Now, for those of you who perhaps weren't with us on Friday or last night, let me just
! explain very briefly that we're going through a theme that's called In the Garden. On Friday
! night, I introduced that theme by reading Genesis chapter 2 and by exploring some of
the areas of interest that arise out of the creation of humanity, i.e. Adam and Eve.
And we looked at some of the features of that chapter, which are the features of our identity
as human beings. Last night, we spoke about how the perfect equilibrium that existed between
God and Adam and Eve was ruined by the fall. We looked at the process in which Eve and Adam
fell by disobeying God, by rejecting the command, the prohibition that he had given to them,
and we saw some of the consequences of that. We didn't have time to look at how God evicted
them from the garden and how he set the cherubim with a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree
of life. But we looked at how God had promised that in difficulty there would be the work that
man would try to do. There would be the difficulty in childbearing. There would be the loss of that
perfect balance in the relationship between husband and wife. And of course, that applies to
all different relationships in the world in which the balance that would have been there
was upset by the fall. And then we looked, of course, lastly, at how God promised the serpent
that he would one day be destroyed. And that is what I want to follow up on today. Because here in this
chapter, there is a confrontation between the Son of God, who was made man, who came into the world in
our nature as one of us, and who confronted the same serpent at the very beginning of his ministry.
This was only the very beginning of several confrontations that there were with the evil
one, the serpent, as he made his way and as he prepared for the cross. And it's in that context
that I think we ought to understand Matthew chapter 4, the temptation. I'm sure you've often heard sermons
on it. I've preached on it a number of times. And I've often taken the line that you'll hear from many
preachers. I'm not saying it's a bad line. I'm not saying it's a bad interpretation. But you've often
heard people saying, well, here is the way that the devil tempted Jesus. And here is how Jesus resisted
that temptation. This is how we are to resist temptation. You've heard that before. I've preached
it before. What I want to suggest to you this morning is that although that's true, it's not the point
of the passage. The primary point of the passage is to recognize Jesus re-enacting the Garden of Eden.
And there are certain continuities about this re-enactment as well as certain discontinuities
in it. And that's what I want to explore with you this morning. But particularly in relation to Jesus'
preparation for the cross. Because we always remember that the ministry of Jesus and the death of Jesus
are inextricably related. The ministry of Jesus, or rather the life of Jesus, we don't know much about
his young days, but we do know a lot about his ministry, his parables, his miracles, his conversations,
his teaching. All of that was in preparation for the cross. So was the temptation. And I believe it is
impossible to understand the temptation fully without seeing it in relation to the cross. Which of course
relates to the reason why we're here today to remember Jesus' death on the cross. So I hope you'll
see this passage as it is connected with Jesus. And I hope that comes out as we look at it together.
Here is the second Adam. He is placed into this world. He's at the beginning of his ministry, the baptism of
Jesus marked the beginning of his public ministry. And the first thing that happens is that he's led out
into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Now it would be someone who is pretty inastute, who would
not recognize how that matches the very first events in Genesis chapter 2 and chapter 3. Except this time,
instead of a garden where there are trees and an abundance of fruit and provision for him, there is
nothing. And that nothingness is the consequence of the fall. Here is what Adam has done. Here's what
humanity has done. They've changed the world from being a garden in which there is plenty and perfection
into a world in which there is misery and aloneness and isolation and hunger. And of course, all the
sin and the misery. Remember what the catechism said. The catechism says this,
the fall brought mankind into an estate of sin and misery. That kind of just sums it up, doesn't it? It
brought mankind into an estate of sin and misery. And we all recognize that. So did Jesus. That's what
he was confronted with. And now he is going to be, at the very beginning of his ministry, he's going to be
confronted with the same serpent that confronted Eve in the garden. I'm not sure how much the serpent knew
either about what it meant for Jesus to be the son. I know he uses the language of, if you are the son of God.
I'm not sure how much he knew. I'm not sure how much he knew. Again, I'll leave that with you. The devil
doesn't know everything. He's not omniscient. He doesn't know everything. So it's just a question
that intrigues me. Neither am I sure of whether he knew exactly the way that God was going to secure
our... His purpose was to destroy Jesus. But little did he know that in trying to destroy Jesus,
he was actually carrying out the plan of God for our salvation. When Jesus died on the cross,
it appeared that Satan had the complete victory. That was his design. And yet we read, Paul tells us
in 1 Corinthians, we impart a secret wisdom from God, which God decreed before the ages of our glory.
