# 28th June 2026 - Argyle Community Church - Sunday Service

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fYJ8tG9O8Y

[00:16] I will trust you in the darkness.
[00:21] I will serve you in my pain.
[00:24] I will worship in the wilderness
[00:28] and will follow to the end.
[00:31] For you are the suffering shepherd
[00:33] and you know your sheep by name.
[00:37] So I will trust you in the darkness
[00:41] once again.
[00:58] I'll believe your word of comfort when the light of life grows dim.
[01:05] I will heed your voice at midnight.
[01:09] When the tempest rage within,
[01:13] I will cling to Christ my
[01:15] Savior who has borne my sorrow.
[01:19] Ste.
[01:20] I will trust you in the darkness once again.
[01:39] I will praise your name in winter when the skies are cold and gray.
[01:47] I will feed upon your promises and will cry to you each day.
[01:54] I will lean upon your spirit and your word will I obey.
[02:01] I will trust you in the darkness.
[02:04] Come with me.
[02:43] on your faithfulness depend.
[02:47] as I long for your appearing.
[02:50] and the day that never ends.
[02:54] I will glory in the gospel and your word of truth defend.
[03:01] I will trust you in the darkness once again.
[03:09] I will trust you in the darkness, oh my friend.
[03:44] Son of man and Son of God, perfect life and perfect love.
[03:54] Jesus, Jesus, the God of life, takes on death, triumphs with a final breath.
[04:08] Jesus.
[04:10] Jesus.
[04:16] Who is like you? Who beside you?
[04:22] Is their life to save the sinner?
[04:26] Jesus.
[04:31] Who can feather love thy presence pays the debt to give us freedom.
[04:39] Jesus
[04:48] reigning now and lifted high seated at the father's side.
[04:53] Jesus.
[04:58] Jesus.
[05:04] one day coming back again when your kingdom will not end.
[05:13] Jesus.
[05:14] Jesus.
[05:19] Who is like you?
[05:21] Who beside you?
[05:26] Use their life to save the sinner.
[05:30] Jesus.
[05:35] Who can fill thy presence pays the debt to give us freedom?
[05:46] Jesus,
[05:53] there's no one like you.
[05:57] There is beside you.
[06:01] There is no one like you.
[06:13] There is none beside you.
[06:23] You conquered the grave and you rescued us.
[06:27] The son of God, you reign.
[06:31] The victory of your eternal love.
[06:35] The son of man you save.
[06:43] The son of God you made.
[06:51] The son of man.
[06:51] You say
[06:57] Who is like you?
[07:04] Who beside you gives the life to save the sinner?
[07:08] Jesus
[07:13] Who can fathom
[07:17] love that ransoms
[07:21] pays the debt to give us freedom.
[07:24] Jesus
[07:55] Oh faithful Lord, my solid
[07:59] Ground.
[08:01] When storms are raging all around,
[08:07] Your mighty cross,
[08:10] Your precious blood will keep me safe within the flood.
[08:19] Nothing in all this world I know, can separate me from your love.
[08:30] So I will cling to being found.
[08:36] My life secure within your hand.
[08:54] How was the fall of your ways?
[09:00] is treasure held in jars of clay
[09:06] and breaking forth from brokenness.
[09:12] There comes a power not from us.
[09:17] So I will boast though it seems wrong.
[09:23] For when I'm weak then I am strong.
[09:29] Now taking up my cross, I walk.
[09:35] Your narrow path of life, my Lord.
[09:53] And when I walk through death of rain,
[09:59] Lord, I shall fear no evil
[10:03] There.
[10:05] For you are with me, whispering still.
[10:11] Your peace in times of trial and ill.
[10:17] My boldest hope shall still remain.
[10:22] To live is Christ to die is king until the end.
[10:31] I walk your way.
[10:34] Oh hold me in my darken days.
[10:34] Heat.
[11:01] Rise your day.
[11:04] Your faithful promises true as your creation is renewed.
[11:15] Heat. Heat.
[11:26] away and heaven and earth cry out your praise.
[11:33] Oh my soul.
[11:37] Take away your make as cry out your praise.
[11:57] Oh my soul for the day.
[12:46] We do not sit alone.
[12:51] We do not stand alone.
[12:56] We do not walk alone.
[13:01] We do not dance alone.
[13:07] Unseen,
[13:10] unveiled.
[13:36] 10
[13:39] eight
[13:39] seven
[13:41] six five four three two one zero go.
[13:53] Church and to our Sunday services.
[13:56] We are so glad you've joined us today.
[13:59] Whether you are here in presence or you are watching online.
[14:05] If this is your first time joining our Sunday service, we give you a very special welcome.
[14:11] We truly grateful that you are here with us today.
[14:13] My name is Joe and I'm the singer of the worship team today.
[14:19] Let us take a moment to quiet our heart and minds.
[14:24] Setting aside the worries of the week, this is a time to meet our God, to draw near to him in worship and to refreshed by his presence.
[14:41] Let us pray.
[14:45] Our heavenly father, we thank you for the gift of the Sabbath, a day to be still, to rest, and to draw near to you.
[14:56] Lord Jesus, you said, "I'm the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
[15:07] We are so blessed that through you we can know the father and experience his presence.
[15:14] Jesus, you alone are worthy of all our praise.
[15:19] Yours is the name above all name.
[15:22] You reaches for us from heaven's throne in love and grace.
[15:25] There's no one like you.
[15:29] You sacrificed your life on the cross for our sins.
[15:34] Rose from the dead in victory.
[15:36] We thank you you Jesus.
[15:39] Holy Spirit, thank you for being with
[15:41] us. No matter how we we have failed, no matter how difficult our week has been or how have heavy our burden are, you never leave us.
[15:55] You protest us and give us wisdom through God's words to face each new day.
[16:01] We thank you, Holy Spirit.
[16:04] Lord, please fill our hearts today.
[16:07] Help us to lay all our burdens before you so that we can worship you.
[16:11] We only focus to you with our undivided hearts and draw ever closer to you.
[16:17] We pray in Jesus your precious name.
[16:21] Amen.
[16:25] Let us sing and praise our God.
[16:28] If you are able, please stand.
[16:57] Great is your love.
[16:57] Let the whole sea.
[17:06] You reach for us from the heavens.
[17:11] When he has more,
[17:14] you are the way.
[17:17] There is no other.
[17:24] You rose from death to victory.
[17:29] You reign in life.
[17:32] Oh majesty.
[17:34] Your name behind and lifted up.
[17:34] Jesus.
[17:40] Jesus alive in us.
[17:54] You outside the sun.
[17:57] glorious.
[17:59] You are glorious.
[18:03] Lord over all.
[18:04] You have made us new.
[18:09] You are all to you in every day.
[18:16] In every day,
[18:21] you royally you reign in life.
[18:26] Oh manesty, you laid behind and lifted love.
[18:37] Jesus, alive.
[18:41] You rose from death to mine.
[18:45] You reign in high life.
[18:47] Oh majesty,
[18:50] your name behind and lifted up.
[18:53] Jesus, Jesus the mighty God.
[19:21] Heat. Heat. N.
[19:36] You turn into wine.
[19:39] Open the eyes of the flies.
[19:42] There's no one like you.
[19:47] None like you.
[19:53] Into the darkness you shine.
[19:57] Out of the ashes we rise.
[20:09] Our God is gater.
[20:12] Our God is stronger.
[20:12] God. You are higher than any other.
[20:18] Our God is healer.
[20:18] Awesome power of God.
[20:37] we shine.
[20:40] Out of the ashes we rise.
[20:42] There's no one like you.
[20:47] None like you.
[20:52] God is greater.
[20:54] Our God is stronger.
[20:57] For you are higher than any other.
[21:01] Our God is awesome in power of God.
[21:06] Our God.
[21:09] Our God is greater.
[21:12] Our God is stronger.
[21:14] God, you are higher than any others.
[21:18] I'm going to see the power of God of God.
[21:26] And if our God is for us, then who can heaven us?
[21:32] And if our God is with us, then we can stand again.
[21:34] And if our God is for us, then who can us?
[21:59] God is greater. Our God is
[22:02] [music] God is greater. Our God is
[22:02] stronger. [singing]
[22:03] God, you are higher than any [music]
[22:06] other. Our God is healer. Awesome power.
[22:10] [singing]
[22:11] Go.
[22:13] I'll go. [music]
[22:32] Our God is greater. [music]
[22:40] Our God is stronger.
[22:49] Our God is higher. [music and singing]
[22:57] I know [singing]
[23:01] really loud
[23:03] [music]
[23:06] power. [singing]
[23:13] Our God is ger [music and singing]
[23:16] stronger. Lord, you are higher than
[23:19] [singing] any other. Our God is healer.
[23:23] [music]
[23:23] Awesome power. [singing] Oh God.
[23:27] Our God. [music]
[23:30] Our God is greater. [singing]
[23:32] Our God is stronger. God, you are higher
[23:35] [music and singing] than any other. Our
[23:38] God is awesome. [music and singing]
[23:40] Power of God.
[23:43] I'm gone,
[23:51] [music]
[23:57] Father God, we
[24:01] we think you are awesome.
