So we're going to begin our service of worship by praising God from Psalm 149 in the Scottish Psalter.
! It's on page 450 and the tune is Gainsborough. Psalm 149 at verse number 1.
Praise ye the Lord and to him sing a new song and his praise in the assembly of his saints.
In sweet psalms do ye raise. That this written is maker joy and to him praise his sing.
That all that Zion's children are be joyful in their king.
We'll sing from verse 1 to verse 5 and we'll stand to sing to God's praise.
Praise ye the Lord and to him sing a new song and his praise.
In the assembly of his saints.
In sweet psalms do ye raise.
Let his servant his maker joy and to him praise his sing.
Let all that Zion's children are be joyful in their king.
For let them unto his great name.
He'll praise his singled dance.
Let them with sin will and with heart.
In songs his praise and hands.
For God the pleasure take the rose.
That is only for thee.
Let them with sin will and with heart.
Almighty and most gracious God.
We rejoice in you and in the worship of your name.
You have called us anew on this morning to draw near to you to hear what you have to say to us.
We worship you as the God who is our Father in heaven.
The God who has a family here on earth.
And we rejoice in heaven.
Father in heaven who looks down upon us as we worship you together this morning.
Your word tells us that you are the God who in building a family for yourself.
God who gave you our son to be our Savior.
And we give thanks to you today for the Lord Jesus Christ.
And we pray that as we worship you we may come to you in his name.
As we worship you may he be at the center of all that we say and all that we hear.
Lord Jesus Christ.
And may you be pleased O Lord God to shine upon us.
And come and be present with us.
That we may truly hear what you have to say to us.
Your word tells us that you speak peace to those who are your people.
And we pray today that you will bless us all in our hearts.
That we may indeed be your people.
And that we may indeed know your blessing.
We do give thanks to you for the families that are part of the family of God here.
Even in our own congregation.
We give thanks to you for parents and for children.
We give thanks to you for their desire to hear what you have to say to them.
And we pray that you will bless them here today with their young hearts and lives.
May the children know your hand upon them.
Your blessing in their hearts.
The light of your word.
Helping them every day to live their lives.
Remembering what you have said to them.
And bringing them to faith in your son as their saviour.
And we pray that you will bless every aspect of the teaching that is brought before them.
Even today in all of the different classes.
May they know your voice speaking to them.
And may you bless their young hearts.
We do ask your thanks to you for those who teach them.
And we pray that you will bless and guide them.
And may they learn as they teach.
And may they teach what they have learned.
And may those who they teach benefit from those who teach them.
As those who walk with you.
And to bring to them the good news of the gospel.
We pray for your blessing to be upon parents as well.
That you will continue to guide and uphold them.
And raising up families.
And that you will bless them not only on the Lord's Day.
But also on the weekday.
In school life.
And in every area of family life.
May you bless them together.
And enrich their lives to the glory of your name.
For their benefit and blessing day by day.
And for their hope of everlasting life.
That they may have that hope of the gospel in their hearts.
So bless them and bless us as we continue before you.
Blessing your word to us.
And guiding us in hearing.
And singing.
And praying.
And reading your word.
May you draw near to us.
And speak clearly to us.
O Lord our God.
We do pray.
Hear us.
And our mercy upon us.
We pray these things for Jesus' sake.
Amen.
Well boys and girls.
It's good to see you again at church today.
And it's such an encouragement to see you coming to hear what God has to say to us.
And I think the worship of God is the most important thing that you can do the whole of the week.
So it's great to have you here.
Our Bible story today comes from the Gospel of Matthew.
Which is the first gospel in the New Testament.
And it's about God building a church for himself.
And it's about asking people who do they think Jesus is.
And I want you to think about that.
And I want to say three things to you.
And the three things begin with P.
And the first is project.
There is a building project going on.
And God has promised that he will build a church for himself.
And Jesus in the Bible today promises that on this rock he will build the church.
He will build that church on the rock which he is himself.
And as we come to him and believe in his name.
We become part of that building project that God is building.
And that God is working every day of life.
And so as we do worship God today.
We want to remember that this is God's project.
And that by believing in Jesus.
And not by the things that we do.
By believing in Jesus that we become part of this great project of God.
And the second thing is that there is a promise.
And the promise is to you and to all of us.
Depending on what we do with what Jesus says to us.
And Jesus tells us in that great long sermon.
Perhaps a lot longer than the sermons that we're used to in Matthew chapter 5 to chapter 7.
It's a long sermon.
And at the end of that sermon he says to those who are listening to him.
That those who hear his words and do what Jesus says to them.
That they will be like a wise person who builds a house on a rock.
And today that's what God wants you to do.
And he gives you that promise.
That if you hear what he says.
And if you do what he tells you to do.
Then you will be like that wise person who builds a house on a rock.
And Jesus tells him that when the storm comes.
The house that is built on a rock will always stand.
And that's the promise of Jesus to you.
If you believe in his name.
Because he also mentions those who hear his words.
And do not do them.
And they are the foolish people who build a house on the sand.
And we know what happens when the tide comes in.
