March 22, 2020 Morning Worship
Good morning church. This is Pastor Harvey at Lewis Street Baptist Church. And I want to welcome you to our very first online video recorded worship service Jenny and I decided to do a couple of songs for you this morning. And we're going to run for you pretty much like a normal worship service this morning. These are trying times that were in but how blessed are we that we have the kind of technology that allows us to still Worship in sync with one another in online. So I invite you to join in the words will be over my head. And so we're going to begin this morning.
Nothing baseball plans on making your own your love stays the same through it all.
I'm leaving.
I don't know.
Sparrow
I trust you. I'm holding on.
Mariah Jones raging all around you.
I don't know where you are.
In you I will not bow.
I trust you are depressed. I'm holding on.
I'm holding on
my hope is built on nothing less.
Didn't your great love your excuse me?
I will know the way.
I trust you. I trust you.
Truly this morning. I pray that we would put our whole trust and confidence in you and all that you are and all the tooth promised all the tooth giving Lord. You are Our Hope. In your art eats in times of trouble. And I pray for this morning that even though worship doesn't look like what were used to sing that our hearts will truly engage with your holy spirit that we would send your presence with us and that we would honor your name this morning as we speak to be the church regardless of which building. We're in we ask it in Jesus name. Amen.
using I-81
My God has ransomed unending love Amazing Grace.
LOL surprise to me as much as you and as long as my chains are my God.
The Roblox know you called.
Will you be my godmother unending love? Amazing Grace unending love Amazing Grace
Well, it just wouldn't be Sunday morning worship time. It didn't take time for the children's moment, you know, they need to worship this morning too. So I wanted to include him this morning. And so if your kids are with you poster screen.
Good morning kid as you can tell it's not a church like you're used to it. But I hope that you're having a good time worshipping together with your family. I hope that you're staying safe and doing the things that you need to do to stay healthy this morning when I get ready to go to be looking at a very special happen very special happen to a lot of places in kicker but this particular time.
Now I can think of lots of things we could do to help others in this time. But one of the most powerful things we can do is to pray that we can get others by praying for them. And that is exactly what Jesus did for you and for me that we know that we would have eternal life in his name and that we would not be able to live out his love around. And so this morning I want you to realize that things are going on. Our world has prayed for you and Jesus continued in the seat at the right hand of God the father and so you can go to him in prayer. And share with them the things that are on their part and you can pray for others around maybe you know, someone who's been sick or someone who's just really struggling with all this being cooped up at home. So you could pray for this your prayers are powerful word for the young ones. I thank you for the things that they have at Lord. Sometimes the wisdom comes right out of the mouths of babes. And I thank you for that. And I pray that you would listen to keep our young ones that Lord that dye their families will be able to find ways to stay connected with you and worship while we're home together. And then I just pray that this special time. It will be a time of rest and blessing. I have to be the same. Amen. All right, but I'm sure you're fired. Parents have something for you to do while we continue on with her this morning.
Well, normally this is a time of the service they receive are tighten our offerings and our church has a quite gotten onto the Bitcoin thing so, you know, I can't do that but I do remember the goodness of the generosity of God has been so interested we're so blessed that we can we can work it out throughout the ages and stages but what a wonderful time we live in
Quiet around you know, the death toll in the United States is pretty low. And I think I saw online that there would have been no new cases in Indiana and several days, You can of course. I use your bank bill pay bike to send the check to the church. If you want to send your giving while we were sequestered at home just put your envelope or put in your memo line attention Financial secretary so we can get those straight to Bonnie to deposit. So that says the wrong person isn't that the envelope opened up here. We are working on an online getting on our website using their software that prevents our presentation to your church and hopefully we'll be able to get that ironed out in the coming days and you'll be able to get online a time in life. But then this morning I want to share of a purse.
Acts 17 verses 24 and 25. It says the world and everything in it is the Lord of Heaven and her and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands as if he needed anything rather. He himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. God gives us everything we have and everything else that we have. The family is sitting next to you and all that you've done for us all that you continue to do all the teeth promised Lord your generosity. amazom we don't deserve it and yet you given you give us your grace you give us your mercy you give us real and abundance black. The Lord this morning. I pray that thankfulness enjoyable well up in our heart and that will find ways to give them to you and these coming days. Maybe to help and on opportunities around us will see them those things that you prepare and it answers to do and that we would give of ourselves. mass in Jesus name amen
So quick reminders that we won't have service here at the church next week 1 Sunday passes and Monday the 30th comes around and the deacons and I will check to see what's going on in the news and see what's going on what the government is saying and just where we're at and we will end up dating you and I both on Facebook and also on the Church website, which is www. Louis Creek Baptist. Calm and when you want to listen to Services, if you go to the devotion tablet at main page is where I have to update and when and where and how we're worshipping them. So that information will be there and then Dana is also getting that information out to the well, so you should be able to catch that on Channel 8 and I believe 13
And so there's not a lot to announce other than we still continue to make our preparations for Easter. We don't know what that's going to look like and not much going on here at the church. I have asked Alice to stay home during this time. She in high-risk category and so is your passes between having asthma and taking immune suppression drugs for my Crohn's disease that puts me in that risk category to where we're not here through the week. You can call on my cell phone. You can text you can Facebook me anytime. I'm happy to get on the phone and play with you. And if you have an emergency situation and get ahold of me, so I'm not off-limits. I'm just not in the building all week. And so So that's really all I had to announce right now.
