CLM Church Live Stream | Sunday 19 September 2021

um uh uh probably yourself good is just to let you know we have a few mitigations in place to help worship today so please feel free to give it your best for god please don't hold back um although we don't have downstairs to be used for now upon god just to say we're doing that so so so and good morning and welcome to clm also for those of you tuning in just want to say hello to you as well we hope you enjoy our service today if you are tuning in would love it if you could smash a like on the video today and also we'd love to see you interacting as a community why not put some comments in the chat why not speak to one another let us know where you're tuning in from that'll be great and for those of us in the room it's great to come together isn't it church to worship god and i'm excited that we can come and lift up his name together in a moment just a few things i want to run past us which are probably familiar to you now just as we continue to make this a safe space for us all during our current times so and we're encouraging everyone to wear face masks and or visors especially when singing obviously if you're exempt that doesn't include you but even though we are having to wear them can i encourage us that we can worship and we can sing today so when we are able to don't hold back let's give jesus our best worship today also can we limit physical contact to an elbow bump so i'm sure you're familiar with that as well just so that we can keep people safe and comfortable although we don't have to track people's attendances in the building today you can make your presence known by using the nhs app at the reception area or you can also sign a form there as well which is another way of you just being able to say that you were here so yeah you can use that if you wish to it's optional also just for our young people today so we have a few things on for them so there is a parent and baby room down on the lower ground floor for parents and carers of babies that's open now and you can use that at any time during the service and also later on we'll announce it we do have kids work for primary school students so that's years reception to year six you will need to sign them in so if you haven't done that already you need to sign them in at the reception area and also we do have a space later on which will open up for preschoolers as well so for those like twos to maybe fours before reception age and that's for parents and carers to take them there there'll be a team down there and i'll let you know when you can go down to that room but we're here to worship aren't we today church and i'm excited that we can lift up yeah if you want to give some praise to god already if you're ready to give him praise let's come ready to lift up his name and i'm going to read some verses for us from psalm 18 just to help us set our hearts on jesus to make him the center of our thoughts psalm 18 the first few verses i love them it says this it says i love you lord my strength the lord is my rock my fortress and my deliverer my my god is my rock in whom i take refuge my shield and the horn of my salvation my stronghold i call to the lord who is worthy of praise and i have been saved from my enemies and what i love about those verses is that they just remind us today don't they that god is our refuge god is our rock isn't it amazing that through jesus we have been saved from our sin he has delivered us that he is our salvation today and even before the ban leaders can i encourage us now why don't you just start giving god thanks for being your rock today for being your refuge for saving you for for for delivering you from the enemy through what jesus has done on the cross why not start lifting up praise to him now just say god we thank you that you're our eternal rock lord we come today as your as your children as your church and we're so grateful for all you've done for us that we can call you our rock and our refuge our shield today thank you that you deliver us thank you that you're with us today god and we pray lord as we give you worship lord lord would you inhabit the space of your peoples today the praises of your people or as we lift up your name together lord come and move holy spirit we say come holy spirit minister to our hearts as we declare your praises in jesus name amen he's called to worship we're gonna lift up jesus demons please make his priests glorious let's sing heaven thunder heaven thunder and the world was born life begins and ends in the dust you for faith commanded faith commanded unstoppable let your glory go on and on impossible freedom conquered all our chains undone sending feeding jesus has overcome mercy triumph unstoppable god i stopped over impossible things we worship you nothing shall be impossible nothing shall be impossible your kingdom reigns unstoppable we'll shout your praise forever nothing shall be nothing shall be impossible your kingdom remains unstoppable we'll shout your praise forever shall be impossible your kingdom reigns unstoppable we'll shout your praise shall be nothing shall be impossible your kingdom reigns unstoppable we'll shout your praise forever let your glory go on and on go on and on things come on church has given some prisoners wow and say god is evil and god is able he will to fail he is almighty god greater than all we seek greater than all we seek greater than all we ask is done great things he has done great come on church let's lift him up in his name we overcome for the lord our god i think god is with us is is for the lord god is with us us he will never it is is is foreign church feed this morning lift it up and lift it up he defeated raised to life our god is able and oh in his name we overcome for the lord our god and i fix my eyes upon the cross i'm reaching out with all i've got i'm letting outside you are my peace declare this all over this room and online you are greater and you are greater jesus