And when the winds blow and the seas roar.
The house that's built on the sand will fall.
So today there is a promise to you and to all of us.
If you hear.
If you believe.
And if you do.
Then you will build a house for yourself.
You will be safe in life.
As those who believe in Jesus.
And the third thing is.
That there is a problem.
Because if we don't start well.
Then we cannot finish well.
And we visited Italy.
Two or three years back.
And we visited the Tower of Pisa.
It's one of the four towers.
At a cathedral complex.
In Tuscany.
On the northwest coast of Italy.
And it's known as the Leaning Tower.
It was built in the 12th century.
And halfway through the building project.
The tower began to lean over.
It became the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
And it became the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Because those who planned the job.
And the project.
Those who started building.
Forgot that they needed a foundation under the building.
So they built on soft ground.
And the more they built up.
The more the tower began to lean over.
So it became the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
And today it leans over by four degrees.
Which means at the very.
Between the ground and the top of it.
There's about four meters of a difference.
In the way that the tower is leaning over.
And the lesson from that is.
That unless you and I believe in Jesus.
At the very beginning.
And put our trust in him.
Then no matter what else we do.
Our lives will be just.
Like the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Ready to fall over.
So it's important.
To start by believing in Jesus.
And having that foundation.
For your young lives.
And the other thing to do with.
The Tower of Pisa is.
That they started rebuilding again.
To try and finish it off.
And instead of taking the building down.
And starting with a foundation.
They started making adjustments.
Halfway up the building.
So they tried to straighten it.
In the rest of the project.
So the Leaning Tower became the bending tower.
And actually because of what they did.
At last.
It looked worse than it did.
At the very beginning.
And the lesson from that is.
That although your teachers can help you.
And teach you.
And though your parents can do the same.
Unless you start with believing in Jesus.
No one else can help you to.
Have your life the way Jesus wants you to do.
If you put your trust in Jesus.
And believe in him today.
Then you're starting in the right place.
And your parents can help you.
And your Sunday school teachers can help you.
And you learn the teaching of Jesus.
And your house.
Your life will grow strong in Jesus.
As you put your trust in him.
So remember.
The project.
Jesus is building his church.
Made up of people like you and me.
Remember the promise.
If you hear and do what he says.
Then your house will be safe.
You'll be secure.
Like a house on a rock.
But remember the Tower of Pisa.
Those who started building.
Started wrong.
And because of that.
The building was wrong forever.
Make sure today.
You believe in Jesus.
And then everything else.
Will work out for you.
And God himself.
And Jesus himself.
Will teach you how.
To live your life.
And with trust and prayer.
God will help you to do that.
And that God will bless you.
As we go to your teaching classes.
This morning.
Let's now say the Lord's Prayer together.
Our Father.
Which art in heaven.
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth.
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts.
As we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation.
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom.
The power and the glory.
For ever.
Amen.
Let's turn now to praise God.
This time from Psalm number 145.
The long meter version of the Psalm.
And at verse number 8.
It's on page 444.
Psalm 145.
The long meter version.
At verse number 8.
And the tune is Warrington.
The Lord our God is gracious.
Compassionate is he also.
In mercy he is plenteous.
But not wrath and anger slow.
Psalm 145.
The long meter version.
From verse 8 to the verse mark 14.
To God's praise.
The Lord our God is gracious.
Of έ voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voy voyque voy voy
O man is the Lord, for all His mercy is.
Thy works so great to be afforded.
Thy saints, O Lord, thy name shall bless.
The glory of thy kingdom's show shall thee and love thy power tell.
As soon as I shall shall be its name, O Lord, thy kingdom's grace that God exce.
Life in the man, the name that all, it doth through ages all remain.
The Lord, a fuller, fuller, fuller, fuller, the cast and grace that God exce.
Amen.
Let's turn now to hear the word of God in the New Testament in the Gospel according to Matthew and in chapter 16.
The Gospel of Matthew chapter 16 and beginning a reading at verse number 5.
Let us hear the word of God.
When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread.
Jesus said to them, watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.
And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, we brought no bread.
But Jesus, aware of this, said, O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread?
Do you not yet perceive?
Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand and how many baskets you gathered?
Or the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many baskets you gathered?
How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread?
Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of the bread, but the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, who do people say that the Son of Man is?
And they said, some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.
He said to them, but who do you say that I am?
Simon Peter replied, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And Jesus answered him, blessed are you, Simon bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.
And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, far be it from you, Lord, this shall never happen to you.
But he turned and said to Peter, get behind me, Satan, you are a hindrance to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.
Amen, this is the word of God, we trust that he will bless to us our reading from it.
Let's once more bow our heads in a word of prayer.
Our gracious God, rejoice in you and in the way you have breathed out your word that gives us a revelation of the great God that you are.
And we are thankful to you for the way in which you sent your Son to give us that great final revelation of your glory, of your beauty, and of your purposes for this world.
We rejoice today in the oppression of your Son that we read off through the pages of the Gospels.
We are thankful to you for this coming into the world and the marvel and the beauty of it.
