I'm going to begin our worship and singing, first of all, this evening from Psalm 96a.
Psalm 96a, that's on page 126.
The tune is Glasgow.
We're singing verses 1 to 10.
O sing a new song to the Lord, sing praises to his name, and his salvation day by day
let all the earth proclaim, his glory and his mighty deeds to every land declare, how
great and awesome is the Lord, with him no gods compare.
Psalm 96a, we're singing verses 1 to 10.
If you're able to stand, please stand to sing.
O sing a new song to the Lord, sing praises to his name, and his salvation day by day.
Let all the earth proclaim, his glory and his mighty deeds to every land declare, how great,
and awesome is the Lord, with him no gods compare.
For other gods are wood and stone, the Lord made heavens high.
all power and majesty and his, he dwell in glorious light.
All nations to the Lord has cry, the glory that is due.
Glory and strength as cry to God, and praise his name, my youth.
Enter his court with joy and grace, and offer thee with you.
Worship the Lord in holy fear, all earth behold him above.
Tell every land the Lord is king, he establishes the earth.
And can all prove, the Lord will judge the peoples in his truth.
Now we're going to pray, let's join together as we call upon the Lord.
Gracious and eternal God, what wonderful truths you have given us in these words that we have sung,
exclaiming and setting out for us the glory and the majesty and the greatness of our God,
the uniqueness of our God, the fact that there is none like you in the whole creation,
for you are the creator, you are the one who is above all things that exist.
We thank you, Lord, tonight that this is our portion in life,
that we are privileged to come and call upon your name and join together in worship.
And we give thanks, Lord, for the way in which your word has guided us already
to such high thoughts about you, and to such thoughts about ourselves
as we would humble ourselves in your presence and would come and bring an offering,
an offering of praise and of thanksgiving to you.
And we pray, Lord, that you would draw near to us.
We seek to draw near to you, and we know from your word that
if we draw near to God, that he will draw near to us.
That is your promise.
And we ask that you would help us, Lord,
tonight to experience the reality of that promise for ourselves.
For it would be but an empty gathering for us, O Lord,
if we only met with one another, precious though that is in itself.
Yet, Lord, we ask that we will know of a meeting with you,
of a fellowship with you, of a communion deep in our souls
with our creator and our saviour.
And, Lord, we ask tonight that your Holy Spirit will draw us,
that you would work in our hearts, work in our minds,
enlightening our minds further in the knowledge of your truth.
We pray that we may once again see the great privilege we have
of knowing and confessing you as our God,
above all other false gods in the world,
as we have been reading and singing in this psalm.
O Lord, our God, we thank you that you have delivered us
from any thoughts that there may be rivals to you.
And yet we confess that so often, Lord,
we find ourselves giving our devotion all too much
to those things of this present age,
and that we find ourselves so easily distracted, O Lord,
from focusing our minds upon you
and from placing you foremost in our thoughts and actions day by day.
We come before you again tonight, Lord,
confessing our need of your forgiveness and cleansing,
confessing, Lord, that we appear before you defiled in our sins,
that we sin against you every day we live.
Indeed, from hour to hour we are conscious, Lord,
that we sin against you,
that sin is very much a part of our fallenness
and comes to the fore in our thoughts and actions.
And we pray tonight, Lord, for that cleansing of our lives.
We ask that you would draw us to yourself,
that we may in our confession
come to realize the truth of your word once again,
even though we may have known your forgiveness
in times gone by.
Yet we thank you that every confession of our sin,
Lord, as we engage in that in your presence,
is met with the promise that if we confess our sins,
the Lord is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
So we pray that your holy word will be beneficial to us tonight.
We thank you for it.
We thank you that it is so central to our worship, O Lord,
that you have taught us the importance
of having your word central in our worship.
For it is by your word indeed that we are guided
faithfully and infallibly
to those things that have to do with your glory
and your praise and your worship.
And we do pray, O Lord,
that you would open up our minds
to receive your word once again.
Help us in our understanding of it.
Help us in our conveyance of it
to the world around us,
as we've been singing,
to tell every land that the Lord is king.
Lord, help us, we pray,
to do this in our own locality and beyond,
wherever we have opportunity to make you known.
Give us grace, Lord,
to take advantage of that opportunity
and to seek to fulfill
the remit you have given your people in the world,
to go forth to make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Lord Jesus
and of the Holy Spirit
and teaching them all things
that you have commanded us.
We thank you for every evidence of your blessing
that we have from day to day,
from week to week.
We give thanks for that in our own lives personally.
We give thanks, Lord,
in the life of the congregation
for continued evidence of your blessing.
And we seek further that you would bless us
and bless the gospel to us.
We pray that we may be more and more
a light in the world in which you have placed us,
that we, as we seek to live for you,
would form, Lord,
that light that reaches out
into the darkest recesses of society.
And to that end,
we pray that you would use us
and enable us in all our activities,
O Lord,
to know that you are guiding us,
that you are blessing
all that we seek to do in your name.
