Now while the boys and girls are heading for their class,
and perhaps you can turn in your Bibles,
we're going to hear in just a moment from 1 Peter chapter 4.
And maybe as a reminder, so Bob's going to come and read for us,
and then lead us in prayer.
And just a reminder to students and young workers,
there's a lunch fairly shortly after the service,
and then Bob's going to share with us about the person and work of the Lord Jesus.
So please do stick around if you've signed up.
If you've not signed up, please do come along anyway.
And Bob will come and share with us.
Thanks, Bob.
Our first reading is from 1 Peter chapter 4, verses 7 to 11,
and then we'll read from 2 Peter chapter 3.
These are two of many passages in the New Testament that remind us that we live in the present,
in the light of future events that are sure to take place.
1 Peter chapter 4.
The end of all things is near.
Therefore, be alert and of sober mind, so that you may pray.
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others,
as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.
If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God.
If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides.
So that in all things, God may be praised through Jesus Christ.
To him be glory, be the glory and the power forever and ever.
Amen.
And our second reading near the end of 2 Peter, 2 Peter chapter 3, at verse 8.
Do not forget this one thing, dear friends.
With the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.
Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come, like a thief.
The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire,
and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?
You ought to live holy and godly lives.
As you look forward to the day of God and speed is coming.
That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire,
and the elements will melt in the heat.
But in keeping with his promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells.
Let's pray.
Our Father in heaven, we thank you for these vivid and encouraging pictures of what lies ahead.
Lord, so often we look at this world, we look at our lives, we look at the city in which we live,
and we see so much that is dislocated and disjointed.
And we are promised that a day is coming when all that is wrong will be put right,
when all that is evil will be judged and condemned,
and that there will be indeed a new heavens and a new earth.
We pray that in the light of what the Lord Jesus will one day bring to completion,
that today we might live lives that are characterized by holiness and by love and by joy and by service.
We pray, too, that we would recognize that the Lord is not slow,
but rather he desires that people would come to a living and permanent relationship with him.
Lord, we pray that today, if anybody here may be not yet in a relationship with Jesus by faith,
that they might recognize that today is an opportunity,
an opportunity to repent and to believe,
and to recognize the one who has come and the one who will come again.
We thank you for those, as we were reminded, the many who serve within this congregation,
and we pray that as we serve, we should do so,
as those who serve with joy and serve with thanksgiving and serve with a glad heart.
We pray for this city in which we are met.
We pray for this community in which we are located.
And we recognize the beauty of the city, its history, and its heritage.
A growing number of people want to call Edinburgh their home,
a place to study, a place to live, a place to work.
And we pray that we, as your people, and as members of your church,
that we would consider ways of reaching this growing population
from all different parts of the world, from all different parts of the United Kingdom.
We pray that there might be a church in every community,
a place where people are welcomed,
and a place where people may be introduced or taught in the name of the Lord Jesus.
So, Lord, you know each of our own individual lives.
You know our story.
You know the past.
You know today.
And you and you alone know the future.
In a room with a gathering of this size,
there are many issues and cares and concerns.
Most are unknown to us,
but all are known to you.
You know the very heart of each one of us.
You know the joys and the sorrows.
You know the anxieties and the fears.
And we thank you that we can come to you in the name of Jesus,
to that throne of grace where we can receive help,
where we can receive mercy,
where we can receive grace,
because this is our time of need.
Hear us, O Lord, we pray,
not because of who we are,
but hear us because we come to you in the name of Jesus.
And we ask that you would hear us because of who he is.
And we pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Now, before we turn back to Luke's gospel,
we're going to sing again another section of a psalm,
this time a section of Psalm 113.
We're going to sing the first six verses.
And again, we can stand as we sing together.
Amen.
O praise you, servants of the Lord,
sing praises to his holy name.
O blessed be the name of God,
His praise forevermore proclaim.
From east to west the praise of God.
Each day is to be spread abroad.
The Lord is high above the earth,
His glory far above the sky.
Who else is like the Lord our God,
the one who sits enthroned on high.
He is the one who stoops down low
to look on heaven on earth below.
Now, again, if you have your Bibles,
if you're using a church Bible,
it's on page 1045.
It will be in Luke chapter 12,
verses 35 to 48.
We're continuing to follow the journey of Jesus
towards Jerusalem.
And the emphasis this morning
is to be ready for Christ's return.
Luke chapter 12,
beginning at verse 35.
Be dressed, ready for service,
and keep your lamps burning.
