Lee Street Church
Notes of Meeting held on 14th June 2020
We welcomed about 20 people on-line to the Zoom service.
Sue led our Worship time.
What a privilege to be able to come together; put aside all the things of the world; and spend this precious time praising God for His goodness to us.
Ephesians 1 v3-10
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-- to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfilment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
Song: When I was lost you came and rescued me
When I was lost you came and rescued me;
Reached down into the pit and lifted me.
O Lord, such love,
I was as far from You as I could be.
You know all the things I’ve ever done,
But Jesus blood has cancelled every one.
O Lord, such grace
To qualify me as Your own.
There is a new song in my mouth,
There is a deep cry in my heart,
A hymn of praise to Almighty God – hallelujah!
And now I stand firm on this Rock,
My life is hidden now with Christ in God.
The old has gone and the new has come – hallelujah!
Your love has lifted me.
Now I have come into Your family
For the Son of God has died for me.
O Lord, such peace,
I am as loved by you as I could be.
In the full assurance of your love,
Now with every confidence we come.
O Lord, such joy
To know that You delight in us.
Many are the wonders you have done,
And many are the things that You have planned.
How beautiful the grace that gives to us
All that we don’t deserve,
All that we cannot earn,
But is a gift of love.
Kate & Miles Simmonds ©Thankyou Music Used by Permission CCL 3227
When we think of this tremendous grace we’ve been given, it causes our souls to sing out to God - “Deep cry in my heart- crying out Halleluiah!” Another line- A gift of love- Your love has lifted me!!
Whilst listening to this song one phrase that kept coming to me was, “in the full assurance of Your love, now with every confidence we come. “
I was then playing a CD when I picked up Jay for work and this next song came on. She said- ‘I love this one’. Whilst listening to it, the word confidence came out- so I knew I had to include today.
The words -”And with confidence I come to approach Your heavenly throne”- again follow similar words to the previous song- O Lord such grace- I am as loved by You as I could be. It is in the full assurance of that love that we have the confidence to come into God’s presence:
Ephesians 3 v12
In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
The word “confidence” or in some translations “boldness” in all these verses can mean outspokenness, frankness, bluntness, and/or assurance. It can also be seen as boldness of speech, confidence, or to speak or act freely, openly, or plainly. When you begin to talk about boldness or to act boldly, certain people might interpret it as arrogance. But it does not mean that at all. It simply means confidence - confidence in the power of God and in His grace and mercy. It means to have confidence in His word and in His promises – confidence in the fact that He has washed our sin away with His blood and removed our iniquities as far as the east is from the west. We can be both confident in what God has done in and for us - and humble, knowing that it is all because of Him and nothing to do with us.
Hebrews 4 14-16
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
Song: Come let us worship the King of Kings
Come, let us worship the King of kings,
he Creator of all things.
Let your soul arise to Him,
Come and bless the Lord our King.
Lord, my heart and voice I raise,
To praise Your wondrous ways,
And with confidence I come
To approach Your heavenly throne.
Come and fill this place with Your glory,
Come and captivate our gaze;
Come and fill us with Your fire,
That the world might know Your name.
For You are God,
And You’re worthy to be praised,
And You are good,
For Your love will never end:
The great I Am,
You are faithful in all of Your ways.
Nathan Fellingham © Thankyou Music Used by Permission CCL 3227
When thinking of this word confidence- these words kept coming back to me from the traditional hymn ‘And can it be'- “Amazing love how can it be that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me.” And because of this sacrifice we can echo the last words of the hymn-” Bold I approach the eternal throne, and claim the crown, through Christ my own.”
The next song, leading us into the breaking of bread, again focuses on that tremendous sacrifice of the cross but also reflects on our future hope of seeing our saviour face to face. Until that time, however soon, whenever we reflect on this grace it draws up back to the foot of the cross, and we can’t help but fall on our knees in praise and wonder. We know we can draw near to God with confidence. (Solely due to that sacrifice made for us!!)
“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.” (Hebrews 10 v 19 – 22)
Song: Jesus Christ, I think upon Your sacrifice
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.
(Repeat)
Matt Redman.
Copyright © 1995 Kingsway’s Thankyou Music.
Used by Permission CCL 3227
Breaking of Bread
We were reminded of the rejection which Jesus suffered by his own people as he was taken to be crucified. He died the death that should have been ours. The sinless Saviour, giving His life, so we can be free.
