2024 Sep 22nd St Paul's Presbyterian Church

Sunday Service

Welcome If you are new please fill in the visitors book on the table at the entrance to the church. Introduce yourself to George, the minister.

Entrance We stand as the Word of God is brought into the Church - Be seated directly after.

Prayer The Minister begins the service with prayer

Father, Praise You for this service, and Your purpose for it. We know that when we gather together, You always have a divine agenda. We love You for that, Father. That even when we have done what You have asked, the results are so much greater than we ever could have imagined. Even in failed attempts, You blow us away with Your faithfulness to provide what we need.

Our prayer today is that Your will be done through this event. Take what we have prepared and multiply our efforts as only You can. Steer our intentions to align with Your righteous will. Remind us of Your faithful provision when our efforts fail us or fall short. May all glory go up to You when we reach the finish line and climb over benchmarks. Blanket us with Your peace today, Father. Keep us physically safe and guard our hearts and minds from pride and selfishness. Keep love at the forefront of our minds today, and the guiding light for all we set out to accomplish and celebrate. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Hymn ♫ A Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

Confession of sin Psalm 51

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HDseESOKIk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9ZhicUIv4A - this one

Gian-Marco

will now read the Old Testament reading to us from the NIV pew bible.

He begins with

“Hear the Word of God as it is written in 2 Samuel 7:18-29”

He ends with “This is the word of God”.

Congregation: “Thanks be to God”

Lara

will now read the New Testament reading to us from the NIV pew bible.

She begins with

“Hear the Word of God as it is written in Mark 9:30-37”

She ends with “This is the word of God”.

Congregation: “Thanks be to God”.

Hymn ♫ All Glory, Laud and Honor

Sermon By Rev. G.H. van der Westhuizen

Fresh Sermons (What’s in It for Me?)

2 Samuel 7:18–29

For some people it is hard to say;

to others it is hard to hear-it is a small word, only two letters, but with atomic power it can crush people’s hopes and dreams and quickly send them into an emotional tailspin. I’ve seen children throw tantrums in public because their mothers used the word in response to their question, “Mommy can I have a?…” I’ve also seen parents hit the ceiling when one of their little one’s started firing back, using the word in response to a command like, “Junior, go and clean your room,” or “Sissy, eat all your green beans.” The powerful two-letter word, of course, is “no.”

How are you at saying “no?”

Are you a “people-pleaser” who desperately wants everyone in your life to be happy in general and happy with you in particular so you’re afraid to say no? Or are you the exact opposite? Do you use the word with indiscretion as a sort of “power trip” over other people, being completely oblivious to their needs? Like most other things in life, the use of this word requires balance.

How are you at hearing “no?”

Are you a manipulative sort of person who expects everyone to answer to your every whim and become crushed if they choose not to? Or are you the exact opposite? Can you become obnoxious and entice people into saying “no” to you to keep a safe distance between you and other people, using the word as a buffer to keep you from experiencing real community?

How do you usually react to the word “no?”

Do you sulk, get defensive or hurt? Or can you accept “no” as a legitimate answer to any question? One thing I know for sure, the ability to process the word “no” is a key ingredient for success. In my early days as a writer, I received stacks of rejection letters. They could have kept me from becoming a writer, instead, I used them as motivation to improve my craft. Salesmen hear many more “nos” than they ever hear “yeses.” The ones that are able to make a living are the ones that can get past the nos so they can get to the yeses. The ability to process the word “no” demonstrates maturity and enables success.

Then why is it so hard to hear?

Especially when it is coming from God?

God told David no. In no uncertain terms, God told David that he didn’t want him to build a temple for him because he had blood on his hands.

