WEBVTT 00:00:00.920 --> 00:00:03.500 Please have a seat and let's pray together. 00:00:05.960 --> 00:00:09.720 Father God, we're astounded by what we read in Ephesians chapter 3. 00:00:11.120 --> 00:00:14.780 That it was your sovereign will that through the church, 00:00:15.320 --> 00:00:18.699 your manifold wisdom might be made known to everyone. 00:00:19.420 --> 00:00:21.179 Might be made known to your world. 00:00:22.179 --> 00:00:27.440 Might be made known even to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 00:00:27.440 --> 00:00:33.320 So Lord, I pray that our time tonight would put your manifold wisdom 00:00:33.320 --> 00:00:36.740 on even more display to a watching world. 00:00:37.780 --> 00:00:41.299 Father, that through this message you might excite us 00:00:41.299 --> 00:00:44.579 about the awesome privilege it is to be church 00:00:44.579 --> 00:00:49.280 and that we might be committed to playing a full part in it. 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:54.799 Father, bless our time and build your church, we pray in Jesus' name. 00:00:55.600 --> 00:00:55.880 Amen. 00:00:55.880 --> 00:00:56.000 Amen. 00:00:57.060 --> 00:01:00.179 This is the first Sunday night of Why Church. 00:01:00.240 --> 00:01:01.320 We're going to do about nine. 00:01:01.820 --> 00:01:03.359 We're going to look at lots of different things. 00:01:03.480 --> 00:01:04.040 Why gather? 00:01:04.520 --> 00:01:05.420 Why take communion? 00:01:06.020 --> 00:01:07.079 Why do we sing? 00:01:07.340 --> 00:01:08.379 Why do we pray? 00:01:08.760 --> 00:01:09.820 Why do we preach? 00:01:10.120 --> 00:01:11.079 Why do we give? 00:01:11.420 --> 00:01:12.300 Why do we go? 00:01:12.780 --> 00:01:14.159 Why do we share? 00:01:15.020 --> 00:01:18.480 It's going to be great because I guess many of us have grown up in church 00:01:18.480 --> 00:01:22.700 and we've just kind of always done these things without ever thinking quite why. 00:01:23.340 --> 00:01:26.200 And why is a good question. 00:01:26.340 --> 00:01:28.659 So tonight we're on Why gather? 00:01:28.659 --> 00:01:32.099 Why do we say to you the word Moby? 00:01:32.099 --> 00:01:36.099 Why do we say to you the word Moby? 00:01:36.099 --> 00:01:37.759 Why do we say the word Moby? 00:01:37.760 --> 00:01:42.660 I think you think of one of two things. 00:01:43.900 --> 00:01:51.520 Either you think of a giant white sperm whale, the arch nemesis of Captain Ahab in the film Moby Dick, 00:01:51.600 --> 00:01:53.480 sometimes called the whale. 00:01:53.480 --> 00:02:02.620 Or, if you were cool in the 90s, you think of Moby, the Harlem-based electronic DJ, singer, songwriter, 00:02:02.760 --> 00:02:10.259 whose number one album play is still on my iPhone because I was cool in the 90s. 00:02:11.640 --> 00:02:17.800 The thing you may not know about Moby is that his real name is Richard Melville Hoare. 00:02:17.800 --> 00:02:24.439 And that middle name Melville is because his great-great-great-uncle was Herman Melville, 00:02:24.540 --> 00:02:28.939 the 19th century American novelist and author of Moby Dick. 00:02:31.460 --> 00:02:38.480 But what you may not know about Moby is that Moby is a Christian. 00:02:39.200 --> 00:02:41.180 He became a Christian in college. 00:02:41.820 --> 00:02:46.760 And he became a Christian simply by reading through John's Gospel with his friends. 00:02:46.759 --> 00:02:51.620 And as he read John's Gospel, he realized that Jesus was not an ordinary man. 00:02:51.979 --> 00:02:56.439 In fact, he was God in flesh come to rescue us from our sins. 00:02:57.459 --> 00:02:59.399 However, Moby is not very conventional. 00:03:00.039 --> 00:03:05.019 And in the editorial on Relevant Magazine, we read this. 00:03:05.739 --> 00:03:10.159 Moby, why he loves Jesus but not the church. 00:03:10.159 --> 00:03:16.699 And we have to say that is quite a popular attitude in our generation. 00:03:17.599 --> 00:03:19.300 There are a lot of people. 00:03:19.579 --> 00:03:23.359 We have a phrase called churchless Christians. 00:03:24.800 --> 00:03:29.159 People who have time for Jesus but don't want to set foot in church. 00:03:30.159 --> 00:03:32.560 There was a book written earlier this year called 00:03:32.560 --> 00:03:37.620 The Invisible Church Learning from Experiences of Churchless Christians. 00:03:39.920 --> 00:03:42.120 That to me seems a bit of a misanomer. 00:03:42.520 --> 00:03:45.000 You can't be a body part apart from the body. 00:03:46.340 --> 00:03:48.340 A lonely sheep is just a lonely sheep. 00:03:48.420 --> 00:03:49.900 It's not part of a flock. 00:03:50.500 --> 00:03:55.719 And there aren't many temples in the world that are just made of one brick that stands there by itself. 00:03:55.719 --> 00:04:03.360 That it does seem that in and through the gospel, we're not only saved and reconciled to God, 00:04:03.479 --> 00:04:05.879 but we're placed in a family as well. 00:04:05.979 --> 00:04:14.919 There is a horizontal thing and necessarily, there is a vertical thing and necessarily a horizontal thing as well. 00:04:16.540 --> 00:04:19.920 Families are made up of more than one person. 00:04:19.920 --> 00:04:25.879 And so, my real thoughts tonight are about why do we gather? 00:04:26.020 --> 00:04:27.980 Why is this a corporate thing? 00:04:28.160 --> 00:04:31.020 Why can't it not just be me and Jesus, the church of two? 00:04:33.200 --> 00:04:35.700 And I've really struggled to write this talk. 00:04:36.920 --> 00:04:39.980 How on earth do you go about answering such a huge question? 00:04:40.280 --> 00:04:45.400 I thought about doing a biblical theology from Genesis to Revelation about the gathering and scattering of people. 