Here's what it says. None of the rulers of this age understood it. Rulers of this age? Satan, the serpent.
If they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. So that's my proof for saying,
I'm not quite sure how much the devil understood what God was actually doing in the death of Jesus.
Jesus. Otherwise, he would have had a different plan. That's what Paul says. Not my words, but Paul.
And that's, of course, because our redemption necessitated death. Without death, without the shedding of blood,
God says there is no forgiveness. It's his ultimate purpose in securing our forgiveness was the death of his son,
that ultimate sacrifice for our salvation. So with these things in mind, let's just explore
the three temptations that we read about in Matthew chapter 4. And let's try and understand what the devil
is doing, not just in what he says, but in what lies behind what he says. Remember what we saw that,
how subtle he was in the conversation with Eve. Remember how I said to you yesterday that at no time does
Satan ever say to Eve, I want you to eat that fruit. But what he does is he creates the conditions,
opens up the possibility of another alternative. And while in this case, he is most definitely telling
Jesus what to do. He's also behind the scenes, he's opening up other possibilities for Jesus. And I want
us to see that how as we go along. The first of these temptations, as you know, was the temptation to
command these stones to turn into bread. And I think we can understand the tactic here, where he comes and
he says, if you're the son of God, how is this possible? You are the son of God, whatever that means.
You're the son of God. And yet you've been 40 days without eating. You're starving. You're in the
wilderness. You're alone. You're the creator of the universe. You've come from heaven. How is this
possible for someone in your position to not be able to eat? It's incongruous. It doesn't make sense.
It just defies all logic. You can see his point, can't you? And there's something in us that says,
well, why didn't Jesus just command the stones to become bread? It's something maybe he should have
thought of beforehand himself. I mean, why did he have to allow himself to descend into such a level
of poverty and starvation, where he didn't eat for 40 days? But there was a reason for Jesus fasting.
I'm not quite sure if I understand fasting. You find it all the way through the Bible. You find it in our
history books. Fasting was a feature of even this island at one point in time, particularly roundabout
communion times. An interesting subject, isn't it? I'm not quite sure how it connects. But one thing I do
know is that it's connected with prayer. It's very, very clear in the Bible that fasting has no merit in
itself. It's not some kind of way of earning God's favor. But it seems to be some way of clearing away
every other distraction so that I can focus my mind entirely on God. And I believe that's the only way
of making sense of it here in this passage. So this was at the very beginning of his ministry.
Jesus was sent out into the wilderness, specifically to be tempted by the devil, and he needs
the company of God the Father. Well, of course, he would have the company of God the Father anyway. But
there are times, aren't there? There's a passage in, I think it's Mark chapter 2, where he gets up early
in the morning, goes up a mountain to pray. There are specific times where he needs that communion
with the Father that he perhaps doesn't have the same time for when he's doing other things.
There are specific times of prayer in the life of Jesus, specific times when he's. And Jesus,
this is one of those times at the very beginning of his ministry, where for him, fasting was absolutely
essential in the fulfillment of the ministry that Jesus gave him to do, which of course would culminate
in his death. We're not told what transpired between Jesus and the Father and how this period
fitted into his overall mission. But it did fit. It had to happen. And he needed this intense communion
with the Father in order to confront the devil. That's maybe a lesson for us as well, that perhaps
the reason we are so easily tempted is because we need to work on our communion with the Father. Maybe
it's because we don't have enough time for prayer. I'm talking to myself, by the way. Maybe it's
because we don't have enough time for prayer that we're so easily tempted. And Jesus' example is
opposite here in terms of our temptation. But there's another thing I want us to think about this
morning, and that is this was one of those moments when the horror of his death was becoming more and
more clear to him. There's a verse in Hebrews. I want to spend a few moments on it. Verse in Hebrews,
chapter 5, verse 7. And here's what it says. In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and
supplications with loud cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death.
And he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he
suffered. Now, I remember reading that recently, and I need to look up the commentaries to find out
what people say about this verse, because it's a peculiar one, isn't it? What do the commentaries say?
So I looked up some of the good commentaries on it, and they all say the same thing. They all say,
well, we're not quite 100% sure about any one episode or one instance where this can be a description of it,
but we believe that it refers to the Garden of Gethsemane.
I'm okay with that. I think that it does refer to the Garden of Gethsemane. But
it says in the days of his flesh. I'm not persuaded that it was only the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus
offered up loud cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death. I believe, I tended to believe,
that there were several occasions when this happened. And this is one of them. At the very beginning of his
ministry, as he was becoming more and more aware, and as he was coming to terms increasingly with the
horror of his death. Now, you might respond by saying, well, was he not always aware of his mission? No, he
can't have been. Was he aware as a six-month-old baby? No, he wasn't. He was a human being as well as being God.