But accompanying that no was a very strong “yes,”—a yes that the temple would get built, but by his son, not by him. Please listen as I read David’s response to his rejection by God:

“Then David the king went in and sat before the Lord, and he said, ‘Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that Thou hast brought me this far? [19] And yet this was insignificant in Thine eyes, O Lord God, for Thou hast spoken also of the house of Thy servant concerning the distant future. And this is the custom of man, O Lord God. [20] And again what more can David say to Thee? For Thou knowest Thy servant, O Lord God! [21] For the sake of Thy word, and according to Thine own heart, Thou hast done all this greatness to let Thy servant know. [22] For this reason Thou art great, O Lord God; for there is none like Thee, and there is no God besides Thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. [23] And what one nation on the earth is like Thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people and to make a name for Himself, and to do a great thing for Thee and awesome things for Thy land, before Thy people whom Thou hast redeemed for Thyself from Egypt, from nations and their gods? [24] For Thou hast established for Thyself Thy people Israel as Thine own people forever, and Thou, O Lord, hast become their God. [25] Now therefore, O Lord God, the word that Thou hast spoken concerning Thy servant and his house, confirm it forever, and do as Thou hast spoken, [26] that Thy name may be magnified forever, by saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel’; and may the house of Thy servant David be established before Thee. [27] ‘For Thou, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, hast made a revelation to Thy servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house’; therefore Thy servant has found courage to pray this prayer to Thee. [28] And now, O Lord God, Thou art God, and Thy words are truth, and Thou hast promised this good thing to Thy servant. [29] Now therefore, may it please Thee to bless the house of Thy servant, that it may continue forever before Thee. For Thou, O Lord God, hast spoken; and with Thy blessing may the house of Thy servant be blessed forever.’ ” (2 Samuel 7:18–29 NASB)

David processes the rejection well and responds back to God with praise. I’ve got to be honest with you, I haven’t reached that level of maturity in my Christian walk.

Oh, I may end up with praise, but it isn’t usually my first reaction. I usually respond more like the child whose mother just said “no” to her in the grocery store than I do like David, who responded with humility and gratitude.

Oh, if I know what God is doing, and if I believe it will work out to His glory in the end, I can usually suck it up and take “no” for an answer. But the truth is, I don’t always know what God is doing. In his book, “Out of the Whirlwind,” Mark Tabb wrestles with the age old problem of the presence of evil in the world that God rules over. He writes, “And that’s the dilemma I really do not want to face. I can accept tragedy when I see God working through it. But will I when I cannot? Job posed this question to his wife: ‘should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?

‘Will I accept bad things from the hand of God, without demanding an explanation, without seeing any tangible results, or ever knowing why God would possibly want to inflict pain upon me? The question is not whether I will try to understand it or rejoice in it in the hope that spiritual maturity runs through the valley of the shadow. Will I accept bad things from the hand of God as readily as I accept the good?” (http://www.freshsermonillustrations.net)

In the weeks to come we will see how David does at accepting bad things from God’s hand. But for now, notice at how he accepts “no” from God. In verse 18, he acknowledges that life isn’t about him, but about God. With humility, he states that all he is he owes to God. He is “insignificant.” That is David’s word, not mine. He is the King of Israel, yet he believes himself to be insignificant-not because he is comparing himself to others, but because he knows that in relation to God, even the King is insignificant.

David’s God is great—He is a God that knows all about him-a God who cares enough about his people to tell them “no” (21). A God who has called His people to participate with Him in Kingdom work (23). He has redeemed them. He has called them. The work is his, not theirs. And not David’s.

David could hear “no” from God because he understood his own insignificance and that God doesn’t act to help people build their kingdoms-not even for kings—God acts to build His kingdom. And that’s the rub. Whenever we think it is about us-our lives-our success-our comfort-our victories, we are not in a position to hear “no” from anyone, much less from God. As long as we treat the Bible as a “self-help” book instead of the living, breathing word of God we will never truly understand it. And as long as we believe God’s function in life is to be a standby-respond on demand-24-hour celestial butler, we will never be in tune with His kingdom work or in sync with His will for our lives.

David receives God’s blessing in verse 29. It is a blessing for his distant future and he embraces it. His descendants will be blessed to be able to serve the Lord. The blessing isn’t that God will serve them. It is that they will serve the Lord. There is no promise of an easier life or an enviable life, or a life free from evil-just that God will bless them with the opportunity and ability to serve Him.

I want to close this morning by reading a quote from Tabb’s book, he writes, “will I continue to believe in him and follow his Son even if doing so never resulted in any blessings in this life? Will I believe when believing only makes life harder not easier? Will I accept bad things from the hand of God and keep trusting in him even if the bad so overwhelms the good as to make it invisible?” (http://www.freshsermonillustrations.net)

Following God-what’s in it for you? The opportunity to serve the creator God and be a part of his grand design. It is a life filled with sacrifice, yet surrounded by blessing. A life I recommend.

