to now conduct the worship, and we'll begin by singing in Psalm 138.
Psalm 138, that's in the Scottish Psalter, that's on page 431, verses 1 to 5,
the tune of St. Paul.
Thee will I praise with all my heart.
I will sing praise to thee before the gods, and worship will toward thy sanctuary.
I'll praise thy name even for thy truth, and kindness of thy love.
For thou thy word has magnified all thy great name above.
Psalm 138, verses 1 to 5.
If you're able to stand, please stand while we sing these verses.
Amen.
For thou art, I'll praise thy name even for thy truth, and kindness of thy love.
I'll praise thy name even for thy truth, and kindness of thy love.
For thou art, I'll praise thy name even for thy name.
And find all thy great name above.
Thou didst me answer in the day, when I to thee detry.
For thou art, I am us for thy thy name.
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How gifted place, O Lord,
when a sin from thy mouth shall hear
thy true and faithful word.
Yea, in the righteous ways of God
with gladness they shall sing,
for grace the glory of the Lord
who doth forever reign.
Let's now join together in prayer briefly.
We're praying for the young folks
on the Sunday school and creche
and also the tweenies at this time.
Let's call upon the Lord.
O Lord, our God, we thank you
that our children and young folks
can gather with us,
that we have a heart's desire for them
that they will know you
and that they will come to follow you
all the days of their lives.
And we thank you today, Lord,
that they are here with us
and we pray for those who are away
on holiday at this time
and not able to be with us.
And we pray for other children too
who may have joined us as visitors.
We ask that your blessing
will be with them today as well
as we meet together here to worship you.
Help us, we pray,
to give attention to your word.
Help us to learn from it
and help us especially
to know yourself
and to know the blessing
that you have for your people
to be our portion today.
Receive us, we pray now,
and cleanse us from sin
in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Well, a word to the children now
before we move on with the service.
I'm going to say a number of things to you
and I want you to stick up your hand
if you think that they are actually true.
There are more Lego figures in the world
than there are people.
Now, there are 8 billion people in the world.
That's 8,000 million people in the world.
That's a lot of people.
And if you think there are more Lego figures
than that in the world,
stick your hand up.
Adults can do it as well if you want.
Are there more Lego figures
than 8 billion people?
What do you think?
If you think no,
don't put your hand up.
If you think yes,
put your hand up.
Lots of people think
that's not true.
Some people do think it's true,
so they've got their hands up.
Okay.
What about this then?
Astronauts who go into space.
When an astronaut goes to space,
their body actually grows
a bit taller
while they're in space
and then go back to normal
when they come back to Earth.
Hands up those who think that's true.
Yeah, there's more people
think that that's true
than the first one.
One more for you.
A sea lion
is the only animal
that can clap in time
either to music
or to a beat.
How many people think that's true?
A sea lion is the only animal
that can clap in time
to a beat.
Nobody thinks that's true.
No hands going up.
Okay.
Well, let me tell you,
all of these are actually true.
All of them are true.
Yeah.
But it's not going to make
much difference to your life
whether you actually know that
or not.
I mean,
if you hadn't heard
any of that today
and you went back home
and you hadn't learned
that there are more
Lego figures in the world
than human beings
and that the astronauts
actually grow taller
for the time they're in space
and that a sea lion
can clap in time
to music or to a beat,
it wouldn't really make
much difference to your life
if you didn't know that.
But let me say something else.
God so loved the world
that He gave
His only begotten Son
that whoever believes in Him
should not perish
but have everlasting life.
How many believe
that that's true?
Every hand should go up.
Is there anyone who thinks
that that's not true?
No.
God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son
that whoever believes in Jesus
would not perish
but have everlasting life.
See, it makes a big difference
what you think is true and not
when it's really important.
Some people say,
well, truth is something
that I can just believe for myself.
If it's true for me,
then it doesn't matter
about anything else.
And some people will say,
that's what you should have,
that's the kind of attitude
you should have to the Bible
or to the Gospel.
If it's true for you,
then that's okay,
but it's not true for me.
Now, we must never come
to the Bible or to church
to worship God
with thoughts like that.
It is important
that this is God's truth.
It's not just truth
for some people,
it's truth for everybody.
And it's important
because it tells us
the things
that are really,
really important for us
to believe
and to follow
and to accept.
So today,
it doesn't really matter
that some things
may not be true
or some things
may be true.
It doesn't matter
whether you know about them
or believe them or not,
but it really does matter
that you know Jesus
for yourself
and that you know
that Jesus
is God's Son
who came into the world
to save us
from our sins.
And there's nothing
more important
for us to know
and to know
as the truth
than that.
So today,
this truth,
God's truth,
the truth that's
in the Bible
is so important
compared to many
other things
that may
or may not
be true.
Now we're going to say
the Lord's Prayer.
It's on the sheet
if you need to follow it.
We're doing this
because we want to learn
the Lord's Prayer
off by heart.
It's important
not just to know
the words
but to know
the meaning of them too.
And in fact,
certain other passages
of the Bible,
as much of the Bible
as you can,
it's important
for us to learn
and to be able
to recite.
