Welcome: –

Call to Worship: – 

(from Psalm 27: 1, 4, 11, and 14) 

The LORD is my light and my salvation;

I will fear no one.

The LORD protects me from all danger;

I will never be afraid.

I have asked the LORD for one thing;

one thing only do I want;

to live in the LORD’s house all my life,

to marvel there at His goodness, and to ask for His guidance.

Teach me, LORD, what you want me to do;

and lead me along a safe path.

Trust in the LORD.

Have faith, do not despair.  Trust in the LORD.

We are faced with a choice every day, either to worship a satisfied appetite, the adulation of friends, and the self-glory for what we have accomplished all by ourselves, or to worship God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who calls us to conform to His standards of goodness and holiness, who calls us to live a life renewed and transformed in His image, and who demonstrates His power to make all things subject to His majesty and authority.

  In coming together today, we have demonstrated that we have chosen to worship the one true Creator God, who sees us as His beloved People, and who we see as our Deliverer from all that binds us to death and destruction, and from all that makes us enemies of God.  Let us keep our eyes fixed on God and the glories of His Kingdom, not on the transient pleasures of the World with its false promises and false prophets.  Let us stand firm in our faith in God who promises to deliver us from all that is evil.  Let us humble ourselves before God who is the Almighty and who is deserving of our praise and adoration.

Prayer of Praise  

(from Psalm 27 and 63) 

Almighty God, you are the light of our lives,

the One who provides clarity in times of our uncertainty,

the One who shows to us what is good and right when we earnestly seek direction,

the One who reveals the true nature of the World around us and who makes us aware of its snares for the unwary. 

Almighty God, it is to you that we come seeking refuge in our times of distress. 

It is upon your strength that we depend, to provide relief from the stress and the concerns of our life. 

Though we may feel besieged by our worries, though we are afraid lest we stumble and fall because of our anxieties,

we know, with confidence, that your love for us is constant, that you are holding us, and that you will keep us secure all the days of our life. 

Of what, then, can we ever fear? 

Of what can people do to us that we can ever dread?

  Almighty God, in a ‘dry and weary’ World, it is you who provides the ‘life-giving water’ for our thirsty souls,

it is you who provides the nourishment of our spirits that no-one and nothing else can give to us,

it is you who provides the help in our times of trouble,

it is you who makes us feel safe, as if we are being covered by your wings over us. 

We know that your love is better than life itself,

we know that we can cling to you and be upheld by you.

We know that you are our salvation, we acknowledge with everlasting thanks that you are the One who forgives and forgets,

the One who purifies, the One who provided the sacrifice so that our sins can be removed, and our souls cleansed in your sight.

  Almighty God, we look upon you and see your power and glory. 

We look at the World around us and see your control and authority over all things. 

In response we humble ourselves before your greatness,

we sing your praises to Heaven and Earth, we offer to you our adoration, and we dedicate ourselves to your worship and service, now and always.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the Hymn ‘What shall I do my God to love,My Saviour, and the World’s to praise?’ 

(MHB452)

[Note: this audio clip is for another hymn but is used here for the tune.  The words are printed below]

Verse 1 of 3

What shall I do my God to love,

my Saviour, and the World’s to praise?

Whose tenderest compassions move

to me and all the fallen race,

whose mercy is divinely free

for all the fallen race and me.

Verse 2 of 3

I long to know, and to make known,

the heights and depths of love divine,

the kindness you to me have shown,

whose every sin was counted Thine.

My God for me resigned his breath;

he died to save my soul from death.

Verse 3 of 3

How shall I thank you for the grace

on me and all Mankind bestowed?

O that my every breath were praise!

O that my heart were filled with God!

My heart would then with love o’erflow,

And all my life your glory show.

Charles Wesley

Prayer of Confession

(from Psalm 27 and 63) 

Merciful God, we come before you remorseful and repentant.

We come before you knowing that we have often neglected the standards by which you seek for us to live our lives, we come before you knowing that we have often deliberately disobeyed your call to follow.

Your light shines into the darkest corners of our hearts to reveal our hidden faults, and to reveal those parts of our being which we have sought to hide from you.

Merciful God, in our anger we have not mirrored your compassion for others, in our prejudice, we have turned away those whom you have called us to serve.  Forgive us for our neglect.

Merciful God, in our greed and desire for what the World offers to us, we seek satisfaction and happiness from owning and doing things.

In our seeking ease and excuses from responsibilities, we have forsaken your calling for us to be a light for others, your calling for us to be a clear voice of witness to your mercy and grace.  Forgive us for our neglect.

Merciful God, in our anxiousness, we have looked within us, we have looked only at ourselves.

