We're going to begin our worship this evening singing in Psalm 89 in the Scottish Psalter.
! That's on page 344.
Singing verses 1 to 6.
And of course we're conscious of the fact that David, as he is here before us in the psalm,
is a type or a representation of the Lord Jesus Christ himself in his kingship, the kingship of his saviourhood.
And so as we sing these verses, we're very conscious that they do apply to Christ and the kingdom that Christ presides over.
Psalm 89 and verses 1 to 6 will stand to sing.
The Lord's mercies I will ever sing,
And with my life I shall
Thy faithfulness
Take to the Lord
To generations
All
Thy faithfulness
Thou will
When
Thy faithfulness
Thou
Thy faithfulness
Thou
Thy faithfulness
! Thy faithfulness
O Lord, our God, as we gather once again here in this place of worship,
as we do so collectively with our minds focused on those things
that we have been singing that are before us in your word,
we thank you that we begin our service with certainties,
the certainty of your being, the certainty of your kingdom,
the certainty of your rule and its precision.
And we give thanks to you, Lord, for the certainty of the promises
that you give and have given to your people.
And we bless you, O Lord, that we find ourselves as we trust in you
based upon those certainties for ourselves.
And, Lord, we live in a world of uncertainty,
and our lives in many ways are uncertain from day to day.
And yet we thank you that we draw near tonight to the God
who is sure and certain and steadfast in all his ways and in his being.
Bless us, we pray, as we familiarize ourselves again with these great truths.
And as we come to take them to ourselves,
help us, we pray, to feed our souls upon them.
And enable us tonight, O Lord, to come with that relish for your word
that would come like the psalmist to treasure it in our hearts
and to have it in such a way that would express its truth every day through our lives.
And we thank you, O Lord, for the many benefits that we have received from you already today.
A day that you have set apart, even in the creation of the world,
to be a day that is marked by holiness to the Lord.
A day that you have set apart as sacred for your people.
Lord, while we acknowledge that every day brings elements of sacredness
in the way in which we are to dedicate ourselves and our time to you,
we thank you that you have given special emphasis to your day
as a day that is a reminder to us of the Lord's oversight
and especially of the Lord as the Redeemer of his people
who gives us peace and who enables us to look forward to the fulfillment of that kingdom
that is in the Lord Jesus Christ and over which he is set as king.
And we thank you, Lord, tonight for your word to guide us once again.
You have guided us many times previously through your word.
You have blessed your word to us.
You have given us, Lord, times of magnificent consideration,
requests and petitions also, Lord, that seek your help during the course of life.
We thank you that your knowledge above all of these things ensures
that every aspect of our need is known to you
and that you are able to meet us at all times.
We pray your blessing, Lord, to be with us as worshipers tonight.
And we thank you for the privilege of worshiping you,
the privilege of having all elements of our worship in which we engage freely available to us.
And we thank you, Lord, that even as we sing these words of praise to you,
we thank you that we can sing our times of rejoicing and gladness to you,
but that we can also sing out the pains and the sorrows of our heart.
And we give thanks, O Lord, that such expressions of our pain and of our suffering at times
enable us to accommodate these things and to dwell upon them in such a way
as would carry them before the Lord for his help.
We thank you tonight, Lord, for your church,
for the way in which we are a part of that great church of God
throughout the whole realms, all the realms of this whole world.
And we give thanks that we form part of that great number
which no one is able to number but yourself.
And we give thanks that your church is undivided,
whether it be in heaven or in earth, in the past or in the future or present.
You know your people and they come to know you.
And we pray tonight for your people, wherever they may be,
throughout all the places in the world in which you have set them.
O Lord, we pray that you would bless them,
bless those of them unable to gather as we do,
bless all the gatherings of your people also,
bless those who are isolated from others,
bless those, Lord, who partake of services online
and are able thereby to hear your word
and to be joined in that medium with your people
as they worship you together.
We pray for those who are ill tonight.
We ask, Lord, that you'd bless them.
They are known to us and unknown alike.
And we pray that whether we know them or hear about them,
we pray, Lord, that you would help us to carry them
before your throne of grace.
We pray for those who are seriously ill.
We ask that you would be near to them.
O Lord, as the end of life may seem very close for them,
we pray that you would prepare them and us
for that final step from time into eternity,
which may come much more quickly than we are ourselves anticipating.
Make us ready, O Lord, we pray,
and through the gospel prepare us
to enter into the realms of glory
to be with the Lord himself.
We pray that you would bless all families
who have lost loved ones
in recent times or in times past.
We thank you especially for those
who have traveled with us on the way
and shown to us the way of faith
and are no longer in this life.
O Lord, we thank you for their witness
that it goes on speaking to us.