We are thankful to you for the life that you lived.
We are thankful to you for his teaching, for his example, for every aspect of his ministry.
We are thankful to you for the death that he died in our place.
We are thankful to you that you brought him back from the dead.
And we are thankful to you that today he is at your right hand.
And so we worship you in his name.
We give thanks to you for him.
And as we do consider your word together, may you help us so that we will understand that we are truly in the presence of the only true and living God.
And every word that you speak to us from your word, may it come into our hearts without authority and without power.
And may we sense your claim upon our hearts and lives.
And may we understand something in the depths of our beings.
That your power brings about a change.
That it begins a great transformation.
That it gives direction to us in this world.
That it gives to us the great prospect of your glory.
And help us, O Lord God, to experience that anew this day.
Perhaps experience it for the first time.
And set our feet in that way.
On the rock which is Christ.
And enable us to live our lives as those who stand secure.
Through faith in his name.
So that when we do face the storms of life.
The pains, the sorrows, the afflictions.
All of the sufferings of life.
That we do come face to face with them.
That we know that we are secure in you.
And secure upon that rock.
And know that no one can pluck us out of your hands.
That you will keep us safe.
Bless every heart before you here today.
Bless every desire after you.
And satisfy every need we do ask.
And give us all to know our satisfaction.
In Jesus Christ, your son.
Bless our congregation, our people.
Be merciful to us we do ask on this day.
May you bless your word to all those who gather with the people of God.
May you bless your word to all those who join online.
May you bless your word to those who are confined in their homes.
Who are isolated and who are sorrowful perhaps in life.
May you give to them the comfort of your presence.
May you come and dwell with them in their isolation.
And fill their hearts and their homes or wherever they might be.
With a sense of the reality and the presence of God.
Encourage them wherever they are before you.
Comfort the grieving we do ask.
We pray that you will bind our broken hearts.
That you will be near to all today.
Who have an empty place in their home and in their hearts and lives.
May you give to them a sense of you standing with them.
Of you being with them as the Lord who is their shepherd.
And in that valley of the shadow of death.
May they fear no evil because you are with them.
May you walk with them and bless them during these days.
Bless our wider island communities.
We pray for the blessing of the gospel of the day.
And of your Holy Spirit to come and to accompany your word.
Make your name great through the ministry of the gospel.
Across this whole land today.
Wherever your word is preached may it be blessed.
May lives be changed.
May towns and cities and communities come to take heed to what you have to say.
And to make you through your word and by your power turn us around to yourself.
That you may fear your name in every area and level of society.
In our royal family.
In our governments.
In our parliaments.
In our local authorities.
Wherever there is authority placed by you.
May the fear of your name be in people's hearts.
And may they guide us as people of this nation.
And of our communities.
Guide us in the ways of God.
Bless the wider world.
We pray for your word to be blessed as it goes forth across the world today.
We remember the parts of the world where there are pains and sorrows.
Where lives have been lost here in this past week.
In tragic circumstances.
We pray for your comforting presence for those who have lost.
And we ask that you will sustain and uphold them.
We pray for the places where there is conflict and strife.
And war.
That you will bring all of these things to an end.
That you will cause your peace to descend.
And cause lasting peace to be achieved.
And may the peace of God indeed dwell in all the nations of the earth.
Even on this day.
As we commit our world to you.
And so we pray that you will hear us.
That you will be merciful to us.
That you will continue to guide us as we wait upon you in this time of worship.
Bless your word as we ask.
And hear our prayer.
For we ask all these things for Jesus' sake.
Amen.
We are now going to turn to praise God once more this time.
In Psalm number 118.
In Sing Psalms.
It is on page 156.
And we are singing at verse 15.
Psalm 118 at verse 15.
And the tune is Duke Street.
Triumphant shouts of joy resound.
In places where the righteous dwell.
The Lord's right hand is lifted high.
This mighty hand does all things well.
We stand to sing from verse 15 to the verse 24.
To God's praise.
The Lord's right hand is lifted high.
His mighty hand does all things well.
I shall not die.
I shall not die, but I shall bear.
The Lord's weak marks I will proclaim.
The Lord's Orth voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voyque voy voyque voyque voy voyque voyque voy voy voyque voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy voy
And give thanks to God.
This is the gate of God through which
The righteous come before the Lord.
You answer me, hallelujah, Christ.
Salvation comes from you alone.
The stone that they've heard have refused
Has now begun the glorious hope.
The Lord himself has done all this.
It is a marvel in our sight.
This is the gate the Lord has made.
In it let us take great delight.
Let's turn back now to the Gospel of Matthew and chapter 16.
And we can read at verse 13.
Matthew 16 at verse 13.
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi,
He asked His disciples,
Who do people say that the Son of Man is?
And they said,
Some say John the Baptist,
Others say Elijah,
And others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.
He said to them,
But who do you say that I am?
Simon Peter replied,
You are the Christ,
The Son of the living God.
And so on.
We know that in every area of life,
Identity is important.
Our own personal identity and the identity of others.