Like servants waiting for their master
to return from a wedding banquet.
So when he comes and knocks,
they can immediately open the door for him.
It will be good for those servants
whose master finds them watching when he comes.
Truly I tell you,
he will dress himself to serve,
will make them recline at the table,
and will come and wait on them.
It will be good for those servants
whose master finds them ready,
even if he comes in the middle of the night
or towards daybreak.
But understand this,
if the owner of the house had known
or whatever the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be ready
because the son of man will come
at an hour when you do not expect him.
Peter asked,
Lord, are you telling this parable to us
or to everyone?
The Lord answered,
who then is the faithful and wise manager
whom the master puts in charge of his servants
to give them their food allowance
at the proper time?
It will be good for that servant
whom the master finds doing so when he returns.
Truly I tell you,
he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
But suppose the servant says to himself,
my master is taking a long time in coming,
and then he begins to beat the other servants,
both men and women,
and to eat and drink and get drunk.
The master of that servant will come on a day
when he does not expect him,
and at an hour he is not aware of.
He will cut him to pieces
and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
The servant who knows the master's will
and does not get ready
or does not do what the master wants
will be beaten with many blows.
But the one who does not know
and does things deserving punishment
will be beaten with few blows.
From everyone who has been given much,
much will be demanded.
And from the one who has been entrusted with much,
much more will be asked.
Amen.
This is God's word.
Let me begin by asking a question.
What connects the following three jobs?
The soldier on a tour of duty,
the fireman or the firewoman,
and a first century household servant.
One sentence is one answer in two ways.
It's the need to be ready.
Each of those figures could be called into service
at any moment.
And they need to be ready
because they could face an inspection
from the commander or master.
Jesus, represented in our stories as the master,
has been preparing his disciples,
his servants,
for the truth that he is going away.
He is on this journey to Jerusalem.
He will go to the cross to die.
Three days later, he will rise again from the dead,
and then he will return to the glory of heaven.
He has been preparing them for that,
but now he prepares them for something else.
He prepares them for his certain future return.
The Old Testament spoke of it as the day of the Lord.
We hear it also in the New Testament.
Perhaps we are familiar with the idea
of the second coming of the Lord Jesus.
This is what Jesus is preparing his disciples for,
saying, be ready.
Be ready because Jesus is coming back.
Be ready because Jesus will bring history to an end.
Be ready because Jesus will judge the living and the dead.
Be ready because Jesus will either reward or punish.
So when we hear this repeated note to be ready in our text,
we need to hear the urgency from Jesus
so that we would let that certain future day
shape how we live in this day.
That it would shape our faith and obedience.
It would shape our mission to make Jesus known,
and it would influence us to trust in Jesus
if we're not already his followers
because he calls us to be ready.
We'll think about it in three different ways.
Here's the first, be ready because Jesus rewards
faithful servants.
I don't know how many of you have watched Downton Abbey.
I imagine many of us are at least familiar with it.
Downton was centered on the house of the Earl of Grantham.
And living with the Earl and Lady Grantham
and some of their children were this team of servants.
There was Bates, he was the chief valet,
and there was others underneath.
And those servants had to be geared up and ready
to serve the Earl and Lady Grantham
and their family day or night.
Downton's quite helpful for reminding us
about the way things were in the first century.
So the parable in verses 35 to 38
is something that would have been familiar
to the people of Jesus' day.
So the master has gone away.
He went away to a wedding banquet.
The servants are at home.
And there is that responsibility for them
to be watchful, to be ready,
because sometime in the future,
the master would return.
They needed to be ready to open the door,
to be ready to have the house all set
for his arrival.
So verse 35 and verse 36 are very familiar.
But then you come to verse 37 in our text,
and there is a huge surprise.
We've said this before.
Whenever we're reading a parable that Jesus tells,
always look for the surprising
and the unexpected piece of the story,
because that often leads us
to what Jesus is emphasizing.
Listen to verse 37.
It will be good for those servants
whose master finds them watching when he comes.
And here's the surprise.
Truly I tell you,
he will dress himself to serve,
will make them recline at the table,
and will come and wait on them.
Do you notice the reversal that's happened?
And what Jesus is saying is
that he is the master who is ready and willing
to reward his faithful followers
in the grace of the gospel
and in the promise that is in the Bible
of an end of time, eternal feast.
It's what heaven is pictured as,
and Jesus says he has come to serve.
It's a theme we find in Jesus' words in other places.
Mark chapter 10 and verse 45.
