ORDER OF SERVICE
CALL TO WORSHIP
Genesis ch 22 vs 7 & 8
OLD TESTAMENT LESSON
Exodus ch 20 vs 1 to 17
NEW TESTAMENT LESSON
John ch 1 vs 1 to 17
While at work some short time back, a work mate came to me and with a bit of a mischievous look on his face he said.
“Look what one of you’re lot put through my door”, one of you’re lot being any one who attends church whatever their denomination,
And he shoved a soft back copy of Johns Gospel at me “ as if I need this. ”
At this point I recalled in my mind how the man in question had just returned from a substantial period of sickness, it was said, by those who knew him that he had had several broken relationships behind him, he lived for his drink, he certainly constantly smelled of it, he was a regular at the pub most dinner times and every evening, and now it was said that he had sclerosis of the liver, he had been told that he desperately needed to change his life style, he was back from the brink. Just about, and here he was stepping a further into that precipice with all the grace of a circus clown.
What did he need of Johns Gospel, that was the question that shook me most, I also asked myself what indeed did I need of it.
Well I was still on a bit of a high, and still am in fact, over a sermon I heard preached on John ch1even though it is a couple of years ago now. And that very Sermon gave me a ready answer.
So I took the book out of his hand and I turned the first few pages to that first chapter and what did I read?
Well I read it out loud to the one or two who thought to come for a bit of fun at my expense, and here is what I read.
“And the light shineth in the darkness and the darkness comprehended it not”.
There was a man sent from God whose name was John
The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe.”
What did he need of that! His own need was not so obvious to him, we read, “ the light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not”
I told him that sadly he felt he had no need because he firstly had to recognise that need.
Well no one laughed at those words. That darkness you know its encompassing isn’t it, like a blackout curtain, yet it doesn’t stop the light getting out, rather it prevents the light getting through to us on the inside.
That was what he was about, that day, that work colleague of mine, he was in a blackout, and it pains me sorely, you see he’s a friend of mine, still is and I could see his need of that Gospel, even though I would fail to reach him with it, I still can see his dire need of it, that saviour who even then and now he is rejecting. It was plain as day what he needed that gospel for and you know it still is.
John knew it well that need of his, in fact of all of ours didn’t he. Mine especially and yours.
John wrote his Gospel with that in mind with the purpose that men might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the promised one, Son of God, Messiah and in believing this might find salvation so desperately needed.
I heard a preacher proudly boast recently that Jesus came especially for him, he told us that for his needs especially Jesus gave his example, life and priceless sacrifice.
Praise the Lord for that brother and you know that’s my boast too. But what about you can you boast like that? Scripture teaches we should have no other boast save that, indeed that any other is a vain boast, and any other is a sinful boast.
Scripture teaches that we must hate ourselves, must indeed die to ourselves to be born again in Christ. It is indeed made plain that you and I must be broken men and women before we can be born again in Jesus. I tell you truly without exception that this is a personal Gospel.
Scripture is deeply personal about its dealings with men. It convicts us of sin, makes us aware of our guilt and the state of condemnation we face without Jesus.
You know that this I believe to be one of the main reasons why people in general hate the word of Jesus, You see our Lord doesn’t talk to us of someone else’s needs, or someone else’s sinful condition rather in his word he points the finger unerringly in our direction and shouts to us You must be born again, you are a sinner. Brother in your sinful and present state you stand condemned. Like king Nebuchadnezzar we have been weighed in Gods balance and art found wanting.
We are indeed compelled and must believe that on a personal and individual basis our sins indeed sent Jesus to the cross at Calvary.
You see it was necessary for him to die to pay the price for our sins; he was the sacrificial Lamb of God perfect and spotless in all manner, of such value is he that he is able to take away the sins of the world to be a ransom for our redemption each and every last one of us who would call on his name.