So let's say
the Lord's Prayer then.
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
forever.
Amen.
We're going to sing
once again.
This time we're singing
Psalm 119.
In St. Psalms,
that's on page 157,
verses 1 to 8.
Tune this before the throne.
Blessed are those
of blameless ways
who live according
to God's Word.
Blessed are those
who keep His laws,
who with their whole heart
seek the Lord.
Our theme topic
for the sermon today
is listening to God,
following the series
we're having
on the gathered church,
but the gathered church
in the sense
in which today
we're going to look at it
as the church gathered
to listen
to God's voice.
These words
in our Psalms today
have to do
mainly with
how we're hearing God
and how God is speaking
to us through His Word.
So these words,
Blessed are those
of blameless ways
who live according
to God's Word.
Let's stand to sing.
Blessed are those
of blameless ways
who live according
to God's Word.
Blessed are those
who keep His laws,
who with their whole heart
seek the Lord.
They keep themselves
from doing wrong
by walking in His
strength with praise.
You have established
laws on us
that are to be
open always,
that are to be
open always.
O that my grace
were steadfast, Lord,
in making your
your deeds
leads my aim.
So when I think
God you commands,
I would not feel
disgrace or shame.
I will praise you
with an upright heart,
as you just lost
are there by me.
All your deeds
I will obey,
do not forsake me
utterly,
do not forsake me
utterly.
Let's now turn
to read God's Word,
and our reading this morning
is from Acts chapter 10.
The book of Acts chapter 10,
reading from the beginning
down as far as verse 33.
Acts chapter 10,
from the beginning
of the chapter.
You'll find it around
page 1106
in the church Bibles
if you're using those.
At Caesarea,
there was a man
named Cornelius,
a centurion
of what was known
as the Italian cohort,
a devout man
who feared God
with all his household,
gave alms generously
to the people,
and prayed continually
to God.
About the ninth hour
of the day,
he saw clearly
in a vision
an angel of God
come in and say to him,
Cornelius.
And he stared at him
in terror and said,
What is it, Lord?
And he said to him,
Your prayers
and your alms
have ascended
as a memorial
before God.
And now send men
to Joppa
and bring one Simon
who is called Peter.
He is lodging
with one Simon
at Tanner
whose house
is by the seaside.
When the angel
who spoke to him
had departed,
he called two
of his servants
and a devout soldier
from among those
who attended him,
and having related
everything to them,
he sent them
to Joppa.
The next day
as they were
on their journey
and approaching the city,
Peter went up
on the housetop
about the sixth hour
to pray.
And he became hungry
and wanted something
to eat.
But while they were
preparing it,
he fell into a trance
and saw the heavens
opened and something
like a great sheet
descending,
being let down
by its four corners
upon the earth.
In it were all kinds
of animals
and reptiles
and birds of the air.
And there came
a voice to him,
Rise, Peter,
kill and eat.
But Peter said,
By no means, Lord,
for I have never
eaten anything
that is common
or unclean.
And the voice
came to him again
the second time,
What God has made clean,
do not call common.
This happened three times,
and the thing
was taken up
at once to heaven.
Now while Peter
was inwardly perplexed
as to what the vision
that he had seen
might mean,
behold,
the men who were sent
by Cornelius,
having made
inquiry for Simon's house,
stood at the gate
and called out
to ask whether Simon,
who was called Peter,
was lodging there.
And while Peter
was pondering the vision,
the Spirit said to him,
Behold,
three men are looking
for you.
Rise and go down
and accompany them
without hesitation,
for I have sent them.
And Peter went down
to the men
and said,
I am the one
you are looking for.
What is the reason
for your coming?
And they said,
Cornelius,
a centurion,
an upright
and God-fearing man
who is well spoken of
by the whole Jewish nation,
was directed
by a holy angel
to send for you
to come to his house
and to hear
what you have to say.
So he invited them
in to be his guests.
The next day
he arose
and went away with them,
and some of the brothers
from Joppa
accompanied him.
And on the following day
they entered Caesarea.
Cornelius was expecting them
and had called together
his relatives
and close friends.
When Peter entered,
Cornelius met him
and fell down
at his feet
and worshipped him.
But Peter lifted him up
saying,
Stand up,
I too am a man.
And as he talked with them,
he went in
and found many persons gathered.
And he said to them,
You yourselves know
how unlawful it is
for a Jew
to associate with
or to visit anyone
of another nation.
But God has shown me
that I should not call
any person
common or unclean.
So when I was sent for,
I came without objection.
I asked then,
Why you sent for me?
And Cornelius said,
Four days ago,
about this hour,
I was praying in my house
at the ninth hour.
Behold,
a man stood before me
in bright clothing
and said,
Cornelius,
your prayer has been heard
and your alms
have been remembered
before God.
Send,
therefore,
to Joppa
and ask for Simon
who is called Peter.
He is lodging
in the house of Simon
at Tanner by the sea.
So I sent for you
at once
and you have been
kind enough to come.
Now,
therefore,
we are all here
in the presence of God
to hear all
that you have been commanded
by the Lord.
