Joy
Have you noticed how most British people, ok it's a massive generalisation, forgive me if this is not you, but my observation is most British people, if you put it in the context of say maybe a football match or a pop concert and if there's something about, you know, shouting for your team, then there will be a great roar and a lot of volume. But if you put those same people in, say, for example a church service, then suddenly it's dialled down and we become quieter and maybe more respectable. I don't know, I don't think so.
So, my suggestion is this. OK, my suggestion is we’ll sing that chorus a couple of times more and at the end of it when Caroline finishes, I suggest we make a great shout of praise to King Jesus because he is worthy of our praise! Isn't he? Some of us think, I don't want to shout it out. I'd rather be quiet and you know, maybe you're a more reserved person. Maybe I'm just a bit more exuberant but actually it's to see and to show and declare God's goodness aren't we. So, my suggestion, if you're up for this, is this OK that we've seen that course a couple more times and at the end of it when the music stops and probably Sandeep will let it rip on the drums and then we could do that. That we give a great shout of praise to King Jesus. Is that OK?
So, let's go for that again and then we'll lift our voices and declare our love for Jesus and kids, this is your opportunity to shout at the top of your voices with no one telling you to dial it down. That does not happen at home, but it can happen at church. OK, so this is your opportunity for you today too. So, shout as loudly as you can at the end of this song, your love and praise for King Jesus, OK?
Will You Go
So, the scripture God was just talking to me about, “well, who will go? All right, we've got Isaiah, he's saying who will go? But actually the heavenlies we're saying who will go for me? God was saying, who will go for me? And Isaiah’s response is I will go, I will go. We've got a morning where we're we're going to hear about people going, which is just super. But actually, God's word for us is: who will go for me? And our response should be, I will go.
So, if you're an adult here today, I think I want a little competition about who can be louder? The children or the adults, cause when Graham got up and said, you know, how much noise can you make children? I thought this would be good, this would be good and we're all called to go.
So, I will go. So, if you're an adult here, I wanna hear I will go quite loudly 123.
That was alright, wasn't it?
Kids, kids could you all stand up because I want to see if you can belt it out louder than them. So, we're going to do 123 and we're going to see whether you know you're as loud as I think you can be!
All right, so, on the count of three, 123.
I think they won. I do. Can we all do it, Lord Jesus -can you hear us? 123, I WILL GO!
Sorry Lord, and not because we've sinned, but because we're not passionate. You know, we're gonna do it again. All of us. Adults and children, 123. I will go.
Heaven heard. And our goal is to go with that good news of Jesus to gossip the wonderful things that he's done, that we were shouting out to Jesus on Sunday morning. When people say tomorrow, what did you do yesterday? We were shouting out how good Jesus was and actually tomorrow we should be shouting out how good Jesus is. Amen. Amen. Oh we’ve got to do it again. 1/2/3!
His Love Endures
I’m grateful that his love endures. Every time I say “I'm too scared to go that way, that you're calling me and I head off in this direction. I'm so grateful that his love endures.
Some of us need to hear today, you’ve not burnt your bridge with God. You have not burned it because the way that he made, the way that Jesus made between US and God is a way that endures forever is a way that endures forever, that that goes to the very depths, the very depths of death and rises to the throne room of the Lord, and it lasts forever.
There is nothing in this world, nothing that we can do in this world that will ever take it away. His love endures! You have not burnt that bridge.
So, if you're sitting here or if you're standing here today thinking “oh, he's yeah his love endures”, he's kind of long-suffering. No! This was the joy that was set before Jesus so as we come and worship him know that his love endures even when you've gone off that way and you are meant to go that way. He welcomes you back with open arms because his love endures. Amen. Amen.
I'm gonna pray for you now if you're feeling here like your bridge is burnt. Right. So look, we're all gonna pray.
Oh Lord, I wanna ask now that you would reveal to my brothers and sisters, you would reveal to those who feel like, oh, I can't even call myself a brother or sister. Actually, I feel far off from this place. I feel like I don't even belong in this in amongst these people.
Lord, I wanna ask that you would reveal now that you would cause a burning in my friend's hearts now, that they know that they know, that your way, your eternal way endures. That your love endures, that you are good, and that you welcome with open arms. That there is nothing that they have done, even that thing, that would ever separate them from your great love. Holy Spirit, come and do this work in my brothers and sisters in Jesus name. Amen.
Fear - The Truth Will Set You Free
Last week, David talked about barriers. One of my barriers is fear and sometimes when God calls us to go, sometimes there's fear. Where are you calling us to go? What would you get us to do?
But the fear I want to talk about is something I've had for the years and years, since I was a young kid. It's a fear of having surgery, there's no way I wanted to have surgery in my lifetime. I thought, Lord, just take me home when it's that time, you know.
So just over a fortnight ago, I had a stroke and they found that this artery down this side was nearly blocked up. They said, they needed to operate on that, Martin, to clear it. I said that's fine, OK, just put me out and wake me up when it's all over. No, we can't do that. It's got to be done under a local anaesthetic. No way.
Well, I went into that operating theatre meditating on Psalm 23, on the first part, “the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want”. I changed the last word, I said “I shall not fear”. It goes on, “He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me by still waters.”
As an ex-farmer, I have some wonderful images of green fields and as I was going down to the theatre, I was meditating on a picture of me walking through the green pastures with two dogs and Jesus.
Then the anaesthetist started talking to me and it just went out the window. Oh, wish I could stand here and say I was super-spiritual and I concentrated on that all the way through the surgery, but no. I wish I could be super-spiritual and say that I felt God's presence through the surgery, but that would be a lie.
But as I lay in recovery after the surgery, I was reminded of the next part of Psalm 23. That the shepherd goes with us, through the shadow, through the valley of the shadow of death. Then at the end of Matthew's gospel, where Jesus said to his disciples and to us, there's nowhere where you go you'd be out of my presence.
Then I was reminded of something that I've preached many times about “don't rely on your feelings, but rely on the word of God”. The word of God is the truth. As I thanked the Lord for that, I just felt the Lord say Martin I told you that on the Sunday before you went into the operation. You see Graham preached on Psalm 139 and he focused on about how wonderfully fearfully and wonderfully were made. I can't remember whether you read the whole of the Psalm, but I did. The first part of the Psalm basically says there's nowhere where you can go where you’d be out of my presence. So often our feelings ride over our actions. Don't listen to your feelings, stand on the word of God.
Scripture tells us the Holy Spirit will remind us of Jesus teachings, of his word. So, can I encourage you today? If you haven't, done so, is to take up a challenge of reading your Bible each day. If you haven't done that in the past then have a word with Tim, he's got me on an app for reading the Bible a passage a day. You know, how can the Holy Spirit remind you of Scripture if you don't read the Scripture? You restrict in the Holy Spirit. We shouldn't be doing that, so don't rely on your feelings, stand on the word of God, the word of God, because as Jesus said, the truth will set you free!
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