you are greater than it all you are you are greater the grace of jesus is greater grace and mercy of grace is great lord i believe you lose i don't again this is so i don't believe my you stretch these wings you jesus is is thank you jesus for your master's love for your grace it it is finished jesus it is jesus jesus is you a is oh you are greater jesus do you believe that this morning truly you are great jesus you are greater than all that grace and mercy your grace and mercy finally oh the blood of jesus is greater thank you for your grace and mercy your church i just want to remind you today you've been singing it but it's good to be reminded jesus is greater he is greater and i love that phrase that we've that we've just been using as well is that you never fail you have a plan and you know god has a plan and we're reminded of that even through the gospels we see jesus it looks like that man is plotting his downfall but actually god is in control god is on the throne and i take heart from that today church and i think we should take heart from that church that even in death god raised him up because our god is greater yes our god is more powerful today church he is greater and people may reject jesus they may renounce him but god is still on the throne god is still working god still has a plan and i think we should be reminded of that today and maybe in your own life i don't know what you're going through specifically but it might be that you need to know today that god still has a plan for you here's a plan for what you're going through where you've come up against a dead end you know in the dead places god is right at home because he can bring resurrection and he can bring a transformation and wherever you are today i just encourage you to come to god if you are in a place where you need god to change things around to show his incomparable power just come to him and say god you are greater if you need to respond just come to him say god you are greater today i trust in your plan i know that you have a plan i know that you will bring it to completion what was meant for destruction you will bring to bring your completion maybe just come to him and say lord you're greater today why not even lift your hands up to him if you want to just as a declaration to him say lord i trust you you are greater i trust your plan you will make a way you will make a way today jesus you are greater jesus jesus jesus one more time jesus is is your grace and mercy so much greater love your grace and mercy you found so lord we come today we call upon the greater one the most powerful one thank you lord that you are on the throne that you are in control and from death you brought life that is what you do that is who you are god you bring life and i pray lord for many people lord whether tuning in or here today god would they know lord that you have a plan you have a purpose in the suffering and the pain lord you will make a way today god you will come through that's who you are and that lord you would encourage our hearts today with this to know lord that you have a purpose for us god lord where we're at a dead end lord we pray lord would you open doors where we need a breakthrough lord lord we we sang today that you're a god of the impossible lord make the impossible possible today come and move lord come and move lord because you are greater we thank you lord for your power today we thank you god that we can come to you you are our rock you are our refuge today in jesus mighty name we pray amen amen you can all take your seats thank you it's great to worship well i'm pleased to say church that a couple of weeks ago we baptized seven precious people and yeah yeah we can make some noise show some love and uh we baptize them at the ellen higgs center like we did previously and a number of reasons why we're continuing to do that at their swimming buffs is that is one of the reasons being is it's just a safe space for us given the current climate that we're in and in a moment we're going to enjoy and watch those tests watch those videos of people being baptized and some testimonies as well but before we show the footage that we pre-recorded um i'm just going to give a couple of reasons as to why we believe baptism is really important today one of the reasons that we believe baptism is significant in the life of a believer is firstly because jesus tells us to do this in matthew 28 he says all authority in heaven and earth has been given to me therefore go make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit and simply we do it out of obedience we want to obey jesus yeah we want to obey what he says so that's why we do it and another really powerful reason why we get baptized is because it signifies that burying of that old life that we once lived and then being raised up now into a new life for jesus so baptism is our way of saying as well that i was once living this way living for myself living in the sin that i was in but i'm now choosing to change direction in my life and live only for jesus and baptism symbolizes that when someone goes under the water as you'll see in a moment it's that idea that their old life is being buried and they're being raised up into a new life with jesus a really powerful moment and i like to use this phrase for baptism is that it's an outward expression of your inward confession that idea that even though when we come to god and we accept jesus as our lord and savior we are saved then but we're expressing through water baptism that we have accepted to live for jesus now and that we are being raised into a new life with him as i said a really powerful idea and it was great to be able to share that with some people a couple of weeks ago so as part of the footage as i said that we're going to show you now we have some testimonies of people sharing who got baptized the difference that jesus makes in their life and then following that we're going to move to the actual baptisms