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:49.840 And then I thought some of us have got stuff to do on Monday, so let's not do that. 00:04:50.920 --> 00:04:54.759 I thought of looking at the 56 one-anothering statements in the New Testament 00:04:54.759 --> 00:04:59.540 and decided against it because .56, we'd all be dead. 00:05:01.080 --> 00:05:03.259 I thought of doing an overview of Ephesians. 00:05:04.100 --> 00:05:07.560 I told Tim about that earlier in the week and that's where Ephesians 3 came from. 00:05:09.540 --> 00:05:15.980 And I thought about doing a purely topical lecture-style talk on ecclesiology and why gather as the church. 00:05:16.920 --> 00:05:18.500 But I binned all of those. 00:05:19.920 --> 00:05:22.580 And I thought we'd have a look at Psalm 122. 00:05:23.379 --> 00:05:26.520 So if you've got a Bible, please turn there with me. 00:05:26.580 --> 00:05:34.620 And I think this is a great psalm to get us excited about the joy and privilege of being church together. 00:05:34.620 --> 00:05:37.920 Psalm 122. 00:05:37.920 --> 00:05:40.060 The third of the Psalms of Ascent. 00:05:40.840 --> 00:05:42.459 A psalm of David. 00:05:44.959 --> 00:05:46.340 And it says this. 00:05:46.339 --> 00:06:02.879 Jerusalem is built like a city that is closely compacted together. 00:06:02.879 --> 00:06:05.800 That is where the tribes go up. 00:06:05.800 --> 00:06:11.259 The tribes of the Lord to praise the name of the Lord according to the statute given to Israel. 00:06:11.920 --> 00:06:13.920 There stand the thrones for judgment. 00:06:14.079 --> 00:06:16.600 The thrones of the house of David. 00:06:17.939 --> 00:06:20.259 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. 00:06:20.259 --> 00:06:23.180 May those who love you be secure. 00:06:23.560 --> 00:06:28.740 May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels. 00:06:29.539 --> 00:06:33.899 For the sake of my family and friends, I will say peace be within you. 00:06:34.659 --> 00:06:40.599 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity. 00:06:40.600 --> 00:06:47.160 New York. 00:06:47.980 --> 00:06:50.140 Concrete jungle where dreams are made of. 00:06:50.379 --> 00:06:52.080 There's nothing you can't do. 00:06:52.820 --> 00:06:53.980 Now you're in New York. 00:06:54.960 --> 00:06:57.320 These streets will make you feel brand new. 00:06:57.740 --> 00:06:59.580 The lights will inspire you. 00:07:00.480 --> 00:07:03.680 Let's hear it for New York, New York, New York. 00:07:04.680 --> 00:07:06.920 Istanbul was Constantinople. 00:07:06.920 --> 00:07:10.759 Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople. 00:07:11.199 --> 00:07:13.259 It's been a long time gone, Constantinople. 00:07:13.379 --> 00:07:17.480 Now it's Turkish delight on a moonlit night. 00:07:18.939 --> 00:07:20.580 I belong to Glasgow. 00:07:21.140 --> 00:07:22.600 Dear old Glasgow town. 00:07:24.040 --> 00:07:26.740 Well, what's the matter with Glasgow for it's going round and round? 00:07:27.180 --> 00:07:30.980 I'm only a common old working chap, as anyone else can say. 00:07:31.680 --> 00:07:35.139 But when I get a couple of drinks on a Saturday, Glasgow belongs to me. 00:07:36.920 --> 00:07:42.000 There is an incredible number of songs about the cities of the world. 00:07:42.720 --> 00:07:45.879 If you Google it, you can be there for hours. 00:07:46.379 --> 00:07:53.860 Barcelona, Vienna, Amarillo, London, San Jose, Las Vegas to name but a few. 00:07:53.860 --> 00:08:02.860 And if we're not careful, as we dig into Psalm 122, we're in danger of just treating it like a song about one of the cities of the world. 00:08:03.280 --> 00:08:08.360 An ode to Jerusalem by the chart-topping success of King David and his mighty men. 00:08:09.960 --> 00:08:12.400 And never really go on from there. 00:08:12.399 --> 00:08:21.000 But I want to say to you that there is much more about Jerusalem going on in this psalm than we see at face value. 00:08:21.959 --> 00:08:30.039 So to orientate our time, I want to give you four points about what we mean biblically when we use the word Jerusalem. 00:08:30.199 --> 00:08:31.139 Here's the first one. 00:08:32.860 --> 00:08:36.259 Jerusalem is not found in the Middle East. 00:08:36.259 --> 00:08:40.740 Jerusalem is not found in the Middle East. 00:08:41.120 --> 00:08:43.620 I have an A-level in geography. 00:08:44.659 --> 00:08:48.019 And yet I think I can say with confidence that that is true. 00:08:48.659 --> 00:08:54.259 There is great tension in the Bible between the Jerusalem as seen and the Jerusalem by faith. 00:08:55.100 --> 00:09:02.360 The most purple passages about Jerusalem we find in our Bible are never really a reality on the ground. 00:09:02.360 --> 00:09:12.419 Even on its best day, Jerusalem doesn't live up to the brochure standing that it gets in God's book, the Bible. 00:09:15.300 --> 00:09:19.360 Something Isaiah picks up on page one when he describes Jerusalem like this. 00:09:19.440 --> 00:09:21.960 The city, as is seen in the Middle East. 00:09:21.960 --> 00:09:37.700 If that is what David was thinking about, I don't think he'd sing Psalm 122. 00:09:37.700 --> 00:09:50.140 If that was where you were going, you'd be straight on TripAdvisor writing a nasty review telling people not to waste their time or their money coming here. 00:09:50.379 --> 00:09:57.060 Jerusalem below never lives up to Jerusalem as seen in its biblical billing. 00:09:57.220 --> 00:09:59.680 First thing, Jerusalem is not found in the Middle East. 00:10:00.700 --> 00:10:05.379 Point two, Jerusalem is fulfilled in the Lord Jesus. 00:10:05.379 --> 00:10:15.120 Everything Old Testament Jerusalem represented theologically is now ours in and through Jesus Christ. 00:10:15.460 --> 00:10:23.580 It is the place that God's presence dwells, that we have access to God not by going to Jerusalem but through the Lord Jesus. 