And with that identity to establish the relationships
that help to identify our lives even more clearly.
When Jesus was teaching the people,
He knew exactly who He was.
There was no doubt in His mind that He was the Son of God,
That He was the Son of Man.
There was no doubt in His mind why He was here.
But He wanted others to know and to understand
that this is who He truly was.
He wanted others to understand His identity.
And once they did that,
Then they had a new identity for themselves.
And the identity was based and established on their relationship with Him.
And under the ministry of the gospel today and always,
These are central to the ways in which God wants to speak to us.
Who is He?
Who is Jesus?
Who are you?
Who am I?
And there to firm up on our relationships with God,
Whether they exist or not.
And when you read this gospel,
As we read the other gospels,
We do understand that Jesus has a developing profile.
He is the person who heals diseases.
He is the person who casts out demons.
He is the person who forgives sins.
He has a growing profile, a growing reputation.
And because of that,
Many people are gathering around Him.
He is an attractive person
Because of what He says and what He does.
But Jesus wants to highlight that
Finding Jesus attractive is not enough.
And there are times through the gospels
That there are junctions and crossroads
At which Jesus calls upon the people
To declare their relationship with Him.
And today we want to take that crossroads
And place it in our own hearing.
And understand that today
Jesus and the gospel
Is taking us to one of these crossroads
To help us
Answer questions.
And to help us show who we truly are
And what we really think.
And so from these verses
I want to think of kingdom faith
And kingdom formation.
And I want you to notice first of all
The kingdom faith.
And the kingdom faith
Comes to light
In the challenge
That Jesus gives to His disciples.
A challenge which He first of all
Addresses to those
Who are not the disciples.
Who do the people in general terms
Say the Son of Man is?
There He is.
There is His identity.
He is the Son of Man.
He is that end time figure
Prophesied by Daniel
In Daniel 7
That was going to come
To save and to judge the world.
And Jesus identifies him
With the Son of Man.
And in the build up of His ministry
Up until this point
We see at different stages
That He makes Himself known
As the Son of Man.
We see that in the parables
In chapter 13
The Son of Man
Is the one who sows the seed.
The Son of Man
Is the one who
Sends His angels
To gather out of the kingdom
That which is evil
And the lawbreakers.
He has built up
The sense in His ministry
That He is the Son of Man.
And here He is
Asking the question
With regard to the people
In general
Who do the people say
That the Son of Man is?
And when we hear the response
We come to understand
That their faith
And their following of Jesus
Is entirely superficial.
He's an interesting person.
That's great.
He does amazing things.
That's great.
He is attractive
Because of the way
In which He cares for people.
That's great.
He performs great miracles.
He becomes attractive.
They are interested.
The crowds are following Him.
But who do they really think He is?
And their response is
Some say John the Baptist.
Others say Elijah.
And others Jeremiah
Or one of the prophets.
They recognize
That He's a messenger of God.
They recognize
That He could be
One of these key figures
That John the Baptist
Who has come
And perhaps
Who has raised from the dead.
The Elijah
That Malachi promised
Would come
Before the great
And terrible day
Of the Lord.
The Jeremiah
Who spoke to the people
In their distance
From God
And preached repentance
To them
And asked them
To come back to God.
It could be one of these
Or one of the other prophets
Who foretold
About the kingdom of God.
A general interest
In the oppression of Jesus.
And as God asks you
The same question today
Who do you say
That the Son of Man is?
You are here today
I'm guessing because
Of a level of interest.
Of a level of attraction.
Of a level of commitment
To the teaching of Jesus.
To the claims of Jesus
In life and in worship.
And in every area
In which we live life
In the world.
There's a sense
In which you have
An interest
In the gospel.
An interest in Jesus.
And a joy perhaps
In hearing
The message of Jesus
In the gospel.
But today
Is that as far
As your understanding
Of Jesus goes?
You haven't yet reached
The point at which
Genuine faith
Does come to light.
The moment towards
That sense of attraction
And interest
To reach the point
Of personal relationship
With Jesus.
Who do you say
That Jesus is?
Because genuine disciples
Make a clear confession.
And Jesus turns
To the disciples
And who do you say
That I am?
And instantly
Simon Peter
Replies
You are the Christ
The son
Of the living God.
He recognizes
Who the person is
And he recognizes
Why he is here.
He is the son
Of the living God.
God is working
In the world
He is active
In the world
Through the passion
Of the Lord Jesus.
Jesus is God
With us.
He is the son
Of the living God.
And he is also
The Christ.
That is the
Anointed one.
The son of David.
The God's king
That he had promised
To send.
Who was going to
Sit on God's throne.
Who was going to
Establish peace
Between God
And a lost world.
Who was going to be
A priest who would
Sacrifice himself.
The anointed one
Is the Christ of God.
Genuine faith
Captures both
Of these elements.
And it's not that
Genuine faith
Knows everything.
Because as we
Follow the story
We will see that
Peter later on
Can't understand
Why Jesus must die.
Let that be far
From you.