We read,
The Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve,
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Jesus is the king of glory.
And Jesus is our humble servant king.
Jesus came to serve us
by suffering in our place,
by dying and taking on himself
the punishment, the penalty,
that our sin deserves.
He serves us by taking our spiritual debt
and paying it in full
and giving us his perfect righteousness
and giving us true freedom.
There's another passage
where Jesus speaks of being a servant
for his people.
In John chapter 14,
I think the words might be up on the screen
or they should be, I think.
In John chapter 14,
Jesus prepares his followers.
He says,
Do not let your hearts be troubled.
And then he speaks about his father's house.
So this is heaven.
My father's house has many rooms.
If that were not so,
would I have told you
that I'm going there
to prepare a place for you?
Jesus goes to make preparation.
And if I go and prepare,
I will come back
and take you to be with me.
So here is the picture.
Jesus is returning
to the glory of heaven.
And he is going to make preparation
an eternal home for his followers.
How does he make that preparation?
By going to the cross to die for us,
to deal with our sin
that separates us from a holy God,
by rising again,
giving us who trust in him
the promise of future eternal life
and our return to heaven.
Jesus prepares the way
and he promises he will return one day
and he will take us to glory forever.
So Jesus picks up this language of serving.
And we also have within the word of God
this wonderful promise of feasting
within the Bible.
So we began singing Psalm 23
and there in Psalm 23,
we have the picture of the king.
The king who prepares a feast
for his people.
The king that gives grace to his people,
giving us strength
for our journey of faith
until we are home,
dwelling in the house of the Lord forever.
Jesus rewards faithful servants then,
but he also gives us grace upon grace today.
Do you know that every time
we gather together for worship
or every time like last week,
as the people of God,
we share the Lord's Supper together,
it's like we're having this appetizer.
Jesus invites us in
and Jesus comes to serve us from his word
and to give us grace,
to feed us spiritually,
all the time anticipating
this eternal feast that's yet to come.
Another way that we can see it,
Jesus' first sign,
first miracle,
John chapter 2,
his first sign that reveals his glory,
it was providing wine at a wedding.
And we have this wonderful symbol
of here is Jesus
and he is the master of the wedding feast.
He is the one who provides
the overflow of the very best wine.
He is the one who has come,
the master who comes to bring joy.
And what Jesus does in this parable
is he promises that to his disciples
as he's on the way to the cross.
Jesus is preparing an eternal, joyful feast.
He is the master who serves us
in dying on the cross to forgive and to save.
And so we have this promise
that we're invited to be encouraged by,
that when we are ready for his return,
when we are trusting in him,
when we are looking to live
in faithful obedience to him,
then we're promised a feast.
We're promised a life of love and joy
that we can hardly even begin to imagine
when Jesus returns
to establish his people forever
in resurrection life
in the new heavens and the newer.
So what's the message for us?
The message is,
because Jesus is coming back again
as judge and king,
and because he does provide reward,
we should be ready.
Today, we should be ready.
Regardless of whatever anyone else is doing
in our family,
in our friendship group,
in our society,
be ready.
All the time, be ready.
To receive this reward,
how do we receive it?
How are we to be ready?
First,
we need to put our faith in Jesus.
The first thing we need
is to be served
by Jesus our master.
We need to trust
that when Jesus died on the cross for sin,
he died on the cross for my sin
to bring me peace with God.
We need to trust and submit to his authority.
So we must first be served,
and then,
to be ready,
we must be serving our master,
being ready for his return.
What does it look like
to be watchful and obedient
as we await Jesus' return?
That's why we read Peter's letter,
1 Peter chapter 4.
So remember,
Peter heard these parables,
and these parables stuck with him.
And as he called on the people
to be alert and of sober mind,
here's what he said.
Here's what readiness looks like.
It looks like being a praying people.
And it looks like loving one another.
And it looks like showing hospitality.
And it looks like using our gifts
to serve other people.
In other words,
being ready means living
the faithful, ordinary Christian life
that he calls us to.
But we do that knowing
there's this wonderful reward coming.
So be ready,
because Jesus rewards faithful servants.
Then in verse 39 and 40,
the picture changes.
But the call to be ready remains.
Be ready,
because Jesus' return
will be unexpected.
So in verse 39 and 40,
there is still a house in view.
So let me read.
If the owner of the house
had known at what hour
the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house
be broken into.
You also must be ready,
because the Son of Man
will come at an hour
when you do not expect him.