00:10:24.100 --> 00:10:28.379 It is the Lord Jesus who is the one at once and for all sacrifice. 00:10:28.379 --> 00:10:36.159 Meaning we don't need to take our pigeons and our doves and our rams and our bulls to the temple in Jerusalem. 00:10:37.600 --> 00:10:48.840 That we can say now, this side of the cross, that a time now really has come when we worship neither on a mountain nor in Jerusalem but in the Spirit and in truth. 00:10:49.659 --> 00:10:52.379 Second point, Jerusalem is fulfilled in the Lord Jesus. 00:10:52.379 --> 00:10:58.460 Point three, Jerusalem is foreshadowed by the local church. 00:10:59.679 --> 00:11:02.240 Jerusalem is foreshadowed by the local church. 00:11:02.460 --> 00:11:05.419 This is what the writer to the Hebrews is saying in chapter 12, 00:11:05.860 --> 00:11:11.299 that Jesus has now established a new spiritual temple by the sacrifice of himself on the cross. 00:11:11.659 --> 00:11:19.259 And he has brought us not to Mount Sinai or the old Mount Zion but to the new Mount Zion and the new Jerusalem. 00:11:19.259 --> 00:11:22.039 So you get things like 1 Corinthians. 00:11:22.799 --> 00:11:28.620 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple, that God's Spirit lives in you? 00:11:29.000 --> 00:11:30.679 Or 1 Peter 2 verse 5. 00:11:31.139 --> 00:11:43.179 You are like living stones are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 00:11:43.179 --> 00:11:50.339 The final point about Jerusalem is that Jerusalem is finally waiting to come down and fill the earth. 00:11:50.839 --> 00:11:52.699 That is the end of the story. 00:11:53.939 --> 00:11:55.959 That is Revelation 21. 00:11:56.319 --> 00:12:02.959 I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven as a bride, beautifully dressed for her husband. 00:12:04.479 --> 00:12:06.419 Jerusalem is not found in the Middle East. 00:12:06.579 --> 00:12:09.459 Jerusalem is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. 00:12:09.620 --> 00:12:11.919 Jerusalem is foreshadowed by the local church. 00:12:11.919 --> 00:12:15.240 Jerusalem is finally waiting to come down and fill the earth. 00:12:15.659 --> 00:12:22.519 So with those foundations in place, I think we'll see that Psalm 122 is a brilliant song to encourage us 00:12:22.519 --> 00:12:26.699 and help us think about why we should gather as church. 00:12:26.700 --> 00:12:35.140 And if you look at the psalm, it beautifully splits into two bits. 00:12:36.180 --> 00:12:45.180 Verses 1 to 5 in praise of Jerusalem and verses 6 to 9, a place in Jerusalem. 00:12:46.240 --> 00:12:52.300 We see what Jerusalem looks like and what it means to have a part in it. 00:12:52.299 --> 00:12:57.620 And as I said, Psalm 122 is the third of the Psalms of Ascent. 00:12:58.059 --> 00:13:05.099 And the Psalms of Ascent are songs that we think the pilgrims would sing on their way to Jerusalem. 00:13:06.719 --> 00:13:09.359 And there's certainly been a progression. 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:18.820 If you just flick back to Psalm 120, the psalmist is describing that they've journeyed from metaphorical Meshech in the far north 00:13:18.820 --> 00:13:27.560 and metaphorical Kedar in the southeast, where they've dwelt too long amidst pagan hordes who are hostile to them. 00:13:28.039 --> 00:13:29.220 That's where they started. 00:13:29.220 --> 00:13:32.800 And then Psalm 121, they're in transit. 00:13:33.620 --> 00:13:40.779 So Psalm 121, we describe the fact that they've journeyed through the hill country over treacherous terrain, 00:13:41.660 --> 00:13:45.060 enduring boiling hot days and freezing cold nights. 00:13:45.180 --> 00:13:46.580 Psalm 121. 00:13:47.620 --> 00:13:50.980 And in Psalm 122, they finally arrived. 00:13:51.240 --> 00:13:52.200 They've got there. 00:13:52.200 --> 00:13:55.379 When the kids in the back of the car say, are we there yet? 00:13:56.379 --> 00:14:00.000 The parents strike up the happy tune of Psalm 122. 00:14:01.980 --> 00:14:06.420 I will see five things about in praise of Jerusalem. 00:14:08.460 --> 00:14:09.720 Five things. 00:14:10.980 --> 00:14:12.960 The first one is the house. 00:14:13.660 --> 00:14:18.720 I rejoice with those who said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord. 00:14:18.720 --> 00:14:24.899 The pilgrim thinks back to where he's come from, that he comes from a hostile place, 00:14:25.139 --> 00:14:28.519 a place where to be a Christian is not comfortable. 00:14:29.379 --> 00:14:34.240 And so when his friends turned up and said, let's go to Jerusalem, he was like, that's brilliant. 00:14:35.100 --> 00:14:37.560 That is an exciting prospect. 00:14:38.899 --> 00:14:43.500 He's excited by the idea of going somewhere where he fully belongs. 00:14:43.500 --> 00:14:50.519 To be excited to gather with God's people in God's special presence. 00:14:53.299 --> 00:14:59.299 I rejoice with those who said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord. 00:14:59.639 --> 00:15:06.019 First person singular, I met them and together we became an us. 00:15:06.440 --> 00:15:07.940 And we went to church together. 00:15:08.840 --> 00:15:10.960 That's a nice thing, I think. 00:15:10.960 --> 00:15:11.000 I think. 00:15:13.500 --> 00:15:14.840 And it's a place of joy. 00:15:16.120 --> 00:15:21.820 That being together on pilgrimage, to be God's people together in God's special presence, 00:15:22.120 --> 00:15:24.120 is a place of overflowing joy. 00:15:25.600 --> 00:15:27.679 That's quite unusual in our world, I think. 00:15:28.100 --> 00:15:32.139 Because in our 21st century world, we all live like we're an island. 00:15:32.960 --> 00:15:34.639 In fact, we're the Ibiza of islands. 