[24:04] You are amazing.
[24:08] We've been singing that you are greater
[24:12] than any other God.
[24:16] Lord, in our in our hearts, we believe
[24:18] that.
[24:20] We look to you. Our eyes are fixed on
[24:22] you. Our gaze is fixed on you.
[24:26] Thank you, Lord, that you are a great
[24:29] great God.
[24:43] You were the [singing]
[24:46] beginning
[24:49] one with God the [singing] Lord most
[24:53] high.
[24:58] Your hidden glory
[25:00] [singing] creation
[25:03] now reveal in you our prize.
[25:09] What a beautiful name it is. [music]
[25:13] What a beautiful name it is.
[25:17] The name [singing] of Jesus
[25:21] Christ my king.
[25:24] What a beautiful name [singing] it is.
[25:29] Nothing compares to this.
[25:32] What a beautiful name it is. The [music]
[25:36] name [singing] of Jesus.
[25:42] You didn't want heaven [singing]
[25:45] without us.
[25:48] Jesus, you are [music and singing]
[25:51] heaven.
[25:57] My sins were [singing and music] great.
[25:58] Your love was greater.
[26:03] Who could ever
[26:05] raise [singing and music] us now? What a
[26:09] wonderful name it is.
[26:12] What a wonderful name it is.
[26:16] The name [music and singing] of Jesus
[26:20] Christ, my king.
[26:24] What a wonderful name it is.
[26:28] Nothing compares to this.
[26:31] What a wonderful name [singing] it is.
[26:34] [music] The name of Jesus.
[26:42] [music and singing]
[26:42] Death could not hold you. The wait
[26:47] [music and singing] before you. The
[26:50] silence are b
[26:53] sing and grave. [music]
[26:55] [singing]
[26:56] The heavens are rolling.
[27:00] [music] The praise [singing] of your
[27:02] glory
[27:04] for you are praised [music]
[27:07] [singing] and alive again.
[27:11] You have no Bible. [singing]
[27:14] [music]
[27:14] You have no yeo
[27:18] now [singing] and forever.
[27:21] [music] God, you reign.
[27:25] Yours is the kingom. [music]
[27:28] Yours is the [singing] glory.
[27:32] Yours is the name
[27:35] of our [music and singing]
[27:36] name.
[27:38] What a powerful name it [music] is.
[27:42] What a [singing] powerful name it is. is
[27:45] the name of Jesus [singing]
[27:48] [music]
[27:48] Christ.
[27:52] What a powerful name [music and singing]
[27:54] it is.
[27:56] Nothing can stand against.
[27:59] What a powerful name [music and singing]
[28:01] it is. The name of Jesus.
[28:06] You have no might. [music]
[28:10] You have no ego.
[28:13] Now and [singing] forever,
[28:16] God, [music]
[28:17] you reign. [singing]
[28:20] Yours is the kingom.
[28:23] Yours is the glory. [singing]
[28:26] [music]
[28:26] Yours is the name of [singing] the
[28:33] What a powerful name it is.
[28:36] What a powerful name it is.
[28:40] and they love [singing and music]
[28:41] Jesus
[28:43] Christ my king. [music]
[28:47] What a powerful [singing] name it is.
[28:50] Nothing [music] can stand against.
[28:54] What a powerful name [music] it is.
[28:56] [singing]
[28:57] The name of Jesus.
[29:01] What a powerful name it is. The name of
[29:06] Jesus.
[29:08] For our name [singing] is [music] the
[29:12] name of Jesus.
[29:22] Please take a seat.
[29:26] Let's just uh continue in that uh
[29:29] mindset of worship to God.
[29:35] Let's think about the words of the song
[29:39] that we've just sung.
[29:41] Let's just uh close our eyes, continue
[29:45] our prayers.
[29:48] Holy Spirit, as as I read these words,
[29:52] would you show
[29:55] each of us a word or a phrase that you
[29:59] specifically want each of us to hear?
[30:03] Something personal that you want us to
[30:05] know this morning
[30:07] that will reassure
[30:09] or draw us closer to you, Jesus.
[30:17] You were the word at the beginning,
[30:22] one with God,
[30:24] the Lord most high,
[30:28] your hidden glory in creation,
[30:33] now revealed in you, our Christ.
[30:38] What a beautiful name it is, the name of
[30:42] Jesus.
[30:59] You didn't want heaven without us.
[31:04] So Jesus, you brought heaven down.
[31:10] My sin was great.
[31:14] Your love was greater.
[31:18] What can separate us now?
[31:23] What a wonderful name it is. The name of
[31:26] Jesus.
[31:47] Death could not hold you.
[31:50] The veil tore before you.
[31:55] You silence the boast of sin and grave.
[32:00] The heavens are roaring
[32:04] the praise of your glory.
[32:07] for you are raised to life again.
[32:12] What a powerful name it is.
[32:16] The name of Jesus.
[32:30] Thank you Jesus. Amen.
[32:40] Well, good morning to you all.
[32:43] Hi. For those of you who don't know me,
[32:44] my name is Mark. And a big welcome to
[32:47] you all, especially if you're a visitor
[32:50] today. Now, we've got quite a few
[32:51] visitors. Uh we got Richard Baxter here.
[32:54] He's going to come and speak to us from
[32:56] Kerry. Welcome, Richard. We've got uh
[32:58] Jacob. Jacob, just wave your hand.
[33:00] Jacob's from Hope House just down the
[33:03] road. So, welcome Jacob. And we have a
[33:06] group here in a couple of rows here from
[33:08] Christ Church in Tyler. Wave your hands
[33:11] so everybody knows who you are.
[33:13] [applause]
[33:17] So, welcome to you. I hope you are
[33:19] blessed today. But so, this is the youth
[33:21] group, young people's group, if I've got
[33:22] that right, from from Christ Church
[33:25] coming to come and see how we do it. So,
[33:28] that was pretty good, wasn't it? So far
[33:32] so good. Okay, wonderful. Have we got
[33:34] any other visitors this morning? I don't
[33:35] want to miss anybody out. Put your hand
[33:37] up if you're a visitor. Oh, hello. Yes,
[33:40] welcome to you two. Welcome to you two.
[33:42] Great. Anyone else? Wonderful. Well,
[33:47] it's a bit of a relief, isn't it? The
[33:50] heat,
[33:52] the football,
[33:54] and wow, we've got a church full. And we
[33:56] had a wonderful day yesterday. For those
[33:59] of you who do you know we had 102 people
[34:02] on our church away day.
[34:06] [applause]
[34:08] Eric if we could have uh if we could
[34:10] have the picture. Uh there we go. I mean
[34:14] phenomenal day. I think exceeded
[34:16] everyone's expectations. Uh a great day.
[34:19] So, um, thank you, a big thank you to
[34:23] Sander for doing such a tremendous job
[34:26] in organizing [applause]
[34:31] and to and to everybody else who
[34:34] showcased and led and guided and
[34:36] volunteered and helped us understand uh
[34:40] what it is to be creative, what it is to
[34:41] be talented, what what it is to actually
[34:44] just enjoy one another's company. It was
[34:46] a great time. It was a really joyful
[34:48] time, wasn't it? Wasn't it? Should we do
[34:50] it again?
[34:52] I thought you'd say that. I thought
[34:53] you'd say that. Anyway, I tell you what,
[34:55] we're just going to take a minute. Uh,
[34:58] and visitors, I'm sorry you weren't a
[35:00] part of this, but I'm going to ask
[35:01] people around you to turn around and
[35:03] just chat with you because what was your
[35:05] highlight of the day? Turn around and
[35:08] chat to those and particularly if you
[35:10] weren't there, tell people who were
[35:11] around you what your highlight was, what
[35:14] you enjoyed about the day. Quickly, go
[35:15] on.
[35:57] Well,
[36:00] okay. Okay.
[36:05] Well done. Well done.
[36:14] Okay, everybody.
[36:21] I think that says enough. That says it
[36:23] all, doesn't it? You're all so animated
[36:26] and so excited.
[36:28] Wasn't that good? Shout out. Someone
[36:30] just give me a word. What did you A word
[36:32] or two? What how would you describe the
[36:33] day? One word.
[36:36] fun.
[36:38] Anyone else?
[36:39] Marvelous.
[36:43] Fabulous. Crosscultural.
[36:46] Delicious.
[36:47] Delicious.
[36:48] Thank you. That was amazing food, wasn't
[36:50] it? Yeah.
[36:52] Hey,
[36:53] cold brew coffee.
[36:54] Cold brew coffee. Social. Anyway, look
[36:56] at this piece of art. Did you see this
[36:58] that Claire organized for us?
[37:00] Look at that. Isn't that brilliant? Look
[37:01] at Malcolm's dog on the piano.
[37:05] [applause]
[37:08] I'm sure some of you are wearing the
[37:10] jewelry you made or you've got a plate
[37:13] like me in pieces. Um, but thank you to
[37:15] everybody who organized that. That was
[37:17] just a marvelous a marvelous day. We're
[37:20] just going to stop for a moment and
[37:22] we're going to pray. And yesterday we
[37:25] used a phrase as we were praying.
