Lee Street Church
Notes of Meeting - 17th January 2021
Brian led the worship time, beginning with reading Philipians 4: 4 – 7 “Rejoice in the Lord always” – whatever our immediate circumstances – look to the Lord, who is near! Not a remote uncaring god, but one who listens to our pleas for help, and is beside us in every situation. Jesus promised his followers “I will never leave you or forsake you”.
Our first hymn is one of praise which also encourages us to Rejoice, because the Lord is King! (482)
REJOICE, THE LORD IS KING!
Your Lord and King adore;
Mortals, give thanks, and sing,
And triumph ever more:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice! Again I say: rejoice!
Jesus the Saviour reigns,
The God of truth and love;
When He had purged our stains,
He took His seat above:
His kingdom cannot fail,
He rules o’er earth and heaven;
The keys of death and hell
Are to our Jesus given:
He sits at God’s right hand
Till all His foes submit,
And bow to His command,
And fall beneath His feet:
Rejoice in glorious hope;
Jesus the Judge shall come,
And take His servants up
To their eternal home:
We soon shall hear the archangel’s voice;
The trump of God shall sound: rejoice!
Jesus the Saviour reigns – thought last week about Jesus as our Saviour – he came to rescue us from our situation where we were lost and without God. And it’s His name we’ve come to honour today.
People gather together to honour all sorts of heroes – may be pop stars, footballers, or even in some countries politicians. Well, they may even want to close our churches, but they can’t stop us worshipping the Lord Jesus – He is King, He is reigning, He is building His kingdom, as people all over the world turn to Him in faith.
Our next song just emphasises the pre-eminence of Jesus.
Hebrews 1:3 “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory, and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.”
I guess we would all love to know a bit more about what God is like. For now, we must just take the words of Jesus himself to Philip “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father“. So we just need to look at all we know and experience for ourselves of Jesus to know God Himself.
Jesus is the name we honour;
Jesus is the name we praise.
Majestic Name above all other names,
The highest heaven and earth proclaim
That Jesus is our God.
We will glorify,
We will lift Him high,
We will give Him honour and praise.
We will glorify,
We will lift Him high,
We will give Him honour and praise.
Jesus is the name we worship;
Jesus is the name we trust.
He is the King above all other kings,
Let all creation stand and sing
That Jesus is our God.
Jesus is the Father’s splendour;
Jesus is the Father’s joy.
He will return to reign in majesty,
And every eye at last shall see
That Jesus is our God.
Let’s just ponder for a moment – the name of Jesus. A name so sadly mis-used by those who know no better – but to us He’s the name above every name, the one we worship and trust, the one before whom every knee will one day bow to acknowledge him as Christ the Lord.
A quieter song now as we continue to contemplate the wonderful name of Jesus, and what He means to each of us as individuals. My Lord – Master of everything – our shepherd – THE good shepherd.
HIS NAME IS WONDERFUL,
His name is Wonderful,
His name is Wonderful,
Jesus my Lord.
He is the mighty King,
Master of everything,
His name is Wonderful,
Jesus my Lord.
He’s the great Shepherd,
The Rock of all ages,
Almighty God is He.
Bow down before Him,
Love and adore Him,
His name is Wonderful,
Jesus my Lord.
Our first song contained these words:
“When He had purged our stains,
He took His seat above
Yes, our Jesus is now seated with His Father in heaven, awaiting the time when He will return to this earth. But between coming to Bethlehem, being born as mankind’s Saviour, and returning to the glory of heaven, He had one key task to carry out on behalf of mankind – that of course was to give himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. He had to “purge our stains”, to cleanse us from the terrible stain of sin which was separating us from God.
Paul speaks 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”.
Yes, Jesus gave himself – literally his body on that cruel cross, watched by a crowd who had called for his crucifixion, even though he had done nothing wrong. They thought they had got rid of Jesus, but little did they realise this was just the beginning.
Today we live in the joy of knowing Jesus is alive, He’s a living Saviour – but He asked us to never forget the price of our salvation – what He suffered on our behalf..