And as a human being, as a six-month-old baby, he wasn't aware of the horror of what lay in front of
him as a 33-year-old man. It had to be a growing awareness.
And I believe at the very beginning of his ministry, remember that his ministry is not just some random
series of events like conversations and miracles and all the rest of it. It was his preparation
for what lay ahead. And here is not only a growing awareness, but a growing willingness.
Now, be careful. I'm not saying he was ever unwilling. But this is what the verse says. He says,
he learned obedience through what he suffered. It doesn't say that there was ever a time when he wasn't.
But his suffering, including his time in the wilderness, was the means whereby his obedience was learned.
Willingness and awareness were a growing process in the mind and in the consciousness of Jesus.
Now, with that in mind, if I'm right, then for the devil to come and say to him,
why don't you change these stones into bread?
What he's trying to do is he's trying to derail
the process by which Jesus is being made aware and willing to face what is coming to him.
And if he derails it, then we've lost it.
The plan is derailed.
So I hope you can see that it's not just a question of, well, he's hungry.
It's logical. He's got the power to do it.
Why doesn't he do it?
It's because if he does it,
he takes his eyes off the work that the Father has given him to do.
And the devil has won.
We remember that the command of God to Adam was
that he make use of the fruit, the provision that he gave to him.
It's quite strange, isn't it?
That here we have eating again.
And Adam was invited to eat any of the fruit of the garden
except the knowledge of good and evil.
Here's Jesus obeying the command of the Father to go into the world
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
And here is the same serpent.
And he's trying to derail him from obeying the command of the Father
by presenting him with another alternative.
So that's the first thing.
And I hope we'll see all of the three of these temptations
in relation to the cross.
Next thing is that he takes him up to the very top of the temple.
I don't know how this happens, by the way.
It's not important how it happens.
We're not told.
But he takes him right up to the top of the temple
where there's a great height.
And he then preaches a sermon to him.
The devil preaches a sermon to Jesus.
And it looks as if he doesn't need a Bible.
He's got it off by heart.
He knows the words that he's want to quote to Jesus.
And the text of his sermon is Psalm 91.
That's why we sang it earlier on.
And here's what it says.
It says,
Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place,
the Most High who is my refuge,
no evil shall be allowed to befall you.
No plague shall come near your tent,
for he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
Now, not only does the devil know his Bible,
but he knows his hermeneutic.
He knows how to preach it.
And he's actually bang on.
He knows what this psalm is about.
It's a prophecy about Jesus.
There's a lot the devil does know,
even though there's a lot he doesn't know.
He's right.
It's about the promised Messiah.
So he says,
Well, here's the thing, Jesus.
Let's look at it this way.
If this is God's word about you,
then God's promise is that you will be protected.
And so let's tell you what.
Let's put this to the test right now.
Let's see whether God will actually produce the goods.
Let's see if he will come good on his word.
I know you believe it.
So it should be easy to prove
if you're the son of God.
Throw yourself down.
We both know, by the way,
you're not going to do it.
You're not going to do it.
I know that.
But if you refuse,
is that because you actually are trusting God,
or is it because you're afraid you're going to fall to your death?
How do you know
that God is going to make good his promise in the future?
What did I say last night
about the serpent chipping away
at the trustworthiness of the Father?
Now here's where the temptation came in for Jesus.
The entirety of Jesus' mission
rested on the Father's trustworthiness.
The Father's trustworthiness
requires a test
to make sure.
And the test would ultimately come
when Jesus laid down his life on the cross.
Because in so doing,
he was going to give himself entirely
into the hands of the Father.
That's what he meant when he was on the cross
and he said,
Father, into your hands
I commit my spirit.
What he's doing is
he's taking God at his word.
Entirely and only at his word.
For example, in Psalm 16,
you will not abandon my soul to shale
or let your Holy One see corruption.
But in so doing,
on the cross,
Jesus himself
isn't protected by the Father
in his death
because Psalm 91
doesn't come to fulfillment
because he has to suffer alone.
There are no angels
to bear him up
lest he strike his foot against a stone.
There is no rescue.
He has to come
to the point of death alone.
He has to give himself.
But in so doing,
he believes and he trusts
that the Father will raise him up
on the third day.
And here is the serpent
coming and saying to him,
are you sure?
Are you absolutely sure
that this is what God is saying?