And we pray that you would help us to walk
in the ways of faith like them.
And your blessing too to those who rule over us,
we pray tonight for our government,
both in Westminster and here
and in our own parliament in Scotland.
We ask, O Lord, that in the turmoil of these days
that you would give them wisdom.
You have called upon us to remember them
in prayer before you.
And we set them before you, Lord, tonight,
though we recognize so many of them.
They do not seem to walk in your ways
or want to do so.
And yet we pray for all of them.
And we pray that you would bring to them
the light through the gospel
that will shine into their own lives
and that will enable them to look out
on the world in which they live
and on the people over which you have placed them
in a way that would have regard for God
and for his ways.
We pray especially, Lord, at this time
for the bill about to go through
the Scottish Parliament
with regard to the end of life.
We pray, Lord, that you would be pleased
to have this bill fall from being passed.
We recognize as you people
how important it is that the Lord
only has a claim over the time of our birth
and the time of our death.
And we pray, Lord, that you would grant
that there may be a majority
that would reject the proposals of this bill
and that would therefore enable us
as your people to give thanks to you
for the way in which, once again,
we pray that you would preserve life
until you see fit to take us out of this world.
Remember those who care for us
in palliative care.
We thank you for the provisions
of palliative care, O Lord.
Lord, we pray that you would enhance it
and that it might be increased in our land
and that resources might be given to it further
to enlarge its provision for us.
Grant, O Lord, that we may look to you
for the provision of all of these things
that come to us for our benefit.
And so bless us now, we pray,
continue to look over us in your mercy and grace
to pardon our sins,
to cleanse us from all our unrighteousness.
We offer all of these prayers to you, O Lord,
this evening, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
and for his sake.
Amen.
Let's continue to praise God.
We're singing this time in Psalm 32.
Psalm number 32 in the Sing Psalms version.
That's on page 38.
We'll sing verses 7 to 11.
You are my hiding place, O Lord,
my true security.
You keep me safe in troubled days.
You circle me with joyful praise
when you have set me free.
I will instruct you by my word
and guide you in my way.
My counsel I will give to you.
My eye will keep your path in view
and watch you day by day.
So these verses in Psalm 32 from verse 7
through to the end.
You are my hiding place, O Lord.
You are my hiding place, O Lord,
my true security.
You keep me safe in troubled days.
You are my hiding place,
to circle me with joyful praise,
when you have set me free.
I will instruct you by my word
and guide you in my way.
My counsel I will give to you.
My eye will keep your path in view
and watch you day by day.
You not be like the horse or new
which cannot understand.
They must be hurt and kept in check.
As they the pride of turn their neck
to go where you command.
The way its walls will march in peace,
but those who trust the Lord
is come and let me will surround.
Your righteous let your joy abound
and face the Lord your God.
Let's turn now to read God's word
and you'll find a reading tonight
in the book of Acts.
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter 13.
And we can begin reading at verse 26.
We have an account here from verse 13
onwards of the journey of Paul and Barnabas
to arrive in Antioch of Pisidia
and where Paul preached there in the synagogue.
And so we pick up the narrative at verse 26
where he addresses those in the synagogue.
Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham
and those among you who fear God,
to us has been sent the message of this salvation.
For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers
because they did not recognize him
nor understand the utterances of the prophets
which are read every Sabbath,
fulfilled them by condemning him.
And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death,
they asked Pilate to have him executed.
And when they had carried out all that was written of him,
they took him down from the tree
and laid him in a tomb.
But God raised him from the dead
and for many days he appeared to those
who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem
who are now his witnesses to the people.
And we bring you the good news
that what God promised to the fathers,
this he has fulfilled to us their children
by raising Jesus
as also it is written in the second Psalm.
You are my son.
Today I have begotten you.
And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead,
no more to return to corruption,
he has spoken in this way.
I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.
Therefore, he says also in another Psalm,
you will not let your holy ones see corruption.
For David, after he had served the purpose of God
in his own generation,
fell asleep and was late with his fathers
and saw corruption.
But he whom God raised did not see corruption.
Let it be known to you, therefore, brothers,
that through this man forgiveness of sins
is proclaimed to you.
And by him, everyone who believes is freed
from everything from which you could not be freed
by the law of Moses.
Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the prophets
should come about.
Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish.
For I am doing a work in your days,
a work that you will not believe,
even if one tells it to you.
As they went out, people begged that these things
might be told them the next Sabbath.
And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up,
many Jews and devout converts to Judaism
followed Baal and Barnabas,
who, as they spoke with them,
urged them to continue in the grace of God.
Amen.
May God bless to us again a reading of his word.
Before we turn back to look at one or two things
from this passage, let's sing again,
singing in Psalm 16 in the Scottish Psalter
in verses 1 to 7.