Before we share in the Breaking of Bread, one more song to further cast our minds back to Calvary, and to thank Jesus for his work on the cross.
THANK YOU FOR THE CROSS,
The price You paid for us,
How You gave Yourself,
So completely,
Precious Lord (precious Lord).
Now our sins are gone,
All forgiven,
Covered by Your blood,
All forgotten,
Thank You, Lord (thank You, Lord).
Oh, I love You, Lord,
Really love You, Lord.
I will never understand
Why You love me.
You’re my deepest joy,
You’re my heart’s desire,
And the greatest thing of all, O Lord, I see:
You delight in me!
For our healing there,
Lord, You suffered,
And to take our fear
You poured out Your love,
Precious Lord (precious Lord).
Calvary’s work is done,
You have conquered,
Able now to save
So completely,
Thank You, Lord (thank You, Lord).
Breaking of Bread
As wherever we are in a few minutes we share in the bread and wine, let’s remember we do it in response to Jesus request.
Jesus was celebrating the Passover with his disciples – the time when the Jewish people would look back to the time they were miraculously released from captivity in Egypt, when their forefathers had protected their families by putting blood on their doorposts.
Now Jesus was asking his followers to remember Him – in two ways – firstly in the breaking of bread – symbolic of His body being broken, - and secondly in the sharing of wine, symbolising his blood which He would shed, in order to pay the price for our cleansing and redemption.
Yes, as we sung just now “our sin are gone all forgiven, covered by the precious blood of Jesus.”
Let’s give thanks – firstly for the bread, and then for the wine
Ken’s Message
Can We Have a Good Year in 2021? Philippians 1. 3-6
I found it difficult to wish people this year a Happy New Year knowing the kind of year it would be with the corona virus still around with all its devastating consequences. Happiness is a very elusive thing because it totally depends on changing circumstances. Happiness is that feeling we get when things around us are going the way we want. If I learn from the doctor that I have a clean bill of health or my football team wins an important game then I’m happy, because a good “happening” has taken place. On that basis not many people will have much happiness this year as the corona virus is still with us.
The Bible doesn’t refer to happiness based on pleasant circumstances but uses the word joy which isn’t dependent on them but can be experienced at all times. There are twice as many references in the Bible to joy and rejoicing than there are to suffering, sadness and trials. In Paul’s letter to the Philippian church he uses the “joy” or “rejoice” 14 times in 4 chapters. When Paul wrote these words was he on a beach in the Bahamas? Had he just moved into a new house? No, he was writing chained to a guard in a prison in Rome waiting execution. So it appears that it is possible for the Christian to have joy in the most dark and trying circumstances.
How did Paul manage to experience such joy in that difficult situation? The suffering he endured wasn’t the joy itself but the outcome of the suffering. James makes this clearer in his letter when he says “Consider it pure joy, my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance”. (James 1.2). In other words we don’t count the trial itself as a joy but can have joy in the trial because we see the potential for growth in faith and character. Suffering and trials are often the most effective way our faith and character grow.
We don’t know why God allowed this horrible virus, and we certainly don’t rejoice in it, but we can be joyful that it can be an opportunity for God to work so that we can grow closer to Him through it. Are we ready to learn what He may be trying to teach us? This year can’t be a very happy one but it can still be a good one because “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8.28).
Paul was very confident even though he was in prison as we see from verse 6 “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.” Let’s try and learn his secret so we can be confident at this very difficult time. What is the good work that God began in these Philippian people? It is the experience when they first became Christians. Paul not only remembers that time but give thanks for it, when they first believed the Gospel.
The first thing to do to become confident is to remember and give thanks for the time God began to work in you and saved you. Remembering the time when we became Christians and giving thanks often for it is very important. That is why Jesus commands us to remember Him and give thanks for our salvation in the breaking of the bread. If we forget about our salvation then we will fail to give thanks for it. Paul remembered and gave thanks even when he was suffering in prison. The nation of Israel were miraculously delivered and set free from Egypt. However, when they came up against problems of food and water which actually God provided for them in the desert they still grumbled which led them to forget and not give thanks for their salvation from Egypt.