Amen.
And may God
follow with this blessing,
this reading again
of His Word.
Let us once again
join together in prayer.
Lord,
we give thanks today
that we are gathered here
in Your name.
We thank You
for the purpose
of our gathering,
which is to worship You,
to come into Your presence,
to draw near to You,
and to come, Lord,
that we might give You
the praise,
the worship,
the honor that is due to You,
that we might also
be receivers
of Your blessing,
and through Your Word
we might come to know
more of that wonderful
eternal life
that You give
to Your people,
that we might also
be able to encourage
one another
in the things
of the Lord.
Oh, bless us,
we pray,
as we come before You.
And that Holy Spirit,
Lord,
of whom we were reading
in this passage
of Your Word,
may it please You,
Lord,
to bestow Your Spirit
today to guide us,
to open our hearts
and minds
to receive Your Word,
and to enable us,
oh, Lord,
to understand more fully
and more completely
and more accurately
those things
that are revealed in it
for our edification,
for our growth
in holiness
and in the grace
and knowledge
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Bless us,
then, we pray,
as we come together
in this way once more.
We ask that Your blessing
may rest upon us
as a congregation
of Your people
and all the congregations
we represent today
wherever we live.
Lord, we pray
that You would be pleased
to bless Your own Word
in our midst.
We ask that You would assure us
that where Your people
gather together
in Your name,
You are there in the midst.
And You are there in the midst
because You take delight in them
and are pleased to bless them.
And we come before You,
Lord,
also conscious
of our unworthiness,
of our sinfulness,
conscious that we need
to confess our sin
as we do to You,
conscious that we need
Your cleansing
from our sin,
Your washing of us
by Your Holy Spirit,
that our hearts may be clean,
that our hearts may be sprinkled
with this power of Your Spirit
in forgiving our sins
and cleansing us
from our defilement.
And therefore,
that we may come before You,
O Lord,
with our conscience purged
and our sin put behind us.
We come before You,
Lord,
seeking that You would,
as we confess our sin,
that You would assure us
of Your great promise
that if we confess our sins,
then You are faithful
and just to forgive us
our sins
and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness.
We ask Your blessing
to be with us
in all activities
related to our congregational life.
We pray for all
that will take place,
Lord,
by Your will
in this week to come.
And we ask
that You would continue
to bless
and to own
and acknowledge
all that we seek to do
in Your name
and accompaniment
with the worship services
of the congregation.
We ask, too,
Your blessing,
O Lord,
for Nigel Kenny
as he comes to speak
on Wednesday.
We give thanks for him
and from the Christian Institute.
And we ask, Lord,
that You would continue
to bless them
as they bring to our notice
and attention
and help us
with various materials
and matters
that help us
to face the issues
of the day
and those things
that are especially
of concern to us
in our generation.
And so, remember Him,
we pray,
as He goes
from place to place
and as He brings to us,
O Lord,
the work of the Institute.
Remember, too, Lord,
our friends
in the international mission
to the Jewish people.
We thank You for them
and we pray for them
at this time,
especially when we know
of such heightened tension
in Israel
and in the surrounding area.
We, Lord, ask that You
bless all their missionaries
in the various parts
of the world
where they serve You.
We pray that You would
continue to bless
their message,
bless their witness
to the Jewish people,
O Lord,
throughout all these areas
of the world.
Remember, too,
that troubled area
of the world,
O Lord,
especially at this time.
We pray for the people
of Israel.
We pray for the people
of Gaza.
We pray that You
will bless them
at this time
of difficulty,
of the outbreak
of war,
and the tension
that accompanies it,
and the destruction
that inevitably
is part of
such a situation.
Lord,
our God,
may it please You
to bring about
a true and lasting peace.
And may the hearts
of those who are
at enmity with You
and with each other
and with the Gospel,
may they come to be won
by the Holy Spirit,
that they come, Lord,
to lay down their enmity,
and especially their enmity
against Yourself,
and may they come
to know You
as the Prince of Peace,
the God of peace,
the God who brought
from the dead
our Lord Jesus Christ.
We ask Your blessing
for all other parts
of the world today,
all other nations
where there is war
and where there is terrorism,
where there is tension,
where there is so much
difficulty for people
to live their daily lives
in peace.
We ask especially again
that You'd remember
Ukraine and the situation there.
We pray that You'd bless them,
and we ask that You would
continue to help them
against the aggression
of those who have invaded
their country.
We ask, Lord,
that You would be pleased
to bring about peace
there as well,
but help us as we pray
for peace in our world,
Lord, to realize that peace
so often comes at a cost.
We need to stand
for principles
that we know from Your Word
are right and true.
We ask, O Lord,
that You would continue
to bless Your people there
especially,
and we ask that You would
be pleased to grant them,
especially those of them
who remain in Ukraine
as well as those
who have gone to other countries.
Lord, remember them,
we pray,
as a people,
and the hostility
against them at this time.
We ask for our own
Ukrainian friends
here in the congregation,
and the family who have come
to be with us
for some time.
Bless them.
Bless them as they think
of situations back home.
