore
Cost us
Nothing
But it cost
Another much
To get it
For us
Grace
Was purchased
With an incalculable
Infinite
Treasure
The son
Of God
Himself
The wonder
Of God's
Grace
So as we read
Here in verse 10
He does not
Deal with us
According
To our sins
That is
The wonder
Of his grace
Now when you think
Of that grace
It's not just
For a moment
When you think
Of the hymn
Amazing Grace
You think of the author
Who wrote it
John Newton
And the wonder
Of that grace
That saved him
That grace
That saved
A wretch
Like me
But he's not just
Talking about
A moment's grace
Because he goes on
To express it
In that way
It's much more
Than just about
The grace
Of conversion
Because he says
Through many dangers
Toils
And snares
We have already
Come
It's this
Ongoing grace
It was grace
That brought us
Safe thus far
And grace
Will lead us
Home
So it's not just
Grace
For a moment
But grace
That keeps us
Day by day
Grace
That will see us
Home
Is that not
A wonderful benefit
Is that not
Something that we
Should be so
Thankful to God
For
That as we
Believe in him
We have that grace
Not just for a moment
But for every moment
Of every day
And the grace
That will sustain us
And see us
Home
Give thanks to God
If you know this grace
And if you don't
Pray
Pray to know
That wonder
Amazing grace
That is able to save
Saved a wretch
Like me
Not just John Newton
Would say that
Any sinner
Could say that
We are saved
As wretches
By the grace
Of God
He is gracious
The fourth
And final
Benefit
We see here
He is compassionate
When you look at
Verse
11
Through to
Verse 13
For as high as the heavens
Are above the earth
So great
Is his steadfast love
Towards those
Who fear him
As far as east
Is from the west
So far does he
Remove our
Transgressions
From us
Then you have
These words
In verse
As a father
Shows compassion
To his children
So the Lord
Shows compassion
To those
Who fear him
The benefit
Of a compassionate
God
He doesn't deal
With our sins
According
To our sins
But instead
As far as
East is from
The west
He has removed
Our transgressions
From us
Why
Because he has
This relationship
Of compassion
As a father
To his children
We have
We have this
Great benefit
Of being
In the family
Of God
We read it
Throughout the scriptures
We read it
In
John chapter 1
Of how we are
Children of God
He describes
In the letter
Of 1st John
We see it there
In chapter 3
As well
See what kind of love
The father has given
To us
That we should be called
Children of God
And so we are
The reason why
The world does not
Know us is that
It did not
Know him
Beloved
We are God's
Children
Now
There is this
Relationship
That we have
Through faith
In Christ
We are God's
Children
And there are
Benefits in us
In us
For us
In that
We know God
As our father
As far as
East is from
The west
He has removed
Our transgressions
Why as a father
Shows
Compassion
To his children
And what a benefit
We have
To know him
As our father
We all have
Different experiences
In life
Of when we were
Children
And I remember
Growing up
Myself
When I was young
If I did
Something wrong
The first instinct
Was to try and
Hide that wrong
From my parents
I don't know
How much
Super glue
I went through
Trying to hide
My faults
From my parents
Because it would
So often happen
If I was playing
With my sister
It seemed to be
That something
Would bounce off me
And I would
Kick something
And would always
Knock over
An ornament
And you were
There trying to
Glue it back
Together before
They would see
It was
Far too obvious
When they came
Home that
Something was
Wrong
We cannot
Hide it
But it's
Our natural
Instinct
To try and
Hide it
From our
Parents
And we see
It's an instinct
That is in man
From the very
Beginning
Because as soon
As Adam and Eve
Had done wrong
In the garden
Their first instinct
Was to hide
To hide away
It's just
In us
And yet
When we see
A compassionate
Father here
We see
He's not out
Just to punish
Us
He's out
To heal us
To restore
Us
In right
Relationship
With him
As a father
Shows compassion
To his children
So the Lord
Shows compassion
To those
Who fear him
That when
There's a right
Fear
When there's a
Right fear
It is
Knowing that
We have
Let someone
Down
That we have
Failed someone
And we're afraid
Of those
Consequences
But the Lord
Shows us
This compassion
Shows us
This steadfast
Love
Compassion
Towards those
Who fear him
In the great
Distances
That we see
Mentioned here
As high as the
Heavens are above
The earth
So great
Is this steadfast
Love towards
Those who fear him
And then we see
It was sin
As far as east
Is from the west
So far as he
Removed our
Transgressions
From us
There's love
And there's
Transgressions
And there's
This great
Distance
But there are
So many
Verses that
Remind us
That God
Is gathering
His people
From a distance
And one of
