feefsmall – Page 9 – Broughty Ferry Baptist Church

Wednesday @ 11 service – 7 October 2020

Welcome: It is so good to see you back in our church building, only third time since Sunday March 15^th2020.

Opening Scripture verses

You have searched me, Lord,
and You know me.
²You know when I sit and when I rise;
You perceive my thoughts from afar.
³You discern my going out and my lying down;
You are familiar with all my ways.
⁴Before a word is on my tongue
You, Lord, know it completely.
Psalm 139:1-4

Opening praise Lord for the years –

Opening Prayer

Heavenly Father, we come with joy in our hearts into Your holy presence today. You are a holy God and so we acknowledge that we must come with reverence before You because we are sinners in need of forgiveness.

But we also come with confidence in the name of Jesus Your Son our Saviour, who paid in full the debt that we owe thorough His sacrifice on the cross in our place. We are also so greatly encouraged because as Psalm 139 explains so well You know everything about us and still love us. You know all the bad thoughts we have considered, the words we regret speaking and the behavioural choices we regret.

Yet there is nothing we could do to make You love us more, or less, because we stand before You today clothed in the perfect righteousness of Jesus. Because of Your unconditional love for Him we are welcomed with open arms today by our Father in heaven. Help us to glorify You by all that we say and listen to in this service today, for Jesus’ sake Amen.

Bible Reading

You have searched me, Lord,
and You know me.
²You know when I sit and when I rise;
You perceive my thoughts from afar.
³You discern my going out and my lying down;
You are familiar with all my ways.
⁴Before a word is on my tongue
You, Lord, know it completely.
⁵You hem me in behind and before,
and You lay your hand upon me.
⁶Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
⁷Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence?
⁸If I go up to the heavens, You are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, You are there.
⁹If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰even there Your hand will guide me,
Your right hand will hold me fast.

¹¹If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,’
¹²even the darkness will not be dark to You;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to You.
¹³For You created my inmost being;
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
¹⁵My frame was not hidden from You
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

¹⁶Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in Your book
before one of them came to be.

¹⁷How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand –
when I awake, I am still with You.
¹⁹If only You, God, would slay the wicked!
Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
²⁰They speak of You with evil intent;
Your adversaries misuse Your name.
²¹Do I not hate those who hate You, Lord,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against You?
²²I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
²³Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139

Intercessory prayer using Psalm 139

Heavenly Father we come before You in our increasingly troubled world to plead with You to work in so many situations beyond our control. Help us to care enough about others to bring them to You day after day until we see the transformation of these situations.

We are distressed to see the planned launch of another major war by President Erdogan of Turkey, in this case against the Armenian people who have suffered so much at the hands of Turkey over the last hundred years. The pictures of the deliberate destruction of civilian homes and basic infrastructure of civilian life are distressing to us. We pray that the international community will finally have a conscience and wake up to the humanitarian tragedy unfolding before our eyes if no action is taken to stop it.

Lord we are concerned too at the growth in Covid-19 virus infections in parts of our land and although we are pleased that the challenges are nowhere near the scale experienced in the Spring of this year they are still a real concern to us.

We pray for wisdom for our governments in Westminster and Edinburgh that they might make the best choices possible as they seek to support people’s livelihoods as well as safeguard our health and wellbeing. We pray too for those struggling with the mental and emotional strains of the present day and ask that You would bring comfort and healing to them. In the same way we pray for those finding the pressures of their working environments affecting their health, grant them likewise, we pray, the grace and strength to be able to carry on.

We come to use the words of Psalm 139 in our prayers today:

You have searched me, Lord, and You know me. ²You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. ³You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. ⁴Before a word is on my tongue You, Lord, know it completely. ⁵You hem me in behind and before, and You lay your hand upon me. ⁶Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Lord it is a real relief that You know me, You know us, better than we know ourselves with our strengths and our weaknesses, those parts of who we are that are beautiful inn Your sight and those that disappoint You or even at times cause You to weep over our sins and our failures.

Yet through it all whether You are rejoicing over us in song when we honour Your name or the opposite, Your love for us is absolutely amazing. We are part of Your family because Jesus died in our place. We are clothed in His perfect righteousness and when You look upon us You see us not as we are now but as we will be one day beyond this life, perfect like Your Son in His perfect humanity.

We are overwhelmed with joy that You see such potential in us to be like Him, help us this day and in coming days to bring more joy to Your heart by the way we live. May the words of Zephaniah 3:17 be said with respect to each one of us in Your sight. The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.

Lord, I want to thank You for….

⁷Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? ⁸If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. ⁹If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, ¹⁰even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast. ¹¹If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ ¹²even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You.

Lord in my workplace or my social setting, in my home or that of my family members You are there. Lord in the things I am struggling with just now, even there You stand beside me.

Lord, I particularly want to bring this person…. Or this circumstance before You…

¹³For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. ¹⁴I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. ¹⁵My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. ¹⁶Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be. ¹⁷How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! ¹⁸Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand – when I awake, I am still with You.

Lord You are the incredible supernatural God who daily works amazing miracles for the good of Your people. In human terms there are so many examples of circumstances where it appears utterly hopeless, but not where You are involved. Thank you for the preciousness of life and the miracle of the creation of new life from conception in a mother’s womb.

Lord, I want to bring before You …. where a miracle is needed today. I don’t even have the right words to know how to ask, I simply want to ask for …

¹⁹If only You, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty! ²⁰They speak of You with evil intent; Your adversaries misuse Your name. ²¹Do I not hate those who hate You, Lord,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against You? ²²I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.

Lord, there are situations in the world that only the word ‘evil’ accurately fits events taking place at the present time. As a God of love and justice You cannot but be angry that humans created to do good can do the very opposite.

I bring before You ….. and ask that You would transform evil to bring about good in this situation… Thank you that You have done that in Sudan even this year so no country is beyond hope.

²³Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.²⁴See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Lord, I have to admit my own imperfections and ask You to look in me and show me how I can become more like Jesus in my thoughts, speech and conduct. In particular, Lord, I want to bring before You …. with which I need help at this time…

Thank You Lord for hearing and answering our prayers in the name of Jesus, Your Son our Saviour Amen.

Message from Psalm 139

Psalm 139 Who is the God we worship?

Introduction

Who is it that we worship when we gather together in church, in small groups in homes, in prayer triplets, or even on our own at home? What is this being like that we declare brought the world into being by the word of His mouth? For example in Psalm 33:6: By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of His mouth. We cannot see Him, nor His Holy Spirit because they are invisible, but we believe that Almighty God has been revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ who walked this earth two thousand years ago.

John 1:18 reminds us: No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is in the closest relationship with the Father, has made Him known. And in one of the most amazing verses of the whole Bible John 1:14 declares: The Word became flesh (a human being) and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

What an amazing testimony from the aged apostle John who looks back more than half a century with awe and wonder at what he had witnessed in his earlier years and for which he has given his life to tell others about Jesus. Each one of us who has come to faith in Jesus as Lord and Saviour, humanly-speaking has done so because someone who had previously come to know Him has taken the time to share something of their story with us. It was an incredible privilege to stand at John’s grave in Selcuk near Ephesus in Western Turkey and give thanks to God for this faithful servant of God who lived and died a faithful witness to our great God and Saviour.

But we must go back in time a thousand years before the time of Jesus on earth to the writing of Psalm 139. King David has remarkable, God-inspired insight in this Psalm about the One we worship, but it naturally falls short of the fuller New Testament revelation of the God we worship.

However, there is still so much here in this amazing Psalm to inspire and encourage us as we reflect on these wonderful words. This psalm is written in four sections and is a reflection on some aspect of the revelation of who God is. The first section is on His omniscience, that is, that God knows everything. There is nothing to be known or worth knowing that He does not know about His creation or about you or I in particular.

The second section is about His omnipresence. You and I can only be in one place at a time but God is not limited in this way. The third revelation is of his omnipotence, declared that God is all-powerful. We can often be frustrated because there are things we want to do or even need to do but cannot do. There is nothing good that He cannot do.

The final characteristic is concerning His omnirighteousness. We are a mix at times of thinking, saying and doing good things and at other times we fall short of doing what is right, but God is always consistently right in all He does.

This Psalm is not abstract or impersonal theoretical knowledge about God. It is intensely personal and relational. You can sense the depth of relationship between David and the God he is describing in this Psalm. What was true then and possible then is even more possible today when we come to God through faith in Jesus Christ. How can we be certain of that? In John 14:6-14 we can see it explained in these verses where Jesus is in conversation with two disciples first Thomas and then Philip.

Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. ⁷If you really know Me, you will know My Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.’
⁸Philip said, ‘Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.’ ⁹Jesus answered: ‘Don’t you know Me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”?
¹⁰Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in Me? The words I say to you I do not speak on My own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in Me, who is doing His work. ¹¹Believe Me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. ¹²Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in Me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴You may ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it.

We must leave explaining the details of that amazing passage to another time as we return to Psalm 139, but I want you to grasp something of the amazing privilege we have in knowing God though Jesus. Let us look briefly at this Psalm today.

1. One who is omniscient (Psalm 139:1-6)

‘I know you’, a total stranger in a public setting making this kind of statement might be encouraging to us. However, if the tone of voice was unpleasant and we were in unfamiliar surroundings we might feel threatened and very uncomfortable. The loss of a sense of control over information about us is a cause for concern.

It is something we warn younger people when they open social media accounts that things they post on line will be there forever, even if we press the delete button. The companies concerned in this case, and more generally other people with good computer skills can without too much difficulty find information about us online.

I have not forgotten a decade ago attending a parent’s evening at our local primary school. It was a session for parents about the dangers of putting information online. At the end the speaker challenged us to go home and try to find things about ourselves by asking certain questions. We were assured that far more information would be found about our personal circumstances than we would have been aware of.

It was an accurate prediction. The sad reality is that this is a mixed blessing. It can be very beneficial. When someone I know was going through some difficult circumstances in another country a few years ago I wanted to contact someone who might have been able to help. I had only a name and a job title to go on. In less than ten minutes of searching online produced their mobile phone number from a form they had filled in some years earlier. It was entirely appropriate in that context and very helpful. However, nuisance callers can make people’s lives a misery. Identity thieves who steal personal information to access our bank accounts or other financial details can cause very real distress. It is exactly the same technology, however, like many things it can be used for good or ill.

Here David goes much further and says that God knows us in every detail. There is nothing that he does not know. Even all the words we plan to say before we state them. He knows all our thoughts and opinions even when they remain unexpressed in speech. Of course He sees everything we do. A person who wants nothing to do with God will either pretend that He doesn’t exist or ignore the facts that David has explained. It must be unsettling for such a person to know that someone who wants to have a friendship with them knows them so well before they have even met.

How do you feel about what David has explained about God’s knowledge of you in the opening verses of Psalm 139? I think that our response will depend on how we view God. If we see Him as our loving heavenly Father then we will have a more favourable response because we will trust Him to use that information appropriately about us. As a Christian to know that our heavenly Father loved us so much He asked Jesus to die in our place on the cross, so that our sins could be forgiven and subsequently for you and me to be welcomed into His family by faith, demonstrates kindness towards us that is amazing. Even with the limited Old Testament era knowledge He had of God leads David to rejoice and to declare: Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain (Psalm139:6). We might say we are overwhelmed or overcome with positive emotion at how God treats us in the light of His knowledge of us.

2. One who is omnipresent (Psalm 139:7-12)

Little children enjoy playing games of hide and seek. The very youngest able to pay such a game simply put their hands over their eyes or close them and imagine we cannot see them. An adult in such a game needs to pretend at times about what they can see if the game is to be fun for the child or children involved! The adult knows what is really going on but their knowledge is so much greater. On a completely different level God knows everything about us, not just our geographical locations! What is more David declares that God is omnipresent. We can only be in one place at once. He can be everywhere at once. This is more than my little brain can grasp. But there is so much in the natural world, especially in space, that is beyond our natural abilities to grasp without great difficulties.

There are adults who try to hide from God. They know they need to sort out their lives with God or address certain issues that need a resolution, but seek to act as if they can hide things from Him. David has never tried to hide things from God. He has made some horrendous choices in his life as well as many more good ones. He lived his life very openly and was quite willing to talk about all kinds of issues other people would want to refrain from discussing. There are people today, not just celebrities, who are happy to live their lives in the public domain. The problem is that if your life hits a bad patch there is nowhere for such a person to hide. It is no surprise that the majority of us are much more careful about what we would be willing to share in public with the wider world.

Here David is speaking in general terms of places – places in eternity, or places in this life – anywhere you would care to mention we cannot escape from God. Yet over the years there have been many individuals who have moved geographical locations to get away from God. In the Bible there is the remarkable story of the national religious leader in Israel called Jonah who was called to go to Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire to proclaim God’s judgement on them for their barbaric acts of wilful cruelty and ethnic cleansing (Jonah 1:1).

In essence Jonah replied, God You are too kind to do anything like that and if they repent, unlikely as it seems, they will be forgiven (Jonah 44:1-2). So he declined the assignment and decided to take some time out on a break in southern Spain long before it was a holiday resort so popular with British people! God was not impressed with his course of action and intervened with the remarkable events recorded in the book of Jonah.

Many years ago a friend left this country to go to another to get away from God. He sat down on a park bench in that city exhausted and having run out of his financial resources wondering what to do next. A relatively short time later that day some volunteers from a church in that city that assisted people living on the streets spotted him and asked if they could help! God can meet with us in any place. Has God been speaking to you about your need to commit your life to follow Him? I encourage you to put your trust in the One who wants the very best for you. As a Christian are you feeling alone and struggling right now because life is so hard with so many problems that appear without a resolution? David would encourage each one of us to put our trust in the God who cares for us and will meet with us right where we are.

3. One who is omnipotent (Psalm 139:13-18)

If the previous section of the Psalm was the panoramic view of the world that was filled with God’s amazing presence, now David turns to write about something equally remarkable. Remember that he lived thousands of years before modern scientific advances enabled us to see pictures of babies growing and moving in their mother’s wombs. Many of us have seen tiny babies responding to events outside their constricted world. We know the ‘what happens’ as an egg is fertilised and the remarkable processes that take place over the next few weeks prior to the unmistakable shape and formation of a tiny child in the womb. Those of us as parents who have had the joy of seeing our little ones growing healthily on scans at a hospital and have the pictures to retain at home have been so blessed. We also have the deepest sympathies for those whose scan pictures reveal the heartache of an empty womb after a miscarriage or the recognition that developmental problems have been spotted in the little one visible on screen that raise serious questions about the future prospects for them. Some of us reading this message will have experienced both the joy and the heartache of these scenarios.

What David very clearly points out to us is that God is the author of human and other created life. He is the Creator God. He is the one who enables life to come into being and by implication when our time comes He oversees our departure from this life as well. Here, though, the focus is on pre-natal life. There is no computer that even comes close to the remarkable complexity of the human body. Even with his limited knowledge David overflows with awe and wonder at the gift of new life and the privilege of seeing or holding a new baby.

He wrote in Psalm 139:14: I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Are you thrilled at the incredible gift of life God has given to you? Do you share with David that sense of the preciousness of life of each human being from conception to the grave? Each person is created in the image of God and that makes them of infinite value. He is overflowing with joy. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! ¹⁸Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand – when I awake, I am still with You.

Do you and I need to focus more on the blessings of the good things we enjoy rather than on our frustrations and disappointments due to the challenges we experience during this covid19 virus pandemic? I challenge myself about that as much as anyone else!

4. One who is omnirighteous (Psalm139:19-24)

¹⁹If only You, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty! ²⁰They speak of You with evil intent; Your adversaries misuse Your name. ²¹Do I not hate those who hate You, Lord,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against You? ²²I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. ²³Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

David turns in this last section to the world around him and the situations of evil in the world that cause him to be distressed. He is a very emotional and expressive person. The evil in the world around him that he cannot solve is distressing. The list I could cite here of evil being perpetrated around the world is increasingly long. The violence and killing that goes on and on in the twenty-first century is horrific.

The idea that human beings are civilised creatures is increasingly in question in so many places. Here in this beautiful part of North East Scotland we live in a paradise compared to much of the world. Had there not been the virus pandemic I would have been in Armenia this week and might have been scheduled to preach in a Baptist Church in a community facing a barrage of missile and drone attacks on the civilian population by the Turkish Armed Forces with a little help from their Azeri colleagues. The silence of most Western Governments is absolutely shocking. David hands over the situations he cannot resolve to God. You deal with it God –please ensure that justice is done.

However, when we point the figure at others for what they do wrong there are other fingers that point back at us! David ends the psalm on a very personal note in Psalm 139:23-24: ²³Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. ²⁴See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

God, I am not perfect either. God, I know there are things I can do better, that I can be a better person and You can help me to more reflect the kind of person You want me to be. He invites God to speak into his life – will you and I do that today? May God help each one of us resolve to be the best we can be for Him, for Jesus’ sake, Amen.