We pray for your guidance
in all of these things.
We ask that you would help us
as we seek, Lord,
to know how to reach out with the gospel,
how to confront the thinking of our age,
how to go forth and engage with people
who themselves may not at all care for the gospel,
may be hostile to it,
and all kinds of ideologies
that we meet with in our society.
Lord, we pray that you would grant us help,
that you would grant us,
that your Spirit may guide us
and may further teach us in these ways.
We pray that you would bless all those
who are preparing themselves,
O Lord,
for the ministry of the gospel.
We pray for Scott with ourselves.
We pray for all his fellow trainee ministers.
We ask that you would bless them
as they receive their training and teaching.
We pray, Lord,
that they will indeed form a great force
in the world for good
and that you would use them, Lord,
as even now they are preparing
for permanent ministry.
We pray that you would continue
to use them and encourage them.
And we ask, O God,
that you would give to them
the weight with all
and the resources of your Holy Spirit
to preach the word of Christ
and to do so in a way
that unashamedly holds forth
the gospel of truth.
We pray that you'd bless our seminary.
We ask, Lord,
for the regular teaching
that takes place there
from week to week.
And as they anticipate
a new session,
we pray for all those
who prepare themselves
to teach,
those who come
to be educated there.
We ask for all the lecturers.
We pray that they will know
of your own blessing
accompanying their efforts.
We pray for the principal,
Principal Martin,
and all who serve with him
in that capacity.
And we pray, gracious one,
that they may know
of your constant provision
for them
and of your encouragement
of them in such
an important work.
And we pray for
all the church plants
that we know of
throughout our denomination.
And we ask, O God,
that you would encourage them also.
We pray that they may be
further established
in the truth,
in your ways,
that they will be encouraged
as they seek to reach out
with the gospel,
that you would help them,
Lord, to know of your blessing,
building them up,
not only in terms of numbers,
but spiritually as well.
And we pray that we may see days,
Lord, of much rejoicing yet
and seeing many coming
to the Lord
through the efforts
of those who are engaged
both in church plants
and in long-established
congregations like our own.
Lord, our longing is
that we will know
that sound of heaven,
that wonderful sound
of your Spirit at work,
the great sound
of people coming
to attend to your truth
and coming to be changed
in their lives under it.
We ask that you would
bless tonight those two
who have particular problems
in life.
And we pray for those
who face addiction
and seek from day to day
to live with such difficulties
and challenges in life
as this provides for them.
We pray for those, Lord,
who seek to help them.
We pray for David Chisholm,
and all others like him, Lord,
or in our own local road
to recovery.
We ask that you would bless him
and bless all who assist him
in the work
and bless all who come together
from time to time
to seek to discuss
and to help each other
through these difficult times.
And we pray that especially
your Word might truly
be blessed to them.
We pray that you would bless
the work of safe families.
Again, we commend them to you
and ask, Lord,
that you would continue
to provide for them
and encourage them.
We pray for all the families
already being helped,
and we ask, O God,
that that would multiply
and that there may be
many more who will come
to offer themselves
as volunteers
to help Catherine
and all others
and the staff
of safe families.
We ask, Lord,
that your blessing
will continue to be with them
and encourage them
and strengthen them, Lord,
to carry through
with the important work
that they're involved with.
Remember those also
in our community
who help us
in various ways.
We ask for all
in the hospital,
in the hospice,
in our care homes.
We pray for them
and ask that they may
know your blessing too
as they minister
to the needs of others
so faithfully
each and every day.
We do commit to you, Lord,
those who teach
in our schools,
both in the state schools
and in the Christian school.
Remember them all,
we pray.
We pray,
give to those, Lord,
who teach our young people
that they may be able
to do so,
seeking that wholesome teaching
that comes through your word
may itself be conveyed
to the children.
We pray that you bless
headteachers
throughout our own islands
and that they may,
in facing the challenges
of our age,
that they may know
that wisdom
from the Lord himself.
And we commit them to you
and ask that you would
strengthen them
in mind
and in their thoughts
and in their actions
to face the difficulties
and challenges
that they face particularly.
Remember now,
we pray,
those who are in hospital,
those who are ill,
those who are being cared for
by others at home,
remember the carers
in our community.
We thank you for them
and pray
that you would continue
to bless them
and bless also
the social work department.
We pray for them
and for all who help
in these ways
in our community.
We ask,
O Lord,
too,
for those who are
tonight bereaved,
those who mourn
over the passing
of loved ones.
We pray,
too,
for the undertaker
and for all his staff.
We commit them to you
and give thanks
for their dedication
to their work.
And Lord,
in all of these areas
of our land
locally and nationally,
we pray that you would
continue to provide for us.
We pray that we may
continue to depend upon you,
realizing that it is
in your goodness
that all of these things
are extended to us
and provided for us.
Bless us now,
then,
we pray,
as we continue here
in your presence.
Bless all the gatherings
of your people
throughout our local districts,
throughout our nation,
throughout the whole world.