We forget to look outwardly to you, we forget to see that you are always looking at us, holding your hand out to us, ever ready to pull us up and close.  Forgive us for our neglect.

  Merciful God, in our pride we boast of what we have achieved all by ourselves, we seek to draw attention to our abilities and our capabilities, we rest assured on our strengths. 

Yet, in so doing, we fail to acknowledge that it is you who have walked beside us all of our lives, that it is you who have carried us in our times of need, that it is through your provision for us that we find real satisfaction and deliverance.  Forgive us for our neglect.

Merciful God, forgive our sins, and take away from us all that is not true and good, all that is not pure and holy.

Teach us your way, O God, and lead us in your straight path, so that we may follow faithfully and take courage in our trust and obedience.  To your glory we pray.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(from Genesis 15: 6) 

Abram believed God and put his trust in God’s promise to bless his descendants and to grant them a rich inheritance, and God called him righteous.  We, too, have put our trust in God’s promise to listen to our cries of repentance and to forgive our sins.  Let us be assured then that God has seen our faithfulness, that He has listened to our prayers, and that He has answered them by cleansing us of all that is unworthy and shameful.

Thanks be to God.

Prayer of illumination 

O Lord, Heavenly Father, in whom is the fullness of light and wisdom,

enlighten our minds by your Holy Spirit,

and give us grace to receive your Word with reverence and humility,

without which no person can understand your truth.

To your glory we pray.  Amen

John Calvin

Bible Readings

Genesis 15:

1  After this, Abram had a vision and heard the LORD say to him,

“Do not be afraid, Abram.  I will shield you from danger and give you a great reward.” 

2  But Abram answered,

“Sovereign LORD, what good will your reward do me, since I have no children?  My only heir is Eliezer of Damascus.  3  You have given me no children, and one of my slaves will inherit my property.

4  Then he heard the LORD speaking to him again:

“This slave Eliezer will not inherit your property; your own son will be your heir.” 

5  The LORD took him outside and said,

“Look at the sky and try to count the stars; you will have as many descendants as that.”

6  Abram put his trust in the LORD, and because of this the LORD was pleased with him and accepted him.  Then the LORD said to him,

“I am the LORD who led you out of Ur in Babylonia, to give you this land as your own.”

18  Then and there the LORD made a covenant with Abram.  He said,

“I promise to give your descendants all this land from the border of Egypt to the Euphrates River,  19  including the lands of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,  20  the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,  21  the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

Philippians 3 and 4:

17  Agree together, my friends, to follow my example.  You have us for a model; watch those whose way of life conforms to it.  18  For, as I have often told you, and now tell you with tears in my eyes, there are many whose way of life makes them enemies of the cross of Christ.  19  They are heading for destruction, because their god is their bodily desires.  They are proud of what they should be ashamed of, and they think only of earthly things.

20  We, by contrast, are citizens of Heaven, and from Heaven we eagerly expect our deliverer to come, the Lord Jesus Christ.  21  He will change our weak mortal bodies and give it a form like that of his own resplendent body, by the very power which enables him to make all things subject to himself.  1  Therefore, my friends, beloved friends whom I long for, my joy, my crown, stand firm in the Lord, my beloved!

[Revised Standard Version, Today’s English Version, New English Bible]

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

Luke 13:

31  At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him,

“You must get out of here and go somewhere else, because King Herod wants to kill you.”

32  Jesus answered them,

“Go and tell that fox: ‘I am driving out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I shall finish my work.’  33  Yet I must be on my way today, tomorrow, and the next day; it is not right for a prophet to be killed anywhere except in Jerusalem.

34  Jerusalem, Jerusalem!  You kill the prophets, you stone the messengers God has sent you!  How many times I wanted to put my arms around your people, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me!  35  And so your Temple will be abandoned, I assure you that you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord.’”  (Psalm 118: 26) 

[Today’s English Version]

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the Hymn ‘God is my strong salvation’

( AHB493  TiS15)

[Note: this audio clip is for another hymn but is used here for the tune.  The words are printed below]

1 God is my strong salvation,

no enemy I fear;

He hears my supplication,

dispelling all my care;

if He, my head and master,

defend me from above,

what pain or what disaster

can part me from his love?

2 I fully am persuaded

and joyfully declare

I’m never left unaided,

my Father hears my prayer;

His comforts never fail me,

He stands at my right hand;

when tempests fierce assail me,

they’re calm at His command.

3 The ground of my profession

is Jesus and his blood;

he gives me the possession

of everlasting good.

To me his Holy Spirit

speaks many a precious word

of rest to one who’s seeking

a refuge in the Lord.