Lord, keep me, for I trust in thee.
To God thus was my speech.
Thou art my Lord, and unto thee my goodness
doth not reach.
To saints on earth, to the excellent,
where my delights all placed,
their sorrows shall be multiplied
to other gods that haste.
Of their drink offerings of blood
I will no offering make.
Yea, neither I their very names up in my lips will take.
God is of mine inheritance,
and cup the portion.
The lot that fallen is to me
thou dost maintain alone.
And to me, happily,
the lines in pleasant places fell.
Yea, the inheritance I got,
in beauty doth excel.
I bless the Lord,
because he doth by counsel me conduct.
And in the seasons of the night
my reigns do me instruct.
These verses from the beginning.
Lord, keep me, for I trust in thee.
Lord, keep me, for I trust in thee,
to God thus was my speech.
The heart my Lord,
round love to thee,
my goodness doth not reach.
Who saves on earth to the excellent,
where my delight so blessed.
Their sorrows shall be multiplied,
to other gods that haste.
Of their day offerings of blood,
I will no offering make.
Yea, neither I their very names up in my lips
will take.
God is of my inheritance,
and God the portion.
God is of my heart.
The Lord hath fallen,
is to me,
and does not maintain alone.
Come to me, happily,
Bum,
I got in beauty doth herself.
I bless the Lord because he doth
I counsel, he conduct
And in the seasons of the night
My praise to thee is God.
If you turn with me please to Acts chapter 13.
Acts chapter 13.
We can give our minds for a short time tonight.
To verses 36 to 39.
So reading at Acts 13 verse 36.
For David, after he had saved the purpose of God
And his own generation fell asleep
And was laid with his fathers and saw corruption.
But he whom God raised up did not see corruption.
Let it be known to you therefore, brothers,
That through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.
And by him everyone who believes
Is freed from everything from which you could not be freed
By the law of Moses.
Beware therefore, lest what is said in the prophets
Should come about.
Well, we'll read here about Paul's first missionary journey
Which took him through the various places mentioned
Until he arrived here, as we read here in this passage,
At Antioch in Pisidia.
It's part of what's now known as Turkey.
As he came to Antioch in Pisidia,
He did what was his custom at the time
He went to the synagogue
Where the Jews gathered for worship.
And as he came to the synagogue
And addressed the people in the synagogue,
He took from the Old Testament
What God had led him to
Declare to the people there
A passage that led to
The person of Jesus.
It's always interesting to note
How Paul went about addressing
Wherever he was
The context in which he ministered the gospel
Because he didn't
He didn't approach every situation
In exactly the same way
Although he preached exactly the same gospel.
It was always Jesus
The death of Jesus
And here particularly the resurrection of Jesus as well.
But if you compare this with chapter 17
Where you find Paul in Athens
At the Areopagus
Addressing a large crowd of pagans
He didn't begin with the Old Testament
He began with a more general revelation
Or an emphasis on more general revelation
Of God as creator
And even found it appropriate to quote
Once or twice from the prophets
Of the pagans themselves
Just to make points that he wished to
Set before them
That led him to speak about
This God that he himself
Had come to declare.
But here he's speaking to Jews
So it's quite appropriate
That he goes to the Old Testament
Well known by the Jews
And takes them from the Old Testament
To the person of Jesus.
And that's of course important
For ourselves as well.
Because wherever you start in the Bible
You always have to try and trace the line
That brings you to Christ.
Whether it's in the Old Testament
Prior to the coming of Christ
Or in the New Testament epistles
Or in Revelation
After Jesus had come
After Jesus had died and risen
And gone back to heaven
It still always comes back to him.
So in your Bible study
You always try and trace these lines
That take you back to the person of Jesus
Because it's in him
That everything really hangs together.
He is the one
That God himself has set
As saviour
And so everything else goes through him
Including the preaching of the gospel itself
As we'll see tonight.
And so as he presents
These various details
From the Old Testament
He comes to focus especially
On King David.
And he sets that beside
Jesus himself
Who is of course the king
In the New Testament sense
That fulfilled the kingship
Of David.
And so you find in this passage
Some correspondences with David
In the person and work of Jesus
But also some contrasts
Between Jesus and King David.
And that's what we're really focusing on
For a short time this evening.
We'll break it into three parts.
Verses 39
Through verses 36 to 39.
First of all we'll look at
Some details of David's life
And death.
And then looking secondly at
Christ's death and life.
And thirdly
How the passage ends
With an emphasis on
Gospel life
And death.
King David's life and death.
Christ's death and life.
And then the gospel's emphasis
On life but also
On death.
So David's
Life and death
Very briefly
In the compass in which
Paul dealt with it here.