Bless your people.
Bless those of them
especially facing
persecution,
poverty,
deprivation,
attacks of various kinds.
Lord,
our God,
we pray that your kingdom
will nevertheless advance,
that your will be done
on earth
as it is in heaven.
And we ask that
all of these things,
Lord,
as we present them
before you,
may be pleasing to you
to answer our prayer.
We ask it all
with the pardon of our sin.
For Jesus' sake.
Amen.
Now we're going to sing further
to God's praise
from the Scottish Psalter
this time,
Psalm 90,
and verses 13 to 17.
That's on page 350.
The tune this time is Kilmarnock.
Turn yet again to us,
O Lord,
how long thus shall it be?
Let it repent thee now
for those
that servants are to thee.
With thy tender mercies,
Lord,
us early satisfy.
So we rejoice,
shall all our days,
and still be glad in thee.
The psalmist,
in his prayer,
appealing to the Lord
to come and reveal
his power once again
as he seeks to
appeal to God here
to let the beauty
of the Lord,
our God,
be us upon
and for him to
establish the handiworks,
the works that
they do in the Lord's name
in the psalmist's own time.
And this, of course,
is our prayer as well
in our day,
that the work
and the power of God
may appear to
us as his servants
and show unto
our children, dear,
his glory evermore.
So to the tune
Kilmarnock,
verses 13 to 17,
to God's praise.
Amen.
Turn yet again
to us, O Lord,
how long
thou shall live
be.
Let it repent
thee now
for those
that surrounds
are to thee.
O with thy tender
mercies, O Lord,
God certainly
satisfied,
so we rejoice
shall o'er
our days
and still be glad
in thee.
или
according
us
the
days
of thee
CBD
whey
reap
the
ground
large
on
years
when
When we ill have seen, so do thou make us now.
O let thy work and power appear, thy servant's face befall,
and show fun to their children dear, thy glory evermore.
And let the beauty of the Lord our Lord be as the whole.
Our heavenly words each love, each love, each love, each love, each love, each love, each love, each love.
Let's turn now to read God's word in the first book of Samuel, chapter 5.
1 Samuel, chapter 5, that should be around page 275 in your pew Bibles if you're using the church pew Bibles.
So it's 1 Samuel, chapter 5, and we're going to read from the beginning through to the end of the chapter.
When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod,
then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon.
And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day,
behold, Dagon had fallen face down on the ground before the ark of the Lord.
So they took Dagon and put him back in his place.
But when they rose early on the next morning,
behold, Dagon had fallen face down on the ground before the ark of the Lord,
and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold.
Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.
This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon
do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
The hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod,
and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both in Ashdod and in its territory.
And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said,
The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us,
for his hand is hard against us and against Dagon our God.
So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said,
What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?
They answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought round to Gath.
So they brought the ark of the God of Israel there.
But after they had brought it round, the hand of the Lord was against the city,
causing a very great panic.
And he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old,
so that tumors broke out on them.
So they sent the ark of God to Ekron.
But as soon as the ark of God came to Ekron,
the people of Ekron cried out,
They have brought round to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people.
They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines and said,
Send away the ark of the God of Israel and let it return to its own place,
that it may not kill us and our people.
For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city.
The hand of God was very heavy there.
The men who did not die were struck with tumors,
and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
And may God bless to us reading this part of his word.
Before we turn to this passage, let's sing again.
We're singing from Psalm 115.
Psalm 115 and sing Psalms, page 152.
Singing verses 1 to 9 to the tune Tiverton.
A psalm which compares and contrasts the idols of pagan nations with the Lord, the God of Israel.
And so that, of course, fits in with the passage we've just read,
and we're going to look at it later just in a few moments.
Lord, not to us, O not to us, but to your name be the praise,
because your love and faithfulness endure, O Lord, always.
Why do the nations question us?
Where is their God, they say?
Our God inhabits heaven high and over all holds sway.
Their gold and silver images are crafted carefully,
but they have mouths which cannot speak and eyes which cannot see.
Their noses have no sense of smell.
Their ears can hear no sound.
They have no feeling in their hands, nor can they walk around.
Although these idols do have throats, no word can they proclaim.
Their makers and their worshippers will all become like them.
And so on down as far as verse 9.
Lord, not to us, O not to us.
Amen.
Lord, not to us, O not to us.
To your name be the praise.
Because you love unfaithfulness, and you rule our whole way.
Why do the nations question us?
Where is their God, they say?
Our God inhabits heaven high and over all holds sway.
Their gold and silver images are crafted carefully.
But they have mouths which cannot speak.
But they have mouths which cannot speak, and eyes which cannot see.
Their nooses have no sense of smell.
Their ears can hear no sound.
They have no feeling in their hands, nor can they walk around.
Although these idols do have throats, no word can they proclaim.
Their makers and their worshippers will all become like them.
O in service will bless your trust upon the Lord alone.
He is almighty help and shield of all who are his own.
O in service will be the Lord alone.