Genuine faith
Makes a confession
Confession
A confession
That needs to be
Understood more
And more
In learning from
Jesus
But today
The key is
For you and for me
In the response
To this challenge
Is do we truly
Recognize
That Jesus
Is God with us
And that he is
God's Messiah
Whom God has sent
To save us
And that today
He is the anointed one
At God's throne
On God's right hand
And that from there
He reigns the world
And from there
He is working
In the lives
Of his people.
Genuine
Faith
Identity
The key elements
That set him apart
Not just as a
Great teacher
Not just as a
Great carer
A great shepherd
Of people
But as someone
Sent
By God
In God's
Design and plan
To save
People like you
And me
To save
Sinners
The challenge
What is your
Response
And don't
In answering
The question
Today
Don't think
That
The inadequacy
Of your knowledge
Of Jesus
Means that
You can't
Have genuine
Faith
Because
When we come
To faith
In the Lord
Jesus
It's then
We begin
The journey
Of learning
From Jesus
He is our
Teacher
And we become
The pupils
We become
The disciples
We are on
A steep
Learning curve
From the time
That we come
To believe
In the Lord
Jesus
So don't
Let the fact
That you don't
Know everything
About Jesus
Make you decide
That you can't
Have genuine
Faith
The question
Is
Who do you
Think
Jesus is
Do you see
Him
In this way
God with us
Do you see
Him
As God's
Anointed
One
Who is
Saviour
Of the world
The kingdom
Faith
And remarkably
As soon
As Peter
Makes that
Confession
Jesus
Comes to
Affirm him
In his
Faith
The very
Thing that
Perhaps you
And I
Are looking
For today
You want
Jesus to
Confirm that
You are
A believer
That you
Are a
Child of
God
And get
Here
The role
Is reversed
The responsibilities
On the disciples
First of all
To say
Who they think
Jesus is
And then
Comes Jesus
To Peter
And says to
Him
In verse
Number 17
Blessed are
You
Simon
Bar
Jonah
For flesh
And blood
Has not revealed
This to you
But my
Father who
Is in
Heaven
Blessed
Are you
Blessed
In the sense
Of being
Deeply happy
Because
God's
End time
Salvation
Has come
To dwell
In your
Heart
And by
The confession
That you
Have made
You have
Confirmed
That you
Are in
Possession
Of that
Very
Salvation
That God
Has promised
For his
People
Blessed
Happy
Joyous
A deep
Seated
Contentment
And in
The affirmation
He reminds
Peter
That it
Was not
Possible
That he
Could have
Discovered
This for
Himself
Throwing
Attention
To the
Fact that
Salvation
Is by
Grace
Alone
What does
Jesus say
To Peter
Flesh
And blood
In other
Words
Not you
Or anyone
Else
Flesh
And blood
Has not
Revealed
This to
You
But my
Father
Who is
In
Heaven
A
Revelation
From God
I
Has not
Seen
Nor
You
Heard
Neither
Has it
Come
Into
The
Heart
Of
Man
Paul
Says
The
Things
That God
Has
Prepared
For
Those
Who
Love
Him
But
God
Has
Revealed
Them
To
Us
By
His
Spirit
It
Is
A
Revelation
You
Are
Happy
Because
God
Has
Revealed
This
To
You
And
Now
Let
Me
Tell
You
Have
Said
That
I
Am
The
Christ
The
Son
Of
The
Living
God
And
In
The
End
Of
That
Verse
I
Tell
You
Are
Peter
In
His
Confession
Has
Identified
The
Lord
Jesus
And
Jesus
In
Response
Has
Identified
Simon
Son
Of
Jonah
As
Peter
The
One
Who
Is
Sernoned
Peter
Later
On
In
The
Gospel
Of
Mark
In
The
Bible
He
Identifies
Simon
As
Peter
A
New
Name
A
New
Life
A
New
Beginning
A
New
Name
Given
By
The
Person
Who
Has
Authority
And
The
Person
Who
Has
The
Authority
Which
Demands
The
New
Life
Of
The
Person
Who
Has
The
New
Name
The
Kingdom
Faith
And let
Me
Tell
You
Today
That there
Is
Nothing
More
Powerfully
Life
Transforming
And
Self
Satisfying
Than
To
Hear
Jesus
Christ
Affirming
