Lee Street Church
Notes of Meeting 23rd May 2021
Worship led by Sue Clarke
I’m using Psalm 146 as the basis of our worship today. Sometimes our circumstances or state of mind, make it hard to turn our hearts to praise. This psalm enables us to praise God regardless.
This Psalm lifts our eyes away from ourselves and our troubled world to focus on our Sovereign God.
Psalm 146:1-6
Praise the LORD, O my soul. I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them-- the LORD, who remains faithful forever.
SONG: Lift up your heads 336
LIFT UP YOUR HEADS to the coming King;
Bow before Him and adore Him, sing
To His majesty, let your praises be
Pure and holy, giving glory
To the King of kings.
Steven Fry.Copyright © 1974 BMG Songs Inc/Birdwing Music/EMI Christian Music Publishing/Adm. by CopyCare.
Paul encouraged the Roman church in united worship of our Lord. This Psalm, like many others, was composed for use in the context of corporate worship, and helps us to do just that.
Romans 15 v5-6
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
SONG: Come people of the Risen King 2249
Come, people of the risen King,
Who delight to bring Him praise.
Come, all and tune your hearts to sing
To the morning star of grace.
From the shifting shadows of the earth
We will lift our eyes to Him,
Where steady arms of mercy reach
To gather children in.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Let every tongue rejoice!
One heart, one voice,
O church of Christ, rejoice!
Come, those whose joy is morning sun,
And those weeping through the night.
Come, those who tell of battles won,
And those struggling in the fight.
For His perfect love will never change
And His mercies never cease,
But follow us through all our days
With the certain hope of peace.
Come, young and old from every land,
Men and women of the faith.
Come, those with full or empty hands,
Find the riches of his grace.
Over all the world His people sing –
Shore to shore we hear them call
The truth that cries through every age:
‘Our God is all in all!’
Keith & Kristyn Getty & Stuart Townend Copyright 2007 Thankyou Music Used by Permission CCL 3227
Verses 5and 6 of Psalm 146 celebrate the character of God, in contrast to our own human weaknesses. Those who trust in Him will be blessed.
Psalm 146 v5-6
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them-- the LORD, who remains faithful forever.
Hope in God enables joyful praise, because we know He is watching over us in the midst of these challenging times. It is our creator God who sustains the world. It is His faithfulness on which, whether we know it or not, we all depend.
Again this thought is reflected in:
Romans 15 v13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
SONG: Great is Thy faithfulness 147
In the next few verses of this Psalm, the psalmist highlights God’s special concern for the poor and the powerless. These verses show the compassion God has for all His people.
Psalm 146 v7-10
He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free, the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD.
It is in these promises of hope that we can take comfort, and look forward with joy to the day when we He returns and we will see Him face to face.
1 Peter 1 v3-5
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
SONG: Jesus hope of the nations 1385
JESUS, HOPE OF THE NATIONS;
Jesus, comfort for all who mourn,
You are the source
Of heaven’s hope on earth.
Jesus, light in the darkness,
Jesus, truth in each circumstance,
You are the source
Of heaven’s light on earth.
In history, you lived and died,
You broke the chains; you rose to life.
You are the Hope, living in us,
You are the Rock, in whom we trust.
You are the Light,
Shining for all the world to see.
You rose from the dead, conquering fear,
Our Prince of Peace, drawing us near.
Jesus, our Hope,
Living for all who will receive,
Lord, we believe.
Brian Doerksen Copyright © 2002 Integrity's Hosanna! Music/Sovereign Music UK
This Psalm starts with the words “Praise the Lord” and finishes with the words “Praise the Lord!” We have so much to praise Him for – especially as we now look at the emblems and contemplate the tremendous sacrifice given for each of us. That tremendous love that has brought us to the place where we are today, having the knowledge of promises still to be fulfilled. Let’s worship Him.
SONG: Jesus Christ I think upon 865
Jesus Christ, I think upon Your sacrifice,
You became nothing, poured out to death.
Many times, I’ve wondered at Your gift of life,
And I’m in that place once again.
And I’m in that place once again.
And once again I look upon
The cross where You died,
I’m humbled by Your mercy
And I’m broken inside.
Once again, I thank You,
Once again, I pour out my life.
Now You are exalted to the highest place,
King of the heavens, where one day I’ll bow.
But for now, I marvel at this saving grace,
And I’m full of praise once again.
I’m full of praise once again.
Thank You for the cross,
Thank You for the cross,
Thank You for the cross, my Friend.
Matt Redman. Copyright © 1995 Kingsway’s Thankyou Music.
Breaking of Bread
We were reminded of the last words of Christ from the cross “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me”? Also, about the response of the centurion who witnessed Jesus’ death, when he said “Surely this man was the Son of God”. We remember and give thanks for Jesus going all the way to the cross for us, dying in our place.
Notes of message by Peter Whitehead (from South Wales)
Matthew 16:1 – 3
What is the Bible all about? It really is “Basic Information Before Leaving Earth” – it really does give us all we need to know - it’s NOT a book or rules, but it is about a living relationship with Jesus.
Jesus first coming, as foretold in the OT, was to heal, to preach, and to save people.
Jesus second coming, to which there are over 300 references in the NT, is to banish Satan, and take believers to be with Him.
As we look at the world today, we find so many who have lost hope – plenty of people with opinions about everything, but remember all men are capable of error.
Jesus had much to say about the future. In John 14:2 He told his disciples he would be going away and will come back again, having prepared a place for his followers.
We have many experts to give us advice about all kinds of things – property, finance – cars etc. But they have nothing to say about the Lord’s return.
The conflicts in the Middle East involving Israel are interesting – currently the fourth in the last 10 years, and we can expect more to come before Jesus’ return.
Other NT writers also had much to say about his return. 2Peter 3:3 – 10 says
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3 |
Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. |
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4 |
They will say, "Where is this ’coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." |
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5 |
But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. |
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6 |
By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. |
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7 |
By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. |
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8 |
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. |
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9 |
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. |
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10 |
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. |
V9 shows God’s compassion – not wanting anyone to perish.
The Bible contains at least 737 prophesies – of these, 594 have been fulfilled already, leaving the remainder still to take place.
We need to take heed to what Jesus had to say.
In Matthew ch. 24, Jesus leaves the temple with four of his disciples, and he tells them about the forthcoming destruction of the temple. He didn’t tell them when it would happen, or what specific signs there would be. In fact, this happened in AD70 when the Romans invaded to land and destroyed Jerusalem. Recent archaeological evidence has been found which confirms what happened, at a time which caused much suffering to the Jewish people.
Jesus also warned his disciples (and us!) about deceivers (v.4 onwards). False sects have grown up, particularly in the last century or so – so beware. He also gives us four signs – wars, rumours of wars, famines and earthquakes “in various places”.
The day and hour of our Saviour’s return are still unknown. But in the mean-time our task is to
Wait – Watch – Work - Witness
Notices:
- Wednesday Bible Study 7.30 pm on Zoom
- Next Sunday – speaker will be Ken Cowell