00:15:35.120 --> 00:15:38.679 We have places like coffee shops where lonely people go to be alone together. 00:15:38.679 --> 00:15:47.859 We have social media, which just compounds our loneliness as we see just how popular everyone else is, except us. 00:15:48.579 --> 00:15:56.979 And yet Psalm 122 says this, that lasting, satisfying and overflowing joy is found by being amongst God's people, 00:15:57.479 --> 00:15:59.419 all together in God's special presence. 00:15:59.419 --> 00:16:04.259 I was stoked when they said to me, let's go to church. 00:16:04.979 --> 00:16:06.819 I was overjoyed. 00:16:07.019 --> 00:16:08.159 I was cock-a-hoop. 00:16:09.019 --> 00:16:11.479 I was giving high fives all around. 00:16:11.480 --> 00:16:19.100 The best I've ever seen of this was a couple of summers ago, I was in Washington, D.C., 00:16:19.100 --> 00:16:21.159 hanging out with Mark Dever at Capitol Hill. 00:16:21.800 --> 00:16:24.659 And I was staying with a guy called Matt Schmucker, who had three young children. 00:16:25.620 --> 00:16:28.220 And on the Saturday night before the Sunday morning, 00:16:29.379 --> 00:16:31.560 Matt Schmucker's youngest daughter came in and said, 00:16:31.559 --> 00:16:39.199 Daddy, I'm going to bed because tomorrow we're meeting with church and I want to be wide awake. 00:16:40.139 --> 00:16:41.779 And it was ten past six. 00:16:43.359 --> 00:16:51.239 It was like that Christmas Eve sense that to be with God's people together is a place of joy. 00:16:51.619 --> 00:16:53.159 And I don't want to miss it. 00:16:54.159 --> 00:16:56.559 I don't want to miss it at all. 00:16:56.559 --> 00:17:03.699 Going in alone is futile, foolish, joyless, stunted and a quickly curtailed journey. 00:17:04.259 --> 00:17:08.399 Going together, gathering together is a place of joy. 00:17:09.079 --> 00:17:12.599 A place of joy where we can be together forever. 00:17:14.000 --> 00:17:18.659 God has made the life of faith one where joy is amplified when we're together. 00:17:20.980 --> 00:17:22.799 Second thing we see is the gates. 00:17:22.919 --> 00:17:23.700 Look at verse two. 00:17:23.700 --> 00:17:27.420 Our feet are standing in your gates, Jerusalem. 00:17:28.120 --> 00:17:32.240 I don't think that's the most boring diary entry that the pilgrim's ever conceived. 00:17:32.680 --> 00:17:36.039 I think it's this sense that he's a bit overwhelmed by it. 00:17:36.340 --> 00:17:39.720 That he's almost saying, our feet are standing in your gates. 00:17:39.799 --> 00:17:41.019 I can't believe it. 00:17:41.080 --> 00:17:42.039 We've got here. 00:17:42.279 --> 00:17:43.319 We've arrived. 00:17:43.620 --> 00:17:46.000 We've come from a strife-filled, hostile world. 00:17:46.200 --> 00:17:47.480 And now we're here. 00:17:48.360 --> 00:17:50.600 We have made it. 00:17:50.599 --> 00:17:53.819 He's overwhelmed that his feet are there. 00:17:55.019 --> 00:17:59.039 And he's not there with a selfie stick, taking pictures of himself. 00:17:59.259 --> 00:18:00.759 He's there as a group photo. 00:18:01.019 --> 00:18:05.119 Our plural feet are standing in your gates, Jerusalem. 00:18:05.119 --> 00:18:11.719 He's in awe that he's come into God's special presence with God's people. 00:18:12.299 --> 00:18:14.079 It's a beautiful thing. 00:18:14.279 --> 00:18:16.259 And he's kind of a bit overwhelmed. 00:18:16.259 --> 00:18:20.879 I think Paul picks this up in Romans 5. 00:18:20.879 --> 00:18:31.680 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access into this grace in which we now stand. 00:18:31.680 --> 00:18:37.600 That just as the Old Testament pilgrim was saying, I can't believe we're standing in your presence. 00:18:37.799 --> 00:18:42.060 So Paul says, because of Jesus, I can't believe that we can stand in your presence. 00:18:43.840 --> 00:18:48.240 He's come from a strife-filled world into the communion of saints and God's special presence. 00:18:49.440 --> 00:18:55.380 He finally finds himself fulfilling the very purpose for which he was made, which was glorifying God. 00:18:55.380 --> 00:18:59.120 And he gets to do that with loads of other people. 00:19:00.560 --> 00:19:01.780 It's a beautiful picture. 00:19:01.940 --> 00:19:09.460 It's a place of joy, a place of togetherness, a place that he's always conscious that he's there, but not on his own merits. 00:19:10.540 --> 00:19:14.040 And the third thing we see is the city. 00:19:15.160 --> 00:19:16.600 I think this is quite odd. 00:19:16.780 --> 00:19:20.660 Jerusalem is built like a city that is closely compacted together. 00:19:20.660 --> 00:19:25.120 I don't think the psalmist is saying, I got to Jerusalem and it's a bit of a squeeze. 00:19:25.620 --> 00:19:29.160 It's like a celestial Singapore where we're all kind of tightly packed in. 00:19:29.519 --> 00:19:32.820 And to get the bus means that you get to know people in very close fellowship. 00:19:34.220 --> 00:19:37.440 I don't think he's talking about population density. 00:19:37.860 --> 00:19:42.620 I think he's talking about that Jerusalem is a place where people are invincibly knitted together. 00:19:43.300 --> 00:19:45.600 Where there is real unity. 00:19:45.599 --> 00:19:51.240 A place where everyone makes every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace. 00:19:51.519 --> 00:19:52.679 That they are together. 00:19:52.859 --> 00:19:54.839 They're on the same team. 00:19:56.699 --> 00:20:01.419 A place of real and absolute and impenetrable unity. 00:20:03.179 --> 00:20:06.000 And that is very different, isn't it, to the world we see. 00:20:06.839 --> 00:20:09.039 Where Brexit is going to mean Brexit. 00:20:10.099 --> 00:20:13.240 Where the Indy Ref 2 is hovering on the horizon. 