Closing Song Guide me o Thou Great Redeemer –

Closing Prayer

Thank You Lord for the wonder of our creation and growth in our mother’s womb, together with the joy of all that You have done in our lives in the years to date. Help us to have confidence and an expectancy of You working in our lives in the days to come. Encourage us when we are low in spirits to keep going; challenge us when we are complacent or ignoring the blessings we have to enjoy; convict us when we are in the wrong in our attitudes, words or actions, so that we in turn may be a source of joy to You as You see us interact with and blessing other people in the choices we make. Help us together to experience some little glimpses of heaven on earth as we look forward to the wonders of the new creation You have in store for us beyond this life, for Jesus’ sake Amen

The Benediction:

May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God
and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore, Amen

Our next service is planned for the same time on Wednesday 21^st October at 11am.

Christianity Explored – New course starting 20 October 2020

Would you like to know more about Jesus in a way that is easy to understand in a small group?

We are offering 8 weekly evening sessions which will help you understand the One who is at the heart of the Christian faith. The session topics are below.

Session 1 What’s the good news about Jesus for you and I today?
Session 2 Who was/is Jesus – his identity?
Session 3 Why did he come to earth 2000 years ago and what does this have to do with us today?
Session 4 Why was Jesus killed? Was it simply circumstances or what is a divine requirement by God?
Session 5 Why did Jesus rise from the dead three days later? Fake news or Truth? If Truth, then why?
Session 6 God’s grace towards you and I. Why would I need his grace now and for my future?
Session 7 Accept or reject God. The choice we are offered.
Session 8 Jesus’ offer and invitation to each of us now and for our future.

No lectures. We watch a short film on the session topic, read a short Bible passage on the topic, then have some informal discussion around the topic. It’s also ok to miss a session.

We start on Tuesday 20th October, 7.30pm – 9pm on Zoom. No need to leave the comfort of your own home.

We finish on the 8th December, just in time for Christmas. As Jesus is the reason for Christmas, Christmas may just be that extra special for you this year.

If you would like to take part, contact us via our website, Facebook or e-mail webmaster@broughtybaptist.org

Church at Home – 4 October 2020

Intimations

– You may want to use some of the Engage Worship resources for daily worship during this week

– Christianity Explored course – Would you like to know more about Jesus in a way that is easy to understand in a small group? We are offering 8 weekly evening sessions on Zoom which will help you understand the One who is at the heart of the Christian faith. Find out more here or e-mail webmaster@broughtybaptist.org

– The Messy Church At Home information is now available on our church website www.broughtybaptist.org

– The Baptist Union of Scotland will be continuing the Prayer Livestream at 7.00pm on Sunday 4^th October, 2020. This will be another significant time of national prayer for our family of churches. The theme this month is transformation and it will include stories of personal and community transformation from Pitlochry BC and Sheddocksley BC in Aberdeen. Click here to access the event.

– JAM Kids’ focus: The Virtual Sunday School. Here is the video for this week’s session “Doing your best for God”.

– JAM young adults Ignite Live have a separate programme at 11:15am. Please contact Gary Torbet – garytorbet@btinternet.com for more details.

Call to worship

Sing to the Lord a new song,
for He has done marvellous things;
His right hand and His holy arm
have worked salvation for Him.
²The Lord has made His salvation known
and revealed His righteousness to the nations.
³He has remembered His love
and His faithfulness to Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
⁴Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
⁵make music to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
⁶with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn –
shout for joy before the Lord, the King.
⁷Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.
⁸Let the rivers clap their hands,
let the mountains sing together for joy;
⁹let them sing before the Lord,
for He comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples with equity.
Psalm 98

We are grateful to Kevin Clark for selecting the songs for worship for this service.

Our opening song of praise and worship is:

Opening prayer:

Thank you Lord once more for the privilege of entering Your holy presence today. We have no right to come in our own merits, but because of the once-for-all-time sacrifice of Your Son our Saviour Jesus on the cross we can come with confidence before You today.

As the apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 5:1-2: Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ²through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And werejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

We come as we are before You today asking afresh for the forgiveness of our sins and the fresh empowering we need from the Holy Spirit for the week that lies before us. We remember that

Hebrews 4:16 encourages us with these words: Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

From whatever circumstances we have come today, Lord speak into our lives by Your Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.

Let us say together the words Jesus taught His disciples when He said:

‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'”
For Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever Amen.

All Age Talk – Moraig Piggot

Guess what? I have a package, and I want you to help me open it. First we have to decide which package I should open. Let’s see… what do you think? I have this one (Hold up bag or package with fancy wrapping) or I have this (hold up plain box or bag that does not look appealing).

Okay, which do you think looks more fun to open? Let’s see what’s inside. Why don’t we open this pretty one first…(Look into the box, revealing an empty inside). Oh. That’s a little disappointing, isn’t it? Why don’t we take a peek at the other bag. It doesn’t look as fun on the outside, but let’s see what’s in here… (Look in the bag and find a paper heart inside.)

This looks a lot more exciting than the other one, doesn’t it? So even though the outside was not as fun, inside this had some great!

The Bible reminds us a lot that what matters most to God is not what we say or do on the outside, but what’s on the inside, and the intentions of our hearts. We might act really cool, but we want to make sure we are living for the Lord. Jesus told a story about two men who were praying. One of them went into the church and gave a loud boastful prayer. He thanked God for making him better than other people, and talked about the wonderful things he did.

The other man Jesus described didn’t even want to go to church to pray. Instead, he stayed home and bowed low, full of sorrow and shame for the things he had done. He begged for mercy and felt unworthy of God’s attention. Jesus said that the man who was humble was offering a more genuine prayer than the boastful man. Humble means you don’t think too highly of yourself.

We know God always hears us and listens, of course. But if your prayers are meant to make yourself look better, they aren’t really focused on God. God doesn’t want us to boast about anything, even our prayer lives. It’s okay to be happy about something you’ve done, but you don’t want to go boasting about it to everyone.

When we pray, we want to make sure our hearts are devoted to God. What’s on the inside needs to have a positive purpose. We want to remember that God has given us all we have, including the most important thing, Jesus! That is a beautiful blessing to celebrate.

So let’s try to remember who the boss is. When we pray, we want our words to go to God, who is always present and loves us. Our heart intent and inner attitudes are much more important than what is on the outside. Why don’t we pray and ask God to help us focus on Him first, shall we?

Prayer: Dear God, Thank you for listening to our prayers. Help us to focus on you as the most important thing. May we not boast or brag. But turn our hearts to you. Thank you for your love We love you, God! Thank you for Jesus In His name we pray, Amen!

We continue in worship as we sing:

Prayers for others

Dear Lord,

As the nights continue to draw in, may we remember that you Lord are the Light of Life, We pray that Your presence shines in the darkness and that we need not be afraid – for You are a beacon of hope and a comforting night-light to our souls.

We pray today for those who find themselves displaced, despairing and desperate. We pray for refugees and asylum seekers across the world, whether in migrant camps or temporary accommodation. We pray too for the agencies working to help and support people in these challenging situations.

As the grip of the Covid pandemic continues, we pray for those experiencing mental health problems at this time and deep anxiety and uncertainty about the future. We pray for the right support and a listening ear to be made available to those in this situation. We pray too that the existing measures being taken in our country may be sufficient to restrict the spread of the covid-19 virus without the need for more restrictive measures being introduced.

In our Baptist Union of Scotland we also remember to pray for:

We pray for the ongoing planning for Canopy, the online Baptist Union Assembly this year. We ask that the technology being utilised will work as planned and that through the shared events that it will bring our churches closer together as we join together for these three days of meetings and a joint worship service on Sunday 25^th October.

Nairn BC – We give thanks for growth in prayer and discipleship as many completed the 24/7 Prayer Course and there are some regular new attenders to our zoom services. Please pray for the follow up to our current Alpha course online and for courage in our witness in our every-day lives. Please pray for wisdom and perseverance as we keep going in our current weekly virtual gatherings but keep alert to opportunities for face to face meetings.

New Prestwick BC – Give thanks for the fellowship at New Prestwick BC as they seek to serve and witness to the people of Prestwick and Newton-on-Ayr

Newton Mearns BC – We praise God for people coming to faith in this community during this time, and that social distancing is no barrier to the Spirit of God! We praise God too for a good first in-person youth service they held just recently. We pray for the online discipling of these new Christians, for the church to find healthy patterns of in-person and online meetings and for the prayer course and wellbeing groups they plan to run this term.

We now pray for other people with particular needs that are connected to our own congregation:

We thank you for the good news that Nilapu and Susmita have had their first child, a baby boy last Thursday. We pray that both mother and baby may be in good health. We also thank God for Sheila B’s improvement in health this week.

We pray for your comfort for Margaret R and her family in the recent loss of her younger brother. We continue to remember Ann W as she supports her sister Margaret at this very difficult time and John and Ann S’s niece Rachel likewise going through extremely hard times.

We continue to remember those going through tests at hospital and others still waiting a long time for operations to take place. We pray for wisdom and strength for all concerned.

We continue to remember those members of our congregation in residential care or confined to their own homes. Help them Lord to sense Your presence with them and to know that they are not forgotten as we pray for them.

In addition, we bring our own needs to You at this time …, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, Amen.

Bible reading

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: ¹⁰‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. ¹²I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.”
¹³‘But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
¹⁴‘I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’
Luke 18: 9-14

Before we come to listen to God’s Word let us sing:

The Message

Matthew 5:8 My inner motivation

Introduction

Do our personal values and standards really matter or make a difference? The first American Presidential election debate, ahead of the November 2020 election, is taking place on a day when I am working on this message. Does it matter what claims are raised or what promises are made?

As a Christian my answer has to be firmly ‘yes’! Our words and our promises have to be seen as important or they lose their value. How could our families, workplaces and countries operate without attention to this important subject? Yet it appears that integrity in our communications is not as valued today as it ought to be. The deliberate misuse of statistics in campaigning by some politicians or special interest groups or the misrepresentation of products for sale by companies is alarmingly common despite all the laws that supposedly prohibit such behavior. We can all give plenty of examples of this problem today.

It does go further, though, because there are times when it is questioned whether someone having high standards of personal integrity would fit into the team in particular workplaces or sports. A classic example previously debated in the Scottish media concerned Christian rugby players like Euan Murray. Although he is now retired from the game, the principle behind the question is very important. Can a Christian be as effective as someone without their particular convictions, given all the skullduggery that allegedly goes on inside the scrums! In Murray’s case it was clearly a backhanded compliment because he was arguably Scotland’s best tight-head prop in the professional era and was also picked as a British Lion some years ago as well. If that was not success in his chosen profession, then an explanation is called for! Although it is hard to put into words, we all know what is being suggested here.

The world in which we live is a murky place where many people would argue that a little bit of lying and cheating or low-level malpractice may at times be necessary to get on. From the footballer seeking to gain an Oscar for his diving skills or feigning serious injury, to the accountant assisting his client on the margins of tax avoidance law to the office junior asked to tell the business contact that ‘the cheque is in the post’; in this kind of world a Christian with their high standards could be, some might argue, a bit of a liability or someone difficult to accommodate within the system!

Thankfully there are other people who may not yet share our faith but who also recognize the need for the values we are proclaiming in this context of integrity of motivation and in our communications with other people. We are not alone but it can take courage to stand up for what is right. Yet there are times when as Christians that we struggle to know how we ought to think, act and speak in some difficult situations. Jesus said: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God (Matthew 5:8) First of all:

1. What is meant by the reference to our heart?

This is not a scientific or biological use of the word with which we are so familiar. In the Bible human beings are understood as spiritual beings made in the image of God. They have a body and a soul; the latter is a collective term that covers everything else in terms of our personality, our rational faculties, emotions and decision-making capability.

The apostle Paul in I Thessalonians 5:23 wrote: May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In many passages of the Bible instead of referring to the soul the word ‘heart’ is often substituted as an alternative to using the word ‘soul’. This kind of thinking and usage is found in our culture and language as well. The whole notion of Valentine’s Day, and the industry of cards and gifts associated with it, is based on the usage of the heart as a symbol of our love and affection for that special person or people in our lives whom we love, and for whom we might purchase a card or some other gift for that day!

Of course there are some scientists who would reduce the whole notion of love to chemical stimuli, reactions and changes in our bodies, but the vast majority of us, including the majority of scientists know that such a reduction in the meaning of love and its impact on us to chemical formulae is far from adequate. So how does the Bible use the word heart?

(a)The heart is understood as the place of our emotions King David in Psalm 27:1-3 declared: The Lord is my light and my salvation –whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid? ²When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. ³Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.

In his case he had in mind his time on the run from King Saul before becoming king of Israel or the many military conflict situations he experienced over the years. He would not be overcome by fear in such a context. In words familiar to all of us from funeral services, we remember Jesus’ words to His disciples in the Upper Room prior to His crucifixion stating in John 14:1-3:

Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me. ²My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

Why, because there is a natural fear and uncertainty in the face of death for many people. Jesus wants to give His followers a clear assurance that He has already taken care of our future beyond the grave. In Mark 12:30 Jesus said: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

There is a foundational emotional input to a relationship that we invest in – this includes not only with members of our family and friends, and the range of other people we associate with, but also in our relationship with God.

(b)The heart is understood as the place of our understanding In John 12:40 Jesus, in a quotation from Isaiah 6:10, spoke about the people who had consciously rejected His message in this manner: they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts…; their worldview was such that they had factored out the possibility that Jesus was who He claimed to be; is that not a place some people are in today?

Their secular or other religious views are incompatible with the direct claims of Jesus, so instead of questioning whether their current views need to be reconsidered they upfront rule out the truth claims of Jesus. This was certainly true of many Jewish people of Jesus’ day and in subsequent generations. Paul in II Corinthians 3:14-16 made this statement in reflection on his mission work in his own Jewish communities around the Roman world.

But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. ¹⁵Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. ¹⁶But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

Are our minds open to being shaped by the call and claims of Jesus?

(c) The heart is understood as the place of our thoughts and desires Later in this same sermon, in Matthew 5:28, Jesus stated: I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

The traditional Jewish view was that only the sinful act was wrong, but Jesus sough to challenge that view by declaring that our attitudes and speech must also be controlled appropriately in line with God’s standards.

How is that possible? Through the Word of God; Hebrews 4:12 reminds us that : the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

By reading and reflecting on what we read in the Bible it informs and influences our attitudes to do what is right.

(d) The heart is associated with our conscience On the day of Pentecost Peter preached a powerful sermon that the Holy Spirit used to convict many people of their sins and their need to accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Acts 2:36-37 states:

‘Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.’ ³⁷When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’³⁸Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.’

The heart represents the place of moral conviction and judgement where our convictions are formed in response to our recognition that things need to be changed in a particular way.

(e) The heart is associated with our decision making Daniel 1:8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine; literally, as the NKJV states: But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies…

Here a brave teenage boy in a foreign land makes choices that his parents would have been proud of, he thought through the options before him and stood up to be counted for his Jewish faith. In II Corinthians 9:6-8 Paul wrote on the subject of financial giving to the Lord’s work:

Remember this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

(f) The heart is described as the place where faith choices are made Romans 10:9-10 states: If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

It is not merely ascent in our heads, but our whole being is involved in the commitment to follow Jesus. By contrast Hebrews 3:12 warns us with these words:

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.

We must be wholehearted in our commitment to the Lord and in our service for Him. King David echoed these sentiments in Psalm 57:7: My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.

2. What is a ‘pure’ heart?

(a)The meaning of the word ‘pure’ Blessed are the pure in heart… (Matthew 5:8) The Greek word katharoi Jesus used in this passage, historically in Classical Greek was a term used primarily of physical cleansing. Clothes that were dirty were washed clean instead of being soiled or stained by usage. It was also used in the sense of being ‘unmixed’ that is the substance was pure rather than a mixture or an alloy, for example some gold or silver that was being offered for sale by a trader.

The purity of the gold or silver on offer rightly has a significant impact on the price of the product so a potential purchaser needs to know whether it is ‘pure’ gold or silver! It was used of pure water with no added substances; milk that was not watered down; also of grain that was winnowed to remove all the chaff; of animals that were free from known blemishes; it was also used of a bloodline that was consistently a line of people of the same ethnic heritage with no interbreeding with people of another racial heritage.

It was also used of an army that had been purged of ill-disciplined or inadequate soldiers who could not carry out the orders entrusted to them. It was used in a religious sense to speak of the person who had met the religious requirements of their faith and was free to participate in the worship services of their god. It was also used in obituaries to pay tribute to someone who was deemed to have lived an exemplary life and who had been a good example to the people around them (W. Barclay, The Plain Man looks at the Beatitudes, pp.72-73).