Verse 36
David
After he had served
The purpose of God
In his own generation
Fell asleep
And was laid with his fathers
And saw corruption.
Now that's really all he says there
About God
Sorry
God says about David
But there's a correspondence with
And a contrast with
What happened
In Jesus himself.
But notice what he says.
He served
God's purpose
In his own generation.
What does that actually mean?
Before we go on
To look at the following
Details about Jesus
It's important
To stop over that.
What does he mean by saying
David
Actually served
The purpose of God
In his own generation?
Well it certainly leads us
To that great question
What is the purpose
Of human life?
Why are we here?
What is the purpose
We exist?
What is the purpose
Of living the life
We live in this world?
This is the great question
Of what is the meaning?
What does it give meaning
To human life?
Many people in the world
Would of course
Answer that question
In very different ways
And some would even say
There's no meaning at all
To it
You just live your life
The best you can
And at the end of it
That's it
That's not what the Bible
Of course tells us
The Bible tells us
Indeed the Shorter Catechism
In the first question
And answer of the Shorter Catechism
Really summed up for us
The Bible's teaching
On the purpose of human life
What is man's chief end?
What is the chief purpose?
The main purpose
For which man exists
Man's chief end
Is to glorify God
And to enjoy Him forever
When you look at the overall purpose
Of human life
Whether you look at Christians
Or whether you look at the whole world
Who are not Christians at all
But as far as God's creation
Of human beings is concerned
This is the purpose
With which they were created
This is the purpose
For which you and I
Must look at life
Our own life
And the life
Of the world in which we live
God created us
For this end
For this purpose
To glorify God
To give praise to God
To bring Him honor and glory
But also to enjoy Him forever
It's not one side or the other
It's glorifying God
But it's to enjoy Him forever
That's the overarching purpose
Of human life
But then Paul is talking here
About something
You might say more specific
Something that's narrower
Than the overall purpose
Of human life
What he's talking about here
Is God's purpose for David
In his own generation
So while you can ask that question
What is the great purpose
And meaning of human life
And when I was with you
Remember we tried at one time
To go through the book
Of Ecclesiastes
Which really asks
All of these questions
And ends up with
That great summary
This is the whole purpose
Really the meaning
Of human life
Which is to fear God
And keep His commandments
In other words
To honor God
To bring Him praise
And glory
To exalt His name
But as you look at the way
In which Paul puts it here
He served the purpose of God
In his own generation
That asks the question then of me
Not just why do I exist
But why has God placed me
Where I am today
In this generation
What am I doing
With the advantages
The benefits
That God has given me
In this life
Where I am now set
And so it's the same
For yourself tonight
In this specific timeline
Of our own generation
What is God's purpose
For me
In the span of my life
In this world
However short
Or long it might be
That's the question
That's really arising
For us from this terminology
David serving
The purpose of God
In his own generation
So you have to ask
The question
As I have to ask it
Of myself
What am I doing
With my life tonight
Is my life serving
To bring honor
And praise to God
Am I doing the things
For which God
Has given me
The facility
Or the gifts
By which I can serve Him
By which I can show Him
To this coming
To this generation
That I'm part of
And the generation to come
What's His purpose
For me today
What does He have
What is He
Seeking of me to do
For Him
In the here and now
You have to answer
That question for yourself
I can't answer it for you
Under the overarching
Purpose of God
For all human life
To glorify
And enjoy Him
You bring it down
To your own
Personal situation
In this life
And you say
Where does that leave me
In terms of my
Precise
Individual responsibilities
And privileges
In the course of my life
Is your life
Tonight dedicated
To bringing glory
To God
In this generation
Is your life
One of serving
The Lord
And of asking daily
What must I do
For Him today
How am I going to
Serve God today
In the ways
That He enables me
To do that
David served
The purpose of God
In his generation
He fulfilled
What God had given him
To do as the king
Over Israel
And wherever you're set
Tonight
You have responsibilities
At home
You have responsibilities
To your neighbors
You have responsibilities
In your place of work
You have responsibilities
In your retirement
You have responsibilities
Wherever it is
God has placed you
But here is something
That always follows on
From wherever we're placed
What will you have me
To do Lord
In the span of my life
In this generation
Will my life
Will your life
Be one of positive influence
In this generation
That's really
What's behind
Some of what's behind
This reference here
In David serving
The purpose of God
In his own generation
I don't want to dwell on that
Any further
Because we've got more to do
In the rest of the passage
That David after he had saved
The purpose of God
In his own generation
Fell asleep
And was laid with his fathers
And saw corruption
Now this is moving towards
A contrast with Jesus
But the contrast
Can only be brought out
Really if you look at the detail
In regard to David
First of all
What is he saying about
David having saved
His own generation
He fell asleep
What does that mean
Obviously it's not
It's not just a physical sleep
Fell asleep
Is the Bible's way
Of believers in Jesus
Believers in God
Coming to the end of life
In this world
And entering into eternity
It doesn't mean
That when God's people
Leave this world
They enter into
An unconsciousness
That they enter into
A blissful unconsciousness
In eternity
That they enter into
An eternity
Where they're not
You might say
Awake in their souls
Or in their minds
Where they're not able
To exorcise and function
Their minds
As they are in this world
Actually it's the very opposite
To fall asleep
In the biblical sense of it here
Means to enter into
Perfect rest
Because one of the things
You associate with sleep
With sound sleep
Especially with calm sleep
You associate peace with that
Don't you?