So now we're picturing a household,
and this time the readiness
is to be ready
for an unexpected visit.
Here's the picture of the thief
in the night.
We need to be ready.
And my favorite picture of this,
and it's never too early
to begin with Home Alone,
is Kevin McAllister,
the star of Home Alone.
If you don't know the movie,
you still have a few weeks
before Christmas,
you need to watch it.
But Kevin McAllister
is a wonderful example of this,
because he is on high alert.
He is ready.
He sets all kind of traps
around his house,
around his uncle's house,
so that when the wet bandits
or the sticky bandits
come to rob the house
or the toy store,
they fail.
Because he is ready.
But,
here's the thing.
the whole story of Home Alone
only works
because Kevin knows
the exact time
when the thieves will arrive.
He overhears them.
Now I can't remember
what time it is.
Nine o'clock, I think,
is when the wet bandits
are going to come to his house.
So he can be ready.
But the truth Jesus brings
is that his return,
while it is certain,
the timing is unknown.
So we must be ready
at all points
as a matter of urgency
because we do not know
when Jesus will come again,
when the Son of Man
will come.
Notice the way Jesus
talks about himself there
in verse 40
as the Son of Man.
We can skip over it,
but it's important
to stop and recognize
here is a huge claim,
actually Jesus is making
about himself.
The Son of Man
as we meet him
in the Old Testament,
this figure from the book of Daniel
in chapter 7,
he is a figure
who appears
in the throne room of heaven.
He is given glory
and authority
and power
to set up
an eternal kingdom.
And so when Jesus says,
I'm the Son of Man,
he's saying he is
the King of glory.
He is the eternal King
whose authority
we need to recognize.
He is,
Acts chapter 17,
Paul tells us,
God's appointed King
and Judge.
He is the one
who does have authority
over our lives.
He is the one
who will come back
at the end of history.
He will bring in
the new creation,
having judged
and condemned evil
and having purified the earth.
So because of who
Jesus is,
we must be ready
to meet him.
We must be ready
for his certain return.
And we need to be careful
because the timing
is unexpected,
because his return,
the time of that
is unknown,
we must be careful
not to be complacent,
not to be caught
off guard.
A.W. Tozer,
who is a Christian minister
and writer
in the post-war period,
asked the question
in one of his articles,
what happened
to the church's hope
in the return of Christ?
And he was sort of examining,
in this case,
the West,
Canada and the States
particularly,
but recognizing
the danger there is
when a society lives
with a great amount
of affluence
and wealth
and security
and comfort.
We can easily
slip into the trap
of thinking,
this is it.
We're living
the dream right now.
Last week,
we met the fool
who built bigger barns
and said,
oh, brilliant,
I can store up
for myself,
I can eat,
drink and be merry
and lost sight
of matters of eternity.
And there is a danger
for us in that.
Again,
we can listen
to Peter.
This time,
remember what he said
in 2 Peter 3.
He said,
remember that
just because Christ
hasn't come back yet,
it doesn't mean
he's slow
in keeping his promises.
Rather,
it's a sign
of his merciful patience.
That Jesus
hasn't come back yet
has given us
an opportunity
to repent
and to be right
with God
even today.
But he does remind us
that day will come,
will come
like a thief
in the night.
Therefore,
how should we live?
This time,
the emphasis
is on living
holy lives,
godly lives,
as we look forward
to the certain
but the unexpected
coming
of the Lord Jesus.
Now,
before we move
to our last point,
I think it's worth
pausing for a moment
just to consider,
I guess,
a question that might arise
or an objection
that might come
because these parables
focus on the idea
of Jesus as a master
and we are servants.
Maybe we don't like
that idea
of serving anyone.
Maybe that runs
counter to
what we're looking for,
the pursuit
of personal freedom.
There's a couple
of observations
I was reading,
I was dipping
into a book
this week,
I don't do this
very often,
by a French psychiatrist
and the book
was called
The Weariness
of the Self.
Really interesting,
not written
by a Christian
but he was arguing
for a direct
relationship
between
the modern view
that we are self-made
and we are self-sustaining,
okay,
so that and the one hand,
direct line between
those realities,
those ideas
and
the rise of depression
and anxiety.
In our day
he was arguing
that we're being told
nothing is truly forbidden.
You can be
whatever you want to be,
you can do
whatever you want to do,
and we're living
with that language
all the time,
but we're also living
with the reality
that actually nothing
is truly possible.
And he argues
that's why people
are exhausted,
anxious,
and becoming
distressed,
depressed.