themselves at the alan higgs center so enjoy well the difference jesus has made to to my life um before i found jesus or before i heard his call um i was quite lonely although married um but still alone didn't have any friends so god has and jesus has filled my life with friendship and family um physically there have been changes in me i had some bad habits i don't have them anymore because i put my trust in him and he's he's seen me through it i feel so much freer from some of these strongholds the difference that jesus has made to my life is everything really he's changed every aspect of my life um for me he's brought me out of darkness into the light he's changed how i've maneuvered every single aspect of my life at times when i feel lonely he's there i know that i'm never alone jesus is one of the biggest parts of my life i've always learned about jesus from a young age i'm raised in a christian family with a pastor's experience but i felt like as a young child i just had to you know have jesus in my life without really the understanding but he's he's my everything like he's he's been my rock he's been my joy my happiness i found jesus back in 2018 after a traumatic experience in life and he helped me to pull through it all the difference jesus makes in my life is all the sins and the regrets of the days or the weeks before seem to lift off when i sing to him or pray to him or i'm in his presence they seem to lift off and i it's replaced with a warmth of god being like embracing me and being with me jesus has made so much difference in my life so i went through a difficult time when the father of my children left me with my two boys i was heartbroken and in pain for such a long time i remember coming to church being intentional in my relationship with him so through the praise and worship i felt comforted i felt loved i felt strengthened so since knowing that i was saved jesus has made such a big difference in my life because ever since that day i'm able to trust him even more i fell in love even more deeply with god and my relationship has grown so much stronger and now i can just trust him every time i go through any like situation or trials or tribulations i can just trust him so much knowing that he's always going to be by my side when i feel overwhelmed i know that just by seeking him i'll find a sense of peace he's changed how i've maneuvered my everyday life how i make decisions how i deal with certain certain circumstances and i just know that no matter what jesus loves me for me and he's chosen me jesus made such a difference in my life because i was addicted to alcohol i've been able to self-control but also jesus has been there for me all the time holding my hand for me whenever i was walking into places where you could buy alcohol whether it be by myself or friends and he was he was just helping the help in hand and which is also gave me the extra strength and inner strength just to say i don't need anymore i don't want it building a greater relationship with jesus kind of just made my life a whole lot simpler better my life is glowing um i've had the best experience i think jesus is more like my best friend guy i i can't really put how he changed my life into just a few words it's just too much and there's this song as well when he says your tears will dry your hearts will mend and you will dance again jesus has healed me because each stage even if it's taken a few years i've i'm dancing again mentally i'm in a much healthier space because i trust god i trust jesus he's he's filled my heart with um sorry he spilled my heart with so much joy and i can't imagine not knowing him now when i think about you know 18 months ago um two completely different people entirely transformed and though i can barely remember my life before before jesus and i'm so happy for that we can move straight to the footage now of the baptisms thank you well the uh with so much joy and i can't imagine not knowing him now when i think about you know 18 months ago two completely different people entirely transformed and though i can barely remember my life before before jesus and i'm so happy for that for me what is the confession of your faith i confess that jesus christ is my lord and savior and i renounce the devil and all of his works amen water for me on the confession of your faith we now baptize you into the name of the father the son of the holy spirit into the death burial and resurrection of the lord jesus christ becky what is the confession of your faith i confess that jesus christ is my lord and savior and i renounce the devil in all of his works becky on the confession of your faith we now baptize you in the name of the father the son and the holy spirit into the death burial and resurrection of our lord jesus christ michael what is the confession of your faith i confess that jesus christ is my lord and savior and i renounce the devil and all of his works wonderful well michael on the confession of your faith we baptize you now into the name of the father the son and the holy spirit into the death burial and resurrection of the lord jesus christ gemma what's the confession of your faith i confess that jesus christ is my lord and savior and i renounce the devil and all of his works amen on the confession of your faith we now baptize you in the name of the father the son and the holy spirit into the death burial and resurrection of our lord jesus christ anees what is the confession of your faith i confess that jesus christ is my lord and savior and i renounce the devil in all of his works anise on the confession of your faith we now baptize you into the name of the father the son and the holy spirit into the death burial and resurrection of the lord jesus christ our next what's the confession of your faith i confess that jesus christ is my lord and savior and i renounce the devil in all of his works our next on the confession of your faith we now baptize you in the name of the father the son and the