You associate
There's somebody who's at rest
And of course the Bible
Uses the word rest too
To describe the eternity
Of those who've left this world
This side of the resurrection
They've gone to their rest
They've gone to sleep
They've gone to their peace
They've gone to be with Jesus
Their souls are at rest
They are at rest spiritually
There is nothing
To disturb them
How often do you find
In this world
That your life is disturbed
We can have nightmares
We can have worries
In our mind
That cause us to
Remain awake
Or to have a fitting
Sort of sleep
Just here and there
And here and now
But not constantly
At peace or at rest
So many things
In this life
That crowd in upon
Your mind
That really leave you
Without the kind of sleep
That you'd love to have
Nothing enters into
The sleep of the saved
Nothing enters into
The bliss and the peace
Of those who've left
This world in Christ
There is nothing
To disturb their rest
Nothing to spoil
Their peace
Nothing of nightmares
Coming into their existence
No worries to carry with them
To disturb them
In their peace
That's your prospect
As a Christian
That's something
That awaits you
You might go through
This whole life
Filled with worries
Filled with anxieties
Filled with pains
Mental
Physical
You might have all sorts
Of things happening
In your life right now
That make you just
Long for peace
Well if you're a Christian
If your trust is in the Lord
This is what's awaiting you
You're going to leave
All of these things behind
And you're going to enter
Into this perfect sleep
This bliss
This blessing of peace
Where nothing's going
To disturb you
How different is it
With the death
Of the unsaved
The death of what the Bible
Calls the wicked
And remember
The wicked are not just
Those who've led
A debauched life
And openly been
Flagrant in sin
The Bible uses
The word wicked
Just very often
Just as the opposite
Of the saved
The believer
And as there are no
Nightmares in heaven
Hell is one
Endless nightmare
A nightmare for which
There is no waking
No rest
No undisturbance
No end
No change
No prospect of release
That's the nightmare
But the contrast
Is the peace
The sleeping
The rest
Which the Bible
Presents to us
As God's
Eternal life
Given
To those who
Trust in Christ
What is the prospect
Tonight
For you
And for me
As you look
At your own life
As you think
Of your relationship
With God
As you think
Of how it is
Between yourself
And God
As you think
Of whether you've
Come to repent
Of sin or not
To trust in Jesus
Or not
Where does that
Leave you with regard
To your eternity
I have to ask
The same
Of myself
Well here is David
After he had
Served the purpose
Of God
In his own generation
He fell asleep
And was laid
With his fathers
And saw
Corruption
Saw corruption
Means his body
Returned to the dust
It's something
That happens
To all
Who are laid
Into the grave
It's what's
Ahead of us all
We don't like
To think about it
As we attend
Funerals
But we often
Leave grave sites
And cemeteries
With some
Maybe fleeting
Thoughts about ourselves
But they soon
Pass on
But we shouldn't
Allow that
We should always
Say when you look
At the grave
Or a present
At a funeral
That's going to be
Me in a very short
Time
But where will I be
That's going to be
My body
Laid into the grave
Where will I be
Conscious of peace
Or conscious
Of the nightmare
Of hell
Well Psalm 48
Reminds us
That death
For the Lord's people
The passing of
Of us from this world
Into the next
Does not in any way
Interfere with
Our peace
With being at rest
With God
Psalm 4
Verse 8
You remember
David puts it there
I will both
Lay me down
To sleep
And take rest
In peace
For you Lord
Alone
Makes me
To dwell in safety
Or to dwell safely
I will lay me down
And rest in peace
He's surrounded
By his enemies
He's harassed
He's crying out
To the Lord
In his pain
What is the end
Of the psalm
He's thinking about
What's across
That bridge
In eternity
He's thinking
I will lay down
My life in peace
He's certainly
Talking about
The present life
As well
That he can still
Sleep
If God gives him
The safety
To protect him
From his enemies
He can still say
My life is safe
With God
I don't need to worry
About my enemies
Yes he can do that
But he's surely
Taking us beyond
The grave
Beyond this life
Into eternity
This is my future
This is the prospect
For me
He's saying
I will lay down
In peace
And I'll take
Quiet rest there
Why?