What did I say yesterday
about the serpent and Eve?
He said,
did God really say that?
Did God really say,
tell me again,
what did he say?
Do you really believe that?
He's doing the same thing to Jesus.
He's saying,
well,
let's think about these words.
Are you really sure
that God is going to?
He's testing
the trustworthiness
of God.
And Jesus
says,
I 100% trust
the word
of my Father.
But then,
the third one
is
one we all know.
The whole story
is one we all know
where the devil takes him
to a certain point
in the world.
I don't know which point
that was.
A high mountain somewhere.
There are no mountains
where you can see
the whole of the world.
But that doesn't matter.
He saw the whole world.
And he says
to him,
he says,
if you
will worship me,
then
I will give you
all the kingdoms
of the world
and their glory.
Now,
I'm sure we've read this often
and we've thought
on two counts
this can't be.
Number one,
we've said,
well,
the world doesn't belong
to the devil.
And secondly,
it's so outrageous
the suggestion
of Jesus,
the Son of God,
worshipping
or serving Satan
in any way
is just so outrageous
that we say,
well,
that must have been
an easy one
to resist.
We're actually wrong
on both counts.
Whilst the world
and the universe
does belong to God,
ultimately,
the devil
does not have
sovereign control
over all things.
There is another sense
in which he does.
You remember
what Ephesians chapter 2
and verse 2 says,
where Paul calls him
the prince of the power
of the air,
the spirit that now
works in the sons
of disobedience.
And there are many places
in the Bible
where we're told
that Satan does
have a hold.
We only have to look
around you
to know that.
The eyes of the blind,
Paul tells us
in Corinthians
that he has blinded,
the God of this world
has blinded the eyes
of unbelievers.
It's a frightening prospect.
There is a sense
in which Satan
does have
a huge amount
of control
over the world
in particular
humanity.
So, in what case,
secondly,
in what sense
is this temptation
a real temptation
to Jesus?
because it is
another attempt
at presenting him
with an alternative
to his mission
which was to involve
suffering and death.
It's an attempt
to present him
with a plan B,
another alternative.
And there were
several times
in the ministry
of Jesus
when this happened.
I want to suggest
to you three
in particular.
number one
was in Matthew 16.
You remember
when Jesus
is having this
conversation
with the disciples
and he's announcing
to them
that he's going
to Jerusalem
and there he's
going to be
handed over
to the Gentiles
and Peter says,
far be it from you,
this shall never be so.
Remember what Jesus
said to him
as a response to that.
He said,
get behind me,
Satan.
You are a hindrance
to me.
Why did he say that?
That was quite harsh,
wasn't it?
Poor Peter.
He's always
getting himself
into trouble
because of what he says.
Peter's well-meaning.
He just doesn't want
Jesus to die.
He doesn't want
Jesus to be handed over.
He wants him to be king.
And Jesus says,
get behind me,
Satan.
And the reason he said
that was because
he saw that behind
Peter's words
stood the devil.
The devil was
somehow tempting
Jesus
by suggesting
that there was
another alternative
to be ruler
in this world.
rather than
go to the cross.
Here's another one.
And you may not
agree with me
in my interpretation
but this is something
for your discussion
later on.
Matthew chapter 14,
I believe,
when Jesus
somehow withdrew
away from the region
of Judea
to the district
of Tyre and Sidon.
And there he comes
across this
Syrophoenician woman.
Remember that story?
She comes to him,
finds out where she is
and she's got a daughter
who's possessed
by a demon.
So she comes to him
and she begs him,
Lord, please help my daughter.
And he doesn't say
anything to her.
He responds
in silence.
And you read the story
and you feel more awkward
all the time.
You say,
this is not like Jesus.
This is harsh.
It looks as if he doesn't
want to be kind
to this woman.
He's been kind
to everyone else
and yet this woman
comes to him
and he's treating her.
This is not like him at all.
And what's more,
when his disciples
tell him to send her away,
he says this,
it's not right
to take the children's bread
and cast it to the dogs.
You think,
whoa,
what's come over him?
Well,
here's what I believe
was happening.
This is one of these moments
where Jesus is outside
of his own people,
is outside of Judea
and he is receiving
humility
and reverence
and respect
and worship
from someone
who is not Jewish.
And he is suddenly struck
by the prospect
that
there are people
in this world
who would make me king
and who would honor me
and who would respect me.
My own people
want to kill me
because they hate me.
There are people
in this world,
perhaps loads of them,
who would honor me
as I deserve.