U.s. Customary for us to pray together as the family of God may come together for worship. We take time to remember those were on our Fair concerns with now that you have that with you from last week. And if you don't understand there's one in the last one that went out we want to be in prayer about the circumstances that we find ourselves and not only that we would axons and behaviors are attitudes toward all of this.
Would not be a hindrance for others to see the Love of Ray Scott and I do want to be the good and bathrooms that we need to be for problem anytime. Online to you. But at the same time I feel very uncertain so bad. And so we need to be that agents of peace and Polo. We need to be in prayer about how we can do that and how we can communicate that I'm going to invite you to just take a few 2 minutes in silence to prepare your heart before we pray.
Lord God you are our Rock and Foundation. You are very present help in times of trouble. You're the keeper of peace is the scripture say that your son Jesus is the Prince of Peace. The Lord we look to you for your comfort. The comfort that comes from you and doesn't make any sense to us bed of comfort that we can give that to those around us as we share your goodness and your mercy and Grace of your son Jesus Christ.
Lord scripture Satan in this world will have trouble but I pray that your people that we will take part in knowing that you have overcome this world. And you have given us a promise of Eternity to be with you where you are. Be your people to dwell on. Thank you for your goodness. We thank you for your forgiveness. We thank you for your hand of evil. We lift up the leaders and and governors and people who are making decisions that Lord. I know that they're making very hard decision.
And of course, there's always going to be someone questioning the decisions made. I just pray that you would give them your wisdom. Give them a sense of your peace. If they make me the good of everyone as best as they can and I pray Lord that the political divide some things will we put our tax away and just recognize the times that were in and be a people of patience and mercy and Grace Lord the grace you give enough cannot be measured. The Lord we lift up those who are sick that they might draw strength from you. Lord God we lift up our medical community. They're putting in the extra hours. They're doing the extra work without their volunteers and all the little things that are normal part of the process for them. I just pray that you may to keep them safe and healthy at Lord that you would help him find X of rest in the second time and Lord we pray for the safety of those who are carrying supplies and things to the stores. Once you're working in the department stores Lord, and I'm as the rest of us eat to not be exposed there right there a handling everything interacting with people as they come to help him find that the need an extra blessing board in this time. I have an extra measure of patience. Lord because of our human nature kicks me in and I just pray that that that you would strengthen them to the Past at the head. David aesthetic we come to you knowing that you're trustworthy enable. Knowing that you have a larger plan that we don't understand.
And here is as we pray as your son Thomas the prayer Our Father who art in heaven Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation. But Deliver Us from Evil for thine is the kingdom the power and the glory forever. Amen. And I hope that you'll continue in prayer in the coming days as we watch and we wait and we trust this morning. I am going to share a message with John to keep moving right along Route chapter 17 now just a quick reminder John right that we might be believed and lived his writing and we looked at that several things along the way. Jesus is in the final hours before going to the prosperous and preparing his disciples that the Parker and he's he's wash their feet and he's begun to tell them what's about to happen and in what is to come and then the scripture say this in 17? After Jesus said this you know that time when he said my peace I give you and take heart of them become the world right after he says that he looked toward Heaven father. The hour has come glorify your son that your son may glorify you. Are you granted him authority over all people that he might give you eternal life though. You have give again. Now this is eternal life that they know you the only true God and Jesus Christ.
I have brought some glory on Earth by finishing the work you gave me to do and now father glorify me in your present with the glory I had with you before the world began.
Right in the opening verses of this prayer. We see that Jesus is praying for God to receive the glory. That was the very beginning of his prayer Lord be glorified and in an affirmation that he has work my God by finishing the work that God has given to him in one of the things I want us to realize and recognize about this prayer, you know, it gets titled a lot of things, you know about the high Priestly prayer of Jesus Jesus Christ for the Bible all kinds of different things.