In the New Testament there are a number of examples of different uses of this term. In Matthew 27:59-60 the author writes: Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ⁶⁰and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock.

Matthew is describing what happened to the body of Jesus after his crucifixion. Another use of this word comes in the book of Revelation where John from the vision he received is attempting to describe the new Jerusalem and expressed it this way in Revelation 21:18: The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.

Paul uses this term in a semi-legal way in his sermon before the elders of the church at Ephesus in Acts 20:26-27: ²⁶Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. ²⁷For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.

He had shared God’s word with them without qualification and imbalance and had sought to present it to the best of his ability in his public proclamations. It was used by Jesus with reference to the Jewish religious practices. He made it very clear that He was abolishing the ceremonial regulations then practiced in the Holy Land. In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean (Mark 7:19).

The best known usage of the New Testament, though is probably with reference to our cleansing from sin when we come to faith and as we seek fresh cleansing from our sin. In I John1:7-9 it states:

But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin. ⁸If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

It was stated as a general principle of the work of the Spirit in believers at the Council of Jerusalem in AD48. In Acts 15:8-9 Peter explained that God worked in the lives of Gentiles who came to faith in exactly the same way as believers of a Jewish background. God, who knows the heart, showed that He accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as He did to us. ⁹He did not discriminate between us and them, for He purified their hearts by faith.

(b) Purity of heart involves sincerity One of the biggest complaints Jesus had about the Pharisees was hypocrisy. He denounced them sometimes in the very strongest terms, as can be seen in Matthew 23. For example, in Matthew 23:25-26 Jesus declared:

‘Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

There was also a very familiar story He told, recorded in Luke 18:9-14 about the contrast between a Pharisee and a Tax Collector who went to pray in the Temple in Jerusalem.

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: ¹⁰‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. ¹²I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.”¹³‘But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” ¹⁴‘I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’

This was equally prized in the Old Testament also. In Jeremiah 32:39-40, the prophet declared how God would work to transform His people in exile. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear Me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them. ⁴⁰I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from Me. Do you and I have singleness of heart serving the Lord with sincerity?

(c) Purity of heart requires integrity King David of Israel had many faults and weaknesses alongside his undoubted strengths. In Psalm 78:70-72 Asaph the Temple worship leader wrote: He chose David His servantand took him from the sheepfolds; ⁷¹from tending the sheep He brought him to be the shepherd of His people Jacob, of Israel His inheritance. ⁷²And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skilful hands he led them.

People can be forgiven for genuine mistakes; for inadequacy of gifting that results in lesser accomplishments than they had aspired to. However, a person whose conduct is lacking in integrity and who is found out is in an extremely problematic position. In Jeremiah 17:9-10 there is a very frank assessment of the state of the human heart: The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? ¹⁰‘I the Lord search the heartand examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.’

This matter was frequently raised in the Psalms. In Psalm 51:6 (NKJV) David admitted: Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

In verse 10 of the same Psalm David prayed: Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Will you and I maintain our integrity of words and actions even if others around us adhere to lesser standards?

(d) Purity of heart includes fervency A person who is pure in heart doesn’t settle for just being as good as the next person. Their frequency of attendance at church; their level of commitment to Christian service and the attention to detail in rendering it or the level of their financial giving to His work is not determined by what other people do. This person is passionately committed to honouring the Lord in each area of their lives. The details of what that looks like may vary from Christian to Christian, in some respects, but it would be evident from the self-discipline and determination of that individual to please the Lord that their motivation and enthusiasm for bringing glory to the Lord Jesus was not in doubt.

Hebrews 12:14 reminds us of this fact. Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. Our focus on the basic Christian disciplines of time in prayer and in God’s word and joining together with fellow-Christians for worship, witness and service will bear fruit in time. Paul summarized it this way to Timothy, a young pastor who he had mentored in the faith. Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (II Timothy 2:22). Are you and I pursuing these things in our lives personally and collectively?

3. How do we ‘see’ God? …For they will see God. (Matthew 5:8)

(a)It is not with physical sight This is not a physical rare sighting of Almighty God, like the bird watchers who descend on remote spots of the country when an unlikely bird visits this country! In John 1:18 we read: No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is in the closest relationship with the Father, has made Him known. Paul, likewise in I Timothy 6:16 stated concerning God the Father: …whom no-one has seen or can see…. Seeing God is sensing His presence with us in a variety of contexts. It may be when we pray or in worship services.

Jeremiah 29:12-14a Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. ¹³You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. ¹⁴I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord.

Why is it that unbelievers have no comprehension of the presence of God in the world let alone in their lives?

Paul stated in II Corinthians 4:4: The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Philip, one of Jesus’ disciples asked this question at the Last Supper: Philip said, ‘Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.’ ⁹Jesus answered: ‘Don’t you know Me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? ¹⁰Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in Me? (John 14:8-10) It is a spiritual awareness of His presence by a person sensitive to living a God-honouring life.

(b) It produces an awareness of our shortcomings In the book of Job the patriarch was complaining that he did not understand why God was at work in the world in the way He was. When he had an overwhelming experience of God it was a transformational one that brought about a humbling of himself and a turning to God in repentance and a deepened faith. Job 42:5-6 states: My ears had heard of You, but now my eyes have seen You. ⁶Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.’ To sense something of the greatness and glory of God will inevitably result in a deepened awareness of our own hearts and place in the universe, a place that too many people today have forgotten in their arrogance and pride.

(c) It produces an awareness of God’s holiness and our call to mission In Isaiah 6:1-8, the familiar passage describing the call of Isaiah the prophet to his life’s work, there is a profound realisation of this revelation.

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of His robe filled the temple. ²Above Him were seraphim, each with six wings: with two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. ³And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.’ ⁴At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke ⁵‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.’ ⁶Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’ ⁸Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’

Our desire to see God glorified in the conversion of people yet to come to faith is intensified when we ‘see Him’.

(d) It will be a foretaste of our experience of heaven There is so much about heaven we will not know until we get there, but seeing God through sensing His presence now is a little glimpse of what we will experience in its fullness then. In Revelation 22:4 John writes concerning believers in heaven that they will see His face. What a motivation we have for living a God-honouring life here on earth when this is the future planned for us. May we never forget Jesus’ words here: Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God, Amen.

Our song before we come to communion is: ‘Purify my heart’

The Lord’s Supper

Jesus invites all Christian who have committed their lives to follow Him to participate in this act of worship. The apostle Paul wrote these words of Scripture in I Corinthians 11:23-26 to guide our observance of Communion.

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: the Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ ²⁵In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ ²⁶For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

Prayer: Choose your own words of prayer to give thanks for the bread and wine that represent the costly gift of His body and blood for us.

Take the bread: Jesus said: ‘This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.

Take the wine: Jesus said: This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’

Our closing song is: ‘Restore O Lord’

Closing Prayer:

Thank you Lord for the privilege of being Your child. Thank You for the investment You have made in our lives through Your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Help us this week through all we say and do to live in a way that is honouring to You, and is also an encouragement to others as we continue to experience these challenging times. May we know the enabling power of the Holy Spirit equipping us for all we need to do in these coming days, in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Benediction: The Grace

May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God
and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with us all evermore, Amen

Wednesday @ 11 Service – 23 September 2020

Welcome: It is so good to see you back in our church building, only the second time since Sunday March 15^th2020.

Opening Scripture verses:

Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
²Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
³If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
⁴But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
Psalm 130:1-4

Opening praise: ‘What a friend we have in Jesus’

https://youtu.be/cscMcqHquuY

Opening Prayer

Thank you Lord once more for the privilege of coming into Your house to worship You. We are so thankful that we are living in a part of the country where we have so many blessings to enjoy. We thank You for the ease with which many of us can walk on the beach or walk in the countryside which is so close to our community. We rejoice in all Your goodness to us at this time. Supremely, we thank you for Jesus in whose name we come today, through whose sacrifice on the cross we have been saved. Thank You Lord for dying in our place not only to give us eternal life beyond the grave, but also through the aid of the Holy Spirit to live for You in the here and now of the present day. We ask that You would speak into our hearts and lives today through the blessed Holy Spirit, for Jesus’ name’s sake Amen.

Scripture reading

Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
²Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
³If You, Lord, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
⁴But with You there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve You.
⁵I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in His word I put my hope.
⁶I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
⁷Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
for with the Lord is unfailing love
and with Him is full redemption.
⁸He Himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.
Psalm 130

Intercessory prayer using Psalm 130:

Heavenly Father, once more we come with deep gratitude knowing that You both hear and answer our prayers. We confess that we are concerned with the growing numbers of cases of the covid-19 virus around not only the United Kingdom, but also many other countries in Europe and in the wider world. We pray for governments and health care professionals to be able to address this challenging situation and for the finding of a vaccine from the many clinical trials taking place around the world at the present time.

We continue to remember those with ongoing health issues, people confined to their own homes or residential homes and seeing few if any visitors at this time. We ask that they may have a sense of Your presence with them at this time. We pray too for those struggling with pressures at work or the challenge of having lost their jobs in recent weeks, that each one may get a sense of peace and assurance from You concerning the future.

As we come to pray for ourselves and others we will use the words of Psalm 130 to assist us in our silent prayers:

Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; ² Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. Thank you Lord that there are no circumstances too difficult for me to bring to You. There are things on my heart today that I want to bring to You … [private prayer]

³If You, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? ⁴But with You there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve You. Thank You Lord for Your amazing grace; I come to confess my sins of thought and words and deed… [private prayer]

I come deeply grateful to You as my heavenly Father knowing that my sins are forgiven. Your Word declares in I John 1:9: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Thank You for answering my prayers, in particular I want to thank You for … [private prayer]

⁵I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope. ⁶I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Thank You Lord that You are a promise-keeping God. Thank You that I can have complete confidence in You concerning my (humanly-speaking) uncertain future. Thank You that nothing takes You by surprise. In particular, I want to trust You for … [private prayer]

Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with Him is full redemption. ⁸He Himself will redeem Israel from all their sins. Thank You Lord that Hezekiah could confidently share His faith in You with other people in Israel. Help me to be faithful in prayer for other people who have yet to put their trust in You as Lord and Saviour, or who are currently away from the Lord and need to come back to following You. In particular, I name before You … for whom I am praying at this time….[private prayer]

Thank you Lord that You will hear and answer our prayers, in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen

Message from Psalm 130

Psalm 130 Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord

Introduction

When do you and I pray most earnestly and consistently? The honest answer for the vast majority of us as Christians is when we are in the greatest need of divine assistance. Is it not sometimes true that we cry out in desperation because we have run out of other options and have no other place to turn? At other times when our circumstances are comfortable and we can see our essential needs being met we still pray but there is less of a sense of urgency in our prayers.

Of course this is not always the case, especially when we are praying for the needs of other people known to us. Yet in our better moments we know that we need the Lord’s presence with us and help for us when all is going well, not just in times of crisis. After all at the human level, if you or I only got in touch with close family or friends when we were in urgent need of assistance then there would be something improper about this relationship. We are meant to journey together through good times at tough, both with one another as well as with the Lord.

The Bible commentators on this anonymous Psalm appear to be fairly confident that it can be attributed to King Hezekiah, the King of Judah. The context of the Psalm relates to events described in Isaiah 38. Isaiah 38:1-3 states: In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, ‘This is what the Lord says: put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.’ ²Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, ³‘Remember, Lord, how I have walked before You faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in Your eyes.’ And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

Hezekiah was one of the great kings referred to in the Old Testament, in both his personal relationship with God and in the context of his leadership of the nation. Like everyone else there had been tough times and good in his life, and indeed the miraculous survival of the nation when the pagan Assyrian Army swept through the country was utterly remarkable and an amazing answer to prayer (see Isaiah 36-37).

He must have thought what a year we have had, next year must be so much better! I know in our church in Broughty Ferry that many of us would have thought that about the ending of 2019 and the start of 2020. Last year was a hard one, but surely the next year looks so good with no obvious clouds on the horizon. We were aware vaguely of a new virus being a problem in a province in China, but little were we to know that the world would be changed just a few months later as the covid-19 virus pandemic spread around the world.

Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord were Hezekiah’s words in Psalm 130:1, maybe similar words might be on the lips or heart of some of those who hear or read this message at this time. Let us look briefly at this song included in the Bible for the praise and prayers of God’s people. Here we see:

1. An earnest request (Psalm 130:1-2)

Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; ²Lord, hear my voice. Let Your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy (Psalm 130:1-2). The psalm was deliberately written in general terms so that the hearers and readers of it might more easily identify with the author in their own times of crisis or great need. It is likely that for Hezekiah it was the unexpected arrival of a serious health condition that was the cause of his initial cries to God.

The primitive medical services available to him at that time in history could provide no hope of restoring his health and strength. Isaiah 38:1 is blunt in its description of Hezekiah’s condition. In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. This statement could not be clearer. Had his doctor said to him, Hezekiah, this is very serious you know, but we do have medicine that over time could improve your health or even contribute to a full recovery, then it would have been a very different matter altogether.

However, it was not so and the air of despondency in the palace in Jerusalem would have been very clear. Reading between the lines of the story at the start of Isaiah 38, it is clear that this news has focused Hezekiah’s mind to resolve to pray and keep on praying for the miraculous intervention of God. He, like us, knows that we have no right to demand miracles from God, but the God to whom we come is our heavenly Father, who loves and cares for us.

God desires us to have a living relationship with Him by prayer and Bible reading. He wants us to be in contact regularly with Him not just when we are having a crisis. We ought, for example, to praise and thank Him for all the blessings we have in our daily lives. There are so many good things we have received, in the United Kingdom we would be extremely unfortunate to have been without the basics of food, clothing and shelter.

For many of us we have been blessed with reasonably good health. In locations like ours here we are fortunate to live in a beautiful part of the country and have the opportunity to walk in the hills or on the beach by the sea. The tragic unexpected death of a family member or friend or an extremely serious medical diagnosis is far less common here than in many other less well-resourced countries. The verb in verse one is in the perfect tense to explain to us that the psalmist repeatedly cries out to God for some time before he sees the answer to his prayer that he has sought. Obviously the psalm was composed after his prayer had been answered in the way Hezekiah had wanted.

It is possible that the words of Psalm 130:2 hint at a measure of doubt about the outcome, after all God never promises that we will always receive the answers we wish in prayer. Lord, hear my voice. Let Your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. God promises to answer our prayers, but we remember how Jesus wanted us to express our prayers in His response to His disciples’ request for guidance about how to pray. Matthew 6:10b states: Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. We have to trust our heavenly Father to do what He believes is best in response to our requests to Him.

2. A joyful acknowledgement (Psalm 130:3-4)

³If You, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? ⁴But with You there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve You. There is a change of direction here with the thoughts expressed in these verses. Hezekiah reminds himself in God’s presence that he is speaking to the holy Almighty One who created the heavens and the earth, who upholds all things by His amazing power. This being is absolutely perfect in all He does. The prophet Habakkuk at a later date expressed a similar sentiment. Habakkuk 1:13 states: Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; You cannot tolerate wrongdoing. This creates a huge problem because only similarly perfect sinless people have a right to enter His presence. But who qualifies to do that? I know that I don’t. This is every bit as much a New Testament issue as in the Old Testament. In Romans 3, the culmination of the Apostle Paul’s teaching about human sinfulness and our need of a saviour from sin, it declares in Romans 3:10-12:

‘There is no one righteous, not even one; ¹¹there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. ¹²All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.

In cases anyone has missed the point about how inclusive this problem is, Romans 3:23 states: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We are all in this predicament together. Are you aware of your own sinfulness that at times can be revealed in inappropriate attitudes towards others, ill-considered words towards others and either a neglect of things we ought to have done or actions that we may later regret? When we are aware of our own shortcomings and know our own hearts, we are less prone to judge others harshly for their own failings.

However, Psalm 130:4 highlights the good news here. But with You there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve You. Our past need never define our future. God loves us and wants the very best for us. Hezekiah could easily have thought at this point of King David’s joyful declaration of the forgiveness of sins in Psalm 32:1-2a:

Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. ²Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them. We might just as easily turn to I John 1:9: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Understanding what Hezekiah is saying here ensures that we never think of ourselves as better than other people. Every one of us needs to receive the underserved love or grace of God to be welcomed into His presence. We can go beyond this psalm and say that this love of God was revealed to us by Jesus and through Him we are welcomed into God’s family when we trust Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. Have you taken that step of faith? I hope each one of us has done so.

3. Eager anticipation (Psalm 130:5-6)

⁵I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope. ⁶I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. Something I struggle with at times is patience. Do you have that same problem? It has been a problem for most of us over the years. Remember King David’s exhortation to his readers in the last verse of Psalm 27? Psalm 27:14 states: Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Notice the pattern here of David in Psalm 27 and Hezekiah in Psalm 130 of repeating the need to wait for the Lord.