Bless them here with us,
we pray,
and guard them about
and keep them
and help them
in their daily lives,
Lord,
as they adjust at this moment
to being here
in a difficult place for them,
difficult in terms
of their language
and of the situation
and the culture.
Be pleased, Lord,
to bless them
and continue to watch over them.
We ask that You would
now continue to bless us here
as we worship You.
We pray that You would help us
to hear Your voice,
to listen to Your voice,
to hear us as You speak to us
through Your Word.
We ask that You would help us,
Lord,
to focus our mind
on the importance
of hearing the living God
and coming to respond
to His voice
with our obedient response.
Lord, grant us these mercies,
we pray,
for we ask them in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Before we turn to God's Word,
we'll sing once again,
again in Psalm 119.
And this time we're singing
in the Scottish Psalter.
I'm sorry,
we're singing in the Sing Psalms
on page 165,
singing verses 137 to 144.
The tune this time is Warrington.
O Lord, You are the righteous one.
The statutes that You give are just.
You lay down laws of righteousness
entirely worthy of our trust.
So, Psalm 119,
verses 137 to 144,
on page 165,
to God's praise.
O Lord, You are the righteous one.
The statutes that You give are just.
You lay down laws of righteousness
entirely worthy of our trust.
My zeal consumes and wears me out,
because my foes forget Your word.
Your promises are tried and true,
and I, Your servant, love them, Lord.
O I am lowly undespised,
Your peace and time do not forget.
Eternal is Your righteousness,
true is the law that You have said.
The stress and trouble
best be done,
but Your commands are my delight.
Grant wisdom so that I may live.
Your statutes are forever mine.
Now please turn with me to Acts chapter 10,
the passage we read,
especially the words we find in verse 33,
but we'll need to take these few verses
before that as well.
And indeed, we read through the whole passage
just to give us the buildup
to what we find in the verse
that we're looking at today.
So verse 33,
So I sent for you at once,
and you have been kind enough to come.
Now therefore we are all here
in the presence of God
to hear all that you have been commanded
by the Lord,
especially that second part of the verse.
We are here in the presence of God
to hear all that you have been commanded
by the Lord.
So a third in the series,
a very short series on the gathered church,
where we're looking at matters
that are particularly of importance
with regard to the church
as gathered together,
such as we are today in worship.
We've looked previously at Matthew 18,
as many as are gathered in the name of Christ,
even if there are just two or three,
God or Christ is present in the midst.
We looked at that passage first of all.
Then we looked at Hebrews chapter 10,
from the foundation of Jesus
being the high priest of His people,
that we are to draw near to God.
And then it says a number of things
that are related to that,
finishing with that we are to
draw near to God and be together,
assembling, not forgetting,
the assembling of ourselves together,
as the custom of some is,
but rather that we stimulate one another
to love and to good works,
another important aspect
of our gathering together,
along with the worship of God,
which is given primary consideration.
And today we're looking
at this particular focus
on being in the presence of God
to hear all that you have been commanded
by the Lord.
Now, there's a lot to do with
attending to the worship of God,
and that is more than just listening to God.
We're singing His praises.
We call upon Him in prayer, as you know.
But we're focusing today on this verse
as it gives particular interest to us
with regard to listening to God.
We're gathered together
as the church of God
to hear what God has to say to us.
And it's interesting,
the way that it's put here.
We've read through the build-up to it,
this man Cornelius,
and how the Lord brought this to his house,
how He brought him into this situation.
And so our focus,
and really this in many ways
is a miniature, isn't it,
of what the church ought to be
or what the gathering of the church,
the gathering of the church
in a congregational sense
or even the wider sense
or even a smaller sense,
how it ought to be.
And the words here, I think,
are so appropriate for ourselves,
whether it's here
in a congregational setting
or a smaller or larger setting,
that we can say
we are all here
in the presence of God
to hear what God has to say to us
through the preaching of His Word,
the things that are commanded
by the Lord.
Now, what then can we take
from this passage?
Well, first of all,
we learn from this
the importance of a due preparation
to hear God's voice.
The importance of a due preparation.
The key to any successful project
or event is in the preparation.
It doesn't matter what you're going to do,
whether it's a small or great event
or project,
the key is in the preparation.
Tradesmen will tell you that
if you come and say to them,
well, that's a really brilliant job
you've made,
whether it's painting
or joinery,
whatever it is,
and they'll tell you,
yes, but the secret
is in the preparation.
If you do the preparation,
if that's the way it should be,
then that's really the basis
of a good job,
the basis of a successful project.
And it's the same
with our hearing of God's Word.
In many ways,
the preparation is as important
as the moment you're actually hearing
the Word itself being preached to you.
And the key, therefore,
in the preparation
is also in this passage as well.
Because you notice,
he called his friends in verse 24.
You notice what Cornelius did
when he,
on the following day,
as they entered Caesarea,
Cornelius was expecting them
and had called together
his relatives and close friends.
You see, for Cornelius,
this was going to be
a really important event.
He was expecting the apostle Peter.
He was expecting him to come
with some people accompanying him.