[37:27] Malcolm gave it to us. It's a a
[37:29] scripture actually if you remember Jacob
[37:32] and his ladder. Jacob's ladder and the
[37:34] Lord appeared to him in a dream and
[37:37] afterwards he woke up and he said,
[37:40] "Surely the Lord is in this place.
[37:43] Surely the Lord is in this place." I
[37:46] think I would describe that as
[37:48] yesterday. Surely the Lord was in that
[37:50] place, wouldn't you?
[37:52] Yeah, definitely. So, we're going to
[37:54] pray. I'm going to lead you in prayer.
[37:56] And after each prayer, we're going to
[37:58] remember surely
[38:00] that's a that's a phrase of affirmation,
[38:02] isn't it? Of confidence, of hope, of
[38:06] expectation. God is in this place. God
[38:08] is in my prayers. I'm praying this with
[38:11] a real amen. Surely, you're going to
[38:13] you're going to answer this, Lord. So,
[38:15] let's all just pray for a few minutes.
[38:18] We're going to start with thanksgiving
[38:20] for yesterday. So, Lord, we thank you.
[38:23] We thank you for your blessing on the
[38:25] church. We thank you for a safe day, for
[38:28] a joyful day, a happy day, a marvelous
[38:31] day working together. Lord, we thank you
[38:34] for the way you are building your
[38:36] church. We thank you that you love to
[38:39] build your church. You love to see your
[38:41] people being creative. And we can all
[38:43] say together, surely the Lord is in this
[38:48] place.
[38:51] And Lord, as we think about our world
[38:54] and we think about
[38:56] some of the news headlines of this last
[38:59] week,
[39:00] our minds go to those in Venezuela right
[39:03] now struggling to find their loved ones,
[39:07] dealing with grief and trauma and who've
[39:10] lost their homes
[39:12] who uh that devastation on a country.
[39:15] Lord, so many people missing. Lord,
[39:19] Lord, we know that you are there. We
[39:22] know that your heart goes out. And so,
[39:25] Lord, we can confidently bring them and
[39:27] many other places around this world in
[39:29] this moment, Lord, where we want peace,
[39:32] where we want your shalom to rest in
[39:35] this moment.
[39:37] So, Lord, we just want to acknowledge
[39:40] together. Surely the Lord is in this
[39:44] place.
[39:48] And Lord, we just want to bring to you
[39:51] some matters of some personal matters.
[39:53] I'm sure each one of us here has
[39:55] somebody on our heart right now. Or
[39:57] maybe we have a personal struggle.
[40:02] And I just ask you just take a moment to
[40:03] lift that. Name that person or that
[40:07] struggle.
[40:14] Just name it quietly.
[40:16] Lord, we thank you that you know exactly
[40:18] what's on our heart. You know what we
[40:21] are struggling with. You know those who
[40:23] are around us who are struggling. You
[40:25] know the person that we most long to
[40:29] know your touch in their life. And so we
[40:32] can confidently pray Lord as we give
[40:34] them to you and we give our own needs to
[40:36] you this morning. Lord we can say surely
[40:41] the Lord is in this place.
[40:45] Amen.
[40:46] Amen.
[40:50] So now before before the children go out
[40:53] and youth go out to their groups, today
[40:56] we're looking at the whole subject of
[40:58] the uniqueness of Jesus compared to
[41:01] other religions,
[41:03] Christianity compared to other
[41:05] religions. That's what um that's what
[41:07] Rich is going to be sharing with us. And
[41:08] we thought it'd be really helpful for
[41:10] you to see first before the children go
[41:12] out a video which is recorded by Amit
[41:15] Sharma. Now Amit is an elder at Kerry
[41:18] but he comes from a Hindu background. So
[41:20] he has got this amazing contrast in his
[41:23] life of living one way and now following
[41:26] the way of Jesus. So let's watch this
[41:28] video together
[41:30] in that way because I was brought up in
[41:32] a Hindu family following Hindu customs
[41:34] and traditions including idol worship.
[41:37] But at the age of 27, I came to know and
[41:40] trust the Lord Jesus Christ.
[41:43] Now Jesus tells us that there is a cost
[41:45] to following him. And for me, that was
[41:47] my relationship with my family. You see,
[41:50] we had quite limited contact for a
[41:51] number of years because my family felt
[41:53] that I'd rejected both them and their
[41:56] culture.
[41:58] That wasn't true. I still love and have
[42:01] great importance to my Indian culture
[42:03] and heritage. and I still love my family
[42:06] and thankfully our relationship is
[42:08] better. But what is true is that there
[42:10] has been a change and that change
[42:12] [music] is that I have faith in Jesus
[42:14] rather than idols now. So what is the
[42:17] big difference between what I believed
[42:19] before as a Hindu and what I believe now
[42:20] as a Christian? Well, as a Hindu, I was
[42:23] trying to earn my way to heaven, earn my
[42:26] way to salvation by doing lots of good
[42:28] acts of service, of worship, of helping
[42:32] people, charitable things, all noble and
[42:35] good things in themselves. But I had no
[42:38] idea whether what I was doing was good
[42:40] enough to get me into heaven. I had no
[42:43] certainty about what my future held. And
[42:47] that left me feeling hopeless. [music]
[42:50] But with Jesus, things are very
[42:52] different. You see, with Jesus, it's not
[42:54] about what I need to do. It's about what
[42:56] he has already done. Because Jesus was
[42:59] born miraculously 2,000 years ago. He
[43:03] lived a perfect and sinless life without
[43:05] fault.
[43:07] He then died on a cross and rose again.
[43:10] And when he died on the cross, he did
[43:12] that so that my sins, the things that
[43:14] I've done wrong against God, could be
[43:16] forgiven. and the sins of those who
[43:19] trust in him could also be forgiven. And
[43:22] when he rose again, it showed that he is
[43:25] the son of God. He is who he says he is
[43:29] and shows that I can trust him when he
[43:31] tells me that I just need to follow him
[43:34] to heaven and salvation. It's not on me
[43:36] anymore. Now, that gives me great hope
[43:39] for the future. But as well as hope for
[43:41] the future, the dayto-day now is so much
[43:44] more fulfilling. You see the challenges
[43:46] of life I can meet by serving and
[43:49] following Jesus rather than tackling
[43:50] them on my own. And Jesus' offer is
[43:54] there for everyone. You see Jesus and
[43:57] God himself wants us to trust him and to
[44:01] love him
[44:03] and that is irrespective of our
[44:05] background irrespective of who you are
[44:07] or where you are in life. Jesus's offer
[44:10] and his loving arms are there for you.
[44:23] Okay, young people, children, your time
[44:25] to go. Enjoy.
[44:39] [music]
[44:47] Powerve.
[45:11] Super great. Well, let's just pray a
[45:13] blessing on the children and young
[45:15] people as they have gone out. Lord, we
[45:17] just want to pray you would be with all
[45:19] our our young people. Lord, it's great
[45:22] to see just so many people here. Lord,
[45:26] there were 25 yesterday. We just want to
[45:29] thank you for your blessing on all those
[45:32] young people, on their teachers, and on
[45:33] the time they share together right now.
[45:36] Lord be present with them we pray. Amen.
[45:39] Amen.
[45:41] Well, before I uh do the reading today
[45:45] and before Richard comes to share, um
[45:47] just want to share a notice, one more
[45:49] notice if I could have that one up. So,
[45:52] uh yeah, the fund's not over yet.
[45:55] So, for the seniors, there's a summer a
[45:57] summer special, a summer get together.
[46:00] You can see there on the 16th of July in
[46:04] the afternoon. So if you're if you count
[46:07] yourself as a senior, please come and
[46:09] enjoy [laughter]
[46:11] come and enjoy that afternoon together.
[46:14] And uh I just we just want to let you
[46:16] know that's coming up. Actually that's a
[46:18] busy week because that's the week of the
[46:20] beach trip as well. So wonderful week
[46:22] that will be as well. So do put that in
[46:25] your diaries. Okay? And if you need a
[46:27] lift in any way to get to this, you
[46:29] don't need to bring food. It'll be
[46:30] provided. If you need a lift, then
[46:32] please let the pastoral care team know.
[46:35] Okay?
[46:37] Right before Richard comes, we're going
[46:39] to just turn to Psalm 115.
[46:42] I'm going to read that Psalm to you
[46:45] if you want to turn to it in your Bible
[46:47] or it'll be on the screen for you.
[46:51] I'm reading in the NIV.
[46:58] Not to us, Lord. Not to us, but to your
[47:02] name be the glory because of your love
[47:06] and faithfulness.
[47:09] Why do the nations say, "Where is their
[47:11] God?"
[47:13] Our God is in heaven. He does whatever
[47:16] pleases him, but their idols are silver
[47:19] and gold made by human hands. They have
[47:21] mouths but cannot speak, eyes but cannot
[47:24] see. They have ears but cannot hear,
[47:27] noses but cannot smell. They have hands
[47:30] but cannot feel, feet but cannot walk,
[47:34] nor can they utter a sound with their
[47:36] throats.
[47:38] Those who make them will be like them,
[47:40] and so will all who trust in them.
[47:44] All you Israelites, trust in the Lord.