O in service will be the Lord.
Well, please turn with me now to 1 Samuel chapter 5.
We're going to look at the main points in this chapter that we've read through.
1 Samuel chapter 5, which tells us about the incident where the Philistines, having captured the ark of Israel,
the ark of the Lord, experienced the consequences of that as described in the chapter.
1 Samuel chapter 5, which tells us about the fact that the human heart is a factory of idols.
The human heart is a factory of idols.
That is where the production of idolatry always takes place.
But what is an idol?
And what defines idolatry?
As we'll see, it's a lot more than just carving a little figure or a large figure,
such as these Philistines had in their god Ekron, in their god Dagon,
and setting him in a particular place that they regarded as sacred.
An idol is whatever is given the devotion that's due to God alone.
An idol is anything that is given the devotion that is due to God alone.
It can be an object such as it was here for the Philistines or other objects like that.
It can be people.
It can be wealth.
It can be work.
It can be ideologies.
A whole host of idols can be fashioned in the human heart and given the devotion that is due to God alone.
And that is why all the way through Scripture you find severe denunciation by God of idolatry.
One of the things that he constantly set before the people of Israel was the need to avoid idolatry,
the need to have no other gods but him,
and to avoid being sucked into the idolatry of the nations around them.
As they moved through the desert and as they settled in Canaan,
again and again the Lord emphasized that they needed to beware of idolatry,
because idolatry was a direct challenge to God, a direct replacement for God.
And even though at times later on, as you find in the times of the prophets,
the Isaiah, Jeremiah, smaller prophets,
many of these refer to the idolatrous ways of Israel.
And it was the idolatry of Israel that actually led ultimately to their exile in Babylon for those 70 years.
They had repeatedly refused to receive the message that God sent through the prophets,
the warnings that he had sent.
They didn't actually think that that was worthy of being followed up by themselves.
So what happened was, just as God himself had specified,
they were taken under the yoke, the power of the Babylonians,
who ravaged their temple, took many of the objects there captive to Babylon,
and actually had to live there for the 70 years until they began then to come back to Jerusalem.
So the production of idolatry is in our own human hearts.
And whatever it is we place instead of God or alongside of God
and give the devotion that's due to God,
then we're engaging in idolatry in doing that.
And it all comes, therefore, from our own fallen self.
Remember that Jesus more than once said,
if we were to follow him, if anyone was to follow him,
one of the central features of that, one of the necessities of that,
one of the indispensable aspects of following Jesus,
let him deny himself.
Because denying yourself means turning against the inclination of your own sinful heart
and giving your devotion to God instead.
If you were to ask tonight, what is the oldest religion in the world?
If I was to ask, what is the oldest religion in the world?
Many people would answer different ways.
Some people might say, well, surely it's something like Buddhism,
or perhaps even Hinduism, which goes back many, many generations,
thousands, in fact, of years.
And would say, well, surely that's the oldest religion in the world.
But it's not.
The oldest religion in the world is the worship of self.
Ever since man fell, he's been worshiping himself.
Setting himself out instead of God.
Setting himself out in a way that's above God.
Refusing the direction of God to turn to himself,
to come back to him, and instead following his own way.
And we can see in this chapter tonight just how blind devotion to idols is.
Whether it's a figure like this, or any of the other things I've mentioned,
or adding to that list.
Whatever we give our devotion to blinds us to the reality of God,
and if not completely, then certainly to the extent that we do not give God
the place that is due to him.
So all of this is contained, really, in this passage,
especially verses 1 to 4.
Let's look first of all at Israel's loss of the ark,
which takes us back into the previous chapter.
And then we'll look at the ark among the Philistines.
Some of the things chapter 5 describes happened when the ark was taken by the Philistines
to the house of Dagon, their idol, their god.
Well, Israel's loss of the ark, you know, call yourselves that the ark was this box
that was made of a special wood and then overlaid with gold.
It was around a meter long, by half that again in width and in height.
And the Lord had specified in Exodus chapter 25
that this was to be a very important object in the ritual of Israel
in terms of their worship of God.
The ark was placed in the Holy of Holies, in the tabernacle, in the temple afterwards.
And it was associated especially with the presence of God.
They were required to make a lid for the ark, which became known as the mercy seat,
with the two cherubim carved of gold on the mercy seat facing each other.
And it was there that God met with his people.
It was there that the presence of God was made known to the people.
The cloud that dwelt between the cherubim on the top of the ark
was itself an indication of the presence of God.
So from that you can see that as the ark represented the presence of God,
it was absolutely central to the ritual that God himself had specified
that represented that cleansing from sin.
Chapter 16 of Leviticus talks about the day of atonement that took place once a year,
where the high priest who alone was allowed to go into the Holy of Holies,
took the blood of the goat that was killed for a sacrifice,
and sprinkled that over the mercy seat and in the presence or in the front of the mercy seat.