And this word expecting
that you find in that verse
is really an important word.
It's important because it means
something more than just
a general sort of expectation.
Cornelius was expecting them
means Cornelius was eagerly
looking forward to them coming.
Cornelius had his mind set
upon them coming
and upon Peter especially
coming at his invitation
to his house
to tell them more about the Lord.
Cornelius was not a Jew.
He was a Gentile.
He was a convert to Judaism.
He still had a lot to learn,
as you obviously see
from his reaction
when Peter entered.
He wanted to worship Peter
until Peter corrected him.
But he was a devout man.
He worshipped God.
He prayed.
This was an answer
to his prayers to God.
And here is Cornelius
expecting them.
He had prayed.
He knew he was coming.
And the coming of Peter
was of such importance to him
that he called together
his friends and his relatives
to be part of that occasion.
It wasn't enough for him
that he was expecting Peter eagerly.
It wasn't enough for him
that he was excited
at the prospect
of this apostle coming
to speak to him,
to tell him more about the Lord.
He wanted others to share
in that experience.
He wanted others to come
and benefit from that event.
And you know,
that's what is true for us
as well, isn't it?
Surely.
That we come together here
not just for our own sake.
We don't just come
as individuals.
We come collective.
We're the gathered church of God.
But you want others
to share that experience.
Why do you want others
to share that experience?
Well, you don't say to people,
come and hear our minister.
That's not where you begin.
You begin with saying,
there's an important event
happening every single Sunday
and other times
in Stornway Free Church
or whatever church
we belong to.
And it's important
because it's made important
by the fact that God is there
and that God is speaking
to us through His Word.
Come and hear Him.
That's the conviction,
really, isn't it,
of what's happening here today.
We haven't just gathered together here
because we have a nice time together,
because we enjoy fellowship
with each other.
That's all part of it,
I'm sure.
But we have come together today
because we're convinced
that this is a place
and this is an occasion,
this is an event
where God comes to speak to us.
Where God addresses us
through the Bible,
through the Word of God
being preached.
Where God has laid upon
a preacher's heart
things that He wants to share out
and preach to the congregation.
That's what God,
that's why God has placed us
where we are.
You see,
our invitation to others
to come to church,
however we put it,
doesn't really make much difference
how we put it,
though we have to think carefully
about our words,
but we want people
to come to church.
We want others
who've stopped coming to church
or dropped out of the habit
of coming to church
for whatever reason,
especially since the COVID period.
We know that there are some people
maybe still reluctant
to come out physically to church
to join others.
All of that is part of
where we are as a people
and as a congregation
and as a community,
but however we put it
and however much
the invitation is meant,
this is the basis of it
because we are convinced
that the importance
of this event
is based on the fact
that God is here
and that God speaks to us
and that we should be ready
to listen to Him.
So the preparation
in the preaching of the gospel,
the preparation for it
is based on the fact
that it's an occasion
where God speaks to His people
and therefore not only
do we want to come
to be part of that ourselves,
but we want others
to share it with us as well.
That's where the invitation,
that's where the evangelistic emphasis
of the church
really reaches out to people
on the basis of what happens
in the preaching of the Word.
But there's also,
along with calling His friends,
this due preparation,
there's a readiness to hear.
Now he says,
we are all here
in the presence of God
to hear all that you have been commanded
by the Lord.
They are there in the presence of God,
Cornelius is saying,
we are all here,
and we are here specifically
to hear what you have to say,
what God has commanded you
to say to us.
Well, many of us are old enough
like I am to go back
to pre-television days
and even to pre-digital radio days.
And when you wanted to listen
to something on the radio,
I remember as a boy
with my father listening
to things like
international football matches
Scotland were playing.
You would listen to it on the radio,
but you had to tune the radio
to the right channel,
and sometimes the signal
wasn't all that great,
and you would hear a lot of whistling
and cracking and noises,
and then the channel would come up
and you'd be listening to it,
and then just maybe
at a very important part
in the commentary
and the radio commentary
of it would go again,
crackling away,
and you'd lose so much of it.
But you were trying
to tune that radio
to the correct position
to hear what was being said,
and you were really
listening keenly,
and because you were keen
to hear and keen to listen
and keen to actually
follow what was being said
and hear all the details of it,
you wanted to make sure
that the tuning
was as accurate as possible.
And that's really,
in a sense,
what we're doing
with our minds
and with our souls
as we come to church,
as we come to
hear the gospel.
And as we come to follow
the words of Cornelius there,
this is how it should be
for ourselves,
our minds to be tuned
accurately and carefully
and prayerfully
to the voice of God.
There's no ordinary voice.
There's no ordinary occasion.
We may think at times
that it's something
that we just do habitually,
and we do.
It is a habit.
It's a good habit,
but it's more than that.
It's something where we,
every time we come,
should be thinking,
I'm there to listen to God.
I'm there to listen
to what God has given
the preacher to say.
And however much
we've heard it already,
it's the same
on this occasion
as on previous occasions.
We're here
to listen to God.
the larger catechism,
question 160,
what is required of those
that hear the word preached?
Important question.