Bob Dylan
made the point
in one of his songs
many years ago,
you've got to serve
somebody.
In his song
he said,
it might be the devil
or it might be the Lord
but you've got to
serve somebody.
Maybe nowadays
it might be
yourself
or it might be
the Lord.
And the point
that Alan Ehrenberg,
that psychiatrist
was making
is when we
live to serve
ourselves,
it strikes him
and perhaps
it strikes us
that that can be
a recipe
for melancholy
and misery.
And what we need
to recognize
is that as Jesus
presents himself
as a master
over us,
he is a far
better master.
He is a master
who gives us grace.
He is a master
who gives us himself.
He is a master
who gives us
joy and life
today
and the promise
of a feast
of joy
and life
and love
that lasts
forever.
So when we
recognize
and submit
to Jesus
as a better
master,
we have the promise
of hearing
wonderful words
and end
to exhaustion
and feeling
condemned
and feeling like
we'll never be
anybody.
We will hear
from Jesus,
well done,
good and faithful
servant.
Enter your
masters,
happiness.
Jesus himself
will welcome
his people
to that eternal
home,
that eternal
kingdom,
entry into
a world
of perfect
love.
And as we've
seen in Luke's
gospel,
Jesus will be
welcoming
very unexpected
people into
his kingdom.
He's a good
master.
He welcomes
outsiders.
He welcomes
outcasts.
He welcomes
great sinners.
He welcomes
the poor
and the sick
and the needy.
And he can do
that because
he will go to
the cross
to pay for
our sin.
He will go to
the cross
to show us
amazing grace.
There is no
master
like
our Jesus.
One last
point is
Jesus tells
us to be
ready.
Verse 41
to 48,
be ready
and serve
responsibly.
Peter asks a
question in
verse 41,
Lord, are you
telling this
parable to
us or to
everyone?
Is this just
for us
12, us
disciples,
who you have
called to
yourself?
Is it for
the whole
church?
And Jesus
answered is,
yes, it's
for leaders
and yes,
it's for
Christians and
church members.
This is for
everybody.
And so he
returns to
give us the
picture in a
slightly different
form.
Verse 42,
who then is
the faithful
and wise
manager whom
the master
puts in
charge of
his servants
to give
them their
food allowance
at the
proper time?
So this
time the
picture of
the master
has gone
away again
for an
unknown
period,
but this
time he's
put someone
in charge.
A household
manager is
to look
after the
day-to-day
running.
And the
question now
becomes,
when the
master
returns,
will he
find that
that servant
has been
responsible
and faithful
or irresponsible
and unfaithful?
And that
will determine
either reward
on the one
hand or
punishment
on the
other.
Let's
focus first
on the
faithful and
responsible.
Verse 42
and 43,
it will be
good,
43 and 44
rather,
it will
be good
for that
servant
whom the
master finds
doing so
when he
returns.
Truly I
tell you,
he will
put him
in charge
of all
of his
possessions.
And again,
I would
suggest that
this is
perhaps part
of a story
that we
might expect.
If a
servant
serves
others
well
within a
household,
we might
expect
promotion
and reward.
reward.
We see
it in
the
Old
Testament
story
of
Joseph.
In
our
junior
youth
group
last
night,
we were
thinking
about
the
story
of
Joseph.
And
Joseph,
even when
he's sold
to be
a slave,
is found
faithful in
Potiphar's
household and
eventually
receives
rewards.
We might
expect this
part of
the story,
but again,
we need to
pay attention
to the
next part
of the
story and
to see
a surprising
detail.
As attention
turns to
one who
is unfaithful
and
irresponsible,
what does
it look
like?
Verse 45,
the servant
says,
my master
has taken
a long
time in
coming,
and he
begins to
beat the
other servants
and to
eat and
drink and
get drunk.
So he's
abusing
his power,
he's drunk
and he's
unprepared,
and the
outcome,
verse 46,
the master
will come,
he will
cut him
to pieces
and assign
him a
place with
the unbelievers.
Where's the
emphasis
falling there?
A severe
punishment,
perhaps a
shocking
punishment,
getting our
attention.
This isn't
talking about
ordinary,
everyday things,
this is
talking about
the reality
of eternal
judgment.
This isn't
just a story
saying,
work hard
at your
job,
so when
head office
comes,
or the
boss
comes around,
they will
say,
good job,
and they
won't say
you're fired.