Because you Lord
Alone
Make me dwell
In safety
And that safety
Tonight
Is yours
In Jesus Christ
He is your security
And your safety
Forever
David's life
And death
But he goes on
To speak about
Christ's death
And life
As he brings out
The contrast
In many ways
With David
He whom God
Raised up
Did not see
Corruption
Let it be known
To you therefore
That through this man
Is preached to you
Proclaimed to you
Forgiveness of sin
Well
It says here
Jesus died
He did not see
Corruption
He did die
And he was laid
For a time
In the sepulcher
But God
Raised him up
From the dead
It's important
That we notice
How Paul
Also
In his epistles
Emphasizes
The death
Followed by the
Resurrection
Of Jesus
That at the heart
Of the gospel
As he passed on
To the Corinthians
The very heart
Of the gospel
The kernel
Of what he preached
This is what he said
I passed on
I gave to you
What the Lord
Also gave to me
That the Lord
Jesus Christ
Died
According to the
Scriptures
That he was buried
That he rose again
According to the
Scriptures
That is the heart
Of the gospel
That's the basis
Of our hopes tonight
That there's a death
Greater than the death
We ourselves die
That there's a resurrection
From the dead
Which we could never
Accomplish for ourselves
A resurrection
That stands above death
And says
Death you are now
Defeated
And without Jesus
You don't have that
In Christ
That's your great privilege
That's the prospect
That you have
Looking into eternity
What a prospect it is
That you're united
To Christ
In both his death
And his life
Well it's saying here
That he was
He was
Raised from the dead
And that through him
Is proclaimed
Forgiveness of sins
God raised him up
There's a lot we could say
About that
It's important to realize
That Christ really died
He wasn't just
He wasn't unconscious
As he was laid
His body wasn't laid
In the
In the sepulcher
As somebody
Who was unconscious
He was dead
He died on the cross
He died the death
Due to us
For our sins
Remember always
I think I've emphasized
This so many times
From this pulpit
We need to
Because it's part
Of the gospel
The death he died
Was the death
You and I deserve
For our sins
Not just the death
In terms of
Body and soul
Being separated
And no longer
In this world
And his body
Being laid
Into the tomb
The death
Jesus died
Was the death
We deserved
For our sins
The death
That is nothing
Less than hell
That's what he suffered
That's what he endured
That's what he took
To himself
But when all that
Was over
As it was
On the cross
Itself
When he said
It is finished
Father into your hands
I commit my spirit
Then his body
Was laid in the sepulcher
And on the third day
He rose again
From the dead
He's emphasizing here
As so often
God raised him up
Why did God
Raise him up
Why does it say
That it was God
Who raised him up
Because God
Was well pleased
With what Jesus
Had done
To say it
Just put it briefly
Like that
He raised him up
Because he was pleased
With the death
He died
That it was sufficient
For all eternity
To cover the sins
Of his people
And no other person
Could have done that
But Christ
Has achieved it
And if you go to
Hebrews
And chapter 13
You'll find an emphasis there
Which is also important
In its own right
Where the emphasis there
On the resurrection
Of Jesus
Is that
God actually
Raised him up
In such a way
That
He brought
God again
The God of peace
Brought again
From the dead
Our Lord Jesus
The great shepherd
Of the sheep
And these words
He brought him again
From the dead
Actually mean literally
He was obliged
To bring him back
From the dead
If we can say
Such bold language
Of God
He had no option
But to
Bring Jesus
Back from the dead
Why?
Because Christ
Had fulfilled
All that he came
In this world
To achieve
By his life
And death
On the cross
Wherefore God
Brought him back
From the dead
And you know
The resurrection
Of Christ
In many ways
You could say
It's God's own
Stamp of approval
Over what Christ
Did
In his death
On the cross
God raised him up
So as not
To see corruption
So that's
Christ's
Death
And life
That's where he's
Unlike David
David was
Buried
And saw corruption
Christ was buried
And saw no corruption
David was buried
And didn't
Come back
To this world
Christ was buried
And rose from the dead
On the third day
Wherefore
On account of that
Let it be known
To you therefore
Brothers
That through this man
Forgiveness of sins
Is proclaimed to you
And by him
Everyone who believes
Is freed from everything
From which you could not
Be freed
By the law of Moses
So there's David's
Life and death
There's Christ's
Death and life
And finally
There's this gospel
Life and death
The emphasis
In the gospel
He's saying
Let it be known
To you therefore
Brothers
He's appealing to them
To listen to this point
Through this man
Through this Jesus
Is proclaimed to you
Forgiveness
Of sins
The gospel is good news
It's the best news
We could actually have
Declared to us
And why is it good news?