Their complaining became a habit as did their failure to give thanks. When God told them to enter and take Canaan which he gave them, they disobeyed because of their unbelief. The foundation of their unbelief was their grumbling and negativity. Our failure to give thanks in all situations can also create a similar attitude of unbelief. We are commanded to “give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5.18) We aren’t commanded to give thanks for the circumstances but in the circumstances. It’s important to recognise that our being saved was a “good work”. God did the best thing for us when he saved us. God is good and can only do what is best for us.. Our salvation is God’s good work not our good works. All we could do was receive it by faith. His good work was the real thing because he worked in us. It wasn’t just a makeup job on the outside but he gave us a new heart. God has come to live in us! Our salvation also cost the death of His Son. How could we forget and fail to give thanks to God his for amazing love and the sacrifice his only Son.
The second thing to do to become confident is to trust in God who began his good work in us to carry it on. Why did Paul have confidence that the Philippian believers would continue in the faith? It was because God began the work of faith in them and He always continues what he begins as he promised “he who began a good work in you will carry it on.” They grew in their faith to become partners with Paul in the gospel. After we believe in Jesus we sometimes have doubts that we will be able to carry on. We needn’t have doubts because God who began the good work in us has promised to carry it on for us.
We struggle sometimes because instead of continuing to trust solely in Him as we did for salvation we try to do it in our own strength which results in failure. The faith that saved us is the same faith that enables us to grow. At the same time there is a process by which we cooperate with God and grow in our faith. When we believe in Christ we receive new life and become spiritual babes in Christ. How do you know that a baby is alive after being born? It first cries out for its mother. The mother waits expectantly to hear that cry. It is a cry for help and survival.
The first sign of spiritual life in a new born Christian is a cry to God in prayer. When God called his disciple Ananias to visit Saul after his conversion on the Damascus road he didn’t want to go because Saul persecuted the church. But God told him that Saul now genuinely believed in Jesus telling Ananias “he is praying.” One of the first blessings of becoming a Christian is this great privilege of praying to God as our Heavenly Father. Not only is prayer to God a sign of spiritual life but it becomes a major step in our spiritual growth. It is through fellowship with God in prayer that I come to know him more intimately. I only get to know a person well through communication with them. Without prayer my knowledge of God can’t grow effectively. Prayer is also the means where I get help from God as the baby’s cry gets help from its mother. My personal prayer life is vital for spiritual growth but I also need the prayers of my fellow Christians for my spiritual wellbeing as well as their prayers for healing when I’m sick.
One reason why the Philippian church grew spiritually was because Paul prayed for them. He says, “In all my prayers for all of you, I pray with joy.”(v4) Praying for each other is important for our mutual spiritual growth. I find having a list with each member’s name of the fellowship helpful so I can pray for everyone once a month. So let’s not only pray for ourselves but also for each other. Secondly, a baby needs to be fed to grow. It actually seeks the mother’s milk earnestly a few times a day. It’s the same for a new Christian, “Like new born babies crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” (1 Peter 2.2.) The Christian’s food is God’s word. A baby doesn’t drink a big dose of milk on Sunday to last him till next Sunday. He requires it every day to keep growing, just as we need to feed on God’s word daily.
There are stages of growth, from toddler, infancy, childhood, adolescence to adulthood. Just as parents want to see their children growing so does God desire to see growth in us. A baby won’t reach adulthood just on milk but needs a variety of more nutritious food. To grow spiritually we need to take in the “solid food” of God’s word to develop a godly character. Paul was disappointed with the Corinthian church because they were still acting like before they became Christians with worldliness, quarrelling and jealousy and not with Christlikeness. He realised the problem was that they were still at the baby stage just being fed by the milk of the word. He wanted to give them more solid food for their spiritual growth but they couldn’t take it even after a long time. Because they hadn’t grown in their knowledge and obedience of God’s word their lives hadn’t changed to become more like Jesus and glorify God. (1 Corinthians 3. 1-3) The effective knowledge of God’s word is seen in a life where the characteristics of Jesus are seen in the life of the believer.