No,
this is
Jesus is
your king
and your
master,
and he
will come
back one
day,
and we
will stand
before him
on that
day,
and he
will pass
judgment
on all
of our
lives,
that will
lead us
to an
eternal
destination.
salvation.
This is
life or
death,
this is
heaven or
hell,
this is
eternal
glory or
eternal
grief,
and he
tells us
this and
he warns
us so
that we
would be
ready,
that we
would resolve
today to
be ready,
that we
would be
serving
responsibly.
We come
to the
end of
verse 47
and 48,
and we're
hearing all
through the
parables,
these themes
of responsibility
towards the
master,
the reality
of his
return,
and the
realities of
reward.
Jesus reminds
us that this
final judgment
will be
fitting,
but I want
us to
recognize
the words
of Jesus
at the end
there,
from everyone
who has been
given much,
much will be
demanded,
and from the
one who's been
entrusted with
much,
much more
will be asked.
The more
privilege we
have,
the greater
our
responsibility.
And I want
us to
recognize that
because of
this truth,
that in
our world
today,
there are
billions,
literally
billions of
people who
as yet have
not heard
about Jesus.
There are
over 7,000
language groups
in our world
today that
don't have
any part
of the
Bible in
their
language.
In our
world today,
there are
around about
700 million
believers in
the Lord Jesus
who will
experience
persecution
for their
faith,
and they
don't have
the freedom
to have a
Bible or
to worship
in a church
like we do.
And I want
to say that
because compared
to so many,
we have been
given wonderful
gospel
privileges.
Those gospel
privileges need
to be enjoyed
and also we
need to live
responsibly in
light of all
that we have
been given
that we
will be
fine serving
Jesus and
his kingdom.
So Jesus
tells his
servants,
his disciples
on his way
to the
cross,
be ready.
Today is a
good stock
taking moment.
Am I
ready?
Am I
living today
for Jesus
as my
master?
Am I
engaged in
serving others
in his
name?
Is the
honor of
King
Jesus
my main
concern,
my main
motivation
in life?
And if
it's not,
let this
be a day
where we
can repent,
where we
can seek
renewal,
so that we
might live
responsibly
today in
light of
Christ's
certain
return.
Just like
those jobs
that require
constant
readiness,
the soldier
on tour,
the fireman,
the servant,
to be a
follower of
Jesus requires
us to be
ready to
serve him
in our
lives as
we eagerly
wait for
his return,
living today
in light of
eternity and
of our
returnal
reward.
Let's pray
together.
Lord God,
we thank you
that when
Jesus came,
he didn't
leave us in
any doubt as
to how the
history of
the world
will play out
and how it
will draw
to a
close.
That gives
us peace
when we
can be
so anxious
about wars
and fighting
or perhaps
the climate
crisis.
Lord, we
thank you
that this
world is in
your hands,
that you
will bring
it to an
end when
Jesus returns.
And Lord,
we recognize
again that
Jesus was
so clear that
all of us
will stand
before his
judgment seat
and that we
must be
ready.
And so we
pray that you
would, by
your spirit,
allow us to
examine ourselves,
that you would
allow us to
reflect on how
good a master
Jesus is,
that you would
allow us to
reflect on the
call to live
as servants,
so that each
one of us
would be found
faithful,
and to be
watchful,
to be found
trusting in
Jesus, our
Lord, our
King, our
Saviour, our
Master, our
Friend.
We pray in his
precious name.
Amen.
And now we'll
close with a
hymn, we will
feast in the
house of Zion,
a great hymn
reminding us of
that eternal
promise.
So let's again
stand as we
close our time
together.
we will feast
in the house of
Zion, we will
sing with our
hearts restored.
He has done
great things,
we will say
together, we
will feast and
weep no more.
be burned by the
fire.
He is the Lord,
our God, we are not
consumed by the
flood.
upheld, we will
be
gathered up, we will
feast in the house
of Zion, we will
sing with our hearts
restored.
Lord, we will feast and
we will feast and weep no more.
Christ as new
Lord, we will
ausp tener
on the
earthstage and
dile
for eis
afraid for the promised morning oh how long God of Jacob be my strength we will feast in house of
Zion we will sing with our hearts restored he has done great things we will say together we will feast and weep no more
every vow we've broken and betrayed you are the faithful one from the garden to the grave
bind us together bring shalom we will feast in the house of Zion we will sing with our hearts restored
he has done great things we will say together we will feast and weep no more
we use these words from the end of second Thessalonians chapter 2 as we close may our Lord
Jesus Christ himself and God our Father who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement
and good hope encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word amen