Lee Street Church
Notes of Meeting – 27th February 2022
The meeting began with prayer for the situation in Ukraine, and those suffering from the Russian invasion.
Worship led by Ken Cowell
Psalm 84: 1-2 1. How lovely is your dwelling place O Lord Almighty! v2. My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. v10. Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
When you woke up this morning what did you think? “Great it’s Sunday so I can go to church?” Or did you say “I wish I could have a lie-in this morning and give church a miss?” The person who wrote the psalm was so excited that he couldn’t wait to get to the house of God. What was the attraction? He would have worshipped at the Tabernacle where David worshipped or the magnificent temple that Solomon built. It was neither of those. He came with a hunger to meet with the living God as he says: “my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” The living God was there and that was the attraction. Did we come this morning with the desire to meet with God? The psalmist thought it was the best place he could be, more than anywhere else, as he says: “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.” He’s saying, one day in God’s house is better than almost three years anywhere else. Are you glad you’re here this morning rather than on a beach in Spain? What is special about being here? We are in the presence of the living God to meet with him.
SONG: I will enter his gates with thanksgiving in my heart6
SONG: 40 Be still for the Presence of the Lord, the Holy One is here
Psalm 84: 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.
We not only come to be in His Presence but we come here to praise Him. The psalmist’s praise isn’t a one-off but continual action which will go on for all eternity, “they are ever praising you.” We don’t stop praising God once we have left the church. In Psalm 96 2 we are reminded that praise should be a daily activity. “Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.” So let’s do what we have come for.
SONG: 567 We are here to praise you
SONG: 466 Praise my soul the king of heaven
Psalm 84:11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favour and honour; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.
Why do we praise Him? There are a number of reasons in this verse. We can praise God because he is GREAT. He is likened to the sun. The sun is the source of life and light to the earth. The sun is the centre of the solar system and everything revolves around it. God is the centre and source of everything in our world, as we read, “In him was life and that life was the light of men.” (John 1. 4) We are nothing without God.
He is our shield, the one who PROTECTS from sin, sickness, trials and death. We are not here by chance this morning but because God has given us the health to come.
He is a GENEROUS God who gives the best. Another translation puts it, “the Lord gives grace and glory.” We have been saved from the guilt and penalty of our sin by his grace and we have the promise of eternal glory with him.
Lastly, he is a GOOD God who can only give us what is good for us all the time. Even the seemingly bad things that happen to us he works for our good. What a wonderful God we have to praise and worship this morning.
SONG: 1501 Praise Him, you heavens
SONG: 2007 Praise is rising, eyes are turning to you,
Psalm 84: 8 Hear my prayer O Lord God Almighty; listen to me O God of Jacob.
We have also come here to pray. Why do we pray? Because he listens and answers our prayers.
Message by Ian Crawford
These are Ian’s summary notes:
Readings: John 5 v24: 6 v 37 - 40: 12 v 44-46
Eternal Security Guaranteed for all who believe
Salvation is a work of grace
Sin is fact of life - if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves
Eternity- a sunrise never a sunset
John 5 v 24
Omnipotent makes 3 great promises:
A Present - has presently everlasting life
In Future- shall not come into condemnation
In Past - has crossed over from the sphere of eternal death to eternal life
John 6
Emphasis on All that the Father has given me (all who believe) - not some
Everyone who looks and believes shall be raised to eternal blessing on the last day at resurrection
We are Love gifts of Father to His Son
Those who come - never drive away - reject at any time
Hebrews - save to the uttermost - means to completion and perfection
Note that He does the keeping and holding – see John 10
He possesses the sheep
He Provides for them - eternal life
He Promises them - they shall never perish
He Provides Power - no one shall pluck from My Hand
John 17 He prays for you – “protect those you have given me”
Ephesians 1 - Guarantee of indwelling Holy Spirit who cannot be removed
Cannot lose salvation but may lose (as David):
Joy
Testimony
Song
Fellowship with God
1 Cor 3 Reward
It is impossible for following:
To be saved then unsaved
To be redeemed then unredeemed
To be reconciled then unreconciled
To be Related then unrelated.
The blood of Christ paid price in full.
POEM:
Upon the golden seashore sands
I wrote my name one day
The waves came in and when they left
My name had passed away.
Upon the shifting sands of time
Men write their names today
But when eternal years roll in
Their names will pass away.
Upon the spotless book of life
God wrote my name one day
Eternal years can never take
That God-penned name away.
My name is there forever
Through all God’s endless days
For He who died to put it there
Has put it there to stay.
NOTICES
- Wednesday 7.30pm – Zoom bible study.
- Friday at 2.00pm at St Barts Church – World Day of Prayer
- Next Sunday – speaker will be Barry Lorimer; followed by the postponed Annual Church Members Meeting at 12 noon.