It was very central to the whole ritual of atonement in Israel,
to teach them that God's presence, in the way that it was represented there,
that they could only live with God's presence by following the directions of God himself,
by providing propitiatory blood, which of course itself is symbolic of the death of Jesus.
But they went out in chapter 4 here.
You can see what had happened, chapter 4 and verse 2, if you just cast your mind back,
and we'll read a few verses there.
The Philistines, here they were coming to battle against the people of Israel.
The Philistines threw up in line against Israel,
and when the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines,
who killed about 4,000 men on the field of battle.
And when the troops came to the camp, the elders of Israel said,
Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines?
That's an interesting way of putting it, wasn't it?
They were seeking to cast the blame upon God and not upon themselves.
Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines?
Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh,
that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.
So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts,
who is enthroned on the cherubim.
What are they doing?
What kind of thinking is this?
What has become of these people?
Well, what they're doing is treating this ark in a sense as if it were God.
They know that it represents God.
They know that, strictly speaking, it is not, of course, God.
It's not like the idol of the Philistines.
But they're treating it as such.
They're looking on it superstitiously or looking at it as some kind of miraculous operation,
that if they carry this ark into battle,
then they're bound to be successful against the people that are fighting against them.
They've become superstitious.
They've become a people who have just lost sight for a moment of what the ark represented.
And they regarded it as if it were God himself,
as if the ark, just carrying the ark in itself,
was going to guarantee them victory against the Philistines.
Israel lost the ark because they lost what it represented.
They lost sight of what it represented.
And therefore, it was taken captive by the Lord just to, as it were,
remind them that their trust must not be in the ark
because the ark was a representation of God.
It wasn't to be treated like the idols of the Philistines.
Now, we can do the same with some of the privileges that we have.
And it's altogether too easy to fall into the same mindset as Israel here,
who said, let's bring the ark, take the ark of the covenant of the Lord,
that it may come amongst us.
It'll save us from the power of our enemies.
You can become that way minded even about the likes of your baptism
or taking communion in the Lord's Supper,
where the things themselves become, although the representations of God,
they become, as it were, looked at magically or superstitiously
or looked at in such a way that would say, for example,
well, I was baptized as a child,
so if you ask me, well, what's my relationship with God?
I'm bound to be saved because I was baptized.
There were promises taken about me.
There are prayers about my future.
Same thing with taking communion.
People can actually come and say about taking communion,
that makes me a Christian.
That guarantees my salvation.
None of that, of course, is true.
It can be just like the ark was for Israel,
that we just trust in the possession of them,
trust in the history that's brought them to us,
trust in perhaps the ritual that's involved in baptism
or in taking communion
and thinking that just from the mere possession of it,
from the mere act of it,
that that guarantees our acceptance with God.
And it doesn't.
Unless we have what's represented there,
then we cannot be saved.
We cannot be in a right relation with God
just by taking communion.
Communion itself is an indication
that you have that relationship with God already.
And the same is true when you come to think of baptism too,
that that is something that represents
being connected to Christ,
being united to Christ.
So here is something that's important for us to remember
from this Old Testament passage.
If you go back to Romans,
or forward to Romans chapter 2 and verses 28 and 29,
this is how Paul put it.
Because he was dealing, of course,
with people like himself who were Jews by birth
and who, just like the Pharisees,
as we saw this morning,
were placing great emphasis on the fact
that this is how they were brought up.
This was their privilege.
This is what God gave them to be.
They gave them to be Jews
in contrast to the Gentiles
and the rest of the world.
And here were the people
that Paul was writing to
in the letter to the Romans
actually thinking that
because this was the case with them,
in terms of their ancestry
and their privileges over the years,
that they themselves were already right with God,
automatically, as it were.
Well, here is what Paul said.
No one is a Jew
who is merely one outwardly,
nor is circumcision outward and physical.
I didn't mean, of course, by that,
that circumcision had stopped
to be something physical
that was applied to Jewish young boys
when they were actually circumcised.
That still was the case
at eight days of age.
But now he's saying,
a Jew is one inwardly,
and circumcision is a matter of the heart
by the Spirit and not by the letter.
His praise is not from man,
but of God.
In other words, he was saying to those,
he was writing to them in Romans,
reminding them that
being circumcised did not of itself,
though it was an advantage,
it didn't of itself convey any grace.
It didn't convey any salvation.
It was an outward symbol
of something that needed to be inward.
Circumcision of the heart.
And it's really the same with ourselves.
That's why the Lord said to Nicodemus,
who had come to him by night,
and he was quite sure
that he himself being
one of the doctors of the law
in those days,
one member of a Sanhedrin,
he would never have questioned
whether or not he was
within the kingdom of God.
And Jesus, of course,
brought him up short
and said,
except a man be born again,
born of water and of the Spirit,
he cannot enter
the kingdom of God.
So here is something
that comes across
all of these generations tonight
to actually teach us
about the need
for a proper spiritual
heart relationship with Christ,
with God in Christ,
and not to rely on anything
which may be in itself
a great advantage to us,
but not to rely upon it in itself.