Them is in
Deuteronomy
30 verse 3
And it really
Speaks about
This relationship
Of the father
Towards his
Children
Showing compassion
And it says
Then the Lord
Your God
Will restore
Your fortunes
And have
Compassion on
You
And he will
Gather you again
From all the
Peoples
Where the Lord
Your God
Has scattered
You
He is bringing
His people
In
He is bringing
His children
In
He is bringing
His children
Home
It's like the
Parable of the
Prodigal son
That speaks of
That compassion
Of the father
Who saw his son
Coming back
From a distance
And he ran
Towards him
He showed him
Not what he
Deserved
But he showed
Him mercy
He showed him
His steadfast
Love
He showed his
Compassion
And God
Has that
Compassion
Still
Towards those
Who fear him
And it's
Always in the
Midst of
Everything
Going right
We are so
Often taught
The compassion
Of God
When things
Are not going
Our way
The way that
We would want
Them to go
And in great
Difficulty
Sometimes
We see the
Steadfast love
Of God
That is
Unchanging
There was a
Missionary called
Alan Gardner
And he
Spent many
Of his
Years
As a
Missionary
To different
Parts of
South America
And he
Suffered
Many
Troubles
During his
Years as a
Missionary
And ultimately
During his
Mission
He lost
His life
In 1851
At the age
Of 57
He died
Of starvation
And disease
Having become
Drifted away
From where
He'd been
Staying
And ministering
In
He was
Abandoned
In a
Shipwreck
Almost
And he
Was left
By himself
He starved
To death
And it
Wasn't a
Quick death
It was
Something he
Suffered a
Lot in
And it
Took time
But he
Had kept
A journal
Even in
Those latter
Days
A journal
That you
Can still
See to
This
Day
And in
It he
Was writing
Down his
Own thoughts
And quotes
From the
Psalms
And different
Things
One point
He wrote
Down the
Verse
From
Psalm 34
Verse 10
The young
Lions
Do lack
And suffer
Hunger
But they
That seek
The Lord
Shall not
Lack
Any good
Thing
In the
Midst of
His
Starving
He was able
To write
These words
Although
We're hungry
Those who
Trust the
Lord
Those who
Seek the
Lord
Shall not
Lack
Anything
Good
What a
Testimony
And the
Last words
That he
Wrote
Before he
Passed away
That they
Found in
His diary
Was I
Am
Overwhelmed
With a
Sense of
The
Goodness
Of God
The
Compassion
Of God
That in
The midst
Of such
Difficulty
And trials
And sorrow
Knowing his
Life was
Coming to
An end
He was
Overwhelmed
With a
Sense
Of the
Goodness
Of God
What a
Benefit
We have
In knowing
Christ
What benefits
Are ours
Through faith
In him
We have
So many
We could
Unpack so
Many more
Even in
These few
Verses
We'll come
Back to the
Last few
Verses
Another time
But the
More that you
Look at this
Psalm
The more
You look at
The word
Of God
You realise
The benefits
That are ours
In Christ
The benefits
That we have
Through faith
May we
Long for
Them more
May we
Thank God
For them
More
That he
Doesn't act
Towards us
As we
Deserve
But that he
Is merciful
Gracious
Slow to
Anger
All of
These things
That we
Might find
Hope
In him
Let us
Pray
Our
Father in
Heaven
We do
Thank you
For all
Your
Gracious
Benefits
Towards us
They are
More than
We can
Number
And the
More that
We see
The more
That we
Seek to
Understand
How
Little we
Know of
Them
And yet
The wonder
Of them
Lord
We thank
You for
Your
Grace
Your
Mercy
Your
Slow to
Anger
All of
These
Things
You do
Not
Deal with
Us
As we
Deserve
We
Thank
You
For
That
And we
Pray to
Know
Your
Grace
More and
More
Lord
Pardon
Our
Sins
Pardon
Our
Forgetfulness
Of
You
And all
Of
These
Things
As we
Ask it
In
Jesus
Name
Amen
We'll
Bring our
Worship
To
Our
Close
By
Singing
In
Psalm
32
In
The
Scottish
Psalter
Page
244
Psalm
32
We'll
Sing
From
Verse
6
To
Verse
8
For
!
For
This
Shall
Every
Godly
One
His
Prayer
Make
To
Thee
In
Such
A
Time
He
Shall
Thee
Seek
As
Found
Thou
Mayest
Be
As
Found
Thou
Mayest
Be
As
Found
Thou
Mayest
Be
In
Such
A
Time
He
Shall
Thee
Seek
As
Found
Thou
Mayest
Be
Surely
When
Floods
Of
Waters
Great
Do
Swell
Up
To
The
Prim
They
Shall
Not
Overwhelm
His
Soul
Nor
Once
Come
Near
To
Him
Nor
Once
Come
Near
To
Him
They
Shall
Not
Overwhelm
His
Soul
Nor
Once
Come
Near
To
Him
Thou
Art
My
Hiding
Place
Thou
Shalt
From
Trouble
Keep
Me
Free
Thou
With
Songs
Of
Deliberance
About
Shall
Come
Pass
Me
About
Shall
Come
Pass
Me
About
Shall
Come
Pass
Me
Thou
With
Songs
Of
Deliberance
About
Shall
Come
Pass
Me
I
Will
Instruct
The
And
The
Teach
The
Way
That
Thou
Shall
Go
And
With
Mine
Eye
Upon
The
Set
I
Will
Direction
Show
I
Will
Direction
Show
I
Will
Direction
Show
And
With
Mine
Eye
Upon
Me
Set
I
Will
Thy
Direction
Show
After the
benediction I'll go to the door to my left.
We'll close with the benediction.
Now may grace, mercy and peace from God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon and abide with you all now and forevermore.
! Amen.
Thank you.