[47:48] He is their help and shield. House of
[47:51] Aeron, trust in the Lord. He is their
[47:54] help and shield. You who fear him, trust
[47:57] in the Lord. He is their help and
[48:00] shield.
[48:02] The Lord remembers us and will bless us.
[48:05] He will bless his people Israel. He will
[48:08] bless the house of Aeron. He will bless
[48:12] those who fear the Lord, small and great
[48:15] alike.
[48:16] May the Lord cause you to flourish, both
[48:20] you and your children. May you be
[48:22] blessed by the Lord, the maker of heaven
[48:26] and earth. The highest heavens belong to
[48:30] the Lord, but the earth he has given to
[48:33] the human race. It is not the dead who
[48:36] praise the Lord, those who go down to
[48:39] the place of silence. It is we who extol
[48:42] the Lord both now and forever more.
[48:46] Praise the Lord. Amen. It's the word of
[48:50] the Lord. Richard, please come and join
[48:52] us. Although I'm gonna have to adjust
[48:54] this.
[48:58] That's great. Thanks, Mark.
[49:03] That's super lovely. Thank you very
[49:05] much. Well, thank you, Mark, for uh
[49:08] leading our service and everyone else
[49:10] that has been involved. It's wonderful
[49:11] to be uh back here um at Argyle and a
[49:15] real blessing. Let's let's pray once
[49:17] more as we as we come to God's word.
[49:22] Oh Lord our God, we thank you that you
[49:24] are so good to us. Thank you that it is
[49:26] cooler today than it has been for the
[49:28] last few days. And we pray that because
[49:30] of that, you would help us to uh not be
[49:32] snoozy or sleepy, but to uh hear what
[49:35] you have to say to us. And not only to
[49:38] hear it, but to pay really good regard
[49:40] to it and to respond rightly in turning
[49:44] away from our sin and turning to you. We
[49:48] ask in Jesus name. and we ask that he
[49:51] might be shown to be great. Amen.
[49:55] Well, yes. So, we're thinking this
[49:57] morning about Jesus and the religions or
[50:00] comparing in a sense Christianity and
[50:03] other religions. And the wonderful thing
[50:05] about that is this. There is something
[50:08] utterly magnetic about the person of
[50:12] Jesus. Now, this man, born more than
[50:14] 2,000 years ago, almost 3,000 miles
[50:18] away, born into relative poverty, and
[50:22] yet his name is better known than kings
[50:24] and politicians and footballers and rock
[50:27] stars.
[50:29] And people from all kinds of religions
[50:31] and worldviews believe that Jesus is
[50:34] someone worth listening to. Uh
[50:36] Christians of course recognize that
[50:38] Jesus is the unique son of God.
[50:42] But actually it isn't only Christians
[50:43] who see something out of the ordinary in
[50:46] Jesus. Muslims view him as a prophet,
[50:49] one who speaks on behalf of God. Sikhs
[50:53] would say they honor him as one who
[50:55] taught the path of love and devotion to
[50:57] God.
[50:59] Hindus believe that the example of Jesus
[51:02] is a light to all who want to live well.
[51:07] And so people from these very different
[51:09] traditions, they all want to say, "Here
[51:12] is someone who is truly close to God."
[51:15] And so here is someone who can help us
[51:17] to look beyond what we can see and taste
[51:20] and touch and smell
[51:23] to help us to look to God to help us to
[51:26] better understand God. Actually, even
[51:30] many non-religious people recognize that
[51:32] the teachings of Jesus, if truly lived
[51:35] out, would make our society and the
[51:37] world a much better place. My dad was an
[51:40] atheist and yet he recognized that well,
[51:43] if we lived according to the teachings
[51:45] of Jesus, our societies and our world
[51:48] would be far better.
[51:50] And actually, Amit certainly discovered
[51:52] that Jesus was worth listening to. And
[51:55] as he heard from Jesus and keeps on
[51:57] listening to him, well, it has changed
[51:59] the direction of his life and it has
[52:01] changed his eternity.
[52:04] So you see, so many worldviews recognize
[52:06] Jesus as someone with important things
[52:09] to say. So many millions of people
[52:12] recognize Jesus as having wonderful
[52:14] words that should be heard.
[52:18] And so whatever perspective you are
[52:20] coming from,
[52:22] let me ask,
[52:24] isn't Jesus worth listening to? Isn't
[52:27] Jesus worth listening to? Great thing
[52:31] is, I've got some words that Jesus
[52:33] himself spoke. I'm going to read these
[52:35] words and then point out a few things
[52:37] about them. And at the end of the
[52:39] service, well, our Guy Community Church
[52:42] would love to offer you a gift of a
[52:44] small book of some of the words of
[52:46] Jesus.
[52:48] It's my prayer that as you've heard
[52:50] about Amit's own encounter with Jesus,
[52:53] well, so you would come face to face
[52:55] with Jesus and would recognize how
[52:57] awesome he is.
[53:01] It's my hope that just as the Lord Jesus
[53:03] has transformed Amit's life and
[53:05] eternity, so he would transform each one
[53:07] of us, making us more what human beings
[53:10] were created to be.
[53:13] We're going to hear some words from
[53:14] Jesus himself now written down by this
[53:17] man called John who actually spent three
[53:19] years with Jesus. Uh these words of
[53:22] Jesus, they were spoken just hours
[53:24] before Jesus was arrested and then
[53:26] wrongfully put to death and they come
[53:29] from John's gospel chapter 14 and
[53:32] hopefully the words will be up on the
[53:34] screen.
[53:35] Do not let your hearts be troubled.
[53:38] Trust in God. Trust also in me.
[53:42] In my father's house are many rooms. If
[53:45] it were not so, I would have told you.
[53:48] I'm going there to prepare a place for
[53:50] you.
[53:52] And if I go and prepare a place for you,
[53:54] I will come back and take you to be with
[53:56] me so that you also may be where I am.
[54:00] You know the way to the place where I am
[54:02] going.
[54:04] Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know
[54:06] where you're going. So how can we know
[54:08] the way?"
[54:10] Jesus answered, "I am the way and the
[54:13] truth and the life. No one comes to the
[54:16] Father except through me. If you really
[54:18] knew me, you would know my father as
[54:20] well. From now on, you do know him and
[54:24] have seen him."
[54:26] You know, there is so much beauty in
[54:28] those words, isn't there? I love how
[54:31] Jesus recognizes something so so
[54:34] universal. Whether it's in first century
[54:36] Israel or 21st century Britain, Jesus
[54:39] recognizes we all have hearts that tend
[54:42] to be troubled.
[54:45] We all often find ourselves unsettled
[54:47] and anxious, confused and concerned,
[54:51] often because of what's going on in our
[54:53] lives, whether it's homework and school,
[54:56] health, employment, the safety of loved
[54:58] ones, or concerns about the future.
[55:01] Or sometimes it might be because of
[55:03] what's going on in our nation and in the
[55:05] world, whether it's cost of living,
[55:08] housing prices, changes in society,
[55:11] crime, terrorism, wars, natural
[55:14] disasters.
[55:16] And at times, those things, they're not
[55:18] the things troubling us at all.
[55:20] Unrelated to any particular
[55:22] circumstance, we might feel a sense of
[55:24] dread or of emptiness even as we eat our
[55:27] favorite food and as we spend time with
[55:29] our favorite people. Our
[55:32] hearts are troubled.
[55:35] And I just love the way that the Lord
[55:37] Jesus recognizes and acknowledges this
[55:40] truth. He doesn't pretend that pain and
[55:43] suffering are illusions.
[55:46] He doesn't minimize our suffering.
[55:50] Instead, Jesus points us to the one who
[55:52] is able to deal with all of those
[55:54] specific problems at a world scale and
[55:56] at a personal level. the one who's able
[55:59] even to overcome those unsettling
[56:02] feelings that don't seem to have any
[56:04] relation to our circumstances.
[56:08] Jesus points us to the one in whom our
[56:11] hearts can find rest.
[56:13] He says, "Do not let your hearts be
[56:15] troubled. Trust in God."
[56:20] Jesus points to God. And he doesn't do
[56:22] so as a a placebo, a fake medicine to
[56:25] help us feel better for a little while
[56:28] to get us over the midweek hump to give
[56:31] us a sense of comfort when things are
[56:34] rough, even if there's nothing real
[56:35] behind it.
[56:37] No, Jesus points us to the reality of
[56:40] God, the maker of all things, the one
[56:42] with all power.
[56:46] And Jesus doesn't point to God simply as
[56:48] a philosophical device for people who
[56:51] like to think really hard and really
[56:53] bottom out the truth. And so if I know
[56:55] that God is real and in charge, well
[56:57] then that means even though things are
[56:58] hard, well, I know God is in charge.
[57:02] No, Jesus tells his listeners and he
[57:04] tells us to go beyond recognizing that
[57:07] God is true and to actually entrust
[57:11] ourselves to God.
[57:14] Don't just know about him.
[57:17] Know him.
[57:19] He's the one who's able to give you
[57:20] rest. He's the one who's willing to take
[57:23] your troubled heart and to give it true
[57:26] peace.
[57:28] And here is an even more amazing thing.
[57:32] I think it is when Jesus spoke those
[57:36] words of comfort,
[57:38] telling people to find true rest by
[57:40] trusting in God. He's saying this to
[57:42] those around him fully realizing that
[57:45] within hours he is going to be betrayed
[57:49] by a close friend. He is going to be
[57:52] arrested. He is going to be put to death
[57:54] by crucifixion, the worst, most painful
[57:57] form of torture that the Roman Empire
[57:59] had come up with.
[58:02] And yet he looks to his friends and he
[58:04] says to them,
[58:06] "Do not let your hearts be troubled."
[58:10] I think that's amazing how different
[58:12] Jesus is to how I often am. And well,
[58:15] can I guess how often you are, too. When
[58:18] things are running smoothly, we probably
[58:20] feel able to help others, set up a
[58:22] charity direct debit to help the less
[58:25] fortunate, check in on that friend that
[58:27] we know isn't coping too well.
[58:30] But when we're really feeling the pinch,
[58:33] we find it hard to imagine that anyone
[58:34] could be less fortunate than me.
[58:38] We close in on ourselves.
[58:40] The thought of giving out to others at
[58:42] that time just seems beyond us.
[58:46] And yet when hardest pressed about to be
[58:48] betrayed and arrested and put to death,
[58:52] Jesus still selflessly gave out to
[58:54] others. He spoke words of comfort to
[58:57] them.
[58:58] In fact, if we'd gone back just a little
[59:00] in John's gospel, we would have seen him
[59:02] washing the feet of his disciples,
[59:04] serving them in the kindest, humblest
[59:07] way possible.
[59:10] But actually, if we've read the words of
[59:12] Jesus before, if we've read about his
[59:15] life and if we've thought about them and
[59:17] allowed those words to really make their
[59:19] meaning known,
[59:21] well, then perhaps the way Jesus acts
[59:23] here isn't that surprising.
[59:26] In his gospel, John records for us some
[59:28] of the highlights of what he had seen as
[59:30] he was with Jesus.
[59:32] And over those three years,
[59:35] John had seen Jesus healing the sick,
[59:39] feeding the hungry, drawing those on the
[59:42] outskirts of society into the center of
[59:45] his love.
[59:47] And that was just the tip of the iceberg
[59:49] of what Jesus had done. Here is a man
[59:53] who gave himself in serving others. Even
[59:57] serving and comforting others when
[59:59] things seem so out of control in his own
[01:00:01] life.
[01:00:04] Why did he do that?
[01:00:06] Because he utterly trusted God.
[01:00:09] He trusted God. And so as Jesus says,
[01:00:13] "Do not let your hearts be troubled." We
[01:00:15] listen and we recognize him as one who
[01:00:19] so entrusted himself to God his father
[01:00:22] that he was able to be at peace in the
[01:00:24] greatest storm. One who was able to keep
[01:00:27] his head when everyone around him was
[01:00:29] losing theirs.
[01:00:32] We recognize a man who showed such
[01:00:34] wonderful compassion.
[01:00:37] [snorts] And we want, don't we, to
[01:00:40] listen to him. We want to be more like
[01:00:43] him, less short-tempered,
[01:00:46] less self-seeking,
[01:00:48] more in control of ourselves, more kind
[01:00:51] to others.
[01:00:54] No wonder Amit found Jesus so magnetic.
[01:00:58] No wonder millions upon millions of
[01:01:00] people have taken notice of his words
[01:01:03] over the last 2,000 years.
[01:01:06] No wonder if you find yourself thinking,
[01:01:08] "This is someone I can listen to.
[01:01:12] And so we listen to him as he says, "Do
[01:01:14] not let your hearts be troubled." We
[01:01:17] even listen as he says, "Trust in God."
[01:01:21] Because we realize the amazing wisdom
[01:01:23] that Jesus had and showed.
[01:01:28] And so I want to ask, do we listen to
[01:01:30] him as he says, "Do not let your hearts
[01:01:33] be troubled. Trust in God.
[01:01:37] Trust also in me.
[01:01:41] trust also in me.
[01:01:44] Because you see in this statement, trust
[01:01:45] in God, trust also in me, it takes him
[01:01:48] beyond someone, even a very wise someone
[01:01:51] walking around the ancient near east
[01:01:53] 2,000 years ago. In fact, in making this
[01:01:56] huge statement, Jesus is directly
[01:01:59] paralleling himself with God.
[01:02:03] The kind of comparison that would be
[01:02:05] absurd and awful if I made it.
[01:02:09] If I said trust in God, trust also in
[01:02:12] me,
[01:02:13] you should run away
[01:02:16] because you can't entrust yourself to me
[01:02:18] the way you can to the one who makes you
[01:02:20] and gives you breath.
[01:02:23] But is it such an absurd parallel when
[01:02:25] it comes to Jesus?
[01:02:28] If we've read John's gospel, we have
[01:02:30] seen his wisdom as he understands what
[01:02:32] we are like. so often having troubled
[01:02:36] hearts.
[01:02:38] We have seen his compassion as he feeds
[01:02:40] the hungry, opens the eyes of the blind,
[01:02:42] heals the sick, even raises back to life
[01:02:45] a dead man named Lazarus.
[01:02:48] And of course, alongside those actions
[01:02:50] being compassionate,
[01:02:52] or they also reveal a power that you and
[01:02:55] I simply don't have. We can't cure
[01:02:58] blindness or feed thousands with a pack
[01:03:00] lunch as Jesus did. We certainly can't
[01:03:03] raise the dead back to life as Jesus
[01:03:06] did.
[01:03:08] Jesus, the the wise, powerful,
[01:03:10] compassionate one, he is convinced that
[01:03:13] if we want to have hearts at peace,
[01:03:16] well, then we need to entrust ourselves
[01:03:17] to God and in the same way entrust
[01:03:21] ourselves to Jesus.
[01:03:24] That's an utterly absurd thing to say of
[01:03:27] any other human.
[01:03:29] But to say it of Jesus is to say
[01:03:32] something that is absolutely fitting
[01:03:34] because he is the one that those who
[01:03:36] followed him quickly realized he was the
[01:03:38] unique son of God. The one who had
[01:03:41] always been with God and in fact had
[01:03:43] always been God.
[01:03:47] He's the one that billions of people
[01:03:49] throughout the last 2,000 years have not
[01:03:51] only listened to but entrusted
[01:03:54] themselves to
[01:03:56] recognized that he is the one who can
[01:03:58] give our hearts rest.
[01:04:01] The one that Amit realized could give
[01:04:03] him a peace now and always a lasting
[01:04:06] peace that can't come from anyone or
[01:04:08] anything else either spiritual or
[01:04:11] material.
[01:04:14] And so we've seen that Jesus called his
[01:04:16] disciples and he calls us to entrust
[01:04:19] ourselves to him.
[01:04:21] But now let's go on to say see what he
[01:04:24] says about why we should trust in him.
[01:04:27] If we carry on forward a few more
[01:04:29] slides, we'll hopefully see verse six.
[01:04:32] And here Jesus says, "I am the way and
[01:04:36] the truth and the life.
[01:04:40] No one comes to the father except
[01:04:43] through me. I am the way, says Jesus. I
[01:04:47] am the truth and the life. No one comes
[01:04:51] to the father except through me.
[01:04:54] First of all, Jesus declares himself to
[01:04:56] be the way. The way.
[01:05:00] You know, actually, however open-minded
[01:05:02] we might be, we all recognize that some
[01:05:05] ways of living are better than others.
[01:05:09] That's why we're so shocked when we hear
[01:05:11] about the rich and powerful being a law
[01:05:13] to themselves, living as though they are
[01:05:15] the only ones that matter, as though
[01:05:17] wealth and influence will enable them to
[01:05:20] live lives turned in on themselves with
[01:05:23] no fear of any consequences.
[01:05:26] It's why we are pleased when they don't
[01:05:29] get off scot-free. It's why we're glad
[01:05:32] when their actions begin to be exposed
[01:05:35] in the media because the way they've
[01:05:37] been living has been so selfish, so
[01:05:40] careless of the great harm that it does
[01:05:42] to others.
[01:05:44] A way of life turned in on itself which
[01:05:47] tramples on others to get what it wants.
[01:05:49] I think we all recognize this way isn't
[01:05:53] right.
[01:05:55] And in Jesus, we see the opposite of
[01:05:57] that. We see the good way. We see a life
[01:06:01] lived for the benefit of others. A life
[01:06:03] looking out to others and doing good to
[01:06:05] others.
[01:06:08] Why do we recognize the goodness of
[01:06:09] this? Well, ultimately it's because we
[01:06:12] were created by the God who loves all
[01:06:16] that he has made. We were created, as
[01:06:19] you were thinking about yesterday, in
[01:06:21] terms of creativity, but we were also
[01:06:24] created to reflect what he himself is
[01:06:26] like in in other ways, too. And so as he
[01:06:30] is loving, so we are to be loving.
[01:06:34] And so if we want to have hearts that
[01:06:35] aren't restless and troubled, well then
[01:06:38] we need to entrust ourselves to Jesus,
[01:06:41] the one who perfectly shows us God's
[01:06:44] good way of living.
[01:06:48] By the way,
[01:06:49] have you always gone that good way? that
[01:06:52] way of love for God above all things and
[01:06:54] that way of love and care for those
[01:06:56] around you.
[01:06:59] Me neither.
[01:07:01] And that's a serious problem.
[01:07:05] Jesus is the way. He also tells us he is
[01:07:07] the truth. Jesus is the truth. And of
[01:07:10] course, if he is a fraud or a figment of
[01:07:13] the imagination, well then there's no
[01:07:15] point in trusting in Jesus. There might
[01:07:18] be a psychological help to thinking
[01:07:20] there's something bigger than our
[01:07:22] circumstances, someone who cares about
[01:07:24] us, but fairly soon we would crash. We'd
[01:07:28] realize he isn't true. And we'd realize
[01:07:30] he couldn't be relied on. He couldn't
[01:07:33] hear our prayers when we speak to him.
[01:07:36] He couldn't help us in our troubles.
[01:07:39] And certainly there's no way that he
[01:07:41] could prepare a place in the father's
[01:07:44] house heaven for us.
[01:07:48] But if he is true, if he can be trusted,
[01:07:52] wouldn't that be wonderful?
[01:07:55] Are you willing to consider that Jesus
[01:07:58] might be the truth?
[01:08:00] Well, at the end of the service, why not
[01:08:02] talk to the person next to you? If
[01:08:04] they're a follower of Jesus, ask them
[01:08:06] what convinces them that Jesus is the
[01:08:09] truth.
[01:08:10] Better still, take a a free copy of the
[01:08:13] Gospel of John uh from just down here on
[01:08:15] this stool. It's the church's gift to
[01:08:18] you. Read the account of a person who
[01:08:20] hung out with Jesus for three years.
[01:08:23] Read the words of Jesus himself, which
[01:08:25] John recorded.
[01:08:27] See whether his words have the ring of
[01:08:29] truth.
[01:08:31] And by the way, if you'd rather listen
[01:08:34] to the gospel or read it in another
[01:08:36] language or you can download the Uver
[01:08:39] app onto a smartphone or device for
[01:08:42] free. If you need help with that, do
[01:08:44] chat with me or or someone that looks
[01:08:47] like they understand technology.
[01:08:51] But then last, Jesus says he is the way.
[01:08:54] He is the truth. And finally, Jesus
[01:08:56] tells us that he is the life. Jesus is
[01:08:59] the life.
[01:09:01] And in saying that, Jesus is pointing to
[01:09:03] something that we might feel that we
[01:09:05] have. Of course, we have life, but that
[01:09:07] he knows we need from him. We need the
[01:09:10] life that only he can give.
[01:09:14] You see the the brokenness of the world
[01:09:16] around us.
[01:09:18] It's actually a vivid reminder to us
[01:09:21] that there is something broken in here.
[01:09:25] that through our sin, our choosing to go
[01:09:27] my own way and not God's way, choosing
[01:09:29] to prioritize my ease over your needs.
[01:09:33] Actually, through that sin, we are cut
[01:09:35] off from God, the source of life.
[01:09:39] And that's serious because it means we
[01:09:42] don't know God now. Not rightly.
[01:09:46] And it means we won't know God forever.
[01:09:48] will have an eternity actually of being
[01:09:51] turned in on ourselves away from God and
[01:09:55] away from others. And it will be way
[01:09:57] uglier and infinitely more painful than
[01:10:00] an ingrowing toenail.
[01:10:03] And it will be the way that we have gone
[01:10:08] which has earned for us that being away
[01:10:11] from God and turned in on ourselves.
[01:10:16] what the Bible calls hell.
[01:10:19] But Jesus said he is the life.
[01:10:23] He is the life. And that is because he
[01:10:26] came to bring life. Because he has lived
[01:10:29] the way that you and I have failed to
[01:10:32] live. And on the cross, he didn't just
[01:10:34] undergo awful physical suffering. No, he
[01:10:37] also went through spiritual death. that
[01:10:40] death that you and I have earned by
[01:10:42] cutting ourselves off from God, the
[01:10:44] giver of life.
[01:10:47] And thankfully, that isn't the end of
[01:10:48] the story. Because three days later,
[01:10:50] Jesus rose again from death. Not in
[01:10:53] fairy tale land, not in a fantasy world,
[01:10:55] but in true history. He rose again from
[01:10:58] death just as he had promised to. And
[01:11:01] so, he gives life freely to all who come
[01:11:04] to him.
[01:11:06] And friends, this is so different to
[01:11:08] every religion which insists that we
[01:11:10] climb our way up to God. Jesus says that
[01:11:14] he came all the way down to us in order
[01:11:17] to lift us up to himself, in order to
[01:11:21] take us to the father's house.
[01:11:26] You know, before we finish, there might
[01:11:28] be something troubling you from the
[01:11:29] words of Jesus here. You see, he says
[01:11:31] that he is the way, the truth, the life.
[01:11:34] He says that to live wisely in God's
[01:11:36] world now to live with him in his house
[01:11:39] forever. Jesus isn't one possible path
[01:11:42] that we could choose. He isn't one truth
[01:11:46] among many. His isn't one valid
[01:11:49] lifestyle among many that we can choose.
[01:11:52] Jesus, the one that so many religions
[01:11:54] say they esteem, says that he is the one
[01:11:58] we must come to. He is the one we must
[01:12:00] entrust ourselves to.
[01:12:03] And perhaps it seems narrow that there
[01:12:05] would be only one way. After all, you
[01:12:07] know, so many lovely non-Christians,
[01:12:10] and so do I.
[01:12:13] Well, I think to understand the truth
[01:12:15] and the justice and the goodness of
[01:12:17] Jesus's statement, I think we need to
[01:12:19] reflect on two things. God's holiness
[01:12:22] and our sinfulness.
[01:12:25] See, when we realize that God is so
[01:12:27] perfectly good that no sin can enter his
[01:12:30] presence and when we recognize that,
[01:12:34] well, though I might be able to compare
[01:12:35] myself well to some people,
[01:12:39] actually that's not the comparison.
[01:12:42] The one that I need to compare myself
[01:12:43] to, the one you need to compare yourself
[01:12:46] to. It isn't the two-faced politician
[01:12:48] who says one thing and does another. It
[01:12:51] isn't the accountant who's been
[01:12:53] defrauding people of their pensions. It
[01:12:55] isn't the person who's been breaking
[01:12:57] into homes to sustain an addiction.
[01:13:01] The person you and I need to measure
[01:13:02] ourselves up next to is the one who
[01:13:05] shows us how life is meant to be lived.
[01:13:09] And when we see how Jesus lived in all
[01:13:12] his goodness and his beauty and his
[01:13:14] truth,
[01:13:16] well, don't we see how far short we
[01:13:17] fall? Don't we see how far away we are
[01:13:20] from loving God as he deserves? How far
[01:13:23] we are from loving and serving our
[01:13:25] neighbor as they deserve?
[01:13:28] Don't we see that we have no right to
[01:13:30] claim a place in the father's house?
[01:13:32] Don't we see that nobody has earned a
[01:13:34] spot in heaven?
[01:13:36] When we grasp those truths or take hold
[01:13:39] of them aresh,
[01:13:41] I think we'll be amazed that there is
[01:13:43] one way.
[01:13:45] I think we'll be astounded that God has
[01:13:47] made a way for us to live with him
[01:13:49] forever.
[01:13:50] And we'll want to rejoice that in his
[01:13:53] perfect goodness, he's made this way for
[01:13:55] us to be with him. In his perfect
[01:13:58] wisdom, he has sent Jesus, God's son.
[01:14:02] Because actually, friends, what
[01:14:04] religious leader or world leader or even
[01:14:07] friend would we want to listen to more
[01:14:10] than Jesus?
[01:14:13] What person would we rather put our
[01:14:15] trust in than him?
[01:14:19] And this is an invitation open to every
[01:14:21] single person in the world. No matter
[01:14:23] what religion they've been a part of, no
[01:14:25] matter what they have done.
[01:14:27] But most of all, this is an invitation
[01:14:30] to you.
[01:14:32] Come to Jesus and you will freely
[01:14:34] receive the family you want being part
[01:14:36] of God's household now and forever.
[01:14:40] Entrust yourself to Jesus and you will
[01:14:42] freely receive the forgiveness you need.
[01:14:46] Turn from sin
[01:14:48] which offers life and fun but actually
[01:14:52] only delivers death and misery.
[01:14:55] Turn from sin and come to Jesus, the
[01:14:59] way, the truth, the life. When you do
[01:15:03] so, you will find there is room in the
[01:15:05] father's house for you now and always.
[01:15:10] Don't shut yourself out from that home
[01:15:12] with God by rejecting Jesus.
[01:15:17] Trust Jesus and live with him forever.