We need to come to the Lord.
We need to receive the Lord.
We need to accept the Lord.
We need to depend on the Lord.
We need to have our trust
in the Lord.
We need to make sure
that He is the foundation,
not any ritual
that's associated with Him.
This is why Israel
lost the ark,
because they lost
what it represented.
But secondly,
look at the ark
among the Philistines.
What did the Philistines
do with the ark?
Well, chapter 5 now,
when they captured the ark,
they brought it from Ebenezer
to Ashdod,
and the Philistines
took the ark
of God,
and brought it
into the house
of Dagon,
and set it up
beside Dagon.
See, they saw
this ark
as being a god
to Israel,
just like Dagon
was to them.
So, it was a trophy
of war
in many respects,
but to the people
of the Philistines,
they were actually saying,
we've actually managed
to capture
one of the gods
of Israel.
Because when you go back
again to chapter 4
and verse 6,
notice what it's saying there.
When the Philistines
heard the noise,
when the ark
actually did come
into the camp,
Israel gave a mighty shout
so that the earth resounded.
And when the Philistines
heard the noise
of the shouting,
they said,
what does this great shouting
in the camp
of the Hebrews mean?
And when they learned
that the ark of the Lord
had come to the camp,
the Philistines
were afraid,
for they said,
a God
has come into the camp.
And they said,
woe to us,
for nothing like this
has happened before.
Woe to us.
Who can deliver us
from the power
of these mighty gods?
These are the gods
who struck the Egyptians
with every sort of plague
in the wilderness.
Take courage
and be men,
O Philistines,
lest you become slaves.
To the Hebrews,
as they have been to you,
be men
and fight.
They regarded the ark
as a god of Israel.
That's why they brought it
into the house
of their god,
Dagon.
And what happened?
Well, you read down
through there,
when they rose early
the next day,
Dagon had fallen
face down on the ground
before the ark
of the Lord.
And the passage
is really telling us
by that,
and the passage
telling the people
of Israel by that,
as they would read
that later,
telling them,
or even from that moment
that they realized
this had happened,
telling them that
God,
their God,
was the true God,
was the only God.
Because here is Dagon.
And you notice
it's interesting here,
this fall of Dagon
was not done
by human hands,
this happened overnight.
Nobody went
into the place,
took Dagon down
and put him
on the ground
beside
or in front
of the ark
of God.
This was something
that happened
miraculously.
God himself
had brought it about.
But you notice
the difference
in the language.
Just look carefully
how the language
says,
when they brought
the ark
into the house
of God,
they set it up
beside Dagon.
And then when
Dagon fell,
he fell to the ground
before the ark
of the Lord.
You see,
they had put Dagon,
this statue,
this idol,
they had put it
beside the ark
of the Lord.
And when he fell,
it's no longer
beside the ark
of the Lord,
he's in the presence
of the ark
of the Lord.
He's bowing down
to the ark
of the Lord,
as it were,
showing the supremacy
of the God
that the Israelites
worshipped.
And so,
the sovereignty
of God.
Here is Dagon
in a position
of homage
and subservience
and obedience
and acknowledgement
of the superiority
of God
because Dagon
is here
before the ark
of God
as if he were
bowed down
and worshipped
to him.
See,
language makes
a difference.
And you can see
that this is the message
conveyed
by that change.
It's no longer
beside Dagon,
no longer beside
the ark,
he is before
the ark.
He's fallen down
in the presence
of what represents
the God
of Israel.
And that,
of course,
is true of all
idolatry
and all idols.
Even if they're
placed on the same
level as God.
Even if they're
just taken in,
as it were,
into a pantheon
of gods.
Nevertheless,
the Bible assures
us and tells us
again and again
that there is
no equality
with God.
That none
can actually
come to the level
at which our
God is placed
as our creator
and as the
saviour of his
people.
That's why
Psalm 115,
as we sang,
is so graphic
and so powerful
in the description
of the contrast
between God
and all idols.
He is God.
He is a lone
God.
And it doesn't
matter tonight
what people worship.
I don't say
it doesn't matter
in the sense
of it's not
important.
Of course,
it's important,
but it doesn't
change this,
that God
remains God
and God
remains
alone God.
He remains
the unique
creator
and saviour
of his people.
So,
what do the
Philistines do?
Well,
you might think
that they would say
now that our idol
is prostrate
in the presence
of the ark,
you might think,
well,
surely any
right thinking
would say,
well,
this ark
must be superior
to our God.
Let's actually
now give
ourselves to
the ark of God
or to the God
of Israel
instead of
to our Dagon
because our Dagon
has fallen
in his presence.
That's not
what they do.
What do they do?
They pick him up.
They set him
back on his feet
again.
They came
and put Dagon
back in his place.
You know,
the Lord
doesn't mind
a touch of humour
in his word.
It's not comedy.
It's not that
sort of thing.
But there is a touch
of humour there,
isn't there?
Because how
can a God
help anybody
if he needs
to be helped
to his feet?