Our
Discipleship
In
This
Way
Coming
Into
Our
Very
Hearts
And
Saying
I
Tell
You
Who
You
Are
I
Tell
You
That
My
Father
Has
Revealed
This
To
You
And
I
Tell
You
That
You
Are
Blessed
And
That's
Where
Jesus
Wants
To
Take
Us
All
Today
And
Challenging
Us
With
This
Question
Asking
Us
To
Examine
Our
Hearts
And
Our
Lives
And
To
Bring
Us
To
That
Place
Where
We
Will
Put
Our
Trust
In
Him
And
Discover
The
Blessedness
Discover
The
Joy
Discover
The
Relationship
And
Find
Our
Contentment
In
Him
Kingdom
Faith
Do
You
Have
It
Today
And
As
Jesus
Now
Saying
To
You
I
Tell
You
You're
Mine
I
Tell
You're
Mine
To
Follow
Me
To
Be
My
Disciple
I
Tell
You
You're
Precious
To
Me
I
Tell
You
I
Will
Be
With
You
The
Kingdom
Faith
Secondly
We
See
In
The
Passage
Kingdom
Formation
Verse
Number
18
I
Tell
You
Are
Peter
And
On
This
Rock
I
Will
Build
My
Church
On
This
Rock
What
Is
This
Referring
To
Referring
Back
To
What
I
Want
Us
To
Think
Today
That
There
Is
A
Multi
Layered
Foundation
On
The
House
That
Jesus
Building
And
The
First
Part
Of
That
Foundation
Is
The
Fact
That
The
Rock
Is
Christ
That
Is
What
We
Saw
From
Matthew
17
In
The
Children's
Address
If
You
Hear
My
Words
And
Do
Them
You
Will
Be
Like
A
Wise
Person
Who
Builds
His
House
On
The
Rock
The
Rock
Which
Is
Christ
The
Rock
That
Peter
Speaks
Of
In
His
First
Epistle
The
Very
Peter
Who
Was
Here
Speaks
About
The
Church
Being
Built
On
The
Foundation
Stone
Which
Is
Christ
Himself
Is
The
Rock
There
Is
No
Church
Apart
From
The
Rock
Which
Is
Christ
There
Is
No
Leaning
Tower
Of
Pisa
There
Is
No
House
Built
On
Sinking
Sands
Or
On
Soft
Mud
It
Is
Built
On
The
Unshakable
Rock
Which
Is
Christ
As
The
Eternal
Son
Of
God
Unbreakable
Immovable
Who
Stands
Forever
Sure
But
Along
With
That
The
Second
Layer
Is
The
Rock
Of
Peter's
Confession
Where
And
How
Is
Jesus
Going
To
Build
This
Church
He
Is
Going
To
Build
It
With
Those
Who
Make
The
Same
Confession
As
Peter
And
Place
Them
On
The
Rock
Which
Is
Christ
And
We
Have
Multi
Layers
In
The
Super
Structure
That
We
See
The
People
Of
God
Make
The
Same
Confession
And
We
See
The
Sub
Structure
Which
Is
Jesus
Who
Is
The
Rock
Of
Our
Salvation
And
Jesus
Is
Saying
On
This
Rock
On
This
Multi
Double
Layered
Rock
On
This
Rock
I
Will
Build
On
This
Rock
I
Will
Build
My
Church
And
The
Church
The
Are
The
Called
Out
Ones
The
Ecclesia
Called
Out
From
Amongst
Others
And
That
Is
What
Jesus
Is
Doing
Always
Through
The
Gospel
Calling
People
Out
Of
The
Darkness
In
Which
They
Live
Calling
Them
Into
His
Kingdom
Coming
With
His
Power
And
Making
Them
Willing
In
A
Day
Of
His
Power
Building
His
Church
With
These
Very
Living
Stones
!
As
Peter
Describes
Them
In
1
Peter
Chapter
2
That
We
Are
Built
!
Up
As
We
Come
To
Him
We
Are
Built
On
The
Corner
Stone
On
The
Foundation
Stone
Which
Is
Christ
Built
Up
As
A
Spiritual
House
And
Today
Jesus
Continues
That
Building
Project
It's
According
To
God's
Design
It's
Forming
His
Family
That's
What
His
Kingdom
Is
Like
It's
Not
A
Building
As
We
Worship
In
A
Building
Today
It's
A
Building
With
Living
Stone
Says
Peter
People
Like
You
And
Me
Who
Have
The
Spirit
Of
God
In
Our
Hearts
The
Spirit
That
Has
Made
Us
The
Living
Children
Of
God
On
This
Rock
I
Will
Build
My
House
I
Wonder
Today
If
You're
Part
Of
This
Great
Building
Project
I
Wonder
Today
If
You
Responded
To
The
Powerful
Irresistible
Call
Of
Jesus
In
The
Gospel
Come
To
Me
Believe
In
The
Lord
Jesus
Christ
And
You'll
Be
Saved
The
Powerful
Claim
Of
God
Which
Is
Irresistible
Not
In
The
Sense
That
It's
More
Powerful
Than
You
But
Irresistible
In
The
Sense
That
It's
The
Most
Attractive
Thing
That
You'll
Ever
Hear
!