[01:15:23] I'm going to pray before we hand back to
[01:15:25] Mark. I'm going to pray two shortish
[01:15:27] prayers. One, perhaps you're not yet
[01:15:29] trusting in Jesus and you realize this
[01:15:32] is something I need to do. I need to
[01:15:34] read his word. I need to explore what he
[01:15:37] says and I need to come to him. Well,
[01:15:39] that first prayer will be for you. And
[01:15:42] that second prayer, well, that's that's
[01:15:44] my prayer as a Christian, as a a
[01:15:46] follower of Jesus who doesn't always
[01:15:49] live according to the ways of Jesus and
[01:15:52] doesn't always see the truth and
[01:15:53] goodness and beauty of Jesus. And so, if
[01:15:56] that's you as well or pray with me for
[01:15:58] that second prayer, let's pray those two
[01:16:00] prayers together.
[01:16:04] Oh Lord Jesus Christ,
[01:16:07] I recognize that
[01:16:10] with so many billions of people
[01:16:13] saying you are worth listening to, I too
[01:16:17] ought to listen to you.
[01:16:20] And Lord Jesus, I thank you for the
[01:16:21] wisdom of your words. I thank you for
[01:16:24] the power of your actions.
[01:16:27] And I thank you for the compassion of
[01:16:29] your actions during your life and then
[01:16:31] even more in your death.
[01:16:34] Oh Lord Jesus Christ, I see
[01:16:37] that I haven't lived the life that you
[01:16:39] call us to.
[01:16:42] And so I see that I need you.
[01:16:45] Thank you for dying so that I could
[01:16:47] live.
[01:16:49] Thank you for rising again so that I
[01:16:52] could be with you forever.
[01:16:54] Thank you that this isn't something that
[01:16:56] I earn, but something that you freely
[01:16:58] give to all who trust in you. And so,
[01:17:01] Lord Jesus Christ, I turn from my sin,
[01:17:04] from my not loving God as I should, from
[01:17:07] my not treating the people around me as
[01:17:08] I should. And Lord Jesus, I turn to you.
[01:17:13] Please forgive me.
[01:17:17] Please give me your Holy Spirit so that
[01:17:19] I might begin to live for you and so
[01:17:22] that I might know that I belong to you
[01:17:25] and so that I might know that I am yours
[01:17:27] now and will be yours forever.
[01:17:31] In your name I pray. Amen.
[01:17:36] And oh Lord Jesus Christ, I've been
[01:17:37] following you for decades now. [snorts]
[01:17:41] And if I'm honest, sometimes
[01:17:46] I'm not that excited about you and your
[01:17:49] ways,
[01:17:52] but that doesn't make your ways any less
[01:17:54] good and true and beautiful. And I thank
[01:17:57] you for that. And Lord Jesus Christ, I
[01:18:00] thank you that even though my grip on
[01:18:02] you is sometimes so, so weak, your grip
[01:18:05] on me is so firm.
[01:18:08] and that you who have begun a good work
[01:18:10] in me will carry it on to completion.
[01:18:15] Oh Lord Jesus Christ, I pray please open
[01:18:19] my eyes aresh by your spirit
[01:18:23] so that I might know you more clearly,
[01:18:27] so that I might love you more dearly
[01:18:31] and so that I might follow you more
[01:18:33] nearly.
[01:18:35] And in this way might you be glorified.
[01:18:40] Amen.
[01:18:48] Richard, thank you very much for that.
[01:18:50] We're going to move into communion now.
[01:18:53] Ask the stewards to come and move the
[01:18:55] table. And Cheryl's going to come up on
[01:18:58] the stage. Let's just take a moment in
[01:19:00] quiet to reflect on Richard's what
[01:19:02] Richard was saying while we just get
[01:19:04] ourselves ready here for communion.
[01:19:50] Thank you.
[01:19:54] Well, afterwards you'll no doubt be come
[01:19:56] and have a tea tea some tea and coffee.
[01:19:59] Please do stay or a drink or squash. But
[01:20:02] I bet you over those conversations
[01:20:05] you'll probably apart from discussing
[01:20:07] the football you'll probably talk about
[01:20:12] some of the challenges in your life with
[01:20:14] people, some of the issues, some of the
[01:20:18] difficulties, some of the things that
[01:20:20] you've got um struggles with. And you'll
[01:20:23] probably also have another type of
[01:20:24] conversation which is about the
[01:20:26] blessings in your life, the good things,
[01:20:28] things that have encouraged you in the
[01:20:31] last week, maybe things that you think
[01:20:32] are um you know of interest to others.
[01:20:36] And uh as we come to this table of
[01:20:39] invitation,
[01:20:41] this table that the Lord Jesus has
[01:20:43] constituted, thought it's worth just a
[01:20:45] minute thinking about the cup
[01:20:48] because you know, I find scripture so
[01:20:51] rich and so so deep. And I I think as I
[01:20:56] spend more time digging into what God
[01:20:59] has planted in his word, it's so such a
[01:21:02] blessing. And one of the symbols that is
[01:21:05] so richly played through scripture is
[01:21:08] the cup.
[01:21:10] The cup. And cup. The cup in many ways
[01:21:13] is a is a is a symbol. It's a a metaphor
[01:21:17] for life,
[01:21:19] for my life perhaps. And there are two
[01:21:22] cups really in scripture I just want to
[01:21:25] talk about as we come to this table.
[01:21:29] There's the cup of suffering.
[01:21:32] the cup of suffering.
[01:21:35] It's a cup that you will probably when I
[01:21:37] use that word you describe that you your
[01:21:40] mind might go to the garden of
[01:21:41] Gethsemane and your mind might go to the
[01:21:44] words of Jesus when he says father if
[01:21:49] you are willing
[01:21:51] take this cup from me.
[01:21:53] It's a cup of suffering and pain. It's a
[01:21:57] cup of wrath
[01:21:59] poured out
[01:22:01] on sin. It's a cup of fear because the
[01:22:06] scripture says in those moments he went
[01:22:08] on to sweat blood. It was a it was a
[01:22:12] horrifying experience for Jesus. It's a
[01:22:15] cup of spilled blood.
[01:22:19] It's that moment on the cross that we
[01:22:21] remember when the price was paid when we
[01:22:25] were redeemed
[01:22:27] by his blood. So it's a cup of suffering
[01:22:31] and redemption.
[01:22:34] Jesus gave his life that we might have
[01:22:38] life. That's what Richard has been
[01:22:40] sharing with us. essence Jesus is the
[01:22:43] life but it regard he re needed to
[01:22:47] suffer to make that happen and then
[01:22:49] there's a second cup in scripture I
[01:22:52] wonder if you recognize that cup
[01:22:55] Jesus alludes to this cup at uh the
[01:23:00] wedding feast in Kaa you know his first
[01:23:02] great miracle
[01:23:05] the cup that so many people were amazed
[01:23:08] at tasted so food. The cup that was just
[01:23:13] had so many cups because there was so
[01:23:15] much wine. It's a cup of abundance. It's
[01:23:18] a cup of blessing. It's a cup that David
[01:23:22] refers to in Psalm 23.
[01:23:25] My cup overflows.
[01:23:29] Surely goodness, that's that word surely
[01:23:32] again. We were praying that earlier.
[01:23:34] Surely goodness and love will follow me
[01:23:37] all the days of my life.
[01:23:40] That's a cup worth having, isn't it?
[01:23:45] He has no fear, David, in that moment.
[01:23:48] He's at a banquet
[01:23:50] because the host is looking after him.
[01:23:52] He's filling his cup again and again.
[01:23:56] Even though he's seated in the presence
[01:23:58] of his enemies,
[01:24:00] he has no fear because the host is
[01:24:03] looking after him.
[01:24:06] This is a cup of life. And this cup is
[01:24:10] made possible by Jesus too. This cup of
[01:24:14] life because Jesus is the host as well.
[01:24:21] And of course Jesus goes on to say
[01:24:26] as we come to the communion table he
[01:24:28] talks about the cup doesn't he? He says
[01:24:30] this cup is the new covenant in my
[01:24:34] blood.
[01:24:36] So in this cup this is a cup of
[01:24:39] suffering says Jesus redemption that
[01:24:43] hints at he's hinting here I am the
[01:24:46] Messiah. This is going to save and it's
[01:24:48] a cup of blessing and he puts the two
[01:24:51] together in the name of Jesus. He does
[01:24:55] everything everything that's required.
[01:24:58] He gives life so that we may have life
[01:25:01] because he is the way, the truth, and
[01:25:04] the life. That's why this table is so
[01:25:06] important to us. That's why he
[01:25:08] constituted it to remember I'm life. I'm
[01:25:12] life. I did this for you because you may
[01:25:15] have life. So that's why this table's
[01:25:18] really sacred to us, isn't it? It's
[01:25:19] really important to us. It's really
[01:25:21] significant and we need to treat it with
[01:25:23] respect.
[01:25:25] So that's why it's for the followers of
[01:25:27] Jesus.
[01:25:28] But maybe you prayed that prayer that
[01:25:30] Richard prayed. Then come to the table.
[01:25:33] If you've accepted Jesus this morning,
[01:25:35] come to the table. You're welcome.
[01:25:38] Arms are Jesus arms are wide open. But
[01:25:41] even if you're a follower, then we need
[01:25:43] to prepare well, don't we? We need to
[01:25:46] treat this meal with care, not treat it
[01:25:49] lightly.
[01:25:51] So, let's just come back to the words
[01:25:53] that Paul
[01:25:55] reminds us as we come to this meal
[01:26:01] in one Corinthians.