00:20:13.240 --> 00:20:19.059 Where we live in a world that is fracturing and fragmenting quicker than we can imagine. 00:20:20.079 --> 00:20:24.640 The entropy seems to be going out into the world as order becomes chaos. 00:20:25.339 --> 00:20:31.680 But in God's people, through the Lord Jesus, we see that Jerusalem is a city that is closely compacted together. 00:20:31.960 --> 00:20:33.259 And always will be. 00:20:34.579 --> 00:20:38.660 That because of Jesus, there is unity intrinsic in the people of God. 00:20:40.279 --> 00:20:42.380 And that is a beautiful thing. 00:20:43.240 --> 00:20:46.000 A beautiful thing. 00:20:46.880 --> 00:20:51.019 That diversity is brought together as unity in the Lord Jesus. 00:20:51.779 --> 00:20:59.579 Francis Schaeffer will say that the greatest apologetic for the gospel is the community that the gospel produces. 00:20:59.579 --> 00:21:07.679 Nowhere else in Edinburgh today, outside of a church, will there be such a wide range of people gathered together. 00:21:07.680 --> 00:21:14.640 I mean, I find it incredible on a Sunday morning that newborn babies are passed around the congregation like polo men. 00:21:15.420 --> 00:21:17.080 No one else sees that. 00:21:17.900 --> 00:21:22.440 When I see those that are older chatting to those that are six, I think that is amazing. 00:21:22.440 --> 00:21:27.180 You don't see a family like this anywhere else. 00:21:27.519 --> 00:21:31.120 I walk past the Bowling Green this afternoon on Regent Road. 00:21:31.920 --> 00:21:34.620 And there's a sizable group of people there. 00:21:34.619 --> 00:21:41.679 They're all slightly senior gentlemen wearing chinos and a white shirt. 00:21:41.779 --> 00:21:43.079 They're all exactly the same. 00:21:44.079 --> 00:21:45.039 It's a monoculture. 00:21:45.039 --> 00:21:49.940 And here there's incredible diversity in and through. 00:21:50.740 --> 00:21:53.980 The Lord Jesus Church is made beautiful by the gospel. 00:21:53.980 --> 00:21:57.980 And the church makes the gospel look beautiful. 00:21:58.980 --> 00:22:01.740 It's a beautiful, virtuous circle. 00:22:02.339 --> 00:22:05.319 And the world looks in and they think it's weird. 00:22:05.839 --> 00:22:08.740 But they're compelled by it because no one else has got it. 00:22:09.660 --> 00:22:11.039 No one else at all. 00:22:12.500 --> 00:22:15.839 The fourth thing he says about Jerusalem is the tribes. 00:22:16.319 --> 00:22:17.640 That is where the tribes go up. 00:22:17.640 --> 00:22:23.400 The tribes of the Lord to praise the name of the Lord according to the statute given to Israel. 00:22:24.680 --> 00:22:33.740 That Jerusalem in the Old Testament would be the place that everyone would go on pilgrimage for special festivals and occasions that God had prescribed in his law. 00:22:34.759 --> 00:22:37.099 Jerusalem is the place for this. 00:22:37.559 --> 00:22:41.500 Jerusalem is a bit of a weird city in the Old Testament. 00:22:41.779 --> 00:22:47.299 It's mentioned first in Genesis 14 as you get this mysterious Melchizedek priest king figure. 00:22:47.960 --> 00:22:49.940 Who is the king and priest of Salem. 00:22:49.940 --> 00:22:50.059 Jerusalem. 00:22:50.960 --> 00:22:54.160 We find that when Joshua conquers the promised land. 00:22:54.820 --> 00:22:58.259 There's a city that they never quite get control of. 00:22:58.460 --> 00:23:00.480 Because the Jebusites live there. 00:23:00.680 --> 00:23:01.960 And they're not going anywhere. 00:23:02.059 --> 00:23:03.559 They're kind of in for the long haul. 00:23:04.660 --> 00:23:09.559 And so when the nation is divided up among the tribes. 00:23:10.460 --> 00:23:12.620 Jerusalem is never really properly allotted. 00:23:12.720 --> 00:23:14.420 Because they never properly own it. 00:23:14.420 --> 00:23:15.980 It's in the region of Judea. 00:23:15.980 --> 00:23:16.420 Judah. 00:23:16.980 --> 00:23:20.019 But they never quite take control of it. 00:23:20.060 --> 00:23:21.400 Because the Jebusites live there. 00:23:21.800 --> 00:23:25.420 Finally when David conquers it in 2 Samuel 5. 00:23:25.940 --> 00:23:28.000 It becomes the place of his throne. 00:23:29.180 --> 00:23:31.620 And it almost has this neutrality to it. 00:23:32.019 --> 00:23:34.500 So that when everyone goes there to worship. 00:23:34.860 --> 00:23:38.640 They don't feel like they're trespassing or in somebody else's house. 00:23:38.640 --> 00:23:41.759 They feel like they all own it together. 00:23:42.800 --> 00:23:47.980 And I think it's a wonderful thing that everyone goes there on the same footing. 00:23:48.759 --> 00:23:51.680 That everyone is humbled under grace. 00:23:52.300 --> 00:23:54.560 That everyone is welcomed there by God. 00:23:54.640 --> 00:23:56.600 But not because they deserve it. 00:23:57.340 --> 00:23:59.500 But because his grace is sufficient. 00:24:00.100 --> 00:24:01.320 This is not one-upmanship. 00:24:01.319 --> 00:24:04.519 Everyone goes there at God's invitation. 00:24:06.439 --> 00:24:08.419 Into God's presence. 00:24:09.899 --> 00:24:11.299 It's the same for us. 00:24:11.359 --> 00:24:13.339 No one's coming to church today. 00:24:13.339 --> 00:24:15.939 Because they've earned favor from God. 00:24:16.960 --> 00:24:19.819 Nobody's walking in as the big cheese. 00:24:20.519 --> 00:24:21.960 Oh I've got all the answers. 00:24:22.240 --> 00:24:23.899 God is really pleased with me. 00:24:24.679 --> 00:24:27.419 Everyone's coming in as sinners. 00:24:28.359 --> 00:24:30.460 That have found grace in the Lord Jesus. 00:24:31.319 --> 00:24:36.519 People are coming in as treasonous rebels. 00:24:36.519 --> 00:24:39.500 That have been rescued and reconciled by Jesus. 00:24:41.359 --> 00:24:44.559 Everyone's coming in not on performance related acceptance. 00:24:45.480 --> 00:24:47.899 But as those that are accepted forever in Jesus. 