Jesus is praying for God to receive the glory in the mission that God has given him and that he then in turn will be handing on to his disciples. And so this very opening in here where he prays for the mission to bring glory to God that should be our primary concern about everything that we do and what we say about the glory of God to do things that glorify God in Jesus glory to God to pray that same thing for the mission to bring God glory in the church has much work to do in spreading the gospel around our world and even right here in Shelby. There are so many people who either have not heard or yet accepted at the. Will Jesus Christ. There is a huge Mission field right here and especially right to can't get out to the grocery store that help people who people get the things that they needed everywhere around us are so many opportunities for us to bring glory to God in the things that we do and and the mission of God to bring God as we keep reading.
SS unity prayer as a friend of ours as I have revealed you to Those whom you gave to me out of the world. They were yours you gave them to me and they have a baby in your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. Or I gave them the word you gave me and they accepted though. They knew with certainty that I came from you and they believed that you sent me.
Hear Jesus is is praying for the transfer of the mission. You saying you know this mission that I've been given these these words that I spoke and I got them right from the father and now I have given them to the disciples and they have accepted the word they accepted.
Jesus says he real God to them. And that they obeyed the message as I was reading through some commentary on this passage that the word obeyed, you know, we've got it in there in the past tense. But the wording there in the original language is really an ongoing. They are obeying the word that I have given to them. And so they're just acting so bedias to the message in the mission of God that Jesus is praying for him as he's looking up for the cycle. And so do the same thing for God to be revealed that we might fully obey the message of the Gospel that are obedience with me and Obey being on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and all he's done, you know, as we approach the Easter season. What a wonderful time to point out what God has done in two. You know, it's a simple thing. God loves us. He gave his son Jesus Christ to forgive us.
And so are our mission the mission of the church that Jesus came to the disciples and that has been handed down through for over 2000 years to be revealed. That was the purpose that is why Jesus came to reveal the father that's going to be talked of disciple staff at the previous chapters. And we took a look at some of those. Will you join me in praying that God will be revealed. No, baby. You know, if we look at the gift of this prayer that Jesus is offering up on behalf of the church in the mission of God, we can see the gifts. God gives us opportunities to bring him glory and nobody else can offer. And I have in Jesus praying that that that we will live up to that mission. Jesus knows that his disciples are going to be operating in a dangerous and hostile world, you know, they're about to mail the Son of God to across it doesn't get much more hostile than a Jesus knows that the disciples going to face all kinds of persecution and hardships and their lives as they seek to live.
You said I pray for them. I'm not praying for the world for those. You've given me for the day are yours? All I have is yours and all you have is mine and Glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world and I am coming to you Holy Father protect them by the power of your name the name you gave me so that they may be one as We Are One. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me none has been mobbed except the wandering. Jew destruction. So this scripture would be fulfilled. I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I'm still in the world so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I'd given them your word in the world has hated them for they are not of the world anymore than I am the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world with that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world even as I am not of it.
Heathens recognizes that what the disciples were going to need most from God is his protection to keep them safe. He says there that he has kept us a father's on Earth, but he's not much longer. He's going to be going to the cross and then the greater than to be resurrected and God's protection to do that mission. That's what these verses about. Jesus is explaining and ask God protects the disciples Target near where I'm I'm I'm I'm only saying these things so that I have the full measure of my joy would be within them praying for you encouraging words and a farming words to down and asking God to bless you and or maybe even thanking God for your kids or for your your ass.
And that's exactly what Jesus is doing for the cycle.
They have brought me Glory what they need to do. And I know that moment of weakness. We know the history of the church because Jesus wants a father to protect them in his absence and he wanted to affirm as his disciples in this kind of certainty that they were facing, you know, Judas betrayed Jesus. Most of them didn't understand that that's exactly what is going on a way, but you should time to affirm. I hope that we pray for the protection of the same. You know, America is not all that dangerous to the place to be interested. We know that we like to think that were persecuted, you know, when it's when people make fun of us for being a Christian dinner for two going to church on Sunday instead of golfing it. But that's a far cry from the real purpose of the church faces in our world. You know, we we hear of the awful and ugly things that other religious-based are doing the Christians in the Middle East and in China and in North Korea and all kinds of places where Jesus is not recognized as war and they seem to squash the church the church in China has a large growing underground Church. Church that isn't government-sanctioned, but you have to go to the government approve the church that teaches the government approve a large number of Christians who are on mission for spreading the gospel wanting to carry it all the way across the Silk Road back to the Middle East China arrest them and throw them in prison the government and not worshipping in the government prescribed way.
And worship the god with you and we can work it in Jesus Springer in this place.
Jesus prays for the protection of the Saints throughout the ages.