So we just say “Thank you Jesus”, as we share in the Bread and Wine in remembrance.
Prayer Time
Among other things, we were able to thank God for some freedoms being regained, after long period of lockdown.
We also prayed especially for the Foodbank – special “Drive Through” morning at Horley Baptist Church next Saturday 9.30 to 12.30 for delivery of food gift.
Summary of Brian’s Talk
Introduction – regarding Books - as seen as backdrop to many people on the News these days. Are they actually read? Maybe not – a bit like parts of our Bible. It has 66 books – how many have you read recently (if ever!)? They are all given for our edification (see 2Timothy 3: 16).
Looking today at one of the 12 minor prophets – Micah – minor only in length compared to Isaiah or Jeremiah, but equally important as it came from God.
What do we know about Micah?
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A country person, from Moresheth, a village in Judah 20 miles southeast of Jerusalem.
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Prophesied between about 750 and 687 BC, during the reigns of 3 kings -Jothan, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.
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He had a God-given message to deliver
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3:8 |
But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the LORD, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression, to Israel his sin. |
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His messages were addressed to both Judah and the northern state of Israel.
What sort of message did he bring?
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Mostly words of condemnation for God’s own people who had chosen to ignore His ways
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God was actually getting angry with the people and was now planning for them to suffer the consequences of their rejection of Him.
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1:6 |
"Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble, a place for planting vineyards. I will pour her stones into the valley and lay bare her foundations. |
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Yes, God was going to allow His nation to be overthrown and taken captive by their enemies from the East – Assyria and Babylon
Why was God angry with his people?
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Their leaders were corrupt, and (3:2) “hated good and loved evil”
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Their judges were corrupt (3:11 “judge for a bribe”
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Their prophets would say what the people wanted to hear and told fortunes for money
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They were defrauding people of their homes
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The wealthy were oppressing the poor
These were just some of the evils that were prevalent in the nation. In blaming primarily the leaders and corrupt prophets, Micah reiterates God’s judgement in 3:12:
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3:12 |
Therefore because of you, Zion will be ploughed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.
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We can all put up with hard times for a while, if we know there is something better coming – we need a “light at the end of the tunnel”. Micah has delivered the bad news, and for the rest of the book he goes on to tell of better times ahead.
4:1 – 4 reads “In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in his paths. The law will go out from Zion, the word of the lord from Jerusalem He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat they will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruni9ng hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war any more.”
What a picture of a future time of peace. What a change from the world we live in today. It’s a description of the kingdom of God. But first a King had to come, and Micah indicates that one “whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” will be born in the small town of Bethlehem. So despite all the calamities that would befall the nation, God did still have a plan for them.
The last 2 chapters of Micah relate to the theme of justice and mercy. God reminds them of all he has done for them in the past, and their only response is to bring their animal sacrifices.
What God really wanted was something different.
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6:8 |
He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. |
Perhaps we need to ask ourselves
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Am I fair in my dealings with others?
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Do I show mercy to people who wrong me?
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Am I truly learning the meaning of humility?
Micah shows clearly two sides of God’s character – He is just (so must punish sin), and He is merciful (so He can forgive).
Our sin had to be punished – and that’s what Jesus accomplished at Calvary, and God accepted the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf.
The book closes with a wonderful reminder of the grace of God.
Ch 7:18 719 read: “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy> You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl our iniquities into the depths of the sea”
What a compassionate , loving and merciful Saviour we have!
But remember He calls us to respond with a life of service – doing right, loving mercy, and walking humbly with him.
Closing Hymn “Hear the call of the Kingdom”
HEAR THE CALL OF THE KINGDOM,
Lift your eyes to the King.
Let His song rise within you
As a fragrant offering
Of how God, rich in mercy,
Came in Christ to redeem
All who trust in His unfailing grace.
Hear the call of the kingdom
To be children of light,
With the mercy of heaven,
The humility of Christ.
Walking justly before Him,
Loving all that is right,
That the life of Christ may shine through us.
King of heaven, we will answer the call;
We will follow, bringing hope to the world,
Filled with passion, filled with power to proclaim
Salvation in Jesus’ name.
Hear the call of the kingdom
To reach out to the lost
With the Father’s compassion,
In the wonder of the cross,
Bringing peace and forgiveness
And a hope yet to come;
Let the nations put their trust in Him.
Keith & Kristyn Getty & Stuart Townend
Copyright © 2006 Thankyou Music
Used by Permission CCL3227