How can any
object that's
given devotion
that rightly
belongs to God
be of any use
to any human being
if these humans
themselves have
to help him
back on his feet,
have to help
put him back
in his place?
You see,
the foolishness
and the blindness
of the idolatry
of the Philistines
as they're doing this,
whether they realise it
or not,
what they're saying is
this is a useless God.
We can't possibly
go on worshipping
this God.
He needs to be
helped to his feet.
And we humans
who have created
him as our God,
we should look
at ourselves
and think,
how can this be
any help to us
at all
to trust
and to worship
to be devoted
to this Dagon?
Of course,
they're blinded
by their paganism,
blinded by
their idolatry.
Yet that's
our instinct
as well.
is this not
something that
just you leave
in history
back in the days
of the Philistines?
What do we do
when our gods
fail?
Whatever God it is
other than
our God himself.
What do we do
when we find
our gods
not actually
helping us
but being a hindrance
at times to us?
Do we just
instantly leave them?
Of course we don't.
We sometimes
just put them
back in place.
And in our own
generation
and our own
day especially
this is exactly
what you're seeing.
Because the powers
of the world
and of worldliness
and the powers
that are against
the gospel
the ungodly powers
of the present day
are in a sense
the equivalent
of the Philistines.
What are they
trying to do?
They're trying
to actually take
what is essential
to our Christian faith
and to take it captive
and to put it
in the house
of Dagon
as it were.
Their aim
is to nullify
the Christian faith
if it were possible
to deprive us
of its arc
of its most central
basic foundational features.
That's why you find
that the Christian faith
so often nowadays
sadly
is placed alongside
other so-called faiths
as if they're really
on the same level
as if the combination
of them really
is a much better way
towards ensuring
your eternity
than just worshipping
the one true God.
And what happens
when the gods
of secularism
the gods
of worldliness
the thinking
of these gods
what happens
when they are
demonstrably
failed?
They're picked up.
They're put
in another form
perhaps
but they're not
abandoned.
I know
the approach
of governments
today
and our own government
is certainly
one of the governments
in this category
that approaches
human problems
of behavior
social problems
not from a
biblical perspective
not from a
spiritual perspective
but from the
perspective of
human wisdom.
The human wisdom
that largely
comprises
a liberty
of behavior
that lumps
all of that
behavior together
and says
you know
the more liberty
you have
the more people
will be educated.
The more people
will come to realize
what's necessary
and what isn't
in human life
and in human progress
that is nonsense.
if you look
at the statistics
take for example
even sexually
transmitted diseases
in Scotland
just last month
the last statistics
showed
that there's been
an increase
not a decrease.
Why is that?
Because the wisdom
of the world
cannot actually
deal with the problem.
Permissiveness
does not deal
with the problem.
Opening things out
so that everybody
does what's right
in their own eyes
does not solve
the problem
it makes it worse.
And it doesn't matter
how you tinker
with that
how you adjust that
how much you put
Dagon back
on his shelf
maybe in a different form
you're still ending up
with the same problem.
There's nothing
there that can supply
what meets
our human need.
And it's
at the moment
such a sad
sad thing
that our governments
throughout the western world
are capitulating
to the ideology
of Dagon
you might say
capitulating
to the idea
that really
if we just
all get together
and use
our human wisdom
then we'll solve
the problems.
Throw some more money
at it.
Do it in a different way.
There is only one
power that can solve
and deal with
our human problems
and that's the power
of Christ
the power of God
the power that
has already dealt
with sin
and with evil
in the person
of Jesus Christ.
And I have to say
also that sadly
one of the powers
that
or the influences
assisting
the increase
in this
dreadful
human wisdom
approach
to the problems
of human beings
one of the
main
assistances
comes from
the church
itself
from the church
itself
as you look
at it in our day
Christianizing
ungodliness
you can call it
Christian this
and Christian that
but if it's ungodly
then it's ungodly
and if it's ungodly
it's of no use
to actually solve
our human problems.