You see there is no other good enough to pay the price of sin, the Disciples weren’t good enough, the Virgin Mary wasn’t good enough, our ministers here aren’t good enough, I am not good enough. Listen now I want to tell you that without the blood of Jesus Christ you’ll go to hell, have you understood that? Lets speak plainly about this now. For without Christ’s blood there is no pardon, there’s no remission, there’s no redemption, no relation with the father, there’s no redeemer, no remedy, no repose you can’t get rest for your soul apart from the power of the blood. Precious, precious blood of Jesus shed for you at Calvary.
We have a hymn “my sins o the bliss of this glorious thought, my sins not in part but the whole are nailed to his cross and I bear them no more” that brother is what you call redemption.
This colleague at work, yes, his sins sent Jesus to the cross, just as mine did and yours, but he doesn’t recognise it, but most importantly I challenge you today, do you recognise that fact?
That story of Abraham, how he was prepared to sacrifice his only son when tested by the Lord, all that this son had meant to him, the waiting, and the hoping, the seemingly hopelessness of it all. Read those trusting words of Isaac especially where he says “my father here is the fire and the wood but where is the Lamb”
As a mirror image of that incident indeed where but in the form of Jesus could a worthy lamb be found, indeed God himself would provide such a lamb. It was his Messianic promise fulfilled in Jesus.
Of recent times the Lord has laid much on my heart about blasphemy, today people just don’t find it a serious issue do they. We have it every day on our television sets and in our newspapers, day-by-day people taking Gods Holy name in vain.
People call out the name of Jesus as if it were to be used as a term of surprise or disbelief, watch that programme where people swap houses with a neighbour, and decorate. See how they call on Gods name, it’s a swear word to many, its not even impolite in many circles to use it as such. You hear people excuse it when they say, it’s not as if it’s bad language is it?
Yet what does scripture teach us about that?
If you call upon Gods name like that, or use the name of his son Jesus as if it were no more than common foul language, or drag the name of Christ into the gutter with all the contempt you can muster, worst of all if we stand by while others do it, then what is it we are doing or condoning.
Blasphemy, it’s a vile thing.A good Friend of mine the Rev Gwyn Rolands found it vile enough, humble man of God though he is, slight in stature, certainly, but many of us at Banks know the story, I’m not ashamed if it’s been repeated from the pulpit many times, we need to here more like it, how he poked a man twice his size in the chest with the stern rebuke don’t you use the name of my Lord like that, makes me ashamed all the things I hear day in day out that more often I don’t take the stand along side him, most of us wouldn’t begin to fill his space would we. Not the stature of a man not his outward physical appearance, but rather his love of the Lord and a willingness to serve that makes him such a giant that he is.
Now listen this is the Lord Jesus Christ were talking about. I want you to put aside the chores of the morrow for an hour and listen to Gods Holy Word. Our Lord won’t trust us to do his bidding in the greater things when we can’t be trusted and proved to make our stand known to men for fear of a little ridicule and scorn day to day.
I want to ask you how graceful has the Lord been to you personally? How much more of his grace will you need brother before you reach Glory? Then the message is clear, promote that great grace to others it’s not of you but of God. Make a stand for Christ today and every day. You certainly owe him no less.
We are materialistic beings today aren’t we? I read recently that more and more we seem to be asking the Lord day by day if I give this up or do that then Lord what will you do for me .The answer is of course that when we have Christ we have everything. We just need to learn obedience and trust in him
“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain” Deuteronomy Ch 5 v 11.
It’s a Commandment you won’t be guiltless! Our Lord loved us so much that he gave his only beloved son to die for us, “for all for all my saviour died” Wesley wrote.
Philip Bliss wrote “Guilty vile and helpless we, spotless Lamb of God was he, Full atonement can it be, hallelujah what a saviour”,
And we stand by while his name is dragged around like nothing more important than a filthy floor rag.
At Banks we were asked recently one Sunday afternoon if we were there because we loved the Lord, or where we there merely out of a sense of duty of some kind. How could we say that we love the Lord truly If we stand idly by and allow these things to go on around us.