Together
To
Come
From
Where
You
Were
Without
Christ
As
Your
Saviour
To
Be
In
A
Place
Where
Christ
Is
Your
Saviour
It's
The
Easiest
The
Best
The
Most
Blessed
Step
That
You
Can
Ever
Take
Have
You
Heard
The
Call
Have
You
Come
To
Make
The
Same
Confession
Giving
Expression
To
The
Genuineness
Of
Your
Faith
And
Giving
Expression
To
The
Very
Fact
That
Jesus
Christ
Is
Indeed
Precious
And
That
In
Accord
With
God's
Design
Your
Heart
Has
Been
Changed
Your
Eyes
Have
Been
Opened
Your
Mind
Has
Been
Enlightened
And
You
See
Jesus
As
The
Light
Of
The
World
In
Whom
You
Trust
Wholeheartedly
And
Completely
The
Kingdom
Formation
And
As
We
Move
On
Jesus
Wants
Them
To
Know
That
They
Are
Secure
They
Felt
In
Secure
In
The
Days
Of
Jesus
Because
Of
The
Growing
Enmity
Around
Jesus
We
Feel
Insecure
Ourselves
In
The
World
Which
Is
So
Much
Against
The
Gospel
And
Wants
To
Silence
And
Exclude
Us
In
Life
And
Wants
To
Persecute
Us
For
Holding
On
To
The
Truth
It's
A
Place
Where
We
Can
Be
Fearful
And
Where
That
Fear
Can
Cause
Us
To
Stumble
And
Paralyse
Our
Faith
So
That
We
Keep
Our
Faith
Privately
In
Our
Hearts
Jesus
Wants
To
Tell
Them
The
Gates
Of
Hell
Shall
Not
Prevail
Against
It
There
Are
Two
Cities
With
Two
Powers
With
Two
Gates
Access
For
The
People
Of
The
City
And
The
Doors
Shut
So
The
Enemy
Doesn't
Come
In
The
Gates
Of
Hell
The
Gates
Of
Death
Will
Not
Prevail
Because
Jesus
As
We
See
Going
Forward
In
The
Gospels
He
Dies
For
Our
Sins
He
Gives
Himself
Over
To
Death
He
Is
Raised
From
The
Death
Says
The
Same
Peter
In
Acts
Two
Because
It
Was
Impossible
For
Death
To
Hold
Him
And
Now
The
Gates
Of
Death
Will
Not
Have
The
Victory
Or
Prevail
Against
The
Church
Of
Christ
The
Church
Of
Christ
As
A
Whole
And
The
Christian
As
An
Individual
The
Kingdom
Formation
There
Is
No
Better
Place
To
Be
Found
In
Today
There
Is
No
Saver
Place
To
Be
Found
In
Today
And
There
Is
No
More
Blessed
And
Happy
Place
To
Be
Found
In
Today
Than
To
Be
We
Have
Kingdom
Faith
We
Have
Kingdom
Formation
And
Finally
We
Have
Kingdom
Function
How
Does
This
Kingdom
Work
How
Does
The
Church
Work
In
The
World
Well
We
Learned
Something
About
That
From
Verse
Number
Nineteen
I will give you the keys of the kingdom.
It's a great statement.
It's a mysterious statement.
We know that keys are for letting people in
and for letting people out
and for locking the door for safety and for security.
It is about going in and coming out the keys of the kingdom.
In the Old Testament,
we see that in the prophecy of Isaiah,
that Eliakim is over the house of David,
that he has the keys and that he has the authority
to keep out and to let in those who are around.
And we read the Gospels,
and we see in chapter 23 of this Gospel itself
that Jesus is accusing the scribes and Pharisees
to whom he's referring here.
He is accusing them of shutting the kingdom of heaven
in people's faces,
so that neither you enter your cells
nor allow those who would enter to go in.
They had the keys of the kingdom, they thought.
And they had their own standards,
and they claimed to be the ones
who allowed access into the kingdom
and who said,
no, you can't be in the kingdom.
And having the keys of the kingdom
is further defined by Jesus.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
And without expanding too much on that,
we can think of the understanding of the rabbis
in the days of Jesus as to what that meant.
And it meant simply that they were the ones
who allowed or disallowed conduct.
They were the ones who allowed or disallowed
people to come in or to go out.
And they did so based on the Old Testament law
and what they added to it.
So there is the function.
Allowed to come in
or not allowed to come in.
Allowed to come back in
or not allowed to come back in.
That's the way in which
the people in the days of Jesus
would understand.
And so today we're thinking of kingdom function.
What does that function look like
for the church of Jesus Christ
in the world
and wherever we are ourselves?
It looks like it has three elements that define it.
It looks like there is a mission.
There is a message to be proclaimed.
There is the going to all nations
and to make disciples of them,
teaching them to observe the things
that Jesus has commanded.
The church functions by proclaiming the gospel,
by following on to the mission of Jesus.
The church functions by admitting people
into the church of Christ
based on their confession.
If people make the same confession
that Peter has made,
then they come into the church of Jesus.
They are admitted by the church
to be part of this great building project.
It is a case of admission.
It is a case of excluding and of including.
The church has the duty and the right
and the authority to do exactly that.
And the Kirk sessions do that for us.
And the different courts of the church
do that for us.
And thirdly, there is the sense of looking after,
of pastoring, of shepherding.
And Jesus says to Peter in John 20,
in examining him and questioning him,
if he had love for him,
Jesus said to him,
go and tend my sheep.
Go and feed my sheep.
Go and pasture my sheep.
And so that the kingdom functioned
with regard to the church itself
is to fulfill that ministry
on the part of Jesus.
to preach, to pastor,
and to recognize genuine faith
where it arises because of the grace of God
and to embrace such people
with genuine faith
into the kingdom,
into the church of Jesus,
to grow up with the people of God
so that the church develops and grows.