Indeed what you find
sadly all too often
is the reverse
of what you see there
in verse 2b
they took
the ark
of God
and they took it
into the house
of Dagon
and they set it
up beside
Dagon
let's just
reverse that
in your thinking
that's bad enough
because of what
it represents
but when you're
seeing
what you're seeing
in our day
sadly is
nothing less than
Dagon
being taken
into the house
of God
and that is
such a serious
matter that
it has to be
spoken about
for what it is
because when
Dagon
comes into
the house
of God
when human
wisdom
replaces the
gospel
in its essence
in its power
what you're left
with is just
a mess
what you're left
with is just
despondency
what you're left
with is
something that
has no power
whatsoever
to fix
our human
hearts
so here is
the fall
of Dagon
but here is
something that
we can learn
from
because you
and I
who believe
in the gospel
who believe
the gospel
is the power
of God
and to salvation
as Paul wrote
to the Romans
to everyone
who believes
whether it's
Jew or Gentile
whatever the
problems human
beings have
that's why
our concern
is to bring
the power
of the gospel
to bear
upon human
lives
young and
old
whatever
backgrounds
whatever way
they're wasting
their lives
presently
whatever addictions
they may have
whatever things
may characterize
their life
at the moment
this is what
God has given
us
and it is your
duty and my
duty together
and individually
to seek to
convey this
to the world
as we sang
in the psalm
tell every land
that the Lord
is king
tell them about
Jesus
why did Jesus
come
who was he
what did he do
where is he now
why do you love him
why do you serve him
what is he to you
it's all part of
our witness to Christ
in the world
a world in which
the daggone of the day
is so powerful
thankfully
God is above all that
and this is the God
we pray to
the God we worship
the God we love
and of course
what happened then
was that
the daggone again
fell down the next morning
the head of daggone
and both his hands
were lying
cut off
on the threshold
significant details
you see
because what that is
really saying to us
is the head
does it represent
the intellect
or the ideology
of Philistinism
and the hands
which represent
the practicality
the activity
of that idolatry
what happens
they've been severed
from the trunk
of this idol
he's lying there
useless
and it's being
demonstrated there
quite categorically
that neither in terms
of intellect
or ideology
or practicality
is there any use
in idolatry
and so you're back
to Jesus
and the gospel
the power for our mind
and for our action
well you know sadly
as you very well know
in our own day
despite the efforts
of the church
those in the church
faithful to God
or those denominations
people in all denominations
faithful to God
despite their
attempts and appeals
to those in government
to those in authority
to those with influence
it's really a bit like
what you find here
with the ark
in the Philistines
and they realize
that they can't hold on
to this ark
without it being
a means of further
destruction amongst them
what do they do
they send it on
to another place
and that place says
no we're not having it
let's move it on
to Gath
and to Ashdod
to all of these other
places in the region
of the Philistines
and that's what people do
with the gospel
they don't want it
they move it on
let it go somewhere else
but don't leave it here
it's dangerous
it doesn't fit with our
modern secular thinking
so we can't have it
it's not for us
instead of
turning to God
instead of saying
our secular unbelieving
ungodly philosophy
has failed us
and saying
let's turn to God
let's turn to what
these Christians are saying
let's get back to
what was the case
in our land
so long ago
when the power
of the gospel
made such great inroads
into people's lives
when you go back
into
not only the reformers
but some
of the great philanthropists
that were
in the free church itself
back in the 1800s
why was Thomas Guthrie
so successful
as he headed up
the ragged school movement
why was the church
of the time
so successful
in actually locating
and dealing with people
in the terrible conditions
in which they lived
in these closest
in Edinburgh
or Glasgow
wherever
because
the power
of the gospel
was let loose
amongst them
because people
like Guthrie
and Chalmers
and others
believed
the word of God
and didn't adjust
the word of God
to suit the thinking
of the age
but we're convinced
that this is the power
of God
unto salvation
to everyone
who believes
but let me ask
a final question
what about yourself
and myself
on what are we
basing
our hopes
is it just
belonging to the church
is it having
been brought up
in Stornoway Free Church
or wherever
hopefully not
surely it is
in Christ
and having
your trust
in him
and having
received him
as your own
personal saviour
as you look
around you
at all
the philosophies
and ideologies
of the age
and all the
horrible things
that you see
and the debauched
behaviour
that you see
all around you
what do you say
Lord
as the Lord
says
well will you
go with them
are you going
to join them
as well
are you going
to approve
of that
aren't you
like Peter
John 6
where he says
Lord
to whom
shall we go
you alone
have the words
of eternal life
may God bless
these thoughts
to us
we're going to
conclude now
by singing
to God's praise
in Psalm
Psalm number
97
that's on page
128
Psalm 97
verses 7
to 12
the tune is
Warrington
all those
who worship
images
are put to
everlasting shame
their worthless
idols
are their boast
you gods
bow down
before his name
to Zion hill
and Judah's towns
your judgments
Lord
great joy
supply
above the earth
and all the gods
exalted
is the Lord
most high
and of course
we too
remember those
who are evangelizing
amongst the
religions of the world
the great world religions
that are themselves
given to such measures
of idolatry
and to remember
them as they carry
the gospel
to them
so these words
verses 7
to 12
Psalm 97
all those
who worship
images
are put to
ever
in shame
their worthless
idols
are their foes
new God
how dumb
he put
his name
to Zion
hill
and
Judah's
hands
your
judgments
heart
rejoice
the fire
above
the earth
and all
the gods
exalted
is
the Lord
most high
he
his
evil
youth
who
love
the
Lord
his
faithful
ones
he
will
defend
and
from
the
hands
of
wicked
men
to
them
deliverance
he
will
save
upon
the
righteous
light
will
shine
and
joy
all
those
of
our
right
wings
your
righteousness
will
the
Lord
rejoice
and
to
his
holy
name
give
praise
I'll go to the side door to my right here after the benediction
now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ the love of God the Father
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you now and evermore
Amen