Why should I personally be frightened of, men’s scorn for when I have Christ I have everything.
“If so we suffer with him so shall we also be glorified with him”
I have a book at home called the Kings son, I was leant a copy of it and when I preached at Hesketh Bank a gentleman there spoke to me of that book, and as I explained that I reluctantly had returned it, he asked me if I would like his copy, like it? I was delighted, It’s a real treasure that book, you read it you get some idea of the rags to riches spiritually that men can reach, not you’re stature in terms of size or society standing. Billy Bray described himself as the king’s son, he spent his working life deep underground mining, a dangerous and often perilous job, but he was the Kings son not just any king but The King. Praise the Lord that we too can claim that privilege you and I even this very day.
You see we come into that inheritance as we accept Christ, confess him to all as our Lord and saviour for that is what he is.
We shall have to make our stand for him in this world to be Glorified and united with him in the next.
When we take our stand in the day of judgement, as all men will, the charges will be laid before us, there will be no denying them. We haven’t lived as we should, we said things we ought not to have, did some things we shouldn’t and left undone many other things we shouldn’t. We didn’t love the Lord with all our hearts and minds and voice. As scripture demands we do.
Just one thing brother will keep you and me from the justice we deserved, just one thing, you gave your life to Jesus, you confessed him as Saviour and Lord, you asked his forgiveness day by day and hour by hour, the hymn writer wrote moment by moment I’m kept by his grace. Moment by moment you asked for his forgiveness and he was ever so gracious that he gave it as he only could. Have you done that? For without it you’ll be judged guilty as you are and sentenced accordingly.
Brothers Jesus he is our advocate with the father, for he will recognise us, tell how he paid the full price for our redemption on that cross at Calvary, he will know you personally, and hallelujah he will claim you and save you as his own.
I as Billy Bray said in his book hope to see you in Glory, how are we able to make such a brash statement, simply for if I see you in glory then I too shall be sharing in it with you. Praise his gracious name that can be so.
You know when that great liner the Titanic sank, as time grew on and men began to realise that no rescue was in sight, hope was lost for many must have known what was to face them, well then they gathered on the boat deck and the band that had been playing dances and waltzes, set up and they began to play and sing, you know the story I’m sure what did they sing? Haven’t we just sung it? Nearer my God to thee Nearer to thee een though it be a cross that raiseth me.
Well this story its like ours you know, your ship brother its sinking tonight, I don’t know how long you’ve got but I know this you’ve only got one chance of safety, this world has been weighed in Gods balance and all that’s in it and were found wanting, the world continues with its dance music, but if you listen carefully you can here the Gospel call, Nearer my God to thee nearer to thee, een though it be a cross that raiseth me.
I heard that Gospel call in 1982 at Southport during Dick Saunders way to life crusade and I want to share this with you my ship was sinking and I came to know that night that only the blood of Jesus could save me, no one else would do, at the invitation to come foreword to accept Christ wild horses wouldn’t have held me back, you see as Billy Bray said I went in a doubter and came out a shouter praise to the Lord for only he can do that.
Can you hear that call tonight, is there someone here tonight who hasn’t called out to Christ for salvation yet, your ship its sinking Brother there may be no more tomorrows, there’s no time left, do it quick, come to the front of this church even now and confess him as your saviour and Lord, none of us know how long the Lord will give us, come to Jesus even now, casting all your cares upon him for he careth for you.
I have a book of poetry at home very precious to me; I would like to leave you with just two short verses, which sum up what I have been trying to say.
Lets not, wait let’s give all to the master
Any less just an insult would be
For he bled and he died and he suffered
To ransom and save you and me
Friends the love of the Lord is just priceless
To him give we honour and praise
Lets resolve from this day to receive him
Serve and follow him with joy all our days.
I pray the lord richly bless each one of you as you think upon these things.
Amen