00:24:48.099 --> 00:24:51.419 That means that we can do away with pride in the church. 00:24:52.500 --> 00:24:55.519 That there is nothing like salvation by grace alone. 00:24:55.599 --> 00:24:57.179 Through faith alone in Christ alone. 00:24:57.419 --> 00:24:59.079 To make us think less of ourselves. 00:24:59.240 --> 00:25:00.039 More of Jesus. 00:25:00.039 --> 00:25:02.139 And as we think less of ourselves. 00:25:02.359 --> 00:25:03.539 We can unite together. 00:25:03.539 --> 00:25:06.559 Because I don't find myself as nauseating as I actually am. 00:25:08.420 --> 00:25:10.420 It's a wonderful thing. 00:25:11.960 --> 00:25:13.680 Where there's real unity. 00:25:14.519 --> 00:25:17.119 That when we come to church it's not about us. 00:25:17.200 --> 00:25:18.159 Which is so good. 00:25:19.659 --> 00:25:21.019 It's all about Jesus. 00:25:21.240 --> 00:25:23.359 And the place of unity is in and through him. 00:25:23.359 --> 00:25:27.959 The final thing we see is the thrones. 00:25:28.759 --> 00:25:29.639 In verse 5. 00:25:29.740 --> 00:25:32.079 There stand the thrones of judgment. 00:25:32.879 --> 00:25:35.819 The thrones of the house of David. 00:25:36.819 --> 00:25:39.799 This is the place where God's king rules. 00:25:39.799 --> 00:25:44.220 That was true of Old Testament Jerusalem. 00:25:44.220 --> 00:25:45.960 But that is especially true. 00:25:46.500 --> 00:25:48.180 Of the church of Jesus Christ. 00:25:48.319 --> 00:25:48.859 That here. 00:25:49.680 --> 00:25:51.359 In a very real way. 00:25:51.659 --> 00:25:53.399 The kingdom of God is here. 00:25:53.539 --> 00:25:54.859 It is an outpost. 00:25:55.299 --> 00:25:57.339 Showing what the future will look like. 00:25:57.399 --> 00:26:00.119 That in the church Jesus rules and reigns. 00:26:00.799 --> 00:26:01.899 And he does it now. 00:26:01.980 --> 00:26:03.819 But one day he will do it fully. 00:26:03.899 --> 00:26:04.619 And absolutely. 00:26:04.759 --> 00:26:06.000 Over absolutely everything. 00:26:06.000 --> 00:26:09.579 This is the place where Jesus is king. 00:26:10.500 --> 00:26:12.980 The place where we worship him. 00:26:13.099 --> 00:26:14.279 Where we adore him. 00:26:14.460 --> 00:26:15.799 Where we listen to him. 00:26:15.880 --> 00:26:17.619 Where we commit to obey him. 00:26:18.759 --> 00:26:21.859 Where we learn what it is to be a citizen of his kingdom. 00:26:22.339 --> 00:26:25.180 And we go and live like that in the world. 00:26:28.740 --> 00:26:30.420 What gather as church? 00:26:32.319 --> 00:26:34.039 Well because it's a place of joy. 00:26:34.039 --> 00:26:36.799 As we meet together in God's presence. 00:26:37.500 --> 00:26:40.220 It's a place we're constantly in awe of. 00:26:40.279 --> 00:26:42.680 That we can come together not because of us. 00:26:43.379 --> 00:26:44.920 It's a place of real unity. 00:26:45.460 --> 00:26:47.859 A place where grace abounds and humbles us. 00:26:47.899 --> 00:26:49.159 So we can be unified. 00:26:50.339 --> 00:26:52.460 And a place where Jesus reigns. 00:26:53.879 --> 00:26:56.119 And so David praises the earthly Jerusalem. 00:26:56.119 --> 00:26:58.519 On behalf of the Old Testament pilgrim. 00:26:58.980 --> 00:27:02.159 We praise and love the prototype Jerusalem. 00:27:02.160 --> 00:27:04.960 Which is seen here in the local church. 00:27:05.840 --> 00:27:08.060 And one day soon we will inhabit. 00:27:09.019 --> 00:27:11.500 And praise in the perfect Jerusalem. 00:27:11.620 --> 00:27:13.820 As pilgrims finally home. 00:27:15.600 --> 00:27:18.080 God's people gathered in God's place. 00:27:18.140 --> 00:27:19.340 Under God's rule. 00:27:20.580 --> 00:27:22.180 And that's what we do here. 00:27:23.900 --> 00:27:24.460 Together. 00:27:24.460 --> 00:27:27.840 The Jerusalem that was. 00:27:27.920 --> 00:27:29.299 The Jerusalem that is. 00:27:29.920 --> 00:27:32.920 And the Jerusalem that will one day forever be perfectly. 00:27:34.299 --> 00:27:35.440 A place of joy. 00:27:35.640 --> 00:27:36.519 Or universe. 00:27:36.720 --> 00:27:37.100 Unity. 00:27:37.319 --> 00:27:37.920 Diversity. 00:27:38.779 --> 00:27:41.079 All under the perfect rule of Christ Jesus. 00:27:43.079 --> 00:27:45.480 And the song finishes with two aspects. 00:27:45.480 --> 00:27:45.599 Peace. 00:27:47.220 --> 00:27:49.160 And I think the first one is security. 00:27:49.380 --> 00:27:49.759 Look at it. 00:27:49.799 --> 00:27:50.839 Verses six and seven. 00:27:51.900 --> 00:27:53.180 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. 00:27:53.319 --> 00:27:54.880 May those who love you be secure. 00:27:56.059 --> 00:27:57.920 May they be peace within your walls. 00:27:58.019 --> 00:28:00.819 And security within your citadels. 00:28:02.599 --> 00:28:04.860 One of the things about being together. 00:28:04.860 --> 00:28:06.559 It's a place where we belong. 00:28:06.559 --> 00:28:10.099 We spend six days of the week. 00:28:10.179 --> 00:28:11.940 In a very hostile world. 00:28:12.639 --> 00:28:14.200 A place where you're conscious. 00:28:14.200 --> 00:28:16.139 That you don't really fit in. 00:28:16.399 --> 00:28:18.460 You kind of dance to a different tune. 00:28:18.539 --> 00:28:20.179 To the rest of your fellow people. 00:28:21.139 --> 00:28:22.859 That you love a different Lord. 00:28:23.220 --> 00:28:25.559 You live according to a different set of rules. 00:28:25.980 --> 00:28:28.259 You have a different attitude to life. 00:28:28.519 --> 00:28:30.440 You have an intolerance to sin. 00:28:30.440 --> 00:28:31.799 You have a new heart. 00:28:31.919 --> 00:28:32.539 A new Lord. 00:28:32.659 --> 00:28:33.339 New desires. 00:28:33.500 --> 00:28:35.399 New powers to fulfill those desires. 00:28:36.559 --> 00:28:40.759 You kind of feel a bit like you stick out like a sore thumb. 