It is required of those
that hear the word preached
that they attend upon it
with diligence,
preparation,
and prayer,
that they examine
what they hear
by the Scriptures,
that they receive
the truth with faith,
love,
meekness,
and readiness of mind
as the word of God,
that they meditate
and confer of it,
that they hide it
in their hearts
and bring forth
the fruit of it
in their lives.
Now,
there's a lot packed
into that answer
to the question,
what is required
of those
that hear
the word preached?
but it's such
an important issue
and so many things
that are related to it
because it's such
an important issue.
We are here
in the presence of God
to hear
all that you have been
commanded
by God
to say.
I'm always annoyed
if I'm on a plane
or any place else
that has a safety announcement.
Just recently
on a plane,
the safety announcement
was about to be made
and over the time
I came,
the announcement,
I want you to listen
very carefully
to this following
safety announcement.
Even if you heard
similar before,
this is particularly
appropriate
to this type
of aircraft.
So,
please put off
your headphones,
stop your reading,
whatever you're doing,
please listen
and watch the demonstration.
And you know,
it's really annoying
because there was
somebody in front of us
who just had the earphones
on all the time.
I don't know,
maybe they were listening
to it through the earphones.
I doubted.
And there were other people
that were just in
conversation so loudly
with their fellow passenger
that you could hardly hear
what was being said
because of their voice
being raised
to get it above
the announcement.
What's really happening there?
There's people being
given directions
as to their safety
and their well-being
and they're just hearing
it as a noise
but they're not really
listening to it.
They're maybe saying,
oh, I heard all this
before, I know it all.
Or maybe they're saying,
well, I don't want to think
about this plane crashing.
I don't want to think
about that sort of disaster
so I'm not really
going to listen to this.
It really scares me.
Maybe that's the reason
they don't listen.
But they should listen.
Their safety depends on it.
If that were to meet
with an emergency,
just imagine the panic
for people who hadn't
been listening to
what was being said.
What do I do?
Where's my life vest?
Here, God is doing
exactly the same thing
but in a much more
important way.
He's giving you
a safety announcement today.
He's announcing to you
the things that are
so crucial to the
well-being of your soul,
the well-being of your life,
to your eternity.
And even if it's difficult
for us, as it is at times
for us naturally,
to think about the end of life,
what might be true
at the end stage of life,
what is true about death itself,
what is true about eternity,
what the Bible has to say.
I know it's difficult
for us to actually think
of those things
because they're such
serious issues,
but it's because they are
such serious issues
that we have to listen
to God.
And we have to clear
our minds
so that we're attuned
to the voice of God.
The gospel
is in many ways
God's safety announcement
to us.
Here is where
our security is.
Here is where
our relationship with God
is set out for us.
Here is what is most
important and crucial
for us.
And even you young folks
today, you're not too young
to listen to the voice
of God.
And I know sometimes
you actually show us
that you do listen,
and that's great
to the voice of God
because you tell your parents
or others when you get home
of what the minister was saying
or what the children's address
was or whatever,
and we hope that that's true.
But it's important always
that you listen
to the voice of God
in the gospel,
in the Word of God,
in the preaching
of the gospel.
So you're never too young
to prepare
to meet with God.
Never too young
to serve God.
Never too young
to be a disciple
of Jesus.
And so to do so,
we listen to God.
We are here
in the presence of God
to hear
all that you have been
commanded
by the Lord.
You know,
the Bible
joins together
three things
very, very closely.
So closely, in fact,
that you can't separate them
unless you've been
deliberately
difficult about it.
And the three things
are hearing,
listening,
and obeying.
Because hearing
in the teaching
of the Bible
generally means
that you are listening.
It's not just
the hearing of a sound.
It's the hearing
that is listening
to what actually
is being said,
to what God
is actually saying to us.
And it's with a view
to obeying that
with a view
to actually working
that through
in your own life.
These are the three things
the Bible
so closely joins together.
Sometimes,
as we've seen
with the safety announcement,
people are hearing,
hearing the noise of it,
but not really listening
to the words,
not listening precisely.
It must never be like that.
You and I
must never get so used
to the preaching
of the gospel
or to reading
the Bible
for ourselves
that we will just do it
as a matter of fact
and a matter of form
and think that we've
just ticked that box.
We are here
in the presence of God
to hear,
to listen,
to have our minds
attuned
to what God
is actually saying to us
through the message
of the gospel.
So that's the due
preparation,
due preparation
that flows into
what we actually do
while we're here
in church,
while we're gathered together
under the gospel.
But there's something else
that I want to mention
as our second main point
is that we are all here,
not just to hear
all that you've been
commanded by God,
but he's saying
we are all here
in the presence
of God.
We are here
in the presence of God.
He didn't say
we are all here
in the presence
of each other.
We are all here together.
That was true.
We are here,
he says,
in the presence of God.
And you know,
in many ways,
we might say
that that's one
of the most important
issues for us
to have in our minds
as we come together
collectively
to worship the Lord.
That we are,
in fact,
in the presence
of God.