Then, when life was lived at a much slower pace as well as in our generation, we find it very difficult to living with waiting for thing, especially if it is about something very important to us. These two individuals were known for being close to God in the Old Testament era. The message communicated to us loud and clear is that life is very hard sometimes and we can seriously struggle to handle the things we have to face.

We can be a woman or man of faith and find it hard. Never assume that because someone else has been a Christian longer that they find the challenges of life easier. Relationships with God and with other people take effort and a commitment to invest in the necessary time to make them work as well as they can. This is known to us all of course. But relationships require trust and spending time with the other to be as fulfilling as they potentially can be. Even in the best of friendships or marriages or families there are issues we have to talk through that are not easy to address. It is part of the human experience. We are fallible creatures who sometimes disappoint one another by our wrong attitudes, words or actions or our neglect of doing things we ought to have done. Likewise, we were created by God for fellowship with Him and through the choices we make to bring glory to Him.

Yet too often we fail to be the best we can be for Him and we need to admit that to Him in prayer. Does your relationship with God matter enough to you today? For Hezekiah, he uses the example of the night watchmen who were on duty at the city walls of Jerusalem keeping alert for dangers from outside the city. When morning came they were delighted as their shifts at work were over and they could go home to sleep or have some food.

We have highlighted the waiting in these verses, but also need to draw attention to the hope. Here Hezekiah states: and in His word I put my hope (Psalm 130:5b). Biblical ‘hope’ is not the same as the wishful thinking of popular culture in our country. In the latter context you might hear someone say: ‘I hope to win the National Lottery tonight’, or ‘I hope my football team wins their match today’. A statistician would point out that the football supporter’s hope is more likely to be realised! But neither statement uses the word ‘hope’ as it is used in the Bible.

Remember Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. ²This is what the ancients were commended for. And these words from Romans 5:1-2: Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, wehave peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ²through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.

Biblical hope is a well-founded confidence that God will do what He has promised in the future for the good of His people, for His own glory. We cannot see the proof of what God has planned, but because God has kept His promises in the past, most notably with reference to the promised Messiah in the Old Testament who came in the person of Jesus 2,000 years ago, we know that He will keep His promises regarding the second coming of Jesus and His eternal reign. It is reasonable, therefore, that we can trust His promises on other smaller matters as well. Many of us have personal experience of this faithful God who has helped us keep going through the storms of life prior to today. We can, therefore, go forward with confidence in Him for the future.

4. A strong appeal (Psalm 130:7-8)

⁷Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with Him is full redemption. ⁸He Himself will redeem Israel from all their sins. Here is a personal testimony of a man of faith encouraging others to trust in God as he has done. This is the best witness that can be offered. Your testimony and mine about what God has done for us. A colleague in your workplace may have no interest in Christian doctrine, likewise an unsaved friend or family member.

However, if what you believe makes a positive difference in your life in a way they find attractive or appealing then they may be very interested in why the change has happened. We believe in a God of redemption or transformation. No-one is beyond hope. The focus here is on redemption from past sins. There are people who think their mistakes are so bad that God or other people could not forgive them and give them a second chance.

Hezekiah has good news for individuals then and now who think this way. God is a God of grace and mercy. Because of His amazing love for us, He sees us as we can be living our lives to the full, rather than how we may be at any particular moment in time. Have you put your faith and trust in God? In John 10:10 Jesus explained His mission and why He came to earth. I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. Are you missing out on the life God has for you to live? Put your full trust in Him as Lord and Saviour and receive all the blessings He has for you today, in Jesus’ name Amen.

Closing song: ‘And can it be’

Closing prayer:

Lord we thank You for the blessing of being in Your house today. Most of all we praise You for the joy of recalling Your love and faithfulness to us as we read and reflected on Your Holy Word. Please go with us as we continue in this week, in both the enjoyable and the difficult circumstances we may be experiencing. We ask our prayer in the all-powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Benediction: The Grace

May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God
and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with us all evermore, Amen

Our next service is planned for the same time on Wednesday 7^th October at 11am.

Church at Home – 20 September 2020

Intimations

– You may want to use some of the Engage Worship resources for daily worship during this week

– The Messy Church At Home information is now available on our church website www.broughtybaptist.org

– The Baptist Union of Scotland will be continuing the Prayer Livestream at 7.00pm on Sunday 4^th October, 2020. This will be another significant time of national prayer for our family of churches. The link will be available closer to the time on the Baptist Union facebook page.

– JAM Kids’ focus: The Virtual Sunday School. Here is the video for Sunday 20^th September Virtual Sunday School session on the story of the Lost Sheep.

– JAM young adults Ignite Live have a separate programme at 11:15am. Please contact Gary Torbet – garytorbet@btinternet.com for more details.

Call to worship

[Jesus] went to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day He went into the synagogue, as was His custom. He stood up to read, ¹⁷and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it is written:
¹⁸‘The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,
¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’
²⁰Then He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on Him. ²¹He began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’
Luke 4: 16-21

We are grateful to Helen Rice for selecting the songs for worship for this service.

Our opening song of praise and worship is: Mighty to Save

Opening prayer:

Thank you Heavenly Father for the privilege once more of gathering to worship Your holy and majestic name. We come once more in the precious name of Your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ to glorify and honour You through our praises and our prayers, and through the messages we will hear and the videos we will watch. We are so encouraged to be part of a world-wide family of Christian believers in every country on this planet. We thank you for Christian men and women, younger and older people alike who are serving You in a wide variety of ministries around the globe.

It is so encouraging to know that as ordinary followers of Jesus that we can make a difference by our service in our families, workplaces and communities as well as in direct local church ministries. We ask for Your forgiveness for those times in the past week when we have not lived in the way we ought to have done. Help us in this new week through the Holy Spirit to show something of Your amazing love and grace to others.

We come today with deep gratitude for the work of BMS World Mission. In particular, on this Sunday when we have traditionally had either a harvest or an all-age service we come to thank you for the people who staff the Guinebor II Hospital in Chad. We pray that they may be encouraged to know that so many Churches around this land, and possibly in other places as well, are remembering them and praying for them today. Meet with each one of us today, we pray and minister into our lives by Your Holy Spirit in accordance with our needs, for Jesus’ name’s sake Amen.

Let us say together the words Jesus taught His disciples when He said:

‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'”
For Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever Amen.

Operation Chad – BMS Video about Guinebor II Hospital

Operation Chad BMS Video about Guinebor II Hospital Chad

Operation: Chad feature video

There is a colouring sheet available to download for children here.

All-age Talk Stephen and Ismay Green BMS

Good morning. It’s lovely to be with you today. I’m Steve and I’m Ismay. I am a nurse and Steve is a doctor and we both worked with BMS in North Africa. For the last six years of our time there, we worked on developing palliative care in the community. Previously, Steve worked for 12 years with BMS in the Congo as a paediatrician.

That was an amazing film and you can’t help but be impressed by the commitment and hard work of all the staff. I wonder what struck you most? But the question I have is, “Why is BMS working in such a difficult place?”

Let me ask you another question first (although with Zoom it is a bit difficult to pick up on who is answering). How do we know that the wind exists? Or how do we know that Covid exists? Well, we see the effects of it: the wind rustles the leaves on the trees – we feel it on our faces. With Covid we fall ill with fever and cough very often.

Another question: how do we know the love of God exists today? We read about it in the bible, but that was written 2000 years ago; so does it exist today? Or how do you know that your parents love you? Certainly they may tell you, but what if they were always mean to you and never gave you any food or clothes, or tucked you up in bed and care for you when you were ill? Would you think they loved you then? We don’t just have our parents’ words but their actions tell us that they love us.

To come back to the question: why is BMS working in such a place as Chad? Chad is in Africa; here it is on the map. It’s at the bottom of the Sahara desert and it is very hot nearly all year round. It is also one of the four poorest countries in the world. Here in the UK you might expect your granny to live into her eighties at least but in Chad most grandparents die in their 50s. In the UK, for every 1000 children born every year, four will die before they reach the age of five, but in Chad 119 out of a thousand will not reach the age of five! In the UK we spend a lot more on our health, more than £3000 per person per year whereas in Chad they can only manage £55. In addition in the UK our NHS is free, whereas in Chad people have to pay for all their treatment every time they go to see a doctor or go into hospital.

Last Sunday Steve and I watched on Facebook Live as a friend of ours was ordained into the Church of England. Part of the service says about those being ordained, “They are to work with their fellow members in searching out the poor and weak, the sick and lonely, those who are oppressed and powerless, reaching into the forgotten corners of the world that the love of God may be made visible.”And here is the reason why BMS is working in Chad, making visible the love of God to those who don’t know him.

Christians make up less than half the population in Chad; the majority are Muslims who need the saving love of Christ. And you are part of this work through your prayers and giving. It doesn’t sound a lot, not compared with what it costs here: £13 to save a life, £80 to provide a nurse for a week. And together as a church you can nurse 52 people, give life-saving surgery to 4 people and safely deliver 5 babies for £695. It’s not much. But it’s also a good question for us to consider during the week: how can we make the love of God visible to those around us who don’t know Jesus? It might be by saying something, or doing an act of kindness that leads to a conversation about why you are doing such a thing. We all have a responsibility to make the love of God visible to others. May the Lord help us in that task.

We continue in worship as we sing: He is the light

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI302Av7vSI

BMS Reflection Video

Operation: Chad reflection video

Prayers for others

Dear Lord,

We come with our prayers for others, deeply grateful that You are a prayer-answering God who delights to receive the petitions of Your children.

We are deeply concerned by the rising numbers of cases of infections not only in our own country, but also in other parts of Europe as well. We are also aware that in other countries across the world so many have a smaller provision of medical facilities to cope with the demands upon them at this time.

We pray for wisdom for politicians and other world leaders, together with health service professionals in hospitals and care homes that they may be able to address the needs of the current time and have the necessary resources to carry out the task of protecting the vulnerable and caring for those who are sick.

We give thanks for the work of UCCF and Fusion and other organisations seeking to support Christian students. We pray for the Christian Unions at many colleges and universities across Scotland, that they can share the love of Jesus in creative ways during this time. We pray too for all the students known to us who are settling in to life at university for the first time or recommencing their studies for another academic year. Help them to gain a circle of friends who can encourage them as they adapt to the current circumstances we are all facing.

We pray that staff and students may be able to deliver and interact appropriately with the set courses being taught and like their colleagues in schools we pray that they may have both the strength and the wisdom to accomplish all that is involved in providing a good educational service this year.

In our Baptist Union of Scotland we also remember to pray for:

European Baptist Federation – We pray for the General Secretary Search Group who are in the process of finding a new General Secretary after the current General Secretary Tony Peck retires in 2021. We pray also for good preparations for SENT 2021 which is the EBF Mission Summit to take place from 21-24 July 2021 in Stavanger, Norway. SENT 2021 is a unique opportunity for the EBF family to come together around our privilege and responsibility to share in God’s mission to the world in its wholeness.

We pray for the European Baptist Federation (EBF) annual Council meeting on 24-25 September 2020 which will now take place online. We pray that in spite of not being able to physically come together, there could still be a meaningful and encouraging gathering of EBF member unions and mission partners.

We give thanks for the INVEST training programme and Training Hub of the Baptist Union of Scotland to encourage and develop younger leaders in our network of churches. It is anticipated that the trainees will start at the beginning of October. We pray that they will be encouraged, stretched and grow in their faith during this year.

Lossiemouth BC – The congregation at Lossiebaptist have as many other churches been doing online services. They give thanks to God that these services have worked well and have helped the unity of their fellowship, apart and yet together. We thank God that they have just this month appointed a new pastor Rab Donald, who is moving there after eight years’ service in Stirling Baptist Church. We pray God’s blessing on their partnership together in His service in the coming years.

Maybole BC – We pray for this small Ayrshire fellowship as they seek to be salt and light in the town of Maybole. We pray for wisdom for the leadership team at this time.

We now pray for other people with particular needs that are connected to our own congregation: We remember particularly family members of some in our congregation who are continuing to undergo cancer treatments. We pray for God’s peace and strength to them and their relatives at this particularly difficult time.

We remember others who are having medical tests at hospital and others still waiting for tests or surgery in hospital, particularly at a time when so many procedures have been delayed due to the challenges of the covid-19 virus pandemic.

We pray also for those older members of some of our families who have recently moved into care homes and pray that they will be able to settle well into their new accommodation. We also remember those of our congregation who have been living in care homes for some time or are restricted to living in their own homes at this time. Heavenly Father we ask that they would feel a real sense of Your presence with them at this time.

We also pray for the family of Dorothy Scott whose funeral will take place on Thursday. We thank you that some of us had the privilege of knowing her through our times of monthly services in the Elderlea Manor Care Home. We pray for Your comfort for her family at this time.

In addition, we bring our own or other needs on our hearts to You at this time …, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, Amen.

Bible reading

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’ ²⁰At once they left their nets and followed him.
²¹Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, ²²and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
²³Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and illness among the people. ²⁴News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralysed; and he healed them. ²⁵Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.
Matthew 4: 18-25

Before we come to listen to God’s Word let us sing: Jesus, Hope of the Nations.

The Message – Dr Stephen Green BMS

Download link available to 25 September 2020. This is a Wetransfer file and may take longer to download

There are three words that struck me as I read the article in the current edition of Engage about Guinebor II hospital: Reputation, Faith and Transformation. It says that people are moved to seek treatment after hearing about the hospital’s reputation, they take a leap of faith to go there and their decision is transformative. Let’s look at these three words:

Reputation

In the passage that was read from Matthew 4 Jesus has been through the temptation in the desert and has called his first disciples. This is the beginning of his ministry. His disciples quickly discover that the man they have chosen to follow is no ordinary rabbi. He is not only a great teacher but he also has amazing powers such that they see things they could never have imagined: blind people seeing, deaf people hearing and people once lame now leaping with joy. And so his fame spreads. People are travelling from all over to come to him.

It wasn’t just these powers that made Jesus’ reputation. He was generous with his time and availability. He never turned people away. He was approachable. Anyone could come. You didn’t have to tick any religious boxes or meet any special criteria to get permission: there is a man with leprosy, who should have kept his distance and shouted, “Unclean!”; a woman who has been bleeding for 12 years and is therefore ceremonially unclean, foreigners, including a Roman centurion, a Syro-Phoenecian woman, and a Samaritan woman. He welcomed and blessed children who were not considered important in those days. Jesus didn’t mind being shouted at: Bartimaeus, who was blind, shouted, “Jesus, have mercy on me!” We know that illness can be very ostracising, through embarrassment, through social pressure, through guilt. It often takes a great deal of effort to go for help with the risk of rejection and being turned away. Jesus accepted them all and even looked out for those who weren’t seeking him but were in need.

Guinebor II hospital has a reputation that extends beyond the borders of Chad. A good reputation depends on commitment to high standards, well-trained and motivated staff. It depends on good care, not just effective surgery or medical treatment. Good care is given even if the outcome has not been what people hoped for. As Kalbassou says: we have Jesus to give to people and we have skills to give good quality care. And reputation depends on people relating good stories of their time there. All are welcome, none are turned away because they come from the wrong tribe or religion or country.

The second word is Faith

Jesus was more interested in faith than rules. He would often heal people on the Sabbath day, because the need was there. In Matthew 8 we read how the man with leprosy came to Jesus and knelt before him calling him “Lord”. The implication of this word in Greek is that he worshipped Jesus – he detected something divine in Jesus. In response Jesus does something that would have shocked the crowd; he touches him. In Mark 10 we read how Bartimaeus cries out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” He is calling Jesus by his messianic title. There is recognition that there is more than a healer here. Jesus stops and has them bring him. And heals him saying, “Your faith has healed you.” (v52).

In Matthew 9 we read that a synagogue leaders comes to Jesus to say that his daughter has just died. This is a whole new dimension; Jesus has healed but up to this point in the gospel he has not raised anyone from the dead. Such faith! Then there is the centurion who asks Jesus to heal his servant but then says that he is not worthy to have Jesus come to his house but that Jesus can just speak the word. Such faith, says Jesus has not been found in anyone in Israel.

We don’t know that everyone who was healed believed. We hear that it definitely led to belief for several. In John 9 the man who was born blind does not know at first who healed him but calls him a prophet. Later Jesus meets him again and reveals that he is the Messiah; and the man worships him. Bartimaeus follows Jesus and the man who was possessed by many demons wants to follow him.

People come to Guinebor hospital as “a leap of faith” it says in the article. They may have to travel great distances to get there and they may know that it is a Christian hospital. They know that people pray. I remember one patient in the Congo who was asked why he travelled such a long distance to come to us when he could have gone to a nearer government hospital and the paracetamol is the same. “Ah but you pray over yours,” he said! That’s the difference.

Of course, there is a greater dimension here. As Kalbassou says, “We have Jesus to give to people and we have skills to give good quality care.” People are prayed for, before surgery, at the bedside. Scriptures are made available. There is an ethos that pervades all activity at the hospital. This is the highest goal, as stated by BMS: “to bring people to faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and an experience of the abundant life that only he can provide;” and this is done by making the love of God visible through practical caring.

The third word is transformation.

In the article Hannah talks about Fatimé, a little girl with a serious burn injury to her hand. Her parents, Hannah says, take a leap of faith to bring her to Guinebor hospital. Surgery is successful and there is confidence that she will be able to regain movement in her fingers allowing her to provide for herself with employment and a greatly increased chance of marrying. This will be transformative for her.

We heard the story of Al-Adil Abalallah who had had a road traffic accident and was in danger of losing his leg. As Kalbassou says most people in Chad have little income, there is no social security. Having his leg amputated would mean loss of employment and means of support and would be a big burden for the family. Now he has hope for a full recovery and the possibility of employment. This is transformational. As Kalbassou says, “They come here desperate and leave full of joy!”

And then, of course, there is the transformation that comes from coming to know Christ personally and discovery of new life in Him, the knowledge of sins forgiven, of peace with God and freedom from guilt; of a new purpose in life.

It is not recorded for us in the gospels how people’s lives were turned around through the healing touch of Jesus but we can imagine how the life of the man, in John 9, who had spent years at the Pool of Bethesda was transformed, and how the life of the paralysed man who was brought to Jesus by four friends was completely transformed. How the family of Jairus was transformed by their daughter coming back to life, the man with demons being at peace and in his right mind. What an impact the ministry of Jesus had on people’s lives.

In the same edition of Engage you will find an article by Kang-San Tan, the Director of BMS, setting out the new strategic direction for BMS over the next five years in which they will focus on three directions:

Catalysing networks for multidirectional collaboration
Capacity building of local communities through shared learning
Equipping diverse groups of missional leaders.

Still working amongst the least evangelised and most marginalised regions of the world, and also including a thematic focus on Migrants.

He goes on to point out that the impact will be lives transformed whilst working towards the highest goal of bringing people to faith in Christ. So here it is: this is the evidence of Christ at work: the transformation of people’s lives, spiritually, mentally and physically. This is the mission we are all engaged in and particularly here in Broughty Ferry through Messy Church, Toddler groups and other youth work, through the Meals for Mums and senior Citizens’ outreach, through the Eagles Wings charity for the homeless, through outreach into Romania, through the church plant in Ruma, in Serbia. Each of these actions is to bring transformation into people’s lives, to introduce them to Jesus and his saving power. May the Lord give us grace to continue in this task.

Our closing song is: God of Justice

Closing Prayer:

Thank you Lord for the work of BMS World Mission around the world in sharing the love of God in some particularly challenging locations; this year we thank you for the dedicated staff at Guinebor II Hospital in Chad whose provision of medical services in that region of the country is providing such an important investment in the lives of some of the materially poorest people on the planet. Thank You too that donations from members of churches around the United Kingdom are providing the necessary funding for the work of this hospital. We pray Your blessing on our gifts to the continuation of this work.

Lord thank You also for this new week we have begun. Help us to honour You as we live our daily lives through the enabling power of Your Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Benediction: The Grace

May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God
and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with us all evermore, Amen

Church at Home – 13 September 2020

Intimations

– You may want to use some of the Engage Worship resources for daily worship during this week

– The Messy Church At Home information is now available on our church website www.broughtybaptist.org

– The Baptist Union of Scotland will be continuing the Prayer Livestream at 7.00pm on Sunday 4^th October, 2020. This will be another significant time of national prayer for our family of churches. The link will be available closer to the time on the Baptist Union facebook page.

– JAM Kids’ focus: The Virtual Sunday School. Here is the video for Sunday 13^th September Virtual Sunday School session on the story of Jesus walking on the water (Matthew 14:22-33)

There will also be a Virtual Holiday club coming up. Find out more in this video:

– JAM young adults Ignite Live have a separate programme at 11:15am. Please contact Gary Torbet – garytorbet@btinternet.com for more details.

Call to worship

Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name;
make known among the nations what He has done.
²Sing to Him, sing praise to Him;
tell of all His wonderful acts.
³Glory in His holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
⁴Look to the Lord and His strength;
seek His face always.
Psalm 105: 1-4

We are grateful to Alan McRobbie for selecting the songs for worship for this service.

Our opening song of praise and worship is: We Want to See Jesus Lifted High

Opening prayer:

Once more we are privileged to come into Your holy presence and to do so with joy at our freedom of access into Your presence in the wonderful name of Your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, through whose sacrifice on the cross our sins were forgiven and our welcome into Your family by faith was made possible. Thank you too for the blessed Holy Spirit who first opened our spiritual eyes to see our need of Jesus and helped us to respond to His gracious invitation to trust Him with our whole lives.

We come this morning with thankfulness for all our blessings. Psalm 105 verse 1 has reminded us to Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name; make known among the nations what He has done. Thank You that each child of God has a testimony of Your kindness to us and Your amazing love. Thank you for enabling each one of us to come through the challenges of last week but also we are appreciative of all the good things we can enjoy. Help us in our time together today to honour and glorify You, for Jesus’ sake, Amen.

Let us say together the words Jesus taught His disciples when He said:

‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'”
For Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever Amen.

All Age Talk Alan McRobbie

Video

I’d like to share with you some of the important reasons for being a Christian in God’s church.

Church is the gathering of God’s people. It’s not the building, nor is it the teaching of the Bible or the music because it’s possible to have these things without actually being around other Christians.

Today we can watch YouTube clips, podcasts and other ways of hearing God’s Word and listening to Christian songs, but this is not being a part of God’s church.

Now, some boys, girls and young people may come along to church because their parents say that they should go and there may come at time as you grow a little older when you say “I just don’t want to go to church anymore”, you stop getting involved or even stop going. There may also be times when some adults drift away from church for different reasons.

When we don’t become an active part of church we miss out on God’s people.

One of the reasons church is vital is that meeting together is one of the main ways in which God encourages us in our faith in Him.

We’ve been designed by God to not only need him to grow us as Christians but also designed to need other Christians to help us keep going in following Jesus. We need each other to grow in love for God and for one another and to live in a way that pleases God that flows from our faith, our trust in Jesus Christ.

Jesus says in Matthew that we can’t serve him without serving his people. If we fail to serve his people, we fail to serve Jesus. If we are not amongst God’s people, then we can’t love and care for God’s people.

If we choose not to be amongst God’s people, we will lack the encouragement God has for us to help us grow and we will be failing to help others grow as Christians too.

And not only this, the life and love of God’s people together will have a huge impact on the people outside of the church. People out with the church will see this love and it will be very powerful at drawing them to Jesus too. Not being a part of God’s church means you miss out on leading people to Jesus.

Your church needs you, and you need your church.

Imagine a wood burning stove. Through God’s work in and through the church, the church is like a burning fire in the stove. It’s burning brightly. Growing stronger and brighter fuelling the flame. If we start to drift away from being part of church, we stop attending, we stop loving and caring for the church, we stop serving the church, we stop being involved in the church, we stop praying for the church, we stop giving our money to the church, we may slowly stop growing as a Christian and like an ember taken out of the fire we may eventually go out.

We continue in worship as we sing: You Forgive Me

https://youtu.be/LO-2fm7IKcU

Prayers for others

Dear Lord,

We give thanks for the changing seasons and as summer gives way to autumn, we pray for the ripening of a spiritual harvest for God’s kingdom as well as the harvest being grown in fields across the land. We pray for people across Scotland who may have recently attended an online church service or attended an introductory course in the Christian faith that have had no previous faith connection. We hope and pray that they will come to the place of trusting You as their Lord and Saviour.

We pray also for those people who have lost their jobs at this time and are looking for work. We pray that they will find new employment quickly. We pray for the governments and public health officials at this time who are grappling with the challenges of rising numbers of cases of the covid-19 virus in different parts of the United Kingdom. We ask that You would grant them wisdom to make the right choices at this time.

We pray too for young people from our own church and others around the country who are heading off to university for the first time. We pray that they will settle in to university life quickly despite the challenges of the current pandemic, and that they will keep on with their faith in Christ in the midst of the many temptations which student life can bring.

In our Baptist Union of Scotland we also remember to pray for:

Lighthouse Central, Prestonpans – We pray for this church community as they look to meet online and in much smaller groups in this season. We pray for wisdom and creativity for the church at this time as they seek to be effective witnesses for Jesus in Prestonpans.

Linwood BC – We give thanks for the use of technology and social media that has enabled them to keep in touch with all their members, and friends during this time and for God’s faithfulness. We pray for wisdom as they seek to move forwards following the easing of lockdown and know the best way to serve their community and members, in particular those with no access to the internet.

Lochgilphead BC – We give thanks that their church family continues to keep each other encouraged and connected through phone calls, social media, and limited garden visits. God has shown Himself to be faithful to them in these times. We pray for wisdom for the leadership team as they navigate taking the correct route and time in resuming Sunday worship services in the church premises.

We now pray for other people with particular needs that are connected to our own congregation: In particular, Lord, we rejoice with Fiona McC and her family as they welcome a new grand-daughter Amelia, a sister to Luca, and pray for wisdom and strength for their parents Alison and Craig as they care for them.

We are thankful to God for the office-bearers appointed at our Church AGM last week and pray God’s blessing on Henry Gray as he serves as Church Secretary, Francois de Villiers as he serves as treasurer and Robert Beattie as he serves as Church Chairman.

We remember Peter P as he moves to new accommodation this coming week. We continue to pray for those known to us undergoing medical treatments in hospital and pray for strength for those still waiting to receive operations or other medical treatment at this time.

In addition, we bring our own needs to You at this time …, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, Amen.

Bible reading Matthew 18:21-35

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’ ²²Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

²³‘Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. ²⁵Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. ²⁶‘At this the servant fell on his knees before him. “Be patient with me,” he begged, “and I will pay back everything.” ²⁷The servant’s master took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him go.

²⁸‘But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. “Pay back what you owe me!” he demanded. ²⁹‘His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, “Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.” ³⁰‘But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. ³¹When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

³²‘Then the master called the servant in. “You wicked servant,” he said, “I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. ³³Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” ³⁴In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

³⁵‘This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.’

Before we come to listen to God’s Word let us sing: Before the Throne of God Above

The Message

Matthew 5:7 How should I relate to other people?

Introduction

It has been quite horrifying to see the behaviour of a wide range of people in the street protests in a number of American cities in recent months. From politicians across the political spectrum uttering inflammatory messages or twitter posts; to the ease with which some US police officers shoot civilians dead or members of the public take the law into their own hands and behave in ways we find disturbing.

It was typified recently by the story of the 17 year-old American Kyle Rittenhouse who drove twenty miles from a neighbouring US State with a large powerful gun and took it upon himself to assist in the ‘protecting of property’ in Wisconsin and in so doing killing other people on the street with little regard to the sacredness of life. What was particularly alarming was how many of his fellow citizens found his illegal actions in some way commendable (The Washington Post, 27 August 2020 & other US news media). These actions seemto be so contrary to the teaching of Jesus.

He said: Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy (Matthew 5:7). Words are always spoken and heard in a particular social context. In our context of twenty-first century Britain this beatitude seems to be so easy to understand and obvious as a principle for living. If I want people to be kind to me then I ought to be kind to other people as well. If I choose to be harsh and critical of others consistently when they make mistakes then when I fail what could I expect but the same in return.

Yet this kind of thinking was so uncommon in the Graeco-Roman world in which Jesus preached this message and in which Paul and the other familiar New Testament figures grew up. Aristotle (in his Nicomachean Ethics 8.11.6) one of the greatest thinkers of the ancient world BC may have had some excellent insights on certain subjects but he was certainly a man of his age in his understanding of this subject. ‘The slave’, he wrote’, ‘is no different from a living tool, and what consideration can a tool receive?’

In the context in which he was writing, he was thinking of a slave who had been dispatched by his master to be torn apart by savage lampreys, a jawless fish that gradually rips the flesh off their victims over days or a few weeks, a hideous death. The crime committed to merit such a punishment? Accidently smashing a drinking goblet; the disproportionate nature of such a punishment which horrifies us would have been perceived very differently by most people in the ancient world. Until Constantine became the first Christian Roman Emperor in the early 4^th century AD, there had been a free reign on all forms of cruelty such as disposing of unwanted babies with the other ‘garbage’ by the roadside.

The sick and disabled, together with elderly people, like animals in a similar condition, could be disposed of so why should slaves expect to be treated any better when they were only possessions, having lost their status as humans when they were enslaved.

What is actually more shocking can be contained in personal letters between ordinary couples in the Roman Empire, from the New Testament era. For example in 1BC Hilarion wrote a letter to his wife Alis in Italy. He is working away from home in Alexandria, Egypt. It is an affectionate letter declaring his love for her and hoping all goes well in the remaining months of the pregnancy with respect to the child they have conceived together. He is promising to send some money to her when he gets paid and wishes her ‘good luck’ with the birth but adds: ‘if it is a boy let it live; if it is a girl, throw it out’ (W. Barclay, The Plain Man looks at the Beatitudes, p. 65).

Actually this view is very similar to some of the more extreme public spokespeople for the pro-choice movement who advocate terminations at any stage prior to birth or in a few cases recommend parents being able to choose whether the child is retained or terminated after delivery. The world around us has not changed too much when strong moral foundations are lacking. In Israel of course much stronger moral boundaries were in place at the time Jesus spoke these words, but His message was a more profound and challenging call to exercise this quality in the daily lives of His followers.

1. Our model for mercy: God the Father

There are very few completely original ideas or practices. All of us are deeply indebted to other people whose instruction, guidance and conduct have influenced us in a variety of ways. All of us require boundaries or frameworks in which to construct our lives in relationship with other people. A society without moral boundaries or an agreed ethical framework for governing our daily lives would become closer to a hell on earth rather than a foretaste of heaven! We all want a degree of freedom but it is far from absolute if any country is to function in a civilized manner. Without the acceptance of the rules of the Highway Code, driving a car on the public highway would be a highly dangerous activity, as opposed to the relatively safe form of transport used by many of us throughout the week.

This call to be merciful is grounded in the character of God. In II Corinthians 1:3 Paul writes: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion [mercies] and the God of all comfort. The Greek word used here [oiktirmos] is plural in form and in essence is describing one of the essential characteristics of God. It is a term describing the settled disposition of someone towards others. We are all aware of some individuals who are particularly known for being loving and kind-hearted towards other people. It is natural to gravitate towards someone who treats us in this way.

By contrast, someone who, temperamentally, is always ‘as prickly as a hedgehog’ and disinterested in what is happening in other people’s lives will attract a very different response from most people! However, what we need to grasp is that this attribute of God is an ongoing attitude towards us. It is interesting that this word is one chosen by Paul in Colossians 3:12 where he was encouraging these fairly new believers in western Turkey to live in a way that is pleasing to God. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

God the Father has shown this characteristic in His relationship with His people over the centuries as Jeremiah admitted in Lamentations 3:22: Because of the Lord’s great love [mercies] we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. In that context the Jewish nation was under judgement because of its sinfulness and all its leading figures were either dead or taken into exile in Babylon and its capital city Jerusalem was in ruins. Yet the prophet was convinced that without the Lord’s care for them as His people things could have been even more difficult. It is the same characteristic of God’s character picked up by the Israelites who had returned to the land in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah.

In words taken from prayers of confession of their personal and national past failings in Nehemiah 9:16-20, this conviction is clearly seen.

‘But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and they did not obey your commands. ¹⁷They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles You performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore You did not desert them, ¹⁸even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, “This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,” or when they committed awful blasphemies.

¹⁹‘Because of Your great compassion You did not abandon them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. ²⁰You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold Your manna from their mouths, and You gave them water for their thirst.

God did not treat them as their conduct merited, but showed amazing love and mercy to them. God in each generation is compassionate to His people treating us better than we deserve. Each time we sincerely seek His mercy and forgiveness He responds to our request and grants us our petition. Our heavenly Father has modeled for us a pattern for us to follow in our relationships with one another.

This is why in the pattern of prayer Jesus taught His followers we pray: And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors (Matthew 6:12). Notice the crucial word here ‘as’; if we are not compassionate to our brothers and sisters then we are saying Lord hold me accountable by not forgiving me when I seek your mercy and grace. Do we need to ask ourselves: Lord is there anyone whose past failings I am not willing to forgive and forget and bury in the past, but which you want me to let go of today? Help me to follow Your example and demonstrate a likeness to Your heart of compassion to me towards other people, especially towards…?

2. Our example practicing mercy: Jesus

Our own conduct is modelled on the conduct of Jesus.