Because the emphasis
In the gospel
Is on life
Life in Christ
For those like you
And I
Who don't deserve it
But for whom
It's provided
Through Jesus
By him
Through him
Forgiveness of sins
Is proclaimed
And when you think of
Forgiveness of sins
That lies at the heart
Of the message
Of the gospel
That's really what
Paul is emphasizing here
For these Jews
In Antioch
In Pisidia
And it's a crucial
Emphasis
Because it means
Freedom
From condemnation
That's really what
He's saying
Forgiveness of sins
Is proclaimed to you
And everyone
Who believes
Is freed from
Delivered from
Everything from
Which you could not
Be freed by the law
Of Moses
Here were these Jews
Thinking
The law of Moses
Is ours
God gave us
The law of Moses
If we obey
The law of Moses
Then we're right
With God
We are righteous people
And Paul as you see
Particularly in Romans
And Galatians
You read these epistles
He's saying
No that's not how
You come to be justified
You cannot be justified
By your own efforts
However much
You keep the law
And who knew that
Better than Paul
Who tried mightily
By his own efforts
To persuade himself
That he was right
With God
Until he came
To meet with Jesus
On the road to Damascus
And Jesus
Knocked him
To his knees
And actually
So
Said to Paul
That he was actually
A persecutor
Rather than a righteous man
Persecutor of God's people
That was the turning point
Especially
In the life of the apostle
And from then on
He sought
To emphasize
At the heart
Of the gospel message
He preached
Here is forgiveness
Not one that you can
Manufacture for yourself
You don't need to
Not one you can
Create for yourself
It's not necessary
It's already there
In the person and work
Of Jesus
Who died and rose
From the dead
And therefore
On the basis of that
Forgiveness of sins
Is declared to you
And to everyone
Who believes
They are freed
From the sentence
Of the law
From condemnation
For what the law
Could not do
Could not be done
By the law of Moses
And that's such an
Important emphasis
Right through
The course of
New testament history
And on to our own day
There are millions
In the world tonight
Who think that
Being a Christian
Means doing everything
The best you can
And because God is kind
He's not going to
Reject you
God is kind
God is good
The goodness of God
Is nowhere better
Emphasized than in the
Provision of a saviour
For us
But it's not because
We do certain things
Ourselves
Not even because
Of our faith in him
That we're saved
We're saved because
Of him
And because of
What he has done
And through his
Person
And through his work
Whoever
Believes
Comes actually
To be delivered
Freed from
What the law of Moses
Could not free them from
Now that's
That's through freedom
And I've emphasized
It many times
In this pulpit
Freedom is not
The definition
The world gives
To freedom
Freedom for you
And for me tonight
Is not what the world
Especially that
Atheistic hostile world
To the gospel
Says is freedom
That freedom
Is just casting off
These things of the bible
These things of religion
Especially these things
Of the Christian religion
And especially
Of reformed religion
Where Jesus is the
Center of everything
Do away with that
Just follow your own
Inclinations
Do the best you can
As you see your life
Developing
That's an argument
From the pit
It's an argument
From the devil
Who wants to
Destroy you
And end up
With him
In a lost eternity
Now God is saying
Forget about
Trying to do the best
You can
In order to be saved
Because I have
Someone here
Who has done
The best he could
And that's far better
Than your best
The best
That Jesus is
And that Jesus has done
And you don't need
Anything other than that
To be right with God
When you reach out
By faith
And take Jesus
To yourself
This is what comes
Into your possession
This is what's marked up
On your account
In eternity
By God
This person
Is now righteous
Because the righteousness
Of my son
God is saying
Has become theirs
In Colossians chapter 2
And verse 6
You find it put there
That again faith
And trust in Christ
Is emphasized
Because faith is
Essentially trust in Jesus
And Colossians 2
And verse 6
Puts it there
Where you find
Paul emphasizing
How they received
Jesus Christ
As you received
Christ Jesus
The Lord
So walk in them
He's emphasizing for them
How they have to continue
In the form
And way of life
That they began
When they came to Christ
First of all
But the word received
There is important
And it's important
To remember
That we receive Christ
Remember that great
Catechism 31
Preceded by the
Previous 132
How does the spirit
Apply to us
The redemption
Purchased by Christ
The spirit
Applies to us
The redemption
Purchased by Christ
By working faith in us
And thereby
Uniting us to Christ
In our effectual calling
And in effectual calling
Which is the next question
And answer in the catechism
We're reminded that
Effectual calling
Involves
God persuading
And enabling
Us to embrace
Jesus Christ
Freely offered
In the gospel
So don't go along
With the idea
Though it may sound
Nice
That a Christian
Is somebody
Who believes
A certain set
Of principles
And of promises
And of commandments
Or you might say
The whole Bible