00:28:41.220 --> 00:28:42.799 In a strife filled world. 00:28:44.720 --> 00:28:46.480 And yet when we come together. 00:28:46.639 --> 00:28:47.259 We feel we're. 00:28:47.379 --> 00:28:47.619 This is. 00:28:47.740 --> 00:28:48.559 These are my people. 00:28:50.679 --> 00:28:53.220 This is a place where we fully belong. 00:28:54.460 --> 00:28:57.000 This is the hope filled alternative. 00:28:57.000 --> 00:28:59.299 To the way the world is doing life. 00:29:00.220 --> 00:29:02.319 A place where we can be ourselves. 00:29:02.799 --> 00:29:04.679 And know that grace will be sufficient. 00:29:04.680 --> 00:29:07.980 That grace will cover all my oddness. 00:29:08.299 --> 00:29:10.799 It will cover all my rough edges. 00:29:11.539 --> 00:29:15.220 And that people are committing to loving one another for the sake of Jesus. 00:29:16.680 --> 00:29:18.340 We're not trying to earn their love. 00:29:18.440 --> 00:29:19.580 It's intrinsically there. 00:29:19.660 --> 00:29:21.060 In and through the gospel. 00:29:22.519 --> 00:29:23.980 And it's a place of shalom. 00:29:24.100 --> 00:29:25.180 That word peace. 00:29:25.720 --> 00:29:27.320 That word that is a bit more like. 00:29:27.480 --> 00:29:29.799 A bit more than an absence of war. 00:29:30.039 --> 00:29:32.100 It's a place of wholeness. 00:29:32.099 --> 00:29:35.179 It's a place where I can be fully me. 00:29:35.259 --> 00:29:36.240 As I was meant to be. 00:29:36.480 --> 00:29:39.079 A place where I'm fulfilling my purpose. 00:29:39.699 --> 00:29:41.279 Of glorifying God. 00:29:41.799 --> 00:29:43.419 And being amongst his people. 00:29:44.559 --> 00:29:46.259 It's a place of prospering. 00:29:46.339 --> 00:29:49.139 And flourishing according to God's grace. 00:29:50.480 --> 00:29:51.859 So the beautiful thing is. 00:29:51.919 --> 00:29:53.879 About having a part in Jerusalem. 00:29:53.880 --> 00:29:56.360 Is it's a place you belong. 00:29:58.320 --> 00:29:59.600 Just as you are. 00:29:59.720 --> 00:30:01.980 As a sinner saved by Jesus. 00:30:03.860 --> 00:30:05.660 And that's a beautiful thing. 00:30:05.960 --> 00:30:08.140 In a world that doesn't feel very secure. 00:30:08.240 --> 00:30:09.040 This is secure. 00:30:10.220 --> 00:30:12.500 In a world where we don't feel like we belong. 00:30:12.580 --> 00:30:13.480 We belong here. 00:30:14.760 --> 00:30:16.800 In a place that seems to be crumbling. 00:30:16.960 --> 00:30:19.420 We get to be part of a community that will last forever. 00:30:20.520 --> 00:30:21.740 And that is beautiful. 00:30:21.740 --> 00:30:25.839 To have a part of Jerusalem. 00:30:26.079 --> 00:30:28.680 Is to have a part in a place that is utterly secure. 00:30:29.200 --> 00:30:31.859 Because it is guaranteed by Jesus. 00:30:32.000 --> 00:30:32.740 And he never fails. 00:30:35.000 --> 00:30:36.940 See the second thing is sacrifice. 00:30:37.140 --> 00:30:38.079 The final two verses. 00:30:38.339 --> 00:30:40.740 Just see how other person centred. 00:30:42.180 --> 00:30:43.279 The last two verses are. 00:30:43.359 --> 00:30:45.599 For the sake of my family and friends. 00:30:46.160 --> 00:30:47.920 I will say peace be within you. 00:30:47.920 --> 00:30:51.220 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God. 00:30:51.300 --> 00:30:53.580 I will seek your prosperity. 00:30:54.700 --> 00:30:58.840 It is a place where everyone considers others better than themselves. 00:31:00.140 --> 00:31:02.680 It is a place that's truly biblical. 00:31:02.980 --> 00:31:04.759 And therefore anti-capitalist. 00:31:05.320 --> 00:31:09.060 That it is a place where we truly know that it is more blessed to give. 00:31:09.259 --> 00:31:10.340 Than to receive. 00:31:10.339 --> 00:31:14.459 It is a place where we get to serve one another. 00:31:14.559 --> 00:31:16.699 As those that have ultimately been served. 00:31:16.919 --> 00:31:18.039 By the Lord Jesus. 00:31:18.359 --> 00:31:21.159 It is a place where I don't need to be about myself. 00:31:22.000 --> 00:31:23.659 That by Jesus I am freed from that. 00:31:23.720 --> 00:31:24.980 I can be about other people. 00:31:27.119 --> 00:31:28.319 It is a place. 00:31:28.319 --> 00:31:31.720 Where greatness is truly achieved. 00:31:31.819 --> 00:31:33.139 By sinking right to the bottom. 00:31:33.240 --> 00:31:34.519 And being a servant of all. 00:31:35.839 --> 00:31:38.539 And in a world where it's all about getting to the top. 00:31:39.500 --> 00:31:42.819 All about being the name at the top of the door. 00:31:43.639 --> 00:31:45.579 The way of the world. 00:31:45.700 --> 00:31:47.559 To make much of ourselves. 00:31:48.399 --> 00:31:49.919 To pedestal ourselves. 00:31:50.460 --> 00:31:51.899 Not in this community. 00:31:52.379 --> 00:31:53.599 That we're saved into. 00:31:53.700 --> 00:31:55.179 That we're gathered to. 00:31:55.919 --> 00:31:58.039 It's about sinking right to the bottom. 00:31:58.039 --> 00:32:00.519 And being a servant of all. 00:32:03.119 --> 00:32:05.119 It's a wonderful picture. 00:32:06.299 --> 00:32:07.680 Psalm 122. 00:32:08.859 --> 00:32:12.180 It's a compelling picture of what God's people gathering together. 00:32:12.639 --> 00:32:13.659 Looks like. 00:32:14.980 --> 00:32:16.960 And therefore I want to finish with this guy. 00:32:17.980 --> 00:32:19.299 His name is. 00:32:19.639 --> 00:32:21.399 Haidetsugu Uneha. 00:32:22.039 --> 00:32:22.960 I think. 00:32:24.299 --> 00:32:27.019 And he is a Japanese architect. 00:32:28.039 --> 00:32:30.259 And the reason he is infamous. 00:32:31.079 --> 00:32:33.200 Is because he falsified. 00:32:33.200 --> 00:32:35.839 A lot of earthquake proof documents. 00:32:36.299 --> 00:32:37.000 In Japan. 00:32:37.680 --> 00:32:39.579 And the scandal of that is. 00:32:39.799 --> 00:32:40.960 That when there was an earthquake. 