If you look at Jesus's prayer verses 17 to 19. He says sanctify them by the truth. Your word is true as you sent me into the world. I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself that they too may be truly sanctified. Save-A-Lot What do you mean Jesus is sanctifying himself? What was that all about? Well, this word that we can translate it if I can also mean to consecrate just set aside to be holy and set apart and so are you saying here, you know ice I have set myself apart. I have been consecrated for your Divine Purpose and I do that so that they too will be able to consecrate themselves fully committed to the mission to the gospel. Jesus was praying for the church is full commitment to the mission.
You know as much as I hate to admit it, but a lot of us probably have to join me in saying that we're not quite committed to the document. We like the bed but that whole commitment to service, you know that I've been getting down and watching a service that people will obey the gospel that the Saints will be protected why so they can continue the mission in the church. bowling committed in the world
As we keep reading verses 21 through 23, Jesus says my prayer is not for them alone. Okay, so Jesus pray for the disciples specifically and now he's broadening the prayer. It's not for them alone. I pray also for those who believe in me.
Maybe one father just as you are in me and I am in you may they also being up so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me that they may be one as we are one all I am in and you and me so that they may be brought to complete Unity. Then the world will know that you sent it and have loved them even as you can love me. Jesus prays for the unity of the church and I think sometimes we look at that word complete unity and think that we all should be in perfect lockstep agreement on every little thing in every little teaching that Jesus was praying for Unity of the church is message. We should be sending a conflicting message that our mission shouldn't be conflicting with one another. But we should be working in unison and unity for the definition of God. for the spreading of the Gospel for this mission is given because Jesus Jesus the Redeemer. That's what God desires to reconcile with his people. Jesus prays for the unity of the church is message in the unity of the Church of Jesus. No human behavior better than anyone and he knew that they would be conflict. He knew that there would be disagreements. He knew that there would be trouble but he prayed for the unity of the church in the unity of the message of the Gospel. For the sake of the law. Why because when the church works together when the church is working in unity with one another when we're all for claiming the same message that Jesus is Lord. in God love and forgetting that he'll then people recognize that Jesus is the son of God and that God is the one true God. He's relieved when the church is working in unity, and I love some of the ecumenical ways that we are able to get together now, you know, the Emmaus community and Bible Study Fellowship and food pantries and in different things in our community will we can come together as the church we can put our denominational labels inside or I can just really serve our community and share with them the mercy and grace of God and the kingdom of God. And so we all be praying for unit unity in the church is message that our everyday behaviors is individual would collectively reflect honor and glory to God.
We wrap up Jesus's prayer this morning verses 24 to 26.
Because a father I want those you have given me to be with me where I am and to see my glory the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world right there just for a second. I point out that this is twice now that Jesus is mentioned his relationship with the father before the world began eternality of Jesus and his relationship with God in the prayer Jesus praying. Father I want them that you've given me to be where I am to see my glory the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. Righteous, Bob know the world does not know you I know you and they know that you have sent it. I have made you known to them and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me maybe in them and that I myself maybe you can then. Jesus opposes this prayer to the mission. Glory to God to beat that God be revealed. No bad for the protection of the Saints and the church's commitment and unity together. He closes it out with praying to the fullness of God's love.
Think about that the mission cannot be accomplished without God's love. Should be flowing from the love. We have received from God Jesus praying that the wholeness of God love would be in. We can accomplish the mission so that we can demonstrate how will they know that? You're my decipher? What did you say? Are you up? How you been by your love? And your Jesus was praying that that would love that. I got the love of God.
God to be revealed to the world so that others can people by the mercy of God. We have a high call as God's people. The living things that Jesus asks of us in this prayer of the app to follow for these things to come to pass. We know that ultimately in the end all will be fulfilled.
But we have a responsibility to step in obedience into the park in the mission that cross gave the church and so I hope it will keep this prayer before it and you will remember these things for the church not just right here where we are but in the church, you know capital cities around the world so that we can honor and glorify God in the way and then call them what a wonderful gift we can give by lifting others up in prayer.
Like a couple reflection questions for you this morning. How would your life glorify God and reveal eternal life?
What does ongoing obedience to the gospel look like in your life?
In what was the commitment of the church look like in this place?
And what will you do this week to make the whole movie of God's love? No.
Father God we come before you as your people recognizing that in in many of these waves the perhaps in all of these ways. We have some growing to do. You light the mission out before I discuss with your gospel message. You given us eternal life. You've been revealed to us by the faithfulness of others that we need to now will be faithful to reveal you to Reveal Your Love. to reveal the mission to Reveal Your Glory
Lord show us your weight It was some spices in our hearts where we need to grow. I think we need to let go on. The things we need to embrace.
Burger King
return we acted in Jesus name. Amen. I hope that this has been a blessing to you this morning. I hope that you will join us next week as we speak to do this again and get the the word of God out of people and of course you have the privilege of yourself right there at home that the average American household has been stay in. Minute Devotion to God and have a very blessed week by now.