I think that's probably
the best explanation
I've ever heard
why Jesus was silent.
Of course,
you know the end
of the story,
he did eventually
cleanse the daughter
and all was well.
but
nonetheless,
you have this
dramatic moment.
It seems to be
a crisis moment
in the heart of Jesus
where I believe
this was a temptation
to him
that there may be
another route.
And of course,
the best known
is Gethsemane itself.
That 11th hour
just before he's arrested
where he goes
on his own
and he
confronts the father
and he says,
Father,
if it be possible,
take this cup
from me.
Now,
here's the temptation
in Matthew chapter 4.
The serpent
is presenting him
with the option.
There is
a possible
other way
that does not
involve
your suffering.
And remember,
he's becoming
more aware
of the horror
of the cross
in his own
consciousness.
And at the same time,
Satan
is saying to him,
it doesn't have
to be like this.
Let's make a deal.
Let's come to
an arrangement
where we can
work together.
I'm not an
unreasonable person.
Let's work together
in order for you
to receive
the honour
that you deserve.
And Jesus'
answer is
absolutely
no.
Do you know
why?
Two reasons.
one,
because
he is
resolute
in his
determination
to obey
God
in every
detail.
To do
your will,
I take
delight.
That's
his aim.
That's
his purpose.
Second
reason,
because of
the
extraordinary
intensity
of his
love
for you.
I don't
know about
you,
but
I find
that
one of
the most
difficult
things to
accept.
Adam
deserved
the gift
of God.
He was
perfect.
I didn't.
I can
understand
why God
would want
to give
Adam
eternal
life.
But here
is the
second Adam
and he's
now going
to pay
the ultimate
price in
order for
me to
have that
same gift
of everlasting
life.
and I've
got it
because God
has given
it to
me in
the Lord
Jesus Christ
because the
last Adam
has undid
undone
what the
first Adam
did.
Where he
disobeyed
God
and died,
the last
Adam
obeyed
God
and tasted
death
for all
of us
so that
we
could be
made the
righteousness
of God
in him.
So I
hope you
appreciate
how all
of this
ties in
with
the
forthcoming
death of
Jesus,
the death
that wasn't
going to be
experienced
for the next
three years
and yet
it's on
the horizon.
it's in
his mind
with growing
awareness
and he
is going
to head
towards it
every day
that he
lives is
going to
be a
reminder
of what
lies in
front of
him.
Every day
is a
day of
resolute
determination
to complete
the work
and not
until that
final moment
when it
was finished
did he
stop
because
God so
loved
his people
that he
gave himself
for us.
Let's
pray together.
Our
Father in
heaven we
ask that
you will
remind us
afresh of
Jesus'
determination.
We have
thanks Lord
that at
every turn
no matter
what
was
offered to
him by
way of
an
alternative
that he
chose the
way of
suffering
because of
how
necessary
it was
for our
salvation.
If he
had taken
another
path none
of us
would be
here.
The world
would be
destroyed.
We would
be in a
lost
eternity
and yet
because he
chose the
path of
obedience
we are
set free
from sin
and we
get to
enjoy
the
insurpassable
benefit
of being
in Christ.
So
Father in
heaven we
pray that
you will
remind us
again of
the privilege
which is
ours this
day.
And Lord
enable us
we pray
in the
elements
as we
take
as we
feel
as we
taste
the
symbols
that
represent
the
broken
body
and the
shed
blood
of
Jesus.
We
pray
that we
will
not only
remember
but that
we
would
be
nourished
by the
gospel
by what
he has
done
for us
by him
as he
meets
with us
this is
the
Lord's
table
we thank
you that
you're
not
far off
you're
here
right in
this
place
feeding
us
feeding
us
with
your
word
take
away
our
sin
we
pray
in
Jesus
name
amen
we're
going to
sing
now
and
we're
going to
sing
in
Psalm
40
it's
the
traditional
version
we're
going to
sing
from
verse
5
to
verse
8
Psalm
number
40
on page
259
Psalm
40
from
verse
5
O
Lord
my
God
full
many
are
the
wonders
thou
hast
done
thy
gracious
thoughts
to us
were
far
above
all
thoughts
are
gone
and so
on
to
verse
8
where
we
read
these
words
that
we
believe
are
the
words
of
Jesus
to
do
thy
will
I
take
delight
O
thou
my
God
that
art
yea
that
most
holy
law
of
thine
I
have
within
my
heart
Psalm
40
and
verse
5
to
verse
8
and
we'll
stand
to
sing
together
!
us
!