00:32:41.079 --> 00:32:42.240 Which there often is in Japan. 00:32:42.379 --> 00:32:44.139 People would run into his buildings. 00:32:44.639 --> 00:32:46.180 Thinking they were safe. 00:32:46.180 --> 00:32:50.400 But they were actually putting themselves in a lot more danger. 00:32:52.539 --> 00:32:55.519 And the truth that we see in Psalm 122. 00:32:56.940 --> 00:32:58.900 Is that lots of people. 00:32:59.440 --> 00:33:00.460 Think they're safe. 00:33:01.100 --> 00:33:02.000 In lots of things. 00:33:02.120 --> 00:33:02.920 Safe in their money. 00:33:03.720 --> 00:33:04.900 Safe in their reputation. 00:33:05.680 --> 00:33:07.400 Safe in the nest egg they've produced. 00:33:07.560 --> 00:33:07.779 Safe. 00:33:08.340 --> 00:33:10.360 Because of any number of things. 00:33:10.359 --> 00:33:14.099 And Psalm 122 tells us. 00:33:14.679 --> 00:33:16.339 That the only safe place. 00:33:17.079 --> 00:33:19.079 Is to be found in Jesus Christ. 00:33:19.179 --> 00:33:20.199 And amongst his people. 00:33:22.019 --> 00:33:23.799 And therefore this is not just a community. 00:33:23.799 --> 00:33:24.759 That we're welcomed. 00:33:25.479 --> 00:33:25.819 Into. 00:33:25.919 --> 00:33:27.839 This is a community that we each need. 00:33:28.899 --> 00:33:30.859 As we live life for each other. 00:33:31.699 --> 00:33:33.559 A place where we truly belong. 00:33:34.279 --> 00:33:35.679 In a hostile world. 00:33:36.519 --> 00:33:37.740 Why gather in church. 00:33:38.220 --> 00:33:40.180 Because it's a place where joy is amplified. 00:33:41.039 --> 00:33:42.560 Where it's a place where awe. 00:33:42.840 --> 00:33:44.740 Is instilled and refreshed. 00:33:45.500 --> 00:33:48.080 It's a place where we exhibit the power of the gospel. 00:33:49.240 --> 00:33:50.759 It's where we find a family. 00:33:50.880 --> 00:33:52.000 Made from every family. 00:33:52.120 --> 00:33:53.620 That's closer than most families. 00:33:54.680 --> 00:33:55.860 And definitely weirder. 00:33:57.180 --> 00:33:58.580 It's a place where we live out. 00:33:58.680 --> 00:34:00.720 And live under the perfect rule of Jesus. 00:34:01.360 --> 00:34:02.900 It's a place where we find. 00:34:03.120 --> 00:34:04.600 That we truly belong. 00:34:04.599 --> 00:34:06.359 And are eternally secure. 00:34:07.339 --> 00:34:09.519 And it's a place where we get to serve. 00:34:10.219 --> 00:34:11.400 And through our service. 00:34:11.460 --> 00:34:12.880 And sacrificial service. 00:34:13.400 --> 00:34:15.199 Be truly blessed. 00:34:16.339 --> 00:34:18.259 I just want to read a paragraph from this book. 00:34:18.319 --> 00:34:19.460 And then I'll hand back to Tim. 00:34:21.839 --> 00:34:24.819 Do you want to see what the kingdom of God looks like? 00:34:25.480 --> 00:34:27.500 At least before it's made perfect. 00:34:28.519 --> 00:34:30.440 Do you want to see the life of the kingdom. 00:34:30.440 --> 00:34:31.940 Lived out in this age. 00:34:32.339 --> 00:34:33.819 Look at the church. 00:34:33.820 --> 00:34:36.660 That's where God's wisdom is displayed. 00:34:37.200 --> 00:34:39.680 Where people who were formerly alienated. 00:34:39.840 --> 00:34:42.100 Are reconciled and united because of Jesus. 00:34:42.600 --> 00:34:44.920 And where God's Holy Spirit is at work. 00:34:45.300 --> 00:34:47.600 Remaking and rebuilding human lives. 00:34:48.280 --> 00:34:50.880 It's where God's people learn to love one another. 00:34:51.280 --> 00:34:53.480 To bear one another's burdens and sorrows. 00:34:53.559 --> 00:34:55.480 To weep together and rejoice together. 00:34:55.480 --> 00:34:58.139 And to hold one another accountable. 00:34:58.139 --> 00:35:00.940 Of course it's not perfect. 00:35:01.340 --> 00:35:04.719 But the church is where the life of the kingdom is lived. 00:35:05.260 --> 00:35:09.900 And showcased to a world desperately in need of salvation. 00:35:09.900 --> 00:35:11.480 Let's pray together. 00:35:11.480 --> 00:35:18.820 Father God we want to thank you so much. 00:35:20.500 --> 00:35:23.220 That you've not just called us to yourself. 00:35:24.700 --> 00:35:27.599 But you've called us into fellowship with each other. 00:35:28.820 --> 00:35:31.960 Father I thank you for the joy it is to gather as church. 00:35:31.960 --> 00:35:36.639 Father to be this community that is all about Jesus. 00:35:38.340 --> 00:35:43.820 Lord I pray that this would be a church where your manifold wisdom is put on full display. 00:35:44.820 --> 00:35:47.139 Where joy is tangible. 00:35:47.519 --> 00:35:50.119 Where awe is a reality. 00:35:50.880 --> 00:35:53.260 Where unity is invincible. 00:35:53.260 --> 00:35:56.320 Where service is commonplace. 00:35:56.880 --> 00:35:58.760 And where Jesus reigns. 00:36:00.220 --> 00:36:03.760 And so Lord we're conscious that this is your work in progress. 00:36:04.560 --> 00:36:09.960 Father we're confident that you have a perfect track record of completing everything that you begin. 00:36:11.260 --> 00:36:13.960 And so Lord may your Holy Spirit have free reign. 00:36:14.980 --> 00:36:17.140 May he make us what you would have us be. 00:36:17.960 --> 00:36:22.760 And would Jesus gain the maximum glory from our corporate life together. 00:36:23.260 --> 00:36:27.960 Father may we never lose the wonder or the privilege of being church together. 00:36:28.640 --> 00:36:33.660 And we're so conscious that there are many brothers and sisters in our world. 00:36:34.160 --> 00:36:37.780 Who would give anything to me as we do like this this evening. 00:36:38.480 --> 00:36:39.540 So Lord bless us. 00:36:40.080 --> 00:36:43.340 And make us constantly thankful for what you're doing amongst us. 00:36:43.840 --> 00:36:44.820 In Jesus name. 00:36:45.460 --> 00:36:45.720 Amen.