Welcome: –

Call to Worship 

(Psalm 119: 1,2,3,6 & 7) 

  “Happy are those who live according to the Law of the LORD. 

Happy are those who follow His commands, who obey Him with all their heart.

They never do wrong; they walk in the LORD’s ways.

If I pay attention to the LORD’s commands then I will not be put to shame.

As I learn the LORD’s righteous judgements, I will praise Him with a pure heart.”

Comment on Psalm 119

The author of this Psalm states that it is critical that we approach God with an open heart so that we can hear and obey the voice of God teaching us, guiding us, showing the way forward in life.  It is only then that our lives will reflect that nature of God for which He seeks for us to strive, a life characterised by what is faultless and pure, both in His eyes and in the eyes of those in whose company we live and move.  Such a striving leads to the desire to offer praise and worship of God.

  May we gather here today with that same openness of our hearts to listen to and to obey the voice and guidance of Almighty God, so that we, too, are led to “praise Him with a pure heart”. 

Prayer of Praise    

Almighty God, to you be all praise, for it is you who has brought everything into being.  It is you who formed the stars and the planets and set the Universe in its place.  It is you who shaped this Earth on which we live and gave it its form and pattern.  It is you who designed the plants and the animals and gave life to them all.  Your glory is revealed in all that we see with our eyes and hear with our ears.

  Almighty God, to you be all praise, for you are the one who draws us close.  We have no goodness nor merit of our own, yet you have joined us to yourself in a living and loving relationship that spans all human differences, and which will survive beyond the grave.  We profess that Jesus Christ is your son and our only Saviour.  We profess that through him our sins are forgiven, our souls cleansed of all that is ungodly and impure, and that by believing in him we have eternal life.  We rejoice in your loving-kindness and grace.  We will rejoice always as we recall your mercy so freely and readily and expensively given to us.

  Almighty God, to you be all praise, for through you we are bound together as a Church of believers, with bonds that cross race and colour, age and upbringing, culture and class.  We thank you for the daily mercies which come our way, for the comforts and blessings of life, for the joy of family and friends, for the love of those with whom we fellowship in the Church.  We thank you for the certainty of your love and care, for the certainty that whatever comes our way in life you are there with us, for the certainty that whatever happens you are with us forevermore.

  Almighty God, we gather today to honour and adore you, our Saviour and Lord.  Amen.

You are invited to join in singing the following songs:

‘Spirit of the living God’ – Scripture in Song volume 2 number 303

Daniel Iverson

 ‘Let there be love shared among us’  Scripture in Song volume 2 number 322

Dave Bilbrough

Prayer of Confession   

  O God, you alone can judge rightly our innermost thoughts.  You alone see whether we observe your laws from the heart or only keep it outwardly.

  We confess that often we have failed to be an obedient Church.  Often we have not done your will and have rebelled against your love.

  God, you alone can see whether we are driven by our desires or by our love.  You alone see what motivates our actions.

  We confess that often we do not calm our anger or annoyance.  Often we have not loved our neighbour or have heard the cry of the needy.

  God, you alone know whether we truly seek to be reconciled to you and to be reconciled to those who live around us. 

  We confess a stubborn heart that refuses to accept that we can be in error, that we make mistakes and that we cause sorrow for you and for others.

  Forgive us, we pray.  Cleanse us from all of our sin, and thereby make our worship acceptable to you.

  Free us for joyful obedience, through Jesus Christ our lord.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

  God sent His Son into the World, not to condemn the world, but that the World might be saved through Him.  Those who believe in Him are not condemned, and so, we can confidently declare that having confessed our sins before God, God has heard us and that our sins are forgiven.

  Thanks be to God.

Prayer of illumination 

(from Uniting in Worship Book 1 number 12 p599) 

  Prepare our hearts, O Lord, to receive your Word.  Silence in us any voice but your own.  In hearing these words may we perceive new truths that you seek to teach us, and may we perceive your will that you seek for us to follow, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Bible Readings

Deuteronomy 30:

Moses called together all the people of Israel and said to them:

15  “Today I am giving you a choice between good and evil, between life and death.  16  If you obey the commands of the Lord your God, which I give you today, if you love him, obey him, and keep all his laws, then you will prosper and become a nation of many people.  The Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are about to occupy.  17  But if you disobey and refuse to listen, and are led away to worship other gods,  18  you will be destroyed – I warn you here and now.  You will not live long in that land across the Jordan River that you are about to occupy.

19  I am now giving you the choice between life and death, between God’s blessing and God’s curse, and I call Heaven and Earth to witness the choice you make.  Choose life.  20  Love the Lord your God, obey him and be faithful to him, and then you and your descendants will live long in the land that he promised to give your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

[Today’s English Version]  https://www.biblestudytools.com/gnt/deuteronomy/30.html

1 Corinthians 3:

Paul writes:

1  As a matter of fact, my friends, I could not talk to you as I talk to people who have the Spirit; I had to talk to you as though you belonged to this world, as children in the Christian faith.  2  I had to feed you milk, not solid food, because you were not ready for it.  And even now you are not ready for it,  3  because you still live as the people of this world live.  When there is jealousy among you and you quarrel with one another, doesn’t this prove that you belong to this world, living by its standards?

4  When one of you says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos” – aren’t you acting like worldly people?  5  After all, who is Apollos?  And who is Paul?  We are simply God’s servants, by whom you were led to believe.  Each one of us does the work which the Lord gave him to do:  6  I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plant, but it was God who made the plant grow.

7  The one who plants and the one who waters really do not matter.  It is God who matters, because he makes the plant grow.  8  There is no difference between the one who plants and the one who waters; God will reward each one according to the work each has done.  9  For we are partners working together for God, and you are God’s field.  You are also God’s building.

[Today’s English Version]  https://www.biblestudytools.com/gnt/1-corinthians/3.html

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

Matthew 5:

1  Jesus saw the crowds and went up a hill, where he sat down.  His disciples gathered around him,  2  and he began to teach them:

21  “You have heard that people were told in the past, “Do not commit murder; anyone who

does will be brought to trial.”  22  But now I tell you: if you are angry with your brother you will be brought to trial, if you call your brother “You good-for-nothing!’ you will be brought before the Council, and if you call your brother a worthless fool you will be in danger of going to the fire of hell.

23  So if you are about to offer your gift to God at the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you,  24  leave your gift there in front of the altar, go at once and make peace with your brother, and then come back and offer your gift to God.

25  “If someone brings a lawsuit against you and takes you to court, settle the dispute while there is time, before you get to court.  Once you are there, you will be turned over to the judge, who will hand you over to the police, and you will be put in jail.  26  There you will stay, I tell you, until you pay the last penny of your fine.

27  “You have heard that it was said, “Do not commit adultery.”  28  But now I tell you: anyone who looks at a woman and wants to possess her is guilty of committing adultery with her in his heart.

29  So if your right eye causes you to sin, take it out and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose a part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into hell.  30  If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose one of your limbs than to have your whole body go off to hell.

[Today’s English Version]  https://www.biblestudytools.com/gnt/matthew/5.html

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Passing the Peace

Whether we gather for worship in the Church building on Sunday morning or whether we offer our worship in the ‘digital sphere’, it is important to recognise that, together, we remain one in Christ Jesus, we remain one in fellowship and we remain one in worship of our God.  With that thought in mind, let us uplift our hands and greet those both here and those in their homes: May the peace of God be with you all.

And also with you.

You are invited to join in singing the Hymn  ‘Eternal beam of light divine’(Wesley’s Hymns number 337  (verses 2,3 & 5 only))  

 [This YouTube video is for another hymn, but is used here for the tune

Verse 1 of 3

Jesus, the weary wanderer’s balm,

Give me your easy yoke to bear,

With steadfast patience keep me calm,

With spotless love and mercy care.

Verse2 of 3

Oh, be my Rock of strength nearby,

So shall each murmuring doubt be gone,

All worry, fear, concern shall fly

Like darkness with the new day dawn.

Verse 3 of 3

Speak to my warring passions, “Peace!”,

Say to my trembling heart, “Be still!”,

Your power my sinfulness release,

My goal to serve your sovereign will.

Charles Wesley  (adapted) 

Sermon

Screen 1

He went to see his Doctor.

  A bloke woke one morning feeling extremely itchy on his chest and back.  He looked in a mirror to find that an allergic reaction was spreading all over his body.  He went to see his Doctor, who asked:

“Are you allergic to anything?”

“No.”, the bloke replied.

“Have you touched something or eaten anything different to normal recently?”

“No.”, the bloke replied.

“Well,” said the Doctor, “all I can put it down to is that you’ve been making too many ‘rash decisions’.”

  (https://upjoke.com/decision-jokes) 

Screen 2

making a choice 

  We all make choices every day: what time to get up, what to have for breakfast, what foods we prefer to eat, what souvenirs to purchase when on holidays.  Some decisions we need to make are straightforward, while others require some prior consideration.

Screen 3

near Grunheide – northeast Germany

  In June / July 2019, Kerry and I spent some time travelling around northeast Germany, visiting villages and towns that had a link with one side of her great-great-great-Great grandparents.  On the 30^th June we were touring towards the southeast and south of the town of Prenzlau.  Part of our plans that day was to drive from the village of Polssen to the small locality of Grunheide.  Unlike the other villages that we visited, Grunheide doesn’t have a village church nor any shops, being more a collection of houses and farms.  Anyway, Google Map showed a short route from Polssen to Grunheide, so we chose to drive along this road.  However, what started off as a road turned into a cement track which turned into a dirt track.  As you can see from the photograph we were travelling in the middle of fields, with no buildings nearby to guide us, with no indication that we were on the correct route nor how far we needed to go, nor what condition the track was like further on.  Uncertain as to what we would need to do or who to contact if we got stuck, we chose to turn back to Polssen and continue on our journey along a road detailed on the GPS in the car, which we did and we arrived safely at our intended destination.

  The people of Israel were in a similar situation.  Travelling as they did in regions where none of them had previously journeyed, uncertain as to where they were or how far they needed to continue travelling, uncertain as to the conditions along the way, they would have been apprehensive about continuing.  Yet, they did not have the luxury of accessing a GPS nor of being able to choose an alternative route.  What they did have, though, was their God, who had promised to guide them, provide for them, and protect them on their journey.

  Upon their leaving Egypt, Moses told the people of Israel:

“The LORD will bring you into the land of Canaan, which He solemnly promised to you and your ancestors.”  (Exodus 13: 11) 

  Moses then records:

“God did not take them by the road that goes up the coast to Philistia, .. instead He led them in a roundabout way through the desert towards the Red Sea.  (Exodus 13: 17a & 18a) 

  Thus, we see that God knew their destination and the route that they were to follow.

  From the commencement of their journeying God provided for their needs.  When the left Egypt, the Egyptians were only too eager to see them go, after they had suffered the consequences of the Ten Plagues, and willingly gave to the people of Israel “gold and silver jewellery and clothes”.  (Exodus 12: 35)  Throughout their many years of the Exodus journey, until they crossed the River Jordan, God provided a sufficient quantity of manna for each person to eat daily.  (Exodus 16: 35, Joshua 5: 12)  We also read that throughout their Exodus journey God provided sufficient food and water for their flocks and herds.

  God protected the people of Israel from the Egyptian army.  (Exodus 14: 30 & 31)  Soon afterwards, God ensured victory in their battle with the Amalekites.  (Exodus 17: 13 – 15)  During their Exodus journey God ensured victory in their battles with the army of the Canaanite King of Arad  (Numbers 21: 3)  , with the army of the Amorite King Sihon  (Numbers 21: 24)  , with the army of King Og of Bashan  (Numbers 21: 35)  , and with the armies of the five Midian kings.  (Numbers 31: 7 & 8) 

Screen 4

Moses called together all the people of Israel and spoke to them  Deuteronomy 30: 15

God had kept His word to the people of Israel; to provide for them, to protect them, to make them prosperous, and to promote their wellbeing.  There was nothing that God did not do to ensure their welfare, to ensure their victory in warfare, to educating them into what was holy and just and right living and behaviour, and to prepare them for a promised life of blessing in a land full of promise.

  It was on that basis, as they were camped on the eastern bank of the River Jordan, that “Moses called together all the people of Israel”  (Deuteronomy 29: 2)  As they were about to embark on their crossing of the River Jordan, to complete their Exodus journey and to commence their life as a people in the land that God had promised to them, Moses stressed that, at this momentous point in their History, they, individually and as a Nation, needed to make a choice.  And Moses did not evade from the importance of their making a responsible choice, based upon their response to God for what God had done for them up to that point in Time and History.

  They were to choose “between a blessing and a curse”  (Deuteronomy 30: 1)  , “between good and evil” and “between life and death”  (Deuteronomy 30: 15)  Their future as a Nation and the inheritance that they would leave to their descendants and to their descendants’ descendants hung on what choice they made.

  They had been redeemed from slavery in Egypt by God’s grace and power alone.  They had been blessed every moment of every day since their departure from Egypt by God’s grace and power alone.  God had proven beyond all doubt that He and He alone was God, the Almighty Creator God.  All of the so-called gods of every other Nation were but vaporous myths, the corrupt fruit of frail and feeble mortal imaginations of people who refused to accept and to respond to the truth of Almighty God.

  What was to be the response of the people of Israel?  Moses encouraged them:

“Love the LORD your God, be faithful to Him”  (Deuteronomy 30: 20a)  and

“obey the Commands of the LORD your God and keep all His Laws”  (Deuteronomy 30: 16) 

  Only then would they receive the blessing, the goodness and the life that God promised is available to them and waiting for them to claim in the land promised to them on the western side of the River Jordan.

  Not to do so meant turning their backs of God, rejecting Him as their God, refusing to worship Him as their God, refusing to remember all that He had done for them in their past, returning to those corrupt and evil habits and beliefs and ways of life which God had sought for them to reject and to evade in their past.  Not to do so brought a promise of God’s curse upon them, of evil consequences for them, of their death, individually, in their faith in God, as a people of God.  For how could God bless someone who refused to commune and confer with Him and to listen to His wisdom and guidance?  For how could God bless someone by showing them the correct and fruitful ways of life if they refused to be shown the correct and fruitful ways of life, seeking instead the transient and unfulfilled pleasures promised by the so-called gods and idols worshipped by the peoples who lived around them?

  And we can sense the earnestness in the plea of Moses:

“Choose life.”  (Deuteronomy 30: 19b) 

  Moses knew that soon he would die and play no further part in being God’s intermediary with the people of Israel.  Soon he would not be able to be there to encourage them, to console them, to prod them along in their journey with God.  Here was his last opportunity to be their leader, and these two words summed up his message to them. 

Choosing a life of worship of God and of service for God brings life in all its fulness.  (John 10: 10) 

Screen 5

The Church in Corinth read Paul’s letter

The Apostle Paul stressed to the Church in Corinth that they faced the need to make a similar choice, for he said of them:

“doesn’t this prove that you belong to this world, living by its standards?  (1 Corinthians 3: 3b) 

  As a Church of believers in the saving grace of God achieved through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, were they not living out their faith?  Did not Paul address them as such when he wrote:

“the Church of God which is in Corinth, all who are called to be God’s holy people, who belong to Him in union with Jesus Christ”  (1 Corinthians 1: 2)  ?

  That is true, but he also labelled them as:

“children in the Christian faith”.  (1 Corinthians 3: 1b) 

On what basis was Paul critical of the choices they were making? 

  Firstly, he addresses “the jealousy among them and the quarrelling with one another”.  (1 Corinthians 3: 3a)  Such behaviour, says Paul, indicates that those involved have forgotten what it was that God had done for them.

  God redeeming the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt is an image of God redeeming us from the hold of Sin over our lives.  God saved the people of Israel by his grace and power alone.  God saves us by His grace and power alone.  God journeyed with the people of Israel during their travels to the land of Canaan.  So too does God journey with us.  He guides us, provides for us and protects us on our journey through life, as He did the people of Israel in their journeying.

  If we are equally cared for by God and equally provided for our needs, on what basis then can we complain about God’s provision for us by being jealous of someone else, of desiring something that is theirs that we perceive we do not possess?  Maturity in one’s faith, says Paul, is expressing thanks to God for His provision for us, for His foresight in knowing what will be our needs and for ensuring that these needs are met.  Being jealous of someone may indicate a desire for something that they have which we do not need and for which God has perceived we do not need.  Alternatively, if we are jealous of the character of another person, it indicates something for which we can strive just as easily through the work of the Holy Spirit in us, or it may indicate a desire to be someone who are not meant to be and which does not suit the gifts and talents which God bestows upon us.  Rather, we should bring the matter before God to see what direction and provision He has for us, instead of complaining behind God’s back about what we perceive to be God’s lack of provision for us.

  Secondly, Paul writes that the Corinthians were too busy listening to the preacher rather than to the preaching.  Whoever is preaching or teaching, Paul writes, “We are simply God’s servants.”  (1 Corinthians 3: 5)  , meaning that the words spoken are from God, they do not come from the person speaking.  Surely, says Paul, you should be following the One from whom the message originates, God Himself, rather than the following the owner of the voice through whom God speaks, the messenger.  Who is Apollos, or who is Paul, or who is Peter, Paul stresses, but fellow “partners working together for God”.  (1 Corinthians 3: 9a) 

  Paul warns the Church in Corinth about being true to God, just as earnestly as did Moses with the people of Israel.  Jealousy and quarrelling and the following of personalities are a source of division within the Church, he states, which diminishes the effectiveness of the Church to be “the salt for all of Humanity” and “the light for the whole World”  (Matthew 5: 13a & 14a)  , and which unknowingly inhibits our own growth and maturity in the Christian faith.  (1 Corinthians 3: 2) 

  Whatever we do or say or think, Paul warns, let it be for the glory of God and to further the Good News of salvation from Sin.  That is to be the goal and focus of all of who and what we are and do.

Screen 6

Jesus saw the crowds and he began to teach them  Matthew 5: 2

 Jesus sensed an immaturity in the faith of those in the crowd who had gathered on a hill in Galilee one day and to whom he began to teach.  (Matthew 5: 1 & 2)  He sought to address the attitude of those seeking to be reconciled to God while not seeking to be reconciled to each other.

  What he sensed was a tendency towards “legalism”, a desire to follow ‘the letter of the Law’ but not the intent of God’s Word.

  Everyone would not argue against the validity and application of the Statute:

“Do not commit murder.”  (Exodus 20: 13, Deuteronomy 5: 17) 

  Jesus teaches that the frame of mind one takes when you commit murder is just as serious in nature as the act of murder.  For it is an approach that seeks to exonerate the murderer by claiming that the one who is murdered has little or no value as a person, that the worth of the murdered person, is smaller and far less than their own worth.  But Jesus states that it is not for us to gauge the worth or comparative less worth of a person.  God initiated this statute because, in His eyes, we all have equal worth and value.  God is the ‘Life giver’, it is also God’s role alone to be ‘life taker’.

  Just as seriously, states Jesus, we do not need to murder someone to assume that they have less worth than us.  We do so, knowingly, when we call them a “good-for-nothing” or “a worthless fool”.  (Matthew 5: 22)  Jesus states that we are judged on the same basis as if we had murdered them.  We must accept that we are equal before God, and we are all equally reconciled to God by God.  Consequently, we are all equal with each other, and must live out our reconciled nature with God by seeking to be reconciled to each other.  How, then, can we be angry with someone while seeking to live out a reconciled relationship with them.  That is contradictory.  How can we call someone a “good-for-nothing” or “a worthless fool” and presume that we have fulfilled our responsibility to have a reconciled relationship with them.

  That is why Jesus states the obvious consequence: 

“So if you are about to offer your gift to God at the altar and there you remember that your sister or brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar, go at once and make peace with your sister of brother, and then come back and offer your gift to God.”  (Matthew 5: 23 & 24) 

  How can we expect God to accept our worship if we slander and denigrate someone who has been equally redeemed by Him and reconciled to Him?  How can we worship God with a clear conscience knowing that we have not held the life of another person as equally valuable in the eyes of God.  Be reconciled to them, Jesus states, before coming to God in worship.  Only then will you have that clear conscience and peace of mind to be still in the presence of God and to commune with God.  (Matthew 5: 24) 

Screen 7

“Choose life”.  Deuteronomy 30: 19

What crossroads do we face in life?  What choices are we called upon to make?  How do the choices we make affect the lives of others or affect our approach to the lives of others?

  Moses called the people to “Choose life.”  (Deuteronomy 30: 19)     May we do likewise, holding onto our faith as redeemed and reconciled people of God, while seeking to be in a reconciled relationship with others who are equally redeemed and reconciled to and by God.  It is then, as Jesus promised, that we will have life “in all its fullness”.  (John 10: 10)

You are invited to sing the Hymn ‘All praise to our redeeming Lord’  TiS442  AHB367  MHB745

Charles Wesley

Offering

Offering Prayer    

“For the life that you have given”  TiS774  

[This hymn is being sung to the tune Austria – there is no introduction.]

[This YouTube is for another hymn so disregard the words – only the one verse is needed.]

For the life that you have given,

For the love in Christ made known,

With these fruits of time and labour,

With these gifts that are your own:

Here we offer, Lord, our praises;

Heart and mind and strength we bring;

Give us grace to love and serve you,

Living what we pray and sing.

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Prayers for Others

Loving God, knowing your love for all of Humanity, especially your compassion for the needy, we come to you with our cares and our concerns.

We bring to you our prayers for the World around us and for people individually.

Loving Father, we have been shocked by the scenes of destruction resulting from the earthquake in Turkiye and Syria, and the pain and suffering of the survivors.

Lord, may they experience the comfort of your presence with them in the midst of their suffering.

Our hearts go out to those who have lost loved ones, and especially those whose loved ones are still buried in the rubble.

Lord, in your mercy, comfort those who mourn, especially those who are still waiting to find their loved ones.

The work of clearing the rubble, and providing shelter, warmth and food for the survivors is enormous.

Lord, in your mercy, grant strength and resilience to the search-and- rescue workers, and those who are providing aid.

We continue to pray for the people of Ukraine, and lament the violence that they are enduring.

Lord, in your mercy, grant comfort to those who mourn, hope for those who despair, and compassion to all who suffer.

We pray for the Leaders of Nations, for those who wield the influence over others and make the decisions that affect so many people. 

Lord, may they seek to bring about peace between Nations and not make a grab for land and resources.

We pray for the poor and the homeless, for all who have been left behind and are forgotten, for the defeated and the broken hearted, for those who are sick in body, mind and spirit. 

Lord, please befriend, comfort and heal them.  Grant them the confidence to put their trust in your promises.

We pray for Chappy Kylie as she serves the children at the Bald Hills school and their parents

that you will continue to provide her with the resources and the wisdom to deal with the issues and needs that arise.

We pray for those in our communities who are struggling.

Lord, may we find genuine ways to encourage and uplift them.

Loving God, we bring these prayers to you, trusting in your compassion and care.  To your glory we pray.

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 sing the Hymn  ‘Have thine own way Lord’  (Alexander’s number 146)

Adelaide Pollard

Benediction 

(Psalm 119: 1,2,3,6 & 7 

May we seek to live by God’s commands and judgements and to walk in the ways of God, so that are lives are blameless, our thoughts and words and actions good and pure and holy, so that how we live and by what we say and do brings glory to God and blessings to others.  And may the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rest upon you and remain with you always.  Amen.

Benediction Song

‘By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered’  TiS617

[This hymn is sung to the tune Finlandia, and this video is for another hymn, but is used here for the tune. Only the one verse is to be sung.]

Verse 1 of 1

By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered,

And confidently waiting come what may,

We know that God is with us night and morning

And never fails to greet us each new day.

We shall remember, all the days we live through,

All of our life before our God we lay.

Dietrich Bonhoffer

Translated by Frederick Pratt Green  (adapted)