O
Maria
the
wonders
of
us
love
thy
miracle
Jesus told to us for love, above all those are all.
In order not, not bread on them, to lead them to bread.
I seek for them, my new day, Lord, are now in number of love.
God, if I saw all the day, this time was all beside.
My ears, my Lord, sin all in love, I've learned his fault in fire.
To the Lord, he swear my words, I come, the hope of sea.
Within the home, you know the blue and red spirits on me.
To thine will I take delight, O thou, my God, the light.
Yea, at most holy of thine, I am within my heart.
Let me just say a brief word, as we often do at a time like this,
that explains the qualifications or the right that God's people have
to sit at his table and to remember his death.
And the passage I want to take is Romans chapter 8,
where Paul makes a distinction between two groups of people.
Those who, first of all, live according to the flesh
and those who live according to the spirit.
Let me just read what he says.
I think these words are self-explanatory.
Those who live according to the flesh
have no reason to sit at the Lord's table.
They're not guided by God.
God has not opened their hearts, their eyes, their minds,
and they simply live from day to day in their own way.
Those who live according to the spirit, on the other hand,
are those whose hearts have been opened by the spirit
and in whom God dwells.
Now, just let me read it.
For those who live according to the flesh
set their minds on the things of the flesh.
But those who live according to the spirit
set their minds on the things of the spirit.
To set the mind on the flesh is death,
but to set the mind on the spirit
is life and peace.
For the mind that is set on the flesh
is hostile to God.
For it does not submit to God's law.
Indeed, it cannot.
Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
So I guess that's the question that we ask ourselves.
Where is our mind?
On what does our mind say?
Now, I'm not asking if we're being distracted.
We're all distracted.
And, you know, even when we come to worship,
one of the biggest obstacles to worship is distraction.
I'm not asking that.
God knows the struggles that we have.
But ultimately, ultimately,
at the root of who you are,
where is your mind?
What's your mind?
Is your mind on the flesh?
Do you just want to please yourself?
Or do you want to please God?
I'm not asking if you please God perfectly.
None of us do.
But I'm asking, do you want to?
Do you love God because he first loved you?
And is your desire, is your longing to please him,
to become more like him,
to live in the light of his word and his commands?
Do you want to be led by him?
If Jesus, if you were living at the time of Jesus,
would you be one of these people like Mary?
And even Martha, Lazarus,
who just wanted to spend time with him,
listening to him, drinking in his word,
serving him?
Or like the disciples?
Is that where you would be?
If so, then that's where we are today,
at the Lord's table.
It doesn't really matter what century we're in.
It's the same Jesus.
He's alive.
He's with us.
He's present with us.
And just like the disciples wanted to be with him
at the Last Supper,
we want to be with him here today.
And that contrasts vastly
with the other category of people.
We can all remember when we belonged to that category,
when we had no interest in God,
at least most of us can,
until God changed that.
And until God gave us a real love
and a real longing and a desire
to obey him,
to listen to his word,
and to be forgiven from all our sins.
And so that's who should be.
You know, this part of the service
is traditionally called fencing.
I've never liked that term.
I have to say I've never liked it
because it gives the impression
that we're trying to keep people out.
We're not.
God's word is an invitation.
We'll see this tonight.
God's word is an invitation.
The gospel is an invitation to come.
And yet, if your mind is not set on God,
then you won't want to come.
Because coming to the table
is not going to save anybody by itself.
But if coming to the table
is a mark of your confession
that I love the Lord
because he heard my voice,
then this is the right place for us,
along with God's people.
Now, we're going to sing together,
and we're going to sing in Psalm number 118.
It's the Sing Psalms version,
and I think I may have given the presenter
the wrong verse.
And if I have, then my apologies.
But it's verse 19.
I think I've written down nine.
It's not nine.
It's 19.
And we'll sing three verses
because I don't want to take up too much time.
Sing Psalm 119.
Sing Psalm's version,
and it's on page 156,
and it's verse 19.
Throw wide the gates of righteousness.
I'll enter and give thanks to God.
This is the gate of God
through which the righteous came,
come before the Lord.
So we'll sing three verses
from 19 to 24
as we prepare to dispense the elements.
So Psalm 118 and verse 19
on page 156,
and we'll stand to sing.
Psalm 119.
Come before the Lord.
You answer me, I will give thanks.
Salvation comes from you alone.
The stone the builders have refuted
Has now become the cornerstone.
Lord himself has done all this.
It is upon the letter's light.
This is the day the Lord has made.
In it let us take great delight.