And the more
we fill our mind
with the facts of that,
with the fact of that,
with the factuality of that,
with the truth of that,
the more you and I
will be prepared
to listen.
Because if we come
consciously to church
or to wherever else we are,
even if we're just reading
the Bible on our own,
if we come conscious
of the fact that
it's God's presence
we are in,
we're always in God's presence
in a sense,
we're never out of God's sight,
but it's a special sense
in which we come
into God's presence
as we come together
collectively
as a gathered church
to worship Him.
We're in the presence
of God
in that special sense
of which the Bible
often speaks,
that we draw near to God.
And we saw that
in Hebrews 10.
You'll find in Hebrews 4,
verse 16,
let us draw near
to the throne of grace,
that we may receive
mercy and obtain grace
to help in time of need.
James 4, verse 8,
draw near to God
and He will draw near
to you.
So when we come
to gather together
as the gatherer church
of God,
we are drawing near
to God.
And as we're drawing
near to God
as we gather,
we do so mindfully.
We do so mindful
of the fact
that it is God
that we approach,
that we're in the presence
of God.
And that's what makes
the occasion
truly special
and significant to us,
that we're not just
meeting together,
we're meeting together
in the presence
of God.
How important
is that to yourself
today?
Is that how you prepare
to come to church
today?
Did you prepare
by saying,
I know that I'm going
to be with others
coming into the presence
of God,
so I've really got
to think about that?
I've got to think
about the privilege
of that,
the importance of that?
I know that I'm going
to a place
which is associated
with God speaking
through the preaching
of the Word.
I need to prepare
for that,
I need to pray
about that,
I need to think
about what that means
to myself,
is that how you came,
is that how you prepared?
And when you think
about the fact
that God is speaking,
that that's what makes
the occasion very special
through the preaching
of the Word,
did you invite
somebody else to come?
Did you say
to somebody,
look, I really would like
you to come to church
with me today,
it's important?
Did you invite someone
to church?
When did you last
invite somebody
to come to church
with you?
See, if we're thinking
as we should be
of how important
an occasion it is
that God speaks
to His people,
how important
an occasion it is
where we're in
the presence of God,
that our hearts
should surely be burdened
that others would come
and share that
and share that experience
and know that
for themselves.
And that's why
we invite them,
because it's important
to us
that God is here,
that God is speaking,
and we want others
to benefit
from that with us.
And he says here,
we are all
in the presence
of God here.
And that word
all actually
is very emphatic
in the Greek text
of that verse.
Now, therefore,
we are all here.
Cornelius said,
all of us are here.
Everybody that I invited
is here,
and we're here
to hear what God
has to say to us
through you.
And that makes it
important too,
because we can say
that of ourselves today,
we are all here.
In other words,
you say of yourself,
well, I'm here
and I'm here
with a lot of other people,
and we're here
to hear what God
is saying,
and that's where
I want to be,
and that's what
I really love to be.
It doesn't matter
what others say.
It doesn't matter
what others
outside the all
have to say.
This is for us.
This is where
I want to be.
This is what's meaningful.
This is what's important
to me.
And we are all here.
Nobody's left out.
Those who are here
are here
because they want
to be here,
because they know
that it's an important
occasion.
for themselves.
And it's to hear
all that you have been
commanded by the Lord.
That's interesting
because the beginning
of the chapter,
we read that
this man,
Cornelius,
was a centurion
of a certain group
of soldiers
called the Italian Corps.
You might say
that was his group.
That was the group
he was in charge of.
And as a centurion
in charge of
a hundred soldiers,
this man would be
well used to giving
orders.
And not only would be
well used to giving
orders,
but well used to expect
that the orders
he gave would be
obeyed.
That people would
actually do the things
that he was ordering
and that he often
would be for their own
safety as well.
And as he gave the orders,
he expected those
who were hearing him
to carry out these orders
to the best of their ability.
And that's what God,
our commander,
is saying to us today.
The things that you have
been commanded
by the Lord,
there's no ordinary task
to preach the gospel.
I'm not highlighting myself
when I say that.
Others who are preachers
of the gospel
will say exactly
the same thing.
It's no ordinary task
to preach the gospel.
It's the greatest privilege
given to human beings
to actually be
the mouthpiece for God,
to actually be someone
that God is using
to convey His truth
or to seek to explain
or expound His truth.
That's why it's commanded
by God.
That's why it lies upon us
as something that God Himself
places upon us
as a burden.
He commands us
to preach the gospel.
It's not a burdensome command
in the sense
in which we don't want
to do it.
It's burdensome
because it carries
responsibility.
But you see,
the thing for you today
as hearers of the gospel,
hearers of the gospel
preached is this.
All the things,
I trust in speaking the truth,
all the things
that you will be hearing
today in this sermon
are things commanded
by the Lord.
You're not here
to listen to me.
You're not here
because I have something
that I am commanding you to do.
You're not here
because I am instructing
or pointing
or doing something
that draws your mind
to certain activity
that you're hearing
you should be doing
or ought to be doing.
You are here
because God has commanded
His message to go forth.
And as He has commanded it,
so it's incumbent upon you
and it's incumbent upon me too
as a preacher of the gospel
to first of all
listen to God for myself.
