Lee Street Church
Notes of Meeting 18th October 2020
Brian led the worship, and began with a few verses from Psalm 103 - a Call to Worship:
Praise the Lord, my soul: all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits –
Who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion.
The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse, nor will he harbour his anger for ever;
He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.
Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.
Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion,
Praise the Lord, O my soul.
SONG:
PRAISE, MY SOUL, THE KING OF HEAVEN;
To His feet thy tribute bring.
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Who like thee His praise should sing?
Praise Him! Praise Him!
Praise Him! Praise Him!
Praise the everlasting King!
Praise Him for His grace and favour
To our fathers in distress;
Praise Him, still the same forever,
Slow to chide, and swift to bless.
Praise Him! Praise Him!
Praise Him! Praise Him!
Glorious in His faithfulness.
Father-like, He tends and spares us;
Well our feeble frame He knows;
In His hands He gently bears us,
Rescues us from all our foes.
Praise Him! Praise Him!
Praise Him! Praise Him!
Widely as His mercy flows.
Angels in the height, adore Him;
Ye behold Him face to face;
Sun and moon, bow down before Him,
Dwellers all in time and space.
Praise Him! Praise Him!
Praise Him! Praise Him!
Praise with us the God of grace!
Look at all the blessings God has graciously bestowed upon us.
• We’ve been ransomed – He’s paid the price to set us from condemnation
• He’s healed us –
• He’s restored us to a right relationship with Himself
• He’s forgiven us - Oh the joy of God’s forgiveness
Look what He is – the same forever – He doesn’t change with the seasons or the weather – He’s still as loving, as slow to punish and as swift to bless as He was in the times when the scriptures were written.
And what does He do for us? He knows our weaknesses, and is there to gently carry us through and rescue us from our enemies.
This is the God we are worshipping today once again.
Our next song continues that theme of praising our Almighty Saviour. It reminds us that He brings light into whatever darkness we may be suffering – that He comes near to us in our most troublesome times, and brings us His peace.
Remember Jesus words in John 14: 27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”
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SONG: My lips shall praise you, my great Redeemer (937)
My lips shall praise You, My great Redeemer; My heart will worship Almighty Saviour.
You take all my guilt away, Turn the darkest night to brightest day, You are the restorer of my soul.
Love that conquers every fear, In the midst of trouble You draw near, You are the restorer of my soul.
You’re the source of happiness, Bringing peace when I am in distress, You are the restorer of my soul.
Noel & Tricia Richards. Copyright © 1991 Kingsway’s Thankyou Music.
My great Redeemer Such a great redeemer – He’s paid the price in full for all who accept his offer of freedom. Some might think it’s too good to be true – and therefore reject it. So they remain under the captivity of their sin. “But to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” Quite amazing – our relationship with almighty God fully restored. Rom 8: 1 “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”
Song: I’m accepted, I’m forgiven (229)
I’M ACCEPTED, I’m forgiven, I am fathered by the true and living God. I’m accepted, no condemnation, I am loved by the true and living God. There’s no guilt or fear as I draw near To the Saviour and Creator of the world. There is joy and peace As I release my worship to You, O Lord.
Paul in his letter to Titus reminds us about “Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good”
Yes, he called us with a purpose. Doing what is good. That can encompass a whole range of things - one of which is to make Jesus known to others. We’ll finish our worship time with a song that reminds us of this responsibility
Song: We want to see Jesus lifted high
WE WANT TO SEE JESUS LIFTED HIGH, A banner that flies across this land, That all men might see the truth and know He is the way to heaven. (Repeat)
We want to see, We want to see, We want to see Jesus lifted high. We want to see, we want to see, We want to see Jesus lifted high.
Step by step we’re moving forward, Little by little taking ground, Every prayer a powerful weapon, Strongholds come tumbling down, And down, and down, and down.
We’re gonna see, we’re gonna see, We’re gonna see Jesus lifted high. We’re gonna see, we’re gonna see, We’re gonna see Jesus lifted high.