[01:26:04] So then, whoever eats the bread or
[01:26:08] drinks the cup of the Lord in an
[01:26:09] unworthy manner will be guilty of
[01:26:11] sinning against the body and blood of
[01:26:13] the Lord.
[01:26:15] Everyone ought to examine themselves
[01:26:17] before they eat the bread and drink the
[01:26:19] cup. So let's just do that for a moment.
[01:26:38] Paul says, "For I received from the Lord
[01:26:40] what I also passed on to you. The Lord
[01:26:43] Jesus on the night he was betrayed, took
[01:26:45] the bread, and when he'd given thanks,
[01:26:47] he broke it and said, "This is my body
[01:26:49] which is given for you. Do this in
[01:26:52] remembrance of me." And in the same way,
[01:26:54] after the supper, he took the cup,
[01:26:57] saying, "This cup is the new covenant in
[01:27:00] my blood. Do this in reme whenever you
[01:27:04] drink it in remembrance of me. For when
[01:27:07] you eat this bread and you drink this
[01:27:09] cup, you could proclaim the Lord's death
[01:27:12] until he comes."
[01:27:15] So come to the table, all the followers
[01:27:17] of Jesus. Just come down the middle, go
[01:27:19] around the sides. We take the bread and
[01:27:23] the wine with us. Hold on to the cup.
[01:27:26] Drink the eat the bread. Hold on to the
[01:27:27] cup and we'll share the cup together.
[01:27:30] Okay. Thank you. And while we're doing
[01:27:32] that, we're going to hear a little bit
[01:27:34] of of quiet music to help us reflect.
[01:27:38] Okay.
[01:31:28] a cup of suffering and a cup of
[01:31:31] blessing.
[01:31:32] Psalm 116:13
[01:31:34] says, "I shall lift up the cup of
[01:31:37] salvation
[01:31:39] and call upon the name of the Lord." As
[01:31:41] you do so, let's just call on the name
[01:31:43] of the Lord. Jesus, we thank you for the
[01:31:46] cup. For the cup that represents you and
[01:31:51] all that you did for us, for everything
[01:31:53] that you gave, for every drop that you
[01:31:56] spilled on our behalf. We thank you for
[01:31:59] suffering that we might be redeemed.
[01:32:01] That we might know the blessing of
[01:32:04] salvation.
[01:32:05] Thank you, Jesus. Amen.
[01:32:39] Please stand.
[01:33:06] [music]
[01:33:10] Savior.
[01:33:11] He can move the [music] mountains.
[01:33:15] My God is mighty [singing] to say. He is
[01:33:20] mighty to say.
[01:33:23] for
[01:33:24] [music] all the salvation.
[01:33:28] He her rose and conquers [singing] the
[01:33:31] grave. Jesus coners the grave.
[01:33:38] Everyone needs [singing] compassions.
[01:33:40] [music]
[01:33:41] Love does never failing.
[01:33:45] There's [music] mercy
[01:33:47] for only. [singing]
[01:33:50] Everyone needs [music] forgiveness.
[01:33:53] The kindness [singing] of a savior.
[01:33:57] [music] The hope [singing]
[01:33:59] of nations.
[01:34:03] [music]
[01:34:07] Savior.
[01:34:09] He [music] can rule the mountains.
[01:34:11] [singing]
[01:34:13] My God is mighted to save. He is to
[01:34:18] save. [music]
[01:34:20] Forever [singing]
[01:34:22] our salvation.
[01:34:25] He rose in conquer the grave.
[01:34:28] [music and singing]
[01:34:29] Jesus conquer the grave.
[01:34:34] So [music] take me as you find me. All
[01:34:38] my fears are
[01:34:42] fill my life [music] again.
[01:34:46] I give you life to follow. [singing]
[01:34:49] Every [music]
[01:34:54] now I surrender. [singing]
[01:35:00] [music]
[01:35:03] Savior. [music] He can rule the
[01:35:06] mountains. [singing]
[01:35:08] My God is mighty to save. He is [music]
[01:35:13] fighting to save
[01:35:15] forever.
[01:35:18] of salvation.
[01:35:21] He rose and [music] covered the
[01:35:23] [singing] grave. Jesus Christ
[01:35:30] and the whole sees
[01:35:35] [music]
[01:35:38] [singing]
[01:35:41] the
[01:35:42] whole world.
[01:35:46] for [music] the glory of the risen king.
[01:35:53] [music]
[01:35:56] Savior,
[01:35:57] he can move the mountains. [music]
[01:36:01] My God is mighty to save. [singing]
[01:36:05] He is mighty to [music] save
[01:36:08] forever [singing]
[01:36:11] [music] of salvation.
[01:36:14] Heroes and children are great. Jesus
[01:36:19] the grave.
[01:36:51] Oh Lord,
[01:36:54] they are in awesome [music and singing]
[01:36:56] wonder.
[01:36:59] I see the all the words I [music] have
[01:37:04] made.
[01:37:06] I see the [singing] stars.
[01:37:09] I hear the mighty [music]
[01:37:11] thunder.
[01:37:13] The [singing] power to out
[01:37:16] in unorthy. [music]
[01:37:20] [singing] Then sings my soul, my saving
[01:37:25] to [singing and music] thee.
[01:37:28] How great thou art.
[01:37:32] How great [singing and music] thou art.
[01:37:35] and save my soul, my [singing] saving
[01:37:40] to thee. [music]
[01:37:43] Away. [singing]
[01:37:48] [music]
[01:37:49] And when I think that is so
[01:38:00] I could
[01:38:05] on the cross [singing]
[01:38:07] my burdens bear. [music]
[01:38:12] and die
[01:38:14] to take [singing and music] away my sin.
[01:38:19] Then sing my soul, my [music] saving
[01:38:23] [singing] to thee.
[01:38:26] How great thou are.
[01:38:30] How great [music and singing] thou are.
[01:38:33] Then sings my soul, my [music] savior.
[01:38:41] How [singing] great thou are.
[01:38:43] How great
[01:38:45] are
[01:38:48] Christ shall [singing] come.
[01:38:50] We shall hold vacation
[01:38:55] and [music] take me home.
[01:38:58] For joy shall fill [singing] my heart.
[01:39:02] and shallow [music]
[01:39:05] in humble adoration [singing]
[01:39:09] and oy [music]
[01:39:13] [singing] how we thou
[01:39:17] s my soul [music and singing]
[01:39:19] my savior
[01:39:21] to thee
[01:39:24] how great thou are [music]
[01:39:28] how great Oh, [singing]
[01:39:31] there save [music] my soul. My [singing]
[01:39:34] savior
[01:39:38] [music]
[01:39:39] now.
[01:39:43] [singing]
[01:39:48] [music]
[01:39:52] [applause]
[01:39:55] Yes, Lord. We just want to say how great
[01:39:57] thou art, Lord. How great thou art,
[01:40:01] Lord. It's just a joy to know that we
[01:40:04] are blessed by you. You have everything
[01:40:07] that we need. Thank you this morning for
[01:40:10] being present here. Thank you for what
[01:40:12] we've heard, for what we have taken in,
[01:40:15] Lord, for how our souls have been
[01:40:17] refreshed.
[01:40:20] Lord, as we go out this week, as we go
[01:40:22] out this week, may we be be
[01:40:26] confident that you are surely with us.
[01:40:29] Surely with us in all that we face and
[01:40:32] all that we do. May we rest in that
[01:40:35] confidence in you. Thank you, Lord
[01:40:39] Jesus.
[01:40:40] Amen.
[01:40:42] I'm just going to pray a prayer of
[01:40:43] blessing over us.
[01:40:45] And um and indeed for anyone who who
[01:40:48] responded to Richard's Richard's
[01:40:52] invitation or this morning, if you've
[01:40:54] been touched in any special way, if
[01:40:56] you'd like prayer for any special thing,
[01:40:58] if you are in need, then don't go home
[01:41:00] today without expressing that need and
[01:41:02] coming forward, come and talk to Richard
[01:41:04] or Jamie or myself, one of the leaders
[01:41:07] here, or just a friend. Just talk about
[01:41:09] it. Let's pray about it. I'm going to
[01:41:11] pray from Psalm 115 that we read earlier
[01:41:14] verses 12 onwards. In fact, tell you
[01:41:18] what, the words are on the screen. Let's
[01:41:19] read this over ourselves. Let's pray a
[01:41:22] blessing on those across the room. Let's
[01:41:24] pray for one another and just take in
[01:41:28] this blessing that the Lord says. So,
[01:41:30] let's read together. The Lord remembers
[01:41:33] us and will bless us.
[01:41:36] He will bless his people Israel. He will
[01:41:40] bless the house of Aaron. He will bless
[01:41:43] those who fear the Lord, small and great
[01:41:47] alike. May the Lord cause you to
[01:41:50] flourish,
[01:41:52] both you and your children. May you be
[01:41:55] blessed by the Lord, the maker of heaven
[01:41:59] and earth.
[01:42:00] Amen.
[01:42:01] Amen. Amen. Have a great day. Do stay
[01:42:04] and enjoy some fellowship and coffee and
[01:42:06] tea. Thank you everybody.