And that's what the church does
in every generation.
that is the church's responsibility
to fulfill its kingdom function.
But I want to close by saying
that the Christian also has a responsibility
in fulfilling a kingdom function.
and is based on this very principle
on having the keys of the kingdom
on whatever you bind on earth
be bound in heaven
and loose on earth
shall be loosed in heaven.
That principle Jesus applies
to all of the disciples
in John chapter 20
when he sends them out into the world
and he tells them in similar words
that as the Father has sent me
so I send you.
They are to go out
and to live their life of discipleship
to continue the work of Jesus
to continue the work of Peter
to continue the work of all of the apostles
to continue the work of every succeeding generation
of the church.
The Christian has a responsibility.
And for all of us here today
we recognize the responsibility of the church.
But Jesus wants us to recognize
our own personal responsibility.
That as surely as Peter
embraced the mission
and ministry of the church
when he made this confession
that so you and I
are to embrace that same mission
and that same ministry
according to the way
in which the Lord Jesus
has appointed us so to do.
And we do so in three ways.
We do so as the light of the world.
You are the light of the world
says Jesus.
You don't hide your light
under a lampshade
under a bushel.
You let it shine
so that people will see
your good works.
There is no place
in the function of the church
of Jesus
for people to have their faith
in the quietness of a corner,
a tomb.
It is the responsibility
to live that life of faith
in the public domain
and to be the light
that people will see
that is connected to Jesus
who is the light of the world.
The Christian has the important function also
to be an influence for good
in the sense that Jesus says
you are the salt of the earth.
You are to influence behavior
not only within the church
and within our homes
but within our community
and within the nation
to which we belong
and in our world.
We are to be the salt of the earth.
Our lifestyle
confirms our discipleship.
It confirms also
that we belong to Jesus
and makes that clearly known
in the world.
And that's the third thing
that we have a responsibility for
that kind of proclamation
making known.
And Peter says to his readers
in 1 Peter chapter 2
you are a people
for his own possession.
That's your identity.
That's the Christian's identity.
So that you may proclaim
the excellencies
of whom we called you
from darkness into light.
that's our functional responsibility.
And God calls us today
as the new Christian community
or as the New Testament
Christian community
to fulfill our responsibility
to be the light
to be the salt
and to be that influence
that we may speak out
the excellencies of our Savior.
It should be
the most natural
and easiest thing
in the world
to tell about the beauty
of the Savior
that we have loved
and who has loved us.
And God,
Jesus commands us today
that we
fulfill our responsibility
and be the children of light
as he has commanded.
And in closing,
those who belong to my generation
at least will know
Brian Clough,
who was perhaps
one of the greatest
football managers
in the last century
in the 1970s
and the 1980s.
And after losing
a football match,
he said this,
we had a good football team
on paper.
And fortunately,
the game of football
is played on grass.
And I think that
in some ways
captures sometimes
the way we are
as a church.
We have a list
of great names.
but Jesus wants us
to pray the gospel
out on grass.
And that's where we fail.
And so the faith
that we profess
and the grace
that shines in our lives
in the confession of faith
is something
that must work out
on the playing field
of the witness
of the church
and in the service
of Christ.
And once we do that,
the church is functioning
the way that
the great architect
designed it
and what a powerful
influence
the church is then
when it's functioning
as it should.
And so may God
help us with
kingdom faith,
may help us
with kingdom formation,
and may help us
with our
kingdom responsibility
as the quotes
of the church
of Christ
in the world
and as individual believers
who are called
to serve
and to follow
the Lord Jesus.
May God bless
his word to us.
Let us pray.
Most gracious God,
we do rejoice in you
as the God
who is our saviour,
who by your power
has redeemed us
and reconciled us
to yourself.
Give thanks to you
that you have done
the work that we
could never do.
And help us today
to stand on that foundation.
Help us to live
as those who are
your children.
Help us to show forth
your excellencies,
your salvation,
your grace.
Help us to be
practical
and living witnesses
for you
and servants
in whatever area
of service
you called us
to work in.
May you move
our hearts and lives
and enable us
to serve you
with joy
for the glory
of your name
and for the good
of your kingdom.
So hear a prayer
and accept us
for Jesus' sake.
Amen.
Chloe's Psalm
is Psalm number 48a
in St. Psalms.
It's on page 63.
And we're singing
at verse number 9.
Psalm 48a
at verse number 9
on page 63
on the Tunis Free Church.
We contemplate
your steadfast love
within your house,
O God,
for like your name,
your praise
extends
through all the earth
abroad.
We stand to sing
and after singing
I'll go to the main door.
After benediction
I'll go to the main door.
Amen.
The praise extends
through all the earth
above.
All that you do
is righteous, Lord,
and Zion's joy is great.
and voy voy
voy
!
voy
!
voy
Thank you.
To his circle forever new abides.
Be his circle forever more.
And to the end of time.
Amen.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all now and forevermore.
Amen.
Thank you.