And if I'm not listening to God
for myself,
then I'm not going to be serving you
as you minister in the gospel.
Now therefore,
He said,
we are all here
in the presence of God.
What is the purpose
of the church
gathered together?
Well, as I said
at the beginning,
there are many aspects
to that.
But we're narrowing
our focus
to this very important aspect.
We are gathered together
as a church
to hear
what God
is saying to us.
You can go to
many places today
where the sermon
will be just five minutes,
ten minutes,
where the sermon
will not be an exposition
of Scripture,
where people are not used
to listening
to a sermon,
what is it,
about half an hour or so
since I began preaching.
Many places in the world today
will be absolutely appalled
at the fact
that people would come
to listen for half an hour
to somebody
in a pulpit spouting.
This is God's truth.
The things that have been
commanded by God
for us to believe
and you are here
in the presence of God
to listen,
to hear,
not to hear
the voice of a minister,
though that's the medium,
that's the agent
by which the message
goes forth.
You are here
to listen to God.
You are here
to say to the Lord,
Lord,
speak to me
through this man.
Speak to me
through the preaching
of the gospel.
Stir up my soul
from your word.
Teach me,
edify me,
sanctify me,
guide me,
lead me,
comfort me,
convict me.
It all comes to the same
that you are here
to listen
to God,
to what you have been commanded,
he said,
by the Lord.
Now I've got a wee exercise
for you to finish with.
You can do it
when you get home,
please.
James chapter 1,
verses 21 to 25.
I'd like you to
just spend some time
looking at these verses
because you could call them
the before and during
and after
the word being preached.
The before,
the during,
the after,
the word being preached.
Verses 21 to 25.
I'll just read them
and leave you to do
the exercise yourselves
whenever you have a moment.
Epistle of James
chapter 1,
verse 21.
Therefore,
put away all filthiness
and rampant wickedness
and receive with meekness
the implanted
or engrafted word
which is able
to save your souls.
But be doers of the word
and not hearers only,
deceiving yourselves.
For if anyone is a hearer
of the word
and not a doer,
he's like a man
who looks intently
at his natural face
in a mirror.
For he looks at himself
and goes away
and at once forgets
what he was like.
But the one who looks
into the perfect law,
the law of liberty,
and perseveres,
being no hearer
who forgets
but a doer who acts,
he will be blessed
in his doing.
See, there's things
you do before,
there's due preparation,
the things we do
during the preaching
of the word.
We're looking at ourselves
through what the word
of God shows ourselves
to be
and we're hearing
about God
and what God
is saying to us.
And we don't leave it
at that.
We then become
doers of the word.
We carry out
what God is saying
to us
to do
as his people
in the world
as Christians,
as followers,
as disciples.
of the Lord.
Well, may God bless
his word to us.
Let's pray.
Our gracious
and eternal God,
we give thanks
to your name today
that you continue
to speak to us,
that you have not
turned your back on us,
that you have not
turned us away from you.
And we give thanks,
Lord,
that you continue
to address us
through your word
and through the preaching
of the gospel.
your people
are edified
and others called
to join the number
of your believing people.
Oh, Lord,
today we pray
that you would enable us
as each day goes by
to be more keen
to hear what you say
to us,
that we will be glad
to gather together
as we do today
so as to hear
what God,
the Lord,
will speak to us.
Help us to receive
your word.
Help us, Lord,
as James said,
to receive
that engrafted word,
that our hearts
may be spliced open
so as to receive
your word
and thereby
that we will grow
into the kind of people
that we ought to be
in your presence.
Help us, Lord,
to honor your presence.
Help us to realize
as we come together
into the presence of God
that we are to be
like Moses long ago
who came to draw near
to the burning bush,
having heard God
say to him
that he was to take
his shoes from off
his feet
for the place
on which he was standing
was holy ground.
And we pray today,
Lord,
for a sense of
your holiness,
a sense of our own
need and relation
to that.
We pray that you'd
continue to own
and bless your word
amongst us
as we continue
as your people.
Hear us,
we pray,
for Jesus' sake.
Amen.
Well, our final psalm
this morning
is in Psalm 85.
It's 85 in the Scottish Psalter,
verses 8 to 13.
The tune is Newington.
I'll hear what God
the Lord will speak.
To his folk
he'll speak peace
unto his saints,
but let them not return
to foolishness.
To them that fear him
surely near is his salvation,
that glory in our land
may have her habitation.
Page 340 in Psalm 85,
that I'll hear what God
the Lord will speak.
I'll hear what God
the Lord will speak.
To his folk
he'll speak peace.
unto his saints,
but let them not return
to foolishness.
To them that fear him
surely near is his salvation.
and glory in her land may have
her habitation.
truth met with mercy,
righteousness,
and peace is mutually.
Truth springs from air
and righteousness,
truth's down from heaven high.
If what is good
the Lord shall give,
our wrath shall yield in peace.
Justice who sent us
in his steps
shall go before his face.
I'll go to the main door
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.
and both Him
africa
of God
will pergunta