holy spirit into the death burial and resurrection of our lord jesus christ manisha what is the confession of your faith i confess that jesus christ is my lord and savior and i renounce the devil in all his works manisha on the confession of your faith we baptize you now into the name of the father the son and the holy spirit into the death burial and resurrection of the lord jesus christ well wasn't that great church to celebrate with those precious people yeah you can give them all a round of applause again all seven of them so good to share that with them this morning um maybe you're here today and you've never been baptized and you're interested in being baptized well we're really pleased to say that on sunday the 3rd of october during our morning services during the sermon specifically we'll be running a baptism explained which is a space where you can come along and learn more about water baptism you can sign up as of today so you can go on to our website on the whatson tab and on there you'll be able to sign up for baptism explain you can also sign up on our growth track page as well but yeah if you would like to come along to that we'd love to see you there on sunday the 3rd of october great well before the notices and just want to say that parents and carers of preschoolers you can now go down to the lower ground floor if you would like to there's a space there for your little ones and the team are waiting there and also for our primary school years reception to year six and you can now go to your children's work so the team are waiting for you upstairs so please feel free to go now if you would like to and if you've signed in as well and um as the children are going i'm just going to hand over to gabriel for some notices for today hey church hope you're all doing well if you're new to clm welcome it's so great to have you with us if you're here in person we would love you to come over to our connect point in the corner of the room to my right and to your left straight after the service so we can say hi and make sure we don't miss you just head across as soon as the server finishes if you don't manage to make it to the connect point or you're joining us online we'd love to help you get connected all you need to do is go to your web browser and go to the salem search code uk forward slash connect this is a really easy way to send out some basic details so we can connect with you and help you get integrated for those joining us in person our prayer ministry team will also be available at the front of the room after the service they will love the opportunity to pray for you at this time about anything you are currently facing there are lots of exciting things coming up soon over the next few weeks firstly today marks the return of student lunches these will be happening every sunday after the second service from today until the 10th of october this is a great opportunity to relax meet other students and enjoy a meal together lunch will take place in the clm building in the undercroft and sign ups for this afternoon's lunch are live on our website clm church record uk forward slash students the cost of each launch is three pound and spaces are limited if you're having issues with signing up then please head to the connect point after the service if you can't make it this week don't worry as more tickets will be available each monday this week we've got our three days of prayer and fasting from tuesday to thursday prayer continues to be a priority at clm as we encourage everyone to get as fully involved as possible we meet online via zoom each morning from 7 00 to 7 45 a.m i'm also be meeting in person here at clm each evening from 7 30 to 9 p.m we'll take time to pray both collectively and in smaller groups and also spend time in worship together we love everyone who call clm home church to prioritize this special time of corporate prayer we have sent out zoom details for our morning prayer gatherings this week to everyone who was on our database but if you didn't receive these and would like to join us please drop us an email to info at clm church okay we look forward to a powerful time of seeking the law together in addition to student launches and prayer and fasting there's also lots to look forward to and engage with in the coming weeks so keep your eyes on the screen to find out more if you missed any of that or would like to find out more information about anything that is coming up you can access all the details on our website at salem church or cody uk four slash events i hope you have a blessed week enjoy the rest of the service great well uh thank you gabriella can we give gabriel a round of applause there for just great job everything that's going on i hope you caught that at the end if you go to our website there's a what's on tab or simply forward slash events you'll find things that are coming up so you'll find out more information and also you can book in if you want to book into anything it's my joy to extend my welcome to you today my name is martin uh married to esther who uh together with the pastors here at clm and just want to say if you're brand new here a very very warm welcome we're delighted to see you here well uh it's partly for me to say today that uh over the last 18 months uh some romances have blossomed in the life of clm last week we celebrated the engagement of luke williams to know amy today we have two engagements to announce and um firstly i'm absolutely thrilled to announce the engagement of tondarai and shumi many of you all know tundrai who is one of our car park team leaders was out serving in the rain today and i want to tonderein show me would you stand so we can just offer our congratulations to you here in the room absolutely wonderful and uh yeah we're just we're thrilled with you and uh the second romance that has blossomed uh during lockdown uh that has resulted in an engagement last night in london but they are here this morning is our worