SERVICE 2008 07

Please join with me in worshipping the God who reveals himself in Jesus Christ – and through whom by faith we can enter into a life changing relationship….

……. for ….. “It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.” Ephesians 1:11 © The Message

For Christ “ …. is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

Praise Him for His grace and favor
To our fathers in distress.
Praise Him still the same as ever,
Slow to chide, and swift to bless.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Glorious in His faithfulness.

Fatherlike He tends and spares us;
Well our feeble frame He knows.
In His hands He gently bears us,
Rescues us from all our foes.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Widely yet His mercy flows.

Frail as summer’s flower we flourish,
Blows the wind and it is gone;
But while mortals rise and perish
Our God lives unchanging on,
Praise Him, Praise Him, Hallelujah
Praise the High Eternal One!

Angels, help us to adore Him;
Ye behold Him face to face;
Sun and moon, bow down before Him,
Dwellers all in time and space.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise with us the God of grace.

Thank you God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you sustain our faith by the power of your Holy Spirit – as you move among us and within us.

Thank you God for all the blessings and achievements in our lives that you have made possible – as you have :

Lord God, help us to understand more clearly the full implications of your grace - for us and for our generation.

Help us to grow in wisdom and in the knowledge of your will and purpose for us :

- and bear fruit in how we behave towards our friends, families and neighbours in the communities in which we live.

So may your kingdom come and your will be done – as we pray in unity with the world wide church the words given us by Jesus:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Your Kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours.
Now and for ever. Amen

16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished — 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith.

28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!

Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.

“21 Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'

23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

24 Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching,

29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

A time for reflection and response

“Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do,” says Jesus. (Matthew 7:21)

Jesus teaches us that we will be judged by our behaviour and not our words alone. A case of not just talking the talk but bearing fruit by doing what God wants us to do; achieving good in obedience to God. The foundation for this spiritual walk with Jesus is a faith in which we listen to him and act accordingly.

Such faith and obedience is like a wise person who builds his house on rock. With such firm foundations the house will withstand all the storms of life.

Whereas those who hear God’s words and only pay lip service to them - without obeying them - are like those who build on sand.

When the rains poured down…. the rivers overflowed ..and the wind blew …….

“There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-24)

We are reminded in Psalm 127:1 that :“Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labour in vain.”

In Jesus, God gives us the firm foundation upon which we can build our lives. Through Jesus we hear God’s words to us about how to live our lives and be built up in faith as God’s people.

Through Jesus we discover God’s will and learn how to enter the “kingdom of heaven” and be part of making God’s righteousness and justice prevail in today’s world.

For as Paul reminds us : “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. ….” (Romans 3:22)

This is a saving gospel for those who believe. It is as way of being in a right relationship with God. Such an attitude of obedience and faith in Jesus produces a desire to live justly and rightly in harmony with God’s nature and purpose. It is a living faith in which how we behave cannot be separated from what we believe.

So then in another sense it is unavoidably about practicing what we believe. For whatever is in our minds, it is what we say and do which identifies us and makes other people aware of what we stand for.

By having such a living faith in Jesus and by obedience to God we can build on a firm foundation which can withstand the storms of life – like that house built on the rock which did not fall.

With such a firm foundation of faith we can help others too. For as our faith in Jesus brings us into a right relationship with God so we become more aware of what is not right in our world. The injustices we see around us and which Jesus confronted have no place in the “kingdom of heaven” which Jesus proclaimed and lived and died and rose from the dead for.

So when we practice what we believe and yearn for God’s goodness to be shared by all his people we identify with Jesus and his teaching when he said:

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Mathew 5:6)

Such “righteousness” is God’s goodness and justice. It is rightness on every level. Our desire to live well, to live a good life, to enjoy good relationships with one another, is part of our hunger and thirst for righteousness. By faith in Jesus such good living comes when we line up with God’s will to make heaven on earth a real possibility for all who seek his righteousness and hunger for his will to prevail.

So let us keep learning about and seeking God’s righteousness through Jesus…

…….“For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith” (Romans 1:17)

May Jesus help us to be wise in how we choose to live – so that we lead righteous lives as we put our faith and trust in him.

TRUST AND OBEY

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.

Refrain

Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.

Refrain

But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.

Refrain

Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet.
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way.
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.

Refrain

Lord Jesus, come into my heart, pray in me and with me, that I may learn from you how to pray.

Think of the issues and people you would like to prayer for – and then offer this prayer to God:

Because of all that you have revealed in Jesus Christ, I humble myself before you, God my Father, for you are the source of my life and inheritance.

For from your great resources you give me inner strength through the power of your Spirit, and make possible Christ’s presence in me when I believe and trust in you,

so that I may fully know and understand how to live in Christ’s love – which is so boundless and beyond my imagination,

Because of this power at work in me, which achieves so much more than I alone can expect or capable of, I bring honour to you, my God, as I pray to you through Jesus Christ. Amen

God of grace and God of glory,
On Thy people pour Thy power.
Crown Thine ancient church’s story,
Bring her bud to glorious flower.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
For the facing of this hour,
For the facing of this hour.

Lo! the hosts of evil ’round us,
Scorn Thy Christ, assail His ways.
From the fears that long have bound us,
Free our hearts to faith and praise.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
For the living of these days,
For the living of these days.

Cure Thy children’s warring madness,
Bend our pride to Thy control.
Shame our wanton selfish gladness,
Rich in things and poor in soul.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
Lest we miss Thy kingdom’s goal,
Lest we miss Thy kingdom’s goal.

Set our feet on lofty places,
Gird our lives that they may be,
Armored with all Christ-like graces,
In the fight to set men free.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
That we fail not man nor Thee,
That we fail not man nor Thee.

Save us from weak resignation,
To the evils we deplore.
Let the search for Thy salvation,
Be our glory evermore.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
Serving Thee Whom we adore,
Serving Thee Whom we adore.

Call to worship:

TRUST AND OBEY