A Christian is somebody
Who believes that
To be true
Of course a Christian
Believes that
To be true
But a Christian
Primarily
A believer
Primarily
A saved person
Primarily
Is one who has
Embraced Christ
There is no salvation
By just saying
Well I believe
Everything that's in the Bible
But I'm not going to
Embrace that way of life
That embraces Jesus
And tries every day
To be true to him
That's a Christian life
Persuades and enables us
To embrace
Jesus Christ
Freely offered
In the gospel
And Paul is saying here
This is the gospel
Through this man
Forgiveness of sins
Is proclaimed to you
And by him
Everyone who believes
Is freed
From the law of Moses
Freed from the condemnation
The law actually
Pronounces
Well he goes on
To say
There's a warning as well
He quotes here
From the prophecy
Of Habakkuk
Beware therefore
Lest what is said
In the prophets
Should come about
Look you scoffers
Be astounded
And perish
For I'm doing
A work in your days
A work
That you will not believe
Even if one tells you
In other words
He's drawing from
That condemnatory note
In the prophet Habakkuk
That reminded the people
Of his day
Of the consequences
Of not believing
And trusting in God
And it all comes down
To this at the end
Of the day friends
Doesn't it
The cross
As it divided
Two individuals
At Calvary
From each other
So it divides
Humanity
Into two types
Of people
Those who believe
And those who don't
Those who are saved
And those who are not
Those who will not
Be saved
And those who will be
That's why it's so important
For you and for me
Tonight
With the wonderful
Privilege that God
Has given us
Of freedom
To hear the word
Of God
To hear the gospel
To hear the good news
That through Christ
Is proclaimed to us
Where God is saying to us
Here is acceptance
With me
Here is righteousness
Here is something
That I guarantee
I will always respect
And I will always accept
When you receive my son
By faith
By trusting in him
When you take him
To yourself
When you make him
Your own
When by faith
The faith God gives you
You come to receive him
Then you receive
His righteousness
You receive God's acceptance
God's friendship
And you receive
Everything the Bible
Tells you
Comes in Jesus himself
For you
As a saviour
Through this man
Forgiveness of sins
Is proclaimed to you
And everyone who believes
Is freed
From everything
From which you could not
Be freed
By the law
Of Moses
In other words
It's really saying to us
Very strongly
And very clearly
Very graphically
In many ways
And because of the type
Of people you and I are
We need to have it that way
And God in his kindness
Has given us
This gospel
Where life and death
Are set out before us
Where it tells us
Trust in the Lord
And you will not perish
Don't trust in him
Continue without
Giving your life to him
And you will perish
You will perish
Forever
But that's not going to be you
Is it?
Surely
Surely you tonight
Are going to say
Even if you've never
Said it before
I must
Come to Jesus
I must receive him
I must embrace him
I cannot afford
For time
Or eternity
To die without him
May it be so
Let's pray
Eternal God
We give thanks
For the gospel
We give thanks
For your kindness
And love
In providing us
With such a glorious
Message of salvation
Lord we pray
That you would grant us
To use that faith
And trust in Jesus
That would bring us
Into that right relationship
With you
And when we have done so
Lord enable us
To proceed in it
To know you better
Day by day
And to come to welcome
All that you bring to us
By way of further assurance
Of the Lord
Of your people
Bless this congregation
We pray
Continue to provide
For them
We thank you
For them
We thank you
For their witness
We thank you
For their support
We thank you
For all that it means
To us to be here
Tonight
And we thank you
Especially for
The way in which
You have continued
To bless them
Down through the years
We pray that you
Would provide them
With one to lead them
In the things of God
We ask that you
Would help them
To focus upon
One who would become
Their minister
In due time
And graciously hear us
Now and accept us
For Jesus' sake
Amen
We're going to conclude
Our service tonight
Singing in Psalm 85
Psalm 85
That's in Sing Psalms
Singing verses 8 to 13
Page 113
If you're using the Psalm books
Page 113
We'll sing from verse 8
I will hear what God the Lord says
To his saints he offers peace
But his people must not wander
And return to foolishness
Surely for all those
Who fear him
His salvation is at hand
So that once again
His glory may be seen
Within our land
Verses 8 to the end of the Psalm
To God's praise
Amen
For all those who fear Him, His salvation is at hand.
So that once again His glory may He sing within our hands.
Come to our head together, righteousness and peace and grace.
Righteousness lives down from heaven, from the earth's faithfulness.
What is good the Lord will give us, and our madness truth will be.
Righteousness will go before Him, and His royal way be given.
Amen.
If you'd like me get to the main door, please, after the benediction.
I'll shake hands with you there.
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.
Thank you.