(a) In His life and ministry One of the terms in the New Testament particularly associated with the Lord Jesus was His compassion for needy people. In a summary statement drawn up by Matthew to describe the motivation for Jesus’ ministry in Matthew 9:35-36, he wrote:Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and illness. ³⁶When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

This is a different Greek word (splagchnizomai) that is used of the emotions. We speak of someone ‘wearing their heart on their sleeve’, that is they cannot hide their feelings; in addition, you can see it in their facial expressions and visual responses to your conversations with them. When Jesus saw needy people He could not avoid feeling an emotional response of deep concern for their plight. Matthew indicates that this was Jesus’ normal or regular attitudes to the large crowds that gathered to hear Him speak or perform some mighty miracles. It was also directed towards individuals.

On one occasion when passing through the tiny village of Nain, Jesus and His followers encountered a funeral procession. It was a widow whose husband had died some time previously, but her adult son had taken care of here. However, he had now died also and her plight was serious as she had no visible means of support. In a society without any welfare provision this might mean the difference between life and death.

In Luke 7:13 we have the recorded response of Jesus to this needy individual. When the Lord saw her, His heart went out to her [He felt compassion for her] and He said, ‘Don’t cry.’ In this context Jesus will perform one of His most amazing miracles in raising the deceased man from the dead.

We may never experience personally such an amazing answer to our prayers –in terms of physical resurrections from the dead, though I trust we will see many spiritual resurrections of people coming to faith in Jesus through our witness –hopefully even in this coming year! Yet the model of the settled disposition of the Father towards us and the ongoing emotional approach of our Lord and Saviour towards needy people around Him give us a clear indication of how He wishes us to treat our fellow human beings.

(b)In His death on the cross There are many religions in the world today inviting us to follow different pathways to God, in common inviting us to ‘do’ something to earn our salvation. In contrast the Christian Gospel at its heart contains a different message it invites a response to something that has been ‘done’ for us, in the person of Jesus Christ. It was an example to demonstrate to the world that God’s way of working is so different from that of sinful humanity.

The mercy of God in Christ to us demonstrated at the cross that sin was not avoided or evaded; God was not pretending not to notice our predicament, but fulfilling simultaneously His requirement for justice to address the problem of sin and His desire to love sinners who needed the gift of salvation. Sinful humanity recoils from the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross, because it neither takes seriously the problem of human sinfulness nor proposes any acceptable way of atoning for it. The followers of Jesus tried to deflect Him from fulfilling the calling given to Him by God the Father.

In the first instance, Simon Peter while acknowledging His identity questioned His mission in the famous discussion at Caesarea Philippi. Matthew 16:21-24 states:

From that time on Jesus began to explain to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. ²²Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. ‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to You!’ ²³Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to Me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.’ ²⁴Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me. ²⁵For whoever wants to save their lifewill lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will find it.

Jesus firmly rebutted Peter’s remarks. Even in Gethsemane some disciples appeared willing to have a go at fighting to prevent Jesus’ arrest and inevitable crucifixion. What did He say in response to their actions? Matthew 26:52-54 states:

‘Put your sword back in its place,’ Jesus said to him, ‘for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. ⁵³Do you think I cannot call on My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? ⁵⁴But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?’

Even when suffering the agonies of crucifixion Jesus still had time to pray for those who viewed themselves as His enemies. In Luke 23:34 there are these remarkable words: Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. A view repeated in the preaching of the apostles in the years that followed (for example, Acts 3:17-18).

In Romans 5:8-11 the apostle Paul wrote: But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.⁹Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him! ¹⁰For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life! ¹¹Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

God’s amazing grace should be a source of wonder and amazement to us for the rest of our lives; that the Son of God would go to such lengths to save me. When we truly grasp something of the depth of His wonderful love for us it will impact significantly how we treat other people when they fail. Sin must always be dealt with, but the aim is always to offer mercy and grace with a view to reconciliation with God and other people, and not to dump great quantities of judgement on someone who has failed.

3. Our call to action to be merciful

The third word associated with this character quality in the Bible is the one chosen by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in this beatitude. This word (eleeo) is in some respects a strong one because it is not simply a statement of how we might feel about someone’s plight, but it also is used to describe the actions of someone in response to a recognized need.

There are far more situations of need that we will encounter than we can ever even think about getting involved in. In fact we can be overwhelmed by the plight of several million Syrian refugees, for example. However, if our response to an awareness of needy people was exclusively emotional and had no practical outworking then something would be wrong.

In I John 3:16-18 the aged apostle wrote:¹⁶This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. ¹⁷If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? ¹⁸Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

James in his letter, one of the earliest New Testament writings is also extremely clear about the implications of this truth for followers of Jesus. In James 2:14-17 he wrote: What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? ¹⁵Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

This is not a new idea in the New Testament because it was also commended in the Old Testament era as well. Psalm 37:21 reminds us of this fact. The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously. Interestingly verse 26 of the same Psalm picks up on this theme and indicates that a family and we could say by extension a church family, that practices this quality will see it flourish in the younger members of that community, because they have seen it modeled and lived out by their elders. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing (Psalm 37:26). Our words are important, but our examples are most influential of all.

The question is what do I now need to do? In Matthew 18:21-35 Jesus illustrated this point with the parable of the unforgiving servant.

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’ ²²Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. ²³‘Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. ²⁵Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

²⁶‘At this the servant fell on his knees before him. “Be patient with me,” he begged, “and I will pay back everything.” ²⁷The servant’s master took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him go. ^{2 8}‘But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. “Pay back what you owe me!” he demanded.²⁹‘His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, “Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.”

³⁰‘But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. ³¹When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. ³²‘Then the master called the servant in. “You wicked servant,” he said, “I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. ³³Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” ³⁴In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

³⁵‘This is how My heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.’

Whose past do you need to forgive and not bring up again? One of the biggest tragedies in Evangelical Churches too often has been a failure to work through and live out the radical Gospel of grace. Jesus said: Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy (Matthew 5:7). In which context or contexts do you and I need to act in this way in the coming days? May we respond to the guiding and prompting of the Holy Spirit on this matter, for Jesus’ sake, Amen.

Our song before we come to communion is: ‘Oh to see the dawn – the power of the Cross’

The Lord’s Supper

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: the Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ ²⁵In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ ²⁶For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

Prayer: Choose your own words of prayer to give thanks for the bread and wine that represent the costly gift of His body and blood for us.

Take the bread: Jesus said: ‘This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.

Take the wine: Jesus said: This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’

Our closing song is: Holy Holy Holy

Closing Prayer:

Lord thank You for modelling for us the way we ought to live. Help us to honour You in our attitudes and actions this week. We want to be people of grace and humility who wish to be compassionate and caring to those in need in our communities, reflecting something of the character of Jesus. When we are finding things really hard, we ask in advance for the help of the Holy Spirit to strengthen and encourage us to do all we need to do, in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Benediction: The Grace

May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God
and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with us all evermore, Amen

Wednesday Service – 9 September 2020

As I’m sure you are all aware, due to lockdown restrictions our church building has been closed and we haven’t been able to meet together in person. However as restrictions have eased we were able to hold a mid week Covid-safe service and it was enjoyed by those who attended. Particularly for those who haven’t been able to attend the Zoom service or access online material. Here are the notes from the service.

Broughty Ferry Baptist Church 11am service PBC 9 September 2020

Welcome: It is so good to see you back in our church building, the first time since Sunday March 15^th2020.

Opening Scripture verses: The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. ²He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, ³He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake. (Psalm 23:1-3)

Opening praise: The Lord’s my Shepherd Please listen to these words on screen

The Lord’s my shepherd, I’ll not want;
He makes me down to lie
In pastures green; He leadeth me
The quiet waters by.

My soul He doth restore again,
And me to walk doth make
Within the paths of righteousness,
E’en for His own name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk in death’s dark vale,
Yet will I fear no ill:
For Thou art with me, and Thy rod
And staff me comfort still.

My table Thou hast furnished
In presence of my foes;
My head Thou dost with oil anoint
And my cup overflows.

Goodness and mercy all my life
Shall surely follow me;
And in God’s house for evermore
My dwelling-place shall be.

Opening prayer: Lord it is a real joy to be back here in this church today with some of our brothers and sisters in Christ in this congregation. We thank You for all Your amazing grace to us during these difficult and very challenging months we have already faced. As we recall our Bible verse for the year, it reminds us that nothing takes You by surprise, even if it certainly did so with us. Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, ²¹to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Father these words so encourage us as we continue in uncertain times, but You have provided for us in this time of need in these past months and will do so again as we go forward. We ask for Your blessing on our time of worship as we gather in Jesus’s name, Amen.

Scripture reading: Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
²    He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
³    He refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for His name’s sake.
⁴Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff,
    they comfort me.

⁵You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
⁶Surely Your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Intercessory prayer using Psalm 23:

Heavenly Father, we live in a very troubled world with violence and killing of our fellow Christians in a growing number of particularly Muslim-majority countries. We continue to be conscious of many needs in our own land too and pray for wisdom for our governments in Edinburgh and London as they grapple with the ever more complex demands of both restraining the spread of the virus as well as allowing the economy to get going again and ensure that many people’s livelihoods can be spared. We pray for the necessary assistance to be provided for the several hundred thousand who have already lost jobs, but thank God that the emergency measures that included the furlough scheme has saved many more businesses from closing. As we pray for others we also come to pray for ourselves using the 23rd Psalm to assist us. I will pray briefly on a point and then pause in silence for you to add your own silent prayers:

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall lack nothing… Thank you Lord that despite all the challenges we have faced for Your provision for my needs. In particular, Lord, I want to thank you for… [private prayer]

He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul… Lord, we have had our legitimate concerns about many things, but we thank you for the wonderful assurance of Your presence with us. For Your peace that passes understanding that guards our hearts and minds. In particular Lord, I want to praise You for Your assurance to me when I was struggling with …. In recent weeks or months [private prayer]

He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake…. Thank you Lord for your guidance in these past months in the choices I have made. However, Lord I want to ask for further guidance for things I am facing just now or coming up in the near future [private prayer]

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil,for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.Lord during this lockdown we honestly admit that we have struggled with being unable to visit friends or family who were unwell or in hospital; we may even have shed tears because we were unable to visit friends or family members in the last weeks or months of their lives and may even have had to miss their funerals too. Lord, I bring before You the people and circumstances that have come to my mind… [private prayer]

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows. Lord thank You that even in the times when there were some food shortages in the supermarkets at the beginning of the pandemic that I always had enough food to eat, and enough of other essential goods. You are Jehovah Jireh, the one who provides for us. Lord, we bring before You today our own needs, together with other people’s needs known to us; for those struggling with lower or no incomes; for those searching for employment; for young people going off to university at this time, and any other needs on our hearts that we want to pray about today. [private prayer]

Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Lord we honestly don’t know how long our days will be in this life. We remember the families of Ian Rodgers and Bill Marshall, John Goodfellow and John Nyguist and Jim Ford who have entered Your presence since last we met here in this place. Lord we pray for them together with …. [private prayers]

Thank you Lord that You will hear and answer our prayers, for Jesus’ sake, Amen.

Message from Psalm 23:1-2 ‘Contented sheep of the good shepherd’

Closing song: ‘Crown Him with many crowns’ Please listen to these words on screen

Closing prayer: Thank you Lord for our blessings. We never thought we would be so grateful to be back in the church premises for today’s service. Thank You that You go before us each step of the way in our lives to guide and direct our pathways. We entrust to You what is in store for us in the coming days, for Jesus’s sake, Amen.

Benediction: The Grace

May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God
and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore, Amen

Our next service is planned for the same time on Wednesday 23^rd September at 11am.

Sunday 6 September 2020 – Church at Home

Intimations

– You may want to use some of these resources for daily worship during this week

– The Messy Church At Home information is now available on our church website www.broughtybaptist.org

– JAM Kids’ focus: The Virtual Sunday School. Today’s session is a focus on the story of David and Goliath.

– JAM young adults Ignite Live have a separate programme at 11:15am on Sunday on the Zoom platform –parents of teenagers can get a link code by contacting Gary Torbet on garytorbet@btinternet.com

– Sunday Evening Prayer Livestream 7.00pm. We will be continuing the Prayer Livestream at 7.00pm on Sunday 6 September 2020. This will be another significant time of national prayer for us. Please join in and, if you don’t already do so, would you let your fellowship know about this and put it on your social media. The link to access the event is https://www.facebook.com/scottishbaptist/live/

Call to worship: Psalm 98

Sing to the Lord a new song,
    for He has done marvellous things;
His right hand and His holy arm
    have worked salvation for Him.
²The Lord has made His salvation known
    and revealed His righteousness to the nations.
³He has remembered His love
    and His faithfulness to Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
    the salvation of our God.

⁴Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,
    burst into jubilant song with music;
⁵make music to the Lord with the harp,
    with the harp and the sound of singing,
⁶with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn –
    shout for joy before the Lord, the King.

⁷Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
    the world, and all who live in it.
⁸Let the rivers clap their hands,
    let the mountains sing together for joy;
⁹let them sing before the Lord,
    for He comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
    and the peoples with equity.

We are grateful to Kevin Clark for selecting the songs for worship for this service

Our opening song of praise and worship is: ‘To God be the glory’

Opening prayer:

Our loving heavenly father we come into Your holy presence today with hearts full of thankfulness to You for all the blessings and encouragements we have received over this past week. For some of us we thank You for answers to prayer and things going well. For others we come grateful for the needed grace to keep going in the midst of very hard times. Thank You that despite the difficulties we are going through we have been enabled to persevere through to this the start of another new week.

We come before You today confessing our sins and asking afresh for Your forgiveness for them. Once more we ask for the fresh empowering of Your Holy Spirit as we prepare for another week at school, work or our other regular routines. Help us to honour You as we gather for worship and come to read, listen to and respond to the proclamation of the message from the Bible, for Jesus’ sake we pray Amen.

Let us say together the words Jesus taught His disciples when He said:

‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'”
For Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever Amen.

All Age Talk – Moraig Piggot

So this morning we are think about how life has big decisions, but one outweighs all the rest. If we don’t prioritize it above all else, nothing else matters. I wonder from this list which one would you order from most important to least important:

Do homework
Spend time with friends
Attend sports practice
Go to youth group
Call friends
Sleep a lot
Read Bible
Go to class
Talk with family
Eat a lot
Become a Christian
Shop
Watch TV
Do chores
Pray
Go to church
Help a friend in trouble

Its difficult isn’t it because a lot of these would be really important to us. Well in the bible there is a story about two ladies would argue about what was important in life. Lets watch it:

In this story we are reminded as Jesus said that only one thing matters and that is God. Our relationship with God should be our priority over everything else. If our love for God is the central piece of our lives, then everything else will sort itself out.

Now it can be tricky because we have got to decide what, or who, will be number one in our life. Many of us want Jesus plus something else. We’re afraid that we may, somehow, be restricted. When we come to know Jesus and count Him as Lord, we give up everything. The funny thing is, when we do that, we realize we’ve never had it so good. He takes what we’ve given to Him and He reforms it, reshapes it, adds new meaning to it, and gives it back to us in a new way.

So this week let’s have a think about what maybe is out of priority in our lives? It’s time to rearrange our priorities – and recapture our joy.

We continue in worship as we sing: ‘Jesus strong and kind’

Prayers for others

Dear Lord,

We pray for countries such as Thailand, Pakistan and Bangladesh that are having to deal with the effects of the monsoon season and problems with flooding as well as the Covid-19 pandemic. Pray for wisdom for those in government in these monsoon-affected countries.

We pray for the people affected by the hurricane in Louisiana and Texas in America, and especially for the families of the many Christians slaughtered by Islamist militias in Nigeria and the families of the more than 500 Christians targeted for killing by Islamic extremists in Ethiopia in recent weeks.

We remember the other countries in the world where there are much higher numbers of cases of covid-19 virus than our own country and pray that their governments will soon be able to get this problem under control. We give thanks for those at the cutting edge of science working flat out to find treatments and a vaccine. We pray that God would send wisdom, direction and scientific breakthroughs

We remember in our own country the people affected by the recent virus outbreaks. We thank You that the testing and tracing regime appears to be working more effectively across the UK. We pray for wisdom for the management teams at the schools and workplaces in our city and region that have experienced positive test results that they will be able to adjust effectively to safeguard the health and wellbeing of those under their care.

In our Baptist Union of Scotland we also remember to pray for:

Scottish Baptist Lay Preachers’ Association – We give thanks for the ministry of the SBLPA, particularly during this time as preaching and pulpit supply will have been provided via video/online. We pray for the SBPLA as they continue to support our churches, as well as other denominations, in their preaching ministry and development of younger leaders.

We also pray for the Lead Academy learning communities during this challenging time. We pray that these church leadership teams may soon be able to meet online or eventually in person so that they can continue developing their vision and learning together.

Lerwick BC – We give thanks for the ministry of Lerwick Baptist Church in Shetland. We pray that the congregation know God’s presence with them in the months ahead in their work and witness in their community.