Brian then read out an extract from the Bible Society regarding Prisons Week, celebrated in many churches over the past week, and mentioned in last weeks’ Songs of Praise programme. It drew attention to the needs of prisoners and their families for support, and to the work being done by many Christian agencies to bring the scriptures to those who are interested. The Bible does change the lives of many prisoners. We shared the Prison Week prayer: “Lord, you offer freedom to all people. We pray for those in prison. Break the bonds of fear and isolation that exist. Support with your love prisoners and their families and friends, prison staff and all who care. Heal those who have been wounded by the activities of others, especially the victims of crime. Help us to forgive one another. To act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly together with Christ in his strength and in his Spirit, now and every day. Amen”
Prayer Time
Also that Paul Forrest is recovering well after several weeks in hospital – please continue to pray for his complete healing
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Ken’s Message – Ephesians 1: 11 - 14
If you go to see Buckingham Palace you can’t say you’ve seen everything in London. There’s so much more to see than one place. However, if you go on the London Eye, you will see how vast London is. You get a panoramic view of London. You see the big picture, much bigger than what you realised on the ground. Salvation is God’s vast masterpiece. So often we get just a narrow view of it thinking it just means forgiveness of sins. The letter to the Ephesians shows us salvation from God’s viewpoint and it’s vast. It’s like looking over London from the London Eye. God has blessed us not with one, but with all spiritual blessings. Some of these blessings are spoken of in the early part of the chapter. We were loved and chosen in Christ from before the creation of the world. He also adopted us into his family as sons and daughters. We have been redeemed by the blood of Christ bringing us forgiveness and freedom from our sin. These are some of the precious blessings of our salvation. Salvation is what God has done for us and given us in Christ. The question is – how do we receive it and make it our own? Recently, we were given a model castle. It was all finished and complete but we had to put it together to make it our own, which meant following the maker’s instructions. How did these people in Ephesus make God’s salvation their own? They had to follow God’s instructions in verse 13, as we do.
Firstly, they “heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation”. What is the gospel? It is the good news that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners by dying for them on the cross and rising again from the dead. The gospel is the “word of truth”. It isn’t some fairy story that begins “Once upon a time”. Jesus actually came into the world and was born in Bethlehem. We celebrate that as an historical fact at Christmas time. His death also took place on the cross outside the city of Jerusalem. That can’t be denied, but it wasn’t just an ordinary death. The Bible makes it clear that his death was on behalf of sinners taking their punishment so they could be forgiven and saved from eternal judgement. But the good news doesn’t end there, because he rose from the dead on the third day and was seen by many witnesses before he returned to heaven. This was God’s plan of salvation and it is the only true way of salvation. For us also, to hear this message is a great privilege and gives us the opportunity to be saved.
But these people weren’t saved by hearing this message but by believing it. It goes on to say “Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal”. It was faith in Christ that made this salvation their own. We know that not everyone who hears the gospel believes in Jesus. We might ask why? One main reason is that they don’t understand it. They are very educated and successful people yet they because they don’t understand the gospel they can’t believe it. The gospel is God’s message and is spiritual truth that can’t be understood by our ordinary reasoning or intelligence. It is only when the Holy Spirit gives spiritual understanding that we see the true meaning and can believe. Is it hard for us to get this understanding from the Holy Spirit? No it isn’t. All we need is to be humble and have a teachable attitude and the Holy Spirit will do the rest. Sadly our pride and selfishness prevent us from understanding the meaning of the gospel. Yet even hearing and understanding the gospel doesn’t bring salvation. There is that second vital step without which there is no salvation.
What did they believe that brought them God’s salvation? We get the answer as we read on, “Having believed , you were marked in him”. To whom does the “in him” refer? It is to Jesus Christ. The phrase “in him” occurs several times in this letter and it always refers to Christ. Salvation is not found through our own achievements. No amount of religious activity or good works can merit salvation from our sin. Neither is salvation found in any other religion or person. Salvation is obtained in Jesus Christ alone through his death on the cross for our sins and his resurrection from the dead. We can’t be saved by anything that we can do but only by what Christ has already done for us at the cross. The apostle Paul makes it so clear on another occasion when he says “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.” (Acts 16.31)
What does it mean to believe in Jesus? Firstly, it means to receive Jesus. John 1.12 clearly shows this: “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name”. To receive Jesus and believe in Jesus is the same thing. Many have received Jesus in their head and believe with their mind, but they haven’t received Jesus into their hearts. Jesus doesn’t live in their hearts so there is no personal relationship with him. Being a Christian is knowing Jesus as my Saviour, Lord and Friend. I come to know him when I receive him into my life. That happened for me after hearing the gospel when I was 11. Has there been a time in your life when you have received Jesus into your heart?
Secondly, believe in Jesus means to trust or rely on him. When Jesus was crucified two criminal were also crucified with him. One of them admitted his sin and confessed it before Jesus. Then he said “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom”. He was trusting and relying on Jesus alone to be saved. He couldn’t trust in anything he had done. Jesus said to him “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise”. How could a criminal like that be given a place in heaven? It was simply because he trusted in Jesus alone to save him. We may not have sinned as bad as he did but we also can only be saved by trusting in Jesus. How do we know the man went to heaven? It was because Jesus said so and it was the truth. We can have the same assurance of going to heaven too because Jesus also give us his promise. “I give them eternal life. And they shall never perish, no one can snatch them out of my hand”. Are you sure you are going to heaven?
What happened after they believed in Jesus? “Having believed you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit”. When we believe in Jesus we are given the Holy Spirit as a seal. What does that mean? In Japan they don’t use signatures but everyone has a seal with their name on. My bank book had my seal on showing that the book belonged to me. A seal was a proof of ownership. When a slave from Africa was sold in the States the slave was branded by his master’s seal showing he belonged to his master. The Holy Spirit who lives in every Christian is the proof that they belong to God who bought them by the blood of Christ. I am commanded to honour God with my body because it belongs to him.(1 Corinthians 6.19-20) Another meaning of seal is to be safe and secure. The Roman seal on the tomb of Jesus meant the body was safe and secure. The Holy Spirit is God’s promise that He will keep secure in my salvation until Jesus comes back to earth. “You were sealed for the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4.30)
Another name is given to the Holy Spirit in verse 14 “who is deposit guaranteeing our inheritance”. We know what it means to pay a deposit for something we buy. It’s the first down-payment with the promise to the seller that the full amount will be paid in the future. God has given us a wonderful inheritance which is waiting for us in heaven. How do we know we will receive it? God has given us the Holy Spirit as a deposit with the promise of the full inheritance to come. In the Holy Spirit God has given us a deposit of heaven now. It’s as though God has already given 10% of heaven now with the other 90% to follow later. That other 90% is so great it’s hard to imagine how wonderful it will be.
Another way we can understand the idea of a deposit is to picture it like an engagement ring. When a woman receives a beautiful engagement ring of course she’s loves to show it to all her friends. Whilst she is so happy to be engaged she’s looking forward to her future wedding day. The engagement ring is the promise of the wedding day to come. Then she will not see her fiancee from to time but will begin to spend the rest of her life living with the person she loves. The anticipation of that far outweighs the time when she received engagement ring. The best is yet to be. It is joy to walk with Jesus now but to be presented to him as His Bride as the Bible speaks of as “without stain, or wrinkle or any blemish, but holy and blameless”,(Ephesians 4.27) that is really something to look forward to! And we will be with the Lord forever. What more could there be? But there is!
Salvation isn’t just being saved from hell and going to heaven when I die. Although that is wonderful, as Paul says “ I desire to depart and be with Christ which better by far” (Philippians 1.23), there’s much more to come. The image of life in heaven for many of us is that of our spirits worshipping God for all eternity. Worshipping God in heaven is wonderful but that isn’t the final goal of salvation. My salvation isn’t complete till I get a new resurrected body and that happens when Jesus returns to the earth. At that moment he “will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body”. That will be a great day when we exchanged these bodies of weakness, pain, sickness and mortality for a body like the glorious resurrected body of Jesus. But that’s just the beginning. Just as we are given new bodies so will the whole of creation which is groaning now will be made new along with a new heaven. There will be no more sin, sickness, pain, death, suffering, tears, sadness and mourning. All things in heaven and on earth will come together under one head, even Christ. Things will return to the beginning similar as they were in the Garden of Eden. This is our inheritance in Christ. Do you think it will be boring? One writer visualises like this: “Imagine this: being in a resurrected body on a resurrected earth, enjoying resurrected friendships in a resurrected culture, whilst walking and talking with Jesus. Imagine the food, joy, laughter, intimacy and depth of friendships. Imagine the beauty of the landscape, the sights and smells.” The Bible puts it like this: “No eye has seen, no ear heard, no mind conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”-----but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2.9) God has revealed something of what’s to come but the real thing will far exceed our expectation. Often before we go on holiday to a new location we read a guide book describing the place. It gives us a real expectation to go soon. The real thing is far better than the description and photos of the place in the magazine. I’m sure that is going to be true when we try to compare the descriptions in the Bible to the reality of what we will experience in God’s eternal kingdom.
London is bigger than Buckingham Palace. The Kingdom that is awaiting us is way beyond what we can visualise. Some people are just happy to see Buckingham Palace where the Queen lives. But in a coming day, “God will make his dwelling with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people and God himself will be with them and be their God.” (Revelation 21: 3)
We are going to live with God where He dwells. Now that is really something to look forward to.
Closing Song:
There is a higher throne
Than all this world has known,
Where faithful ones from ev'ry tongue
Will one day come.
Before the Son we'll stand,
Made faultless through the Lamb;
Believing hearts find promised grace—
Salvation comes.
Hear heaven's voices sing;
Their thund'rous anthem rings
Through em'rald courts and sapphire skies.
Their praises rise.
All glory, wisdom, pow'r,
Strength, thanks, and honour are
To God our King, who reigns on high
Forevermore.
And there we'll find our home,
Our life before the throne;
We'll honour Him in perfect song
Where we belong.
He'll wipe each tear-stained eye
As thirst and hunger die.
The Lamb becomes our Shepherd King;
We'll reign with Him.
NOTICES
- Bible Study – on Zoom 7.30pm Wednesday – starting studies in Titus.
- Next Sunday – sadly Paul Carter is unable to join us this month. As 26th October is “Bible Sunday 2020”, and many churches will be celebrating this to support the work of the Bible Society, we will be using some resources from the Bible Society’s special programme as part of our service next week.