Thirdly, a baby grows by receiving help. It comes first from its mother but then the other members of the family contribute. Even as growth reaches adulthood there is still need of help from others. When we became Christians God brought us into his family giving us brothers and sisters to help us in our new-found faith. They are a vital part of our spiritual growth. A key word in the New Testament concerning the church is “each other” or “one another”. It occurs over 25 times. In Jesus’ final talk at the Last Supper he used it 5 times saying the same thing “love one another”. From loving each other follows many other acts of love which are commanded in the epistles. For example, serving, being compassionate, forgiving, being kind, comforting, encouraging, praying, exhorting, confessing our sin, and fellowshipping. These are all things we are commanded to be doing for each other. So there are three keys for spiritual growth: prayer; God’s word and fellowship with God’s people.
The third thing to do to become confident is to be assured that what was begun in us will be completed. How can we be sure of this? So often man starts something but can’t finish it. Maybe he runs out of money or meets a problem that he can’t overcome. Are we able to complete what has begun in us? No, in our strength we can do nothing. How can it be done then? We must remember that the Almighty God and all sufficient God began his work in us. We didn’t begin the work of salvation in us it was God. He has inexhaustible resources and unlimited power to meet every need and overcome every problem. It is not our power that can keep us going to the end, but God’s.
What God has begun in us he will complete. That is his promise “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ.” There will be struggles and failures on the way but God will keep us to the end. We are in God’s and Jesus’ hands and no one can snatch us from their hands. When we sin and confess it God forgives and restores us to fellowship with him. He never stops forgiving us and never gives up on us. God is always faithful to keep his promise. The completion date is when Christ returns and we shall meet him in the air and these bodies of weakness and mortality will be transformed into a body of glory like Christ’s body.
We will enter with Christ into God’s eternal kingdom where there will be no more sickness, suffering, pain, sorrow, sin and death and be with God and Christ forever. That is when our salvation will be complete. What a glorious future is ours and it is absolutely certain we will be there. What we always need to remember is that God is for us so who can be against us? Not only that, but Christ is with us. On one occasion the disciples were crossing the lake of Galilee and a strong wind and storm came. Jesus wasn’t with them in the boat but he was watching from the land and came walking to them on the water. We read “they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading”. We too will face storms and winds along the way to heaven but because Jesus is with us we’ll definitely reach the shore. This year may not be a smooth sail as we would like but it can be a good journey for Jesus is with us and we can go forward with confidence.
Closing Song “My Lighthouse”
In my wrestling and in my doubts
In my failures You won't walk out
Your great love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
You are the peace in my troubled sea
In the silence, You won't let go
In the questions, Your truth will hold
Your great love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
You are the peace in my troubled sea
My lighthouse, my lighthouse
Shining in the darkness, I will follow You
My Lighthouse, my Lighthouse
I will trust the promise
You will carry me safe to shore...
Safe to shore...
Safe to shore...
Safe to shore
I won't fear what tomorrow brings
With each morning I'll rise and sing
My God's love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
You are the peace in my troubled sea...
You are my light
My lighthouse, my lighthouse
Shining in the darkness, I will follow You
My lighthouse, my lighthouse
I will trust the promise
You will carry me safe to shore...
Safe to shore...
Safe to shore...
Safe to shore...
Fire before us, You're the brightest
You will lead us through the storms
Fire before us, You're the brightest
You will lead us through the storms
Fire before us, You're the brightest
You will lead us through the storms
Fire before us, You're the brightest
You will lead us through the storms
My lighthouse, my lighthouse
Shining in the darkness, I will follow You
My lighthouse, my lighthouse
I will trust the promise
You will carry me safe to shore...
Safe to shore...
Safe to shore...
Safe to shore
Notices
- Wednesday 7.30pm – Bible Study on Zoom
- Next Sunday – worship led by Sue Clarke and the Worship Team