Leslie BC – We give thanks for the first year with their new pastor. They are in the process of expanding their building that will be completed early in 2021. We pray for its successful completion and the opportunity for them to draw closer to God, one another and their community during this process.

Leven BC – They thank God for His presence and people’s adaptability during this lockdown period. In this emerging season, they would appreciate prayer for God’s wisdom for developing new things, for those from teenage years to their 40s.

We pray for a number of families seeking to help some of their older members make the best plans for their future care needs. We pray for Elizabeth F and her sister to recover full health and strength after a recent car accident. We pray for Rachel, John and Ann S’s niece as she recovers from brain surgery. We also pray for Alan McR as he leads the third week of the new introductory course in the Christian Faith that starts on Tuesday evening on the zoom platform.

We also remember … In addition, we bring our own needs to You at this time …, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, Amen.

Bible readings Psalm 42:1-5 and Luke 10:38-42

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, my God. ²My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? ³My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’

⁴These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng. ⁵Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Saviour and my God. (Psalm 42:1-5)

As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him. ³⁹She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said.

⁴⁰But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’ ⁴¹‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴²but few things are needed – or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’ (Luke 10:38-42)

Before we come to listen to God’s Word let us sing: ‘I want to walk with Jesus Christ’

The Message

Matthew 5:6 Getting our priorities right

Introduction

The Sermon on the Mount, the teaching contained in Matthew chapters five to seven, was directly address to people who claimed to have put their faith and trust in Jesus. In other words they are people who have already begun to follow Jesus. The beatitudes are deeply challenging as they act like a mirror for our hearts and affections, to reflect on our priorities and desires, none more so than in this particular verse.

Jesus declared: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled (Matthew 5:6). This is the most intensely active of these sayings and provides an opportunity to look within our own lives and see how we are progressing in the way Jesus wants us to live. Jesus has already raised a challenge to us in earlier beatitudes about our views of ourselves and in certain respects our attitudes, but in the earlier ones there is a more passive element of seeing what God is doing in our lives in changing us to be more like Jesus, whereas here He turns from what we are like within –albeit with a lot of room for further progress!

To what we do; a person in whose life God is at work will have an awareness of their own sinfulness, in fact the more holy we become the more acutely we will be aware of it. We know that in ordinary life. Looking at some windows in your house at night, looking at the same window on a cloudy day in daylight and then looking at the same windows in direct sunlight will be a very different experience. Only in the latter scenario do we really see how clean they are! The intensity of the sun’s rays brings to light the remaining dirt on the window that we may have missed when cleaning them, maybe only minutes earlier!

1. The context of natural hunger

In our world today there are people who die of hunger and thirst. Several hundred million day- labourers in significant parts of the two-thirds world are living a very precarious existence at the moment with a loss of employment and its income.

If we think it is not a problem here at all remember around 250 of the staff in the factory with the virus outbreak in Coupar Angus were on zero-hours contracts. No work meant no income. What does two week’s self-isolation mean in that context to those workers from other countries with no money to buy food? This is a real example close to home. There was a solution of course available in our city, but it appears not all of these individuals were aware of it.

Others suffer because of economic mismanagement or through living in war zones and others affected by climate change. What is so appalling about this problem is that there is no need for anyone to go hungry or to go without access to adequate amounts of clean water, as humanity in the twenty-first century has the means to address this issue very quickly – if there is the will to do so. It has been distressing in recent weeks to have messages and phone calls from people overseas who have no food. Some who were not looking for help only wanted someone to listen to their difficulties, but others were begging for help that I was not in a position to provide.

However, until roughly the last hundred years this was not so. In the world of two thousand years ago the majority of people could not be certain of adequate supplies of food and water. Many people were day-labourers, who hoped to get work each day, but were not guaranteed it. No work might mean no food for your family for the next day.

A farmer whose crop failed might fear weeks of inadequate supplies; a fisherman who caught nothing with his small net on the Sea of Galilee would likewise know the pangs of hunger. Various scholars have estimated that the typical family of that time would have only had access to meat once a week due both to its scarcity and its cost. Only the rich could afford something approaching a balanced diet. In the first half of the nineteenth century in Scotland the growing population in the north-west highlands and island, in some communities, was living almost exclusively on potatoes or kelp (seaweed); when a serious disease destroyed much of the potato crops in some years starvation was a real issue there, albeit not on the scale of the potato famine in Ireland.

Food scarcity was a major factor that led many people to emigrate to other countries; especially North America; Our world, and especially the provision of food in western supermarkets would have been unimaginable to the people listening to Jesus that day. For almost all of them genuine hunger and thirst would have been part of life they took for granted. We must hear these words of Jesus in such a context if we are to grasp the intensity of his message to us. In effect Jesus was saying: ‘Blessed are those who desire righteousness in the way a starving person longs for food and a thirsty person wilting under the Middle-Eastern sun desires cool refreshing water.’

2. The importance of spiritual hunger

(a)The Old Testament background Jesus was speaking in a way that echoed various Old Testament passages. Listen to some of them. For example, Psalm 42:1-2: As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. ²My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? Or Psalm 63:1: You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.

Do we not feel a little embarrassed that the Psalmist’s language is a bit over the top here! Surely God doesn’t expect me to be that intense about my relationship with Him – does He? There is a parallel to human relationships. Imagine you have fallen in love with someone and they are asking you to call them or visit them and you are thinking or may even say: ‘Do I have to this week?’ I suspect there might be a bit of a reaction!

Now in a long-term friendship or a marriage that has stood the test of time the depth of commitment may be less visible to other people because it is less outwardly demonstrative – as other ways may demonstrate that practical love and commitment, but it is genuine and alive! However, may God the Holy Spirit give each of us an intensity of desire to live for Him and to fellowship with Him. Sometimes, though, God’s people had to be recalled to their first love for God and what really mattered in life. They had been so busy with lesser things that they had forgotten what was most important.

(b) The New Testament challenge The challenge Jesus was giving His disciples was very simple. Do you desire righteousness with the intensity of desire with which a starving person seeks food or a thirsty person water?

I know looking into my own heart that the answer I have to give is not that often at that level. I have had such times; and recalled a couple of times in preparing this message in my undergraduate years when I took time out to wrestle with some major spiritual and doctrinal issues that have been formative in my spiritual journey in the decades that followed. I thank God that I have fairly consistently had a desire for righteousness, but too often it falls short of the standard Jesus commends to us here.

Maintaining the intensity of spiritual desire here is like maintaining physical fitness in the gym or some other similar facility. It is a daily discipline that is with us each week, month and year of our lives. We can never reach a position of total comfort and be serious about what we are doing.Yet do I have that hunger for spiritual food, for meeting with God in my daily devotions or with His people collectively in worship services? I was born a month premature, but also the birth process did not go to plan and I was almost got out too late! What is more I was so weak and exhausted I wanted only to sleep; in that situation I had no desire for the milk I needed to stay alive no matter how hard my mother tried to persuade me to do so. My greatest need in that context was my mother’s milk but in my fragile state it was not top of my priority list! As a premature baby I had a reasonable explanation for my choice of actions!

However, in spiritual terms there are Christians at various stages of the Christian life who have either never truly possessed or who have lost their hunger for spiritual food. To ask ourselves today how much does it really matter whether I have my time with God in daily prayer and reading and reflecting on His Word? It doesn’t have to be a long time ‘quality time over quantity time – any time’! Do I safeguard those few moments each day because I treasure my time with the Lord? I suspect all of us will confess as Christians that there are days when we need to challenge ourselves on this matter? How seriously do I safeguard time in God’s house on His day as a priority to start the week with Him – only missing when I genuinely cannot avoid it?

The question to ask ourselves might be this: ‘Lord on what area of my life do I need to work most to gain a greater hunger for righteousness, for spending time with you?’ Or maybe you have been on the Christian pathway for some time and you need to confess that you have lost your passion for righteousness and need to rekindle that affection and earnest desire for the Lord’s presence.

(c) The New Testament calling (i) Priorities In Luke 10:38-42 we have a familiar story to many of us: As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’ ⁴¹‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴²but few things are needed – or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’

Now we must not misrepresent the passage to portray Jesus’ message here as saying there are two types of Christians here; some who ‘do’ things for Jesus and others who ‘spent time with Jesus’ as if there were two exclusive categories here. The work in each area of Christian service needs to happen from evangelism to property maintenance; from personal discipleship to stewarding rotas and a whole lot more! The question is about our motivation of heart why we are doing what we are doing.

It has to be Jesus at the centre –looking to Him, growing in Him and serving Him. We must regularly remind ourselves what it is all about as well as each other so that when choices have to be made we don’t lose our focus. In the busyness of life we cannot be too busy to spend time with Him. Yet Christians can do that –all of us. In the busyness of Christian ministry the focus on ‘doing’ God’s work can dominate to such an extent that time alone with the Lord can be squeezed out.

If we do not invest in our own spiritual lives we will dry up as Christians and our dedication to duty will eventually become lifeless and spiritually arid. Living for Jesus at its essence is quite simple of putting God first and thinking of others as well as ourselves; however, it only happens in practice when we consciously set out our priorities and stick with them. In Matthew 6:33 Jesus gave this challenge: But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Am I doing that today? Are you doing that today?

(ii) Discipline Paul’s words about our contribution to growing as a Christian in Philippians 2:12-13 will always be a challenge. Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil His good purpose. In I Timothy 6:11-12 he wrote: But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. ¹²Fight [agwnizou lit. agonise!] the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

This is strong active language of intentional, dedicated, spiritual discipline. It will often not be easy to live our lives as the Lord would have us do. Like a serious sports-person we have to have self-discipline over our choices in life – if our lives are to accomplish what God intends us to do. There are a small number of Christians over the centuries who have accomplished amazing things for God. Ordinary people whose lives are wholly dedicated to Him will always achieve more than a high gifted individual who fails to give God the place He deserves in their lives. What do you aspire to accomplish for God before you leave this life?

3. A Spiritual health check

There are times when we need a medical to check the general state of our health. Our cars get an M.O.T. test annually to see if they are roadworthy. Doing a personal spiritual health-check from time to time can also be a good idea!

This verse is a profound reality check as we look within our hearts. Jesus said: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled (Matthew 5:6). The simple question to ask is this? Am I spiritually hungry? Do I want to get to know God better? Do I want to find our more from His Word? Do I want to get closer to Him through prayer? Do I want to sense His presence with me more clearly? Does it thrill my heart to hear of someone committing their life to Christ? Do I rejoice when I hear of someone who has come back to the Lord? Am I grieved by the coldness of my own heart towards the Lord at times or by that of other people who once walked with Him but who are no longer even present with His people in His house? Do I have a heart to pray for people who need Jesus and to keep at it year after year until I hear they have come to Christ? Do I have a willing heart to serve the Lord when opportunities come up to give my gifts or time in His service?

In I Peter 2:1-3 the apostle wrote these words: Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. ²Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, ³now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

A living and healthy baby is hungry for physical nourishment. The child of God will be hungry for spiritual nourishment. Ask yourself: am I growing in my faith? How have I progressed since this time last year? Or over some other time scale; we must not expect to record dramatic progress every year but like a healthy tree that shows in its rings that it grows each year there should be some progress in our walk with the Lord.

Is this something you need to pay attention to at this time? How we may encourage each other to progress? There is a place for having a fellow Christian or Christians as a kind of accountability partner whom we give permission to them to ask us –how are you getting on in your Christian faith? This can be through some form of mentoring. The pathway discipleship programme that we have offered in the church may be something you may benefit from in 2020 or 2021? Or there are books we could read with profit or podcasts to listen to –some many choices.

4. What I should be desiring most?

Jesus said: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled (Matthew 5:6). Righteousness or holiness is what we ought to seek most. Hebrews 12:14 states: Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

This is not an optional extra for super-saints with polished halos, but a call or every man and woman, boy and girl who wants to live a life pleasing to the Lord. Now a Christian has been saved through Jesus’ sacrifice for us and His perfect righteousness was credited to our account to bring us into fellowship, with God.

However, we also have a calling to live a disciplined Christ-centred lives. Jesus must have shocked His hearers later in the Sermon on the Mount when, in Matthew 5:17-20 He declared:

‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. ¹⁸For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

¹⁹Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practises and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Did He mean we must have a longer list of ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ than they did? No! that would be impossible; what began centuries earlier with practical guidance for living in a God-honouring way in exile in Babylon had become an unmanageable series of volumes of thousands of rules and regulations that required professional scribes to keep a track of them all. If sincerity alone got you into heaven they would have been first in the queue. If that is not what it means then what is Jesus asking of us?

It is a conscious determination to honour Him and live for Him in each area of our lives with the highest integrity. In our attitudes, speech and conduct in the workplace; as we socialize, in our homes or wherever we are to conduct ourselves in a way that is pleasing to Him. Notice the intentionality and responsibility for making the effort. It doesn’t happen while we sleep! No matter what it is, to be good at something requires effort. I remember a newspaper article some years ago on Nick Faldo the well-known British golfer of a former generation who had great success in his career, but at one particular time was going through a rough patch and not hitting the ball particularly well. The article reported that he stayed on day after day practicing till his hands were bleeding determined to correct whatever the problem had been. We could multiply these examples from the fields of sport, arts and music, together with other whose dedication to academic studies has accomplished in time great things. There are no short-cuts to becoming like Jesus.

Our Lord was issuing here a challenge across our daily lives –do you and I want it enough to please God in our lives day by day? Psalm 84:11-12 encourages us with these words: …the Lord bestows favour and honour; no good thing does He withhold from those whose way of life is blameless. ¹²Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in You.

Have you and I missed out on some blessings because we have set too low a standard to aim for as a Christian? But our motivation is not just to please Him in this life –one day we will be with Him for ever. What was this goal? – to live in a way now that when I see the Lord that I will be satisfied that I have honoured Him as well as I can in each area of my life.

In I Corinthians 10:31-33 Paul expressed it in words more readily grasped. So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. ³²Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God – ³³even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. If we endeavour however inadequately to have similar goals then we are hungering and thirsting for righteousness, and will receive the blessing on God on our lives. May that be our life-long goal, for Jesus’ sake, Amen.

Our song before we come to communion is: ‘Here is love vast as the ocean’

The Lord’s Supper

Prayer: Choose your own words of prayer to give thanks for the bread and wine that represent the costly gift of His body and blood for us.

Take the bread: Jesus said: ‘This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.

Take the wine: Jesus said: This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’

Our closing song is: ‘And can it be’

Closing Prayer:

Thank You Lord for the privilege of being called Your children and invited to follow the pattern of life Jesus modelled for us two thousand years ago. Help us this week in all the circumstances we experience to live in a way pleasing to You, in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Benediction: The Grace

May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with us all evermore, Amen

Life and the Christian Faith course

Starting Tuesday 25th August, 7.30pm on Zoom. Get in touch if you would like to join in or would like more information. Jesus offers us hope and a future, even in these uncertain times.

Church at Home – Sunday 23 August 2020

Intimations

You may want to use some of these resources for daily worship during this week.

The Messy Church At Home information is now available on our church website www.broughtybaptist.org

JAM Kids’ focus: The Virtual Sunday School – ‘Jonah and the Big Fish in the Bathroom’

JAM young adults Ignite Live have a separate programme at 11:15am on the Zoom platform –parents of teenagers can get a link code by contacting Gary Torbet on garytorbet@btinternet.com

We will be continuing the Prayer Livestream at 7.00pm on Sunday 23 August 2020. This will be another significant time of national prayer for us. Please join in and, if you don’t already do so, would you let your fellowship know about this and put it on your social media. The link to access the event is https://www.facebook.com/scottishbaptist/live/

Call to worship: Psalm 100

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
²Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
³Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

⁴Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵For the Lord is good and his love endures for ever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

We are grateful to Margaret Clark for selecting the songs for worship for this service

Our opening song of praise and worship is: There’s a place where the streets shine:

Opening prayer:

Heavenly Father, once more we come with joy into Your holy presence today.

We are so thankful for all Your kindness to us during these difficult months we have been experiencing this year. Lord we thank You, that You hear our cries in our times of need and although it may take much longer than we would like to get answers, we know that You will hear and answer our prayers.

Once more we come with a sense of expectancy to offer our praises and thanksgiving for all our blessings of health and strength and the provision of a roof over our heads and food on the table and so much more besides. We come with thankful hearts to You today. We also come confessing our sin and asking for Your forgiveness. Purify our hearts and fill us afresh with Your Holy Spirit as we start another new week, for Jesus’ sake we pray Amen.

Let us say together the words Jesus taught His disciples when He said:

‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever Amen. ‘

Our second song is ‘Lord you hear the cry (Lord have mercy)’

Prayers for others

Dear Lord,

We come before you to pray for a world of so much pain and suffering. We remember the ongoing heartache of the people of Yemen living in the midst of famine and the violence of war that has claimed so many lives. Lord have mercy upon them.

We remember the country of Syria seriously ravaged by the Covid-19 virus pandemic that is claiming so many lives. We particularly bring before you the family and church family in Aleppo of the inspirational Christian doctor and bi-vocational pastor of Aleppo Baptist Church, Jani Haddad, who died last week of the virus.

We thank you for his courageous leadership on the frontlines in that city and the opportunity a few of us in this church had to meet him six years ago in Dundee and elsewhere. We pray that the unjust sanctions regime being applied against Syria that prevents many essential medicines being obtained by their health service will soon be lifted. Lord have mercy upon them.

We pray too for the people of Lebanon. Words fail us to describe the tragedy to fall upon Beirut with the devastation that has been visited upon mile after mile of urban communities. We ask that You would open the hearts of the international community to provide both the aid to alleviate the suffering, together with pressure to see a reform of the political system that has been so disastrous in recent years. We are encouraged to see the visionary contribution to aiding the suffering being played by the churches in Beirut, despite so many of their own buildings being damaged or destroyed. Lord have mercy upon them.

We pray too in the United Kingdom for the young people and their families coping with the problems associated with grading their studies by the examining authorities. We pray for peace of mind as they together with schools, colleges and universities try to sort out the mess that has taken place. We hope that each young person will obtain a viable pathway to achieve their proposed course of studies or chosen form of employment. Lord have mercy upon them.

In our Baptist Union of Scotland we also remember to pray for:

King’s Park BC – They are grateful for the different forms of technology that have helped them keep in touch with one another and to reach out to people that don’t or cannot normally attend services in their building. We pray for those, who in partnership with Cambuslang and Rutherglen Reachout Trust, will be hosting a virtual Holiday Club in August. We also pray that children in their area will register and engage with this opportunity.

Kintore Community Church (Hillview, Aberdeen, Church Plant) – We are thankful that their church family have been able to stay relatively connected throughout the lockdown, and have found ways to serve their local schools and community. We pray for God to give them wisdom and favour as they begin to reengage with each other and their community in person. And that they would see many in their community come to faith.

Kirkintilloch BC – We thank God that despite the pandemic their Food bank and Christians Against Poverty (CAP) centre remain open. We pray that God would guide them in these challenging times as they try to do Church differently and search for a new minister.

Kirkwall BC – They give particular thanks to God in terms of timing, that they were able to take on Fraser (their new full-time Leader of Evangelism and Youth) just before lockdown began. Through that, they have been able to use this time to reach out with the message of Jesus. We pray for them, that they would see many people come to a living and personal faith in Jesus Christ.

Knightswood BC – We give thanks that the Lord has sustained them and blessed them through the lockdown. Like many churches, they are thinking and praying through what the next stage will hold for their corporate worship services and prayer, their discipleship, pastoral care and community connections. They view these circumstances as a time for innovation, experimentation and anticipation.

We now pray for other people with particular needs that are connected to our own congregation: In particular, Lord we remember Peter P continuing his rehabilitation in Royal Victoria hospital after surgery at Ninewells and his wife Jean coping with her own health challenges at home. We pray for the school staff and pupils in our congregation adjusting to life back at school, in particular those like Ali T and Robert L associated with the King’s Park School in Dundee. We pray for Ali T and her family as they work through the best plans for her mother’s future care needs.

We remember a number of older people, especially those living alone who have not been able to go out and for whom the isolation of recent months has been hard to cope with. We pray for Rachel, John and Ann S’s niece as she recovers from brain surgery. We also pray for Hamish R as he will depart on 31 August for his work with a church in Nice, France. We also pray for Alan McR as he leads the new introductory course in the Christian Faith that starts on Tuesday evening on the zoom platform.

In addition, we bring our own needs to You at this time …, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, Amen.

Bible reading II Corinthians 1:1-11

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia: ²Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ⁵For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.

⁶If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. ⁷And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. ⁸We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself.

⁹Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, ¹¹as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favour granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

Before we come to listen to God’s Word let us sing: ‘O love that will not let me go’

The Message

Matthew 5:4: ‘The right kind of attitude’

Introduction

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. In theory it is possible to translate the opening words of this verse as Happy are those who mourn (Good News Bible). There are Bible versions that use this rendering, but in our use of the English language today we associate this word almost exclusively with our feelings; like a little child skipping around happily playing with its toys. There may be adults in the room discussing weighty or serious matters, but the child is oblivious to the nature of their conversation. They are happy and secure in their own little world. In this context – is this how God wants us to be quite oblivious to what is going on in the world? I don’t think so! We would need to stop watching the news on TV; avoid the internet and certainly stick to the most basic type of mobile phone available.

The world has become a much smaller place and many of us have experienced that in the recent months of lock-down due to the Covid-19 virus. We take for granted the ease of communications. On the day I wrote this message I was able to respond to a request from a Baptist pastor in Pakistan with advice from two Baptist pastors, one from England currently on holiday on a remote Scottish island and the other in Virginia, USA. The messages sent between us took twenty minutes maximum and we take this kind of opportunity for granted.

But it is not just factual communications we can make. We cannot avoid becoming aware of the dreadful things going on in the world. I have had numerous unsolicited phone calls from pastors in other countries in recent months, all resource poor in comparison to our own country. They were all struggling to find food to feed their families or other people. In one incredibly difficult to listen to, I was asked to listen to little children crying because they hadn’t eaten that day. Just imagine anyone wandering around such communities exhorting people to ‘Be Happy’ with their situation and feel good about it would be unlikely to receive a warm reception from those who have ensured so much difficulty this year. They would have assumed you were either being cruel or had taken leave of your senses.

There have been enough extremely difficult situations in our own land for many people in recent months and we still could face more difficult times to come. We could all list numerous examples from the recent past where exhortations to ‘Be happy’ would be seriously out of place. So what is it that Jesus was advocating for people who want to follow Him? What kind of sorrow is it that Jesus is speaking about here to which He promises to bring comfort?

John Stott answered this question with these words: those here promised comfort are not primarily those who mourn the loss of a loved one, but those who mourn the loss of their innocence, their righteousness, their self respect. It is not the sorrow of bereavement to which Christ refers, but the sorrow of repentance [John Stott, Christian Counter Culture: The Message of the Sermon on the Mount pp.40-41]. Only when we grasp the context in which Jesus is speaking will we appreciate the message He wishes to communicate to us here in Matthew 5:4. In life there are different kinds of sorrow or grounds for mourning that we will view quite differently.

A person might be overcome with tears of happiness because of some unexpected good news that they hadn’t expected. It may be tears of relief because you were expecting bad news of some kind, but in such a context it would be inappropriate for someone to try to ‘comfort’ you! What kinds of sorrow are there?

1. Natural Sorrow

The verb ‘to mourn’ here is a strong expression of sorrow. It is not a mild term used of someone feeling under the weather; rather it is normally used in the context of someone bereaved who has lost a person they loved and really miss. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament it was used of Jacob when he was told by his older sons that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal in Genesis 37:34-36:Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. ³⁵All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. ‘No,’ he said, ‘I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave.’ So his father wept for him.

The same verb is used in the New Testament in Mark 16:10 with reference to Mary Magdalene. It concerns her reaction to meeting the risen Lord Jesus. She went and told those who had been with Him and who were mourning and weeping. There are some Christians who have a theology that implies we should always be happy with a smile on our face and be almost effortlessly victorious over all our trials. This is not consistent with the teaching of the Bible!

There are plenty of examples of commended figures with tears, mourning in the face of death or, for example, in King David’s case the needless death of his rebellious son Absalom (II Samuel 18:33-19:4). Jesus wept over the spiritual hardness of the city of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-42) and at the graveside of His friend Lazarus (John 11:35-38).

In the long time of appropriate activities that are a part of the human experience Ecclesiastes 3:4 includes: a time to weep… Yet as Christians in the face of death our understanding of it was explained so clearly by the apostle Paul in I Thessalonians 4:13-18:

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. ¹⁴For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. ¹⁵According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸Therefore encourage one another with these words. There is natural sorrow which we will all experience. May we never give anyone the false impression that we as Christians somehow escape or experience less natural sorrow than other people around us.

2. Unnatural Sorrow

(a)Remorse but not repentance It can be described as a despairing kind of sorrow in which a person bitterly regrets a course of action, but is unwilling to take the necessary steps to getting their life back on track. There are people who struggle to accept forgiveness for their own past wrongdoing and go on torturing themselves in their minds for past mistakes, long after other people have forgiven them and moved on.

Judas Iscariot is a powerful and well-known example of a man who was remorseful about a course of action, but unlike Peter was unwilling to do anything constructive about it. Matthew 27:3-5 records the sorry end to his life. When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. ⁴‘I have sinned,’ he said, ‘for I have betrayed innocent blood.’ ‘What is that to us?’ they replied. ‘That’s your responsibility.’ ⁵So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

We need to stress repeatedly that we believe in a gospel of grace to the undeserving, no-one is beyond the grace of God. The devil wants us to live in condemnation for past failures even when we have been forgiven, but Romans 8:1-2 states clearly God’s perspective to us. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ²because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. Do you need to hear that today?

(b) Fake mourning There are people whom you have met and I have met who say or do things that are wrong and appear to be deeply sorrowful at a course of action taken, again and again! We want to believe that ‘this time’ they really mean it –but when you have been there with them so many times before it is difficult to accept the sincerity of their confessions.

In I Samuel 15 the spiritual leader of the nation, the prophet Samuel, was asked by God to go and tell the King Saul that God was removing him from his office as a result of his persistent failure to honour God. In I Samuel 15:30-31 it states: Saul replied, ‘I have sinned. But please honour me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God.’ ³¹So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshipped the Lord.

The problem was that Saul was mourning the potential loss of his office not that he had failed to honour God as he should have done. The words and the posture looked good but there was insufficient desire to live in a manner pleasing to God. We can fool other people, but never the Lord. One day we will stand before the Lord to give an account of our lives so it is foolish to live in pretence.

3. Godly sorrow

Paul explained it this way: Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. ¹¹See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done (II Corinthians 7:10).

The prodigal son in Jesus’ story in Luke 15 has wasted his life, but reaches turning point where he faces up to what he has done and sets off for home to apologise to his dad. The forgiveness of his father was bestowed on an individual who knew there were no excuses to offer. He could only cast himself on the mercy of his father. At one level it was a risk.

In real life when we have seriously hurt someone or caused them harm in some way there is no guarantee that if we apologise and offer to do our best to make restitution that it will be accepted. They might want to have nothing to do with us again. Yet the genuine follower of Jesus wants to have a clear conscience. In the New Testament there are some precious words for us to remember when we come to God to ask for forgiveness of our sins. I John 1:8-9 declares: If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. What wonderful good news for the one who seriously asks God to forgive their sin and give them a clean slate, a fresh start.

As we grow as a Christian and become more like Jesus, we also become more acutely aware of our shortcomings and failures. When this happens in a human heart a person who in the past might have been harsh and displaying a condemnatory attitude to someone who had failed in some way, now is acutely aware of ‘but for the grace of God that might have been me’. If I had kept that company, if I had been born into those circumstances, if I… whatever it might be – it could have been me. We can thank God for the blessing of good parents who guided and directed us; for Christian leaders or teachers or others who gave us wise advice about how to live our lives.

William Barclay (The Plain Man looks at the Beatitudes pp. 29-30) noted a progression in Paul’s references to himself in his letters. In his earliest known letter written to the churches of South Galatia, in response to some serious doctrinal errors, he asserts right at the beginning that this letter comes from Paul an apostle…(Galatians1:1); seven years later when he writes I Corinthians to another church with significant problems there is a different self-reference.

In I Corinthians 15 he lists some of the people who were witnesses of Jesus’ bodily resurrection. Last in the list he mentions himself before making this comment in I Corinthians 15:9-10a:For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them – yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

Then in the letter to the church at Ephesus a few years later he states: I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. ⁸Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ (Ephesians 3:7-8).

Later still in a private letter to the young pastor of the church in Ephesus, Timothy, he writes in I Timothy 1:15-16: Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst.¹⁶But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His immense patience as an example for those who would believe in Him and receive eternal life.

What does this progression of thought in Paul teach us? When we are very young we are asked by our parents not to point the finger at people because it is rude! Many a little person is puzzled by such an exhortation. Yet we as adults know that when we point one finger at someone else there are still three others pointing back to ourselves! It is a reminder that my biggest duty is to address the sin issues that arise in my own life first, rather than highlighting the failures of other people.

Our graciousness or lack of it in response to the failings of others is a window offering insight into the level of progression we have made in becoming more like Jesus. We are not ignoring wrongdoing or pretending it doesn’t matter, but instead, like our Saviour, are called to have compassion on other people who need to be right with Him. We will be delighted to see someone turning from wrongdoing not highlighting they have a previous history of failures! We are not called to be naïve, but eager to see someone make progress in their journey of faith as we trust they also will take pleasure when we have spiritual successes too!

4. Spiritual Comfort

Jesus said: Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (Matthew 5:4). In the Oxford English Dictionary there is a reference to the older sense of this word. When we go back to the sixteenth or seventeenth centuries this word had the idea of ‘to strengthen’ or ‘to give support’; in other words it was a stronger word than we understand today. What was Jesus was saying was not simply a form of words offering sympathy or a hug, but conveying a sense of encouragement to those who take their progress in becoming more like Jesus very seriously. Such a person is aware of their shortcomings but is making a real effort to make changes to do better! It is true that God will offer support to the people who love Him who have been bereaved, but this beatitude addresses the issue of a person genuinely sorrowful in heart for their failure to progress in their spiritual journey as they should. The Bible makes reference to different sources of comfort and encouragement.

(a) From God the Father In II Corinthians 1:3-7 Paul wrote: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ⁵For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. ⁶If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. ⁷And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

These words were written immediately prior to a reference to a severe trial Paul had come through, which he had felt might even have been the end for him, in terms of this life. However, he sensed the encouragement and comfort of God to keep going with whatever lay before him. In I Samuel 30:6, in a context of a genuine crisis when all around him were ‘losing their heads’, the Bible states: But David found strength in the Lord his God. Paul, in the wonderful words of Romans 8, gets so excited at God’s encouragements to progress in his spiritual life that he exclaims in Romans 8:31: What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

(b) From Scripture In Romans 15:4-5 Paul wrote: For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. ⁵May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had. In the ministry of Jesus there are various examples of people leaving His presence greatly encouraged.

In John 8:1-11, the authorities in Jerusalem wanted to trap Jesus by asking him to pass sentence on a woman who with an unknown man had been caught in the act of adultery. The officials did not care on this occasion about the actual rights and wrongs of that encounter; rather they wanted to find a way to undermine Jesus’ authority. However, He turned the tables on them and invited the one amongst them who was perfect and who had never done anything wrong to cast the first stone at her.

It was a most dramatic moment, but this is how it ended in John 8:9-11: At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ¹¹‘No one, sir,’ she said. ‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’ Jesus is not offering cheap grace. His words of comfort and encouragement are accompanied by an exhortation to a change of lifestyle. In the Bible there are many examples of lives transformed by the power of God.

(c) From the Holy Spirit Jesus gives quite a bit of teaching in John 14 and 16, in the context of His message at the Last Supper about the comfort or encouragement provided by the Holy Spirit. He is the one called alongside us to aid us in living for Jesus. In John 14:15-17a Jesus said: ‘If you love Me, keep My commands. ¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate [encourager, comforter, Counsellor] to help you and be with you forever – ¹⁷the Spirit of truth. We are never on our own as followers of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is there to assist you in your walk of faith.

(d) From other people Even the greatest apostles needed a team of willing volunteers to assist and encourage them through tough times. In II Corinthians 7:5-7 Paul stated that life had been very tough on mission in Macedonia: For when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn – conflicts on the outside, fears within. ⁶But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, ⁷and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever. Who might you be an encourager to this week?

Jesus said: Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted (Matthew 5:4). May we have that earnest desire to grow in Christ-likeness and genuinely mourn our failures but only in so far as it serves as an incentive to become more like our Saviour, for Jesus’s sake Amen.

Our song before we come to communion is: ‘Search me O God and know my heart today’

The Lord’s Supper

Prayer: Choose your own words of prayer to give thanks for the bread and wine that represent the costly gift of His body and blood for us.

Take the bread: Jesus said: ‘This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.

Take the wine: Jesus said: This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’

Our closing song is: ‘Blessed be Your name’

Closing Prayer:

Thank You Lord for placing within our hearts a desire for fellowship with You, the living God. Thank You for sending Jesus to show us how to live and then the gift of the Holy Spirit within us to equip us and empower us to live our lives for You. Help us to have that commitment to want to become more like Jesus in our attitudes, speech and conduct. Give us that desire to be more like Him in the coming days, for Jesus’ sake Amen.

Benediction: The Grace

May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God,
and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore, Amen