Paul Gerhardt

Sermon

The LORD took Abram outside and said,

“Look at the sky and try to count the stars; you will have as many descendants as that.”

Genesis 15: 5

(https://pixabay.com/illustrations/ai-generated-abraham-bible-canaan-8772635_640.png)

  Have you ever sought to speak with an amazing historical figure, to learn more of the circumstances about which you read or heard?

  Abram is one such person.  There are so many questions that I would like to ask him.

What were his thoughts about leaving Ur of the Chaldees when his father Terah chose to move away and to settle in Haran?  (Genesis 11: 31) 

What were his thoughts about leaving Haran when God called him to continue the journey southward to Canaan?  (Genesis 12: 1 to 5) 

Who were the slaves who accompanied him on his journey?

Who were the herdsmen and their families who accompanied him and helped him to tend his vast herds of sheep and goats and cattle?  (Genesis 13: 2a) 

How did he acquire so many sheep and goats and cattle and so much silver and gold?  (Genesis 13: 2b) 

What did the voice of God sound like?

What gave him the confidence to stay in Canaan?

Why did he trust God so much?

  For it is the fact that he trusted God which is central to today’s reading from Genesis 15.

  What I find fascinating about the account of Abram which we find in the Book of Genesis is that he seemingly conversed with God, on a one-to-one basis, as we do with the person who sits next to us.  Abram didn’t worship an idol or some other image of a god, that is, something that could not talk with him or speak to him.  Abram was relating to someone who was real and who sought to interact with him.

  There was one occasion where we read that,

“Abram had a vision and heard the LORD say to him,

‘Do not be afraid, Abram.  I will shield you from danger and give you a great reward.’”  (Genesis 15: 1) 

  Abram perceived that this blessing was in a material way, which could be passed on to his family.  Now, being the practical person he was, Abram replied saying,

‘That’s all well and nice, but what good is it going to do because I can’t pass this blessing on to any family because I do not have any family.  Any blessing that you give to me will inevitably pass on to my slave, “Eliezer of Damascus”’.  (Genesis 15: 2) 

  It is at this point in the Genesis account that we read,

“The LORD took him outside and said,

‘Look at the sky and try to count the stars; you will have as many descendants as that.’”  (Genesis 15: 5) 

  Immediately, at that point in Time and Space and History, we read,

“Abram put his trust in the LORD, and because of this the LORD was pleased with him and accepted him.”  (Genesis 15: 6a) 

  There are four things that we need to consider at this point.

  Firstly, we do find out the blessing that God was to give to Abram’s descendants, for we read,

“Then the LORD said to Abram,

‘I am the LORD who led you out of Ur in Babylonia, to give you this land (of Canaan) as your own.’”, and also we read,

“Then and there the LORD made a covenant with Abram.  He said,

‘I promise to give your descendants all this land from the border of Egypt to the Euphrates River.’”.  (Genesis 15: 6b & 18)  

  These blessings were not fulfilled in Abram’s lifetime, nor did they even begin to be fulfilled in Abram’s lifetime, but they were fulfilled.

  It was in the time of Joshua as leader of the People of Israel that they conquered the Land of Canaan and settled in it, around 1200BC, some 700 years after Abram settled in the Land of Canaan.  (Joshua 21: 43 to 45) 

  It was in the latter part of the reign of King David and throughout the reign of King Solomon, some 220 years later, from around 980BC to 930BC, that Israel ruled all of the land from the border of Egypt to the Euphrates River.  (1 Kings 4: 21, 24 to 25) 

  Secondly, we understand that Abram did not nor could not contribute anything in any way towards the fulfillment of God’s promises of blessing.

“It was not by Abram’s power nor abilities nor authority that God’s promise would be fulfilled.  Abram’s sole action was to express his trust in God, to give his “confident assent to God’s revelation (to him) of God’s supernatural saving grace”.  (Meredith Kline in Genesis in The New Bible Commentary p95)  .

  And this brings out the third understanding from today’s passage, Abram’s trust or faith in God to fulfill His promise of blessings. 

  Paul sees Abram and his faith in God as an image of that relationship which God seeks from us.

  In Paul’s Letter to the Church in Rome he states,

“But the person who depends on their faith, not on their deeds, and who believes in the God who declares the guilty to be innocent, it is their faith that God takes into account in order to put them right with Himself.”  (Romans 4: 5) 

  To the Church in Galatia Paul writes,

“Consider the experience of Abraham, as the Scripture says,

‘He believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous.’  (Genesis 15: 6) 

You should realise, then, that the real descendants of Abraham are the people who have faith. .. Abram believed and was blessed, so all who believe are blessed as he was.”  (Galatians 3: 6, 7 & 9) 

  Paul’s message to the early Churches was this, that it was Abram’s faith in God that pleased God and was acceptable to God.  It was not because of Abram’s good nature nor his moral strength.  It was not because of Abram’s strict adherence to a set of legal statutes and code of ethics.  It was not because of the animal sacrifices that Abram made to God.  It was not because of the rituals and religious rites that Abram may have performed in his worship of God.  It was because of Abram’s faith in God’s saving grace.

  James, the brother of Jesus, highlights another aspect of Abram’s relationship with God, which is the fourth understanding from today’s passage from Genesis.  In his Letter to the early Church James writes,

“And the Scripture came true that said,

‘Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous.  (Genesis 15: 6)  ’”  (James 2: 23a) 

  And then James adds,

“And, so, Abraham was called God’s friend.”  (James 2: 23b) 

  Here, James is making reference to the writer of the Old Testament Book of 2 Chronicles who records a prayer of King Jehoshaphat in which he calls Abraham God’s “friend”.  (2 Chronicles 20: 7b)  He is also making reference to the writings of the Prophet Isaiah who records these words of God where God said of the People of Israel,

“But you, Israel me servant, you are the people I have chosen, the descendants of Abraham, my friend.”  (Isaiah 41: 8) 

  There are several Hebrew words used in the Old Testament Books that have been translated as friend.  All but one word are translated merely as companion or associate.  Only one word, awhap  (Strong’s OT157)  , incorporates any understanding of affection between one friend and the other.  It is this word, awhap, that both the writer of 2 Chronicles and the Prophet Isaiah use in describing the affectionate friendship God has for Abram.  Why was this so?

  It was because Abram listened to God interacting with him with an open heart and an open mind, Abram responded to the reality of God with love and respect, Abram acknowledged that God exercises His power and authority over His Creation and the people and Nations who inhabit the World, Abram believed that God fulfills His promises and was someone in whom he could place his trust and hope for the future, Abram understood that God sought to have an intimate relationship with the Humanity who He had created.

  Some Pharisees came to see Jesus who thought that perhaps they may have had an opportunity to exercise some influence over him.  They warn Jesus,

“You need to leave this place (quickly) because King Herod wants to kill you”.  (Luke 13: 31) 

  Given that King Herod had earlier imprisoned John the Baptist and, later, had him executed, gives this warning some substance.  One doubts whether these Pharisees were sincere in their warning, out of a genuine concern for the welfare of Jesus.  It is more likely they were being hypocritical in their giving of this warning and were, in reality, just seeking to “frighten Jesus away” and to diminish his stature in the eyes of the People for such an apparent act of cowardice.  (Howard Marshall in Luke in The New Bible Commentary p910) 

  What is clear is that Jesus is not frightened by a threat to his life nor is he frightened of King Herod.  “Jesus had nothing but contempt for the murderer of John the Baptist and his threats.  In calling Herod a “fox”, Jesus is describing him as “treacherous, cunning in an unprincipled manner and someone who preys on the defenceless, such as a fox would prey on a hen”.  (Craig Keener in Luke in The IVP Background Commentary of the New Testament p228) 

  But what a contrast these Pharisees present to the example of Abram.  Here were the Pharisees in the very presence of the Son of God, yet were they listening to, virtually, the voice of God, with an open heart and an open mind?  No, for they were too blinded by their self-righteousness and their theological false hoods to recognise the reality of the person in front of them.  They had closed their minds and their hearts to any new revelation from God and were content to rest upon their own perceived understandings of how God sought the relate to Humanity.  And when they felt their understandings being threatened, they reacted with fear and hatred.

  The message that Jesus had for these Pharisees was that they are a People who consistently and persistently have rejected the will of God, they are a People who consistently and persistently have rejected the messengers of God and have closed their hearts and minds to the message from God.  Therefore, God declares, I will abandon you.  You will no longer find me in the Temple, it will be left empty and exposed, it will be left desolate and forsaken.  (Luke 13: 35a)  (Gregory Beale & Donald Carson (ed) in Luke in Commentary on the New Testament use of the Old Testament p337)  (Howard Marshall in Luke in The New Bible Commentary p910) 

  Christ’s condemnation of Jerusalem found its ultimate fulfillment in the destruction of Jerusalem and of the Temple by the Romans in 70AD, to which Luke refers in Luke 21: 5 & 6, and 20 to 24.  (Craig Keener in Luke in The IVP Background Commentary of the New Testament p228) 

  What of us and the Church today?  Are we self-satisfied as were the Pharisees, content with the feeling that we have it all ‘down pat’, under control; that we feel secure in our understanding that we have done everything we need to do to earn the merit of God, that we are in control of our future and deserving the blessings from God that He promises?

  God’s message to the People of Israel was that He was not interested in religious ritual and rite, but was seeking the presence of faithfulness and trust in the hearts and the minds of His People.  God is not interested in whether someone comes from the right race or the right culture or the right creed, but was seeking a willingness within someone to listen to the Word of God, to obey the will of God, and to put their trust in the power and authority of God to care for them, to be their shield, and to be the source of their salvation.

  May that be our goal, to be earnest in our listening to the Word of God, in our obedience to the will of God, and in our trust in God to be our God.  May we, like Abraham, put our faith in God, so that God will be pleased with us, that God will seek to be our friend and will accept us into His family. 

I will leave you with this poem:

“It matter s not the path on Earth

my feet are made to trod,

it matters only how I live;

obedient to God.”

  (by someone named Clark, quoted in “Take One Step” by David McCasland in Our Daily Bread 17 March 2009) 

Amen.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the Hymn  ‘O the deep, deep love of Jesus’

(Alexander’s Hymns no. 3 number 280  TiS232)

Verse 1 of 3

O the deep, deep love of Jesus,

vast unmeasured, boundless, free!

Rolling as a mighty ocean

in its fullness over me!

Underneath me, all around me,

is the current of Thy love,

leading onward, leading homeward,

to Thy glorious rest above.

Verse 2 of 3

O the deep, deep love of Jesus,

spread his praise from shore to shore!

How he loveth, ever loveth,

changeth never, nevermore.

How he watches o’er his loved ones,

died to call them all his own.

How for them he intercedeth,

watcheth o’er them from the throne!

Verse 3 of 3

O the deep, deep love of Jesus,

love of every love the best!

‘Tis an ocean vast of blessing,

‘tis a haven sweet of rest!

Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus,

‘tis a Heav’n of heav’ns to me,

and it lifts me up to glory,

for it lifts me up to Thee!

Samuel Francis

Offering

Offering Prayer    

God of goodness, please accept these offerings that we bring to you.  In your wisdom guide its use for your Kingdom.  Through your Holy Spirit, please direct and enable us, in all we do, to be a light for you in the World in which we live.  Amen.

Prayers for Others

God of love, hear the cry of those who yearn for love; fractured families, broken homes, neglected, unwanted, alone.

God of love, hear our prayer.

God of justice, hear the cry of those who yearn for justice; persecuted and oppressed, exploited, ill-treated, broken.

God of justice, hear our prayer.

God of peace, hear the cry of those who yearn for peace; in battle zones and broken states, frightened, fearful, anxious.

God of peace, hear our prayer.

God of healing, hear the cry of those who yearn for healing; physical and spiritual hurting, weakened, depressed.

God of healing, hear our prayer.

God of mercy, hear the cry of those who yearn for mercy; convicted, in need of your Grace, contrite, humble, bowed down.

God of mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus, you were tried and tempted by the forces of evil. May we never be ashamed of temptation, but save us from the weakness of giving way to it.

Help us choose the way of faithfulness rather than popularity, service rather than fame, sacrifice rather than power.  In time of need reassure us that your support is close at hand.  Lord in your mercy, Hear our Prayer.

(©John Birch · Prayers written by the author may be copied freely for worship.

(Intercessions for Lent 1 by Mrs Mary Stubbs – 2010© Copyright ThisisChurch.com.

http://www.thisischurch.com/prayer_worship/intercession/lent12007marystubbs.htm)

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil,

For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,

Now and forever.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the Hymn ‘Jesus, keep me near the cross’ 

(MHB199)

Frances Jane van Alstyne – Fanny Crosby

Benediction 

(from Philippians 3: 19 and 21) 

Think not of what this World can offer, but on God’s assurance to lavish His love upon us.  Think not on the threats that come from this World, but on God’s assurance to always protect and to care for us.  Let us stand firm in our faith in God, to worship and to serve only Him.  And may the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rest upon you and remain with you always.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the Benediction Song  ‘Brightly beams our Father’s mercy’  (Let the lower Lights be Burning). This YouTube clip is for another hymn but is used here for the tune. The words are printed below.

(MHB582 and Pitcairn Hymns and Norfolk Favourites No.2)

Verse 1 of 2

Dark the night of sin has settled,

loud the angry billows roar,

brightly beams our Father’s mercy

from his lighthouse ever more.

Verse 2 of 2

With the Saviour as your pilot

you have conquered wind and wave,

let his brightness shining through you

be a beacon light to save.

Philip Bliss