For more information on “Out of the Whirlwind” by Mark Tabb, go to http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/080542721X/freshministry

Amen

Communion

UPCSA - THIRD ORDER of worship with HOLY COMMUNION - Elders please come to the table

The Offering and the Peace

So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Matt.5:23-24

Before we offer our gifts and come to the Lord's table, let us share this peace with one another. Each person then shares the peace with the words:

Peace be with you.

And with you.

But this I say: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Cor.9:6-7

Let us worship God with our gifts. The offering is taken.

If the gifts of bread and wine are not already on the Table, they are brought up and laid on the Table.

The minister says:

This is the table of our Lord Jesus Christ. All those who have been baptized in his name are invited to share in this sacrament.

As Jesus welcomed children and did not forbid them, so we welcome children, under the care and guidance of their parents.

O God, who has consecrated for us a new and living way into the holiest of all, through the veil, that is, his flesh, grant us, we pray, the assurance of your mercy, and sanctify us with your heavenly grace; that we may be enabled to offer to you a sacrifice in righteousness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hear the words of the institution of the Lord’s Supper, according to the Apostle Paul:

The Lord Jesus, on the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of me.’

In the same manner he also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till he comes. 1 Cor.11:23-26

As the Lord Jesus, on the night of his arrest, took bread, so I take these elements of bread and wine to be set apart from all common use to this holy use and mystery.

The minister lifts the paten and then the chalice from the Table and lays his hands on the other vessels.

And as he gave thanks to God, let us draw near to offer our prayer of thanksgiving.

Let us pray.

The Lord be with you. And with your spirit. Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Minister: Father of mercy and God of all comfort, we acknowledge you to be the Lord.

At all times we honour your greatness and glory first, because you created us in your own image and likeness, but chiefly because you freed us from the enslavement of sin, through your only Son.

You gave him in love to be made man, like us in all things except sin, that by his death and resurrection, he might bring life to the world.

Lord, we are not able, in our dullness, to understand the breadth and length and height and depth of your love; but, as our Lord Jesus Christ commanded, we come to this table, which he has left to us to commemorate his death and resurrection until he comes again. Here we declare and witness before the world that

by him alone we have received liberty and life,

by him alone you claim us as children and heirs,

by him alone we have access to your favour, freely shown,

by him alone we are raised into your kingdom, there to eat and drink with you and the Son at the most joyful table of eternal life.

In this present time we on earth have communion with you in heaven.

But in the time to come we shall be raised to that endless joy prepared for us before the foundation of the world was laid.

We acknowledge that we have received these gifts by your free mercy and grace through your only Son Jesus Christ.

Send now, we pray, your Holy Spirit, the Spirit of our Lord and of his resurrection, that we who receive the Lord's body and blood may live to the praise of your glory and receive our inheritance with all your saints in light.

Holy Spirit You are welcome

Father, moved by your Holy Spirit, we, your church, give you all thanks, praise, and glory, for ever and ever.

Our Father, which art in heaven,

hallowed be thy Name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive them that trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

the power, and the glory,

for ever and ever. Matt.6:9-13

Amen.

The minister says one of the following texts as an account of the institution of the Lord’s Supper.

While saying the words of institution he (slowly and deliberately) breaks the bread and pours the wine.

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ Then he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. For this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. Matt.26:26-28

The minister partakes of the bread, and without undue delay, the cup.

The body of Christ, broken (or given) for you. Matt.26.26

Amen.

The blood of Christ, shed for you. Matt.26.28

Amen.

The Elders partake of the bread and wine. John Oberholzer.

The Elders serve the congregation

When all have received Communion, the vessels are returned to the Table.

The minister concludes: Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Ps.103:1-5

Notices Mr. John Oberholzer - Session Clerk

Hymn ♫ NOW THANK WE ALL OUR GOD

Benediction

Numbers 6:24 The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.

Doxology Let us all hold hands as we sing “Now unto Him”

Now Unto Him Who Is Able To Keep You From Falling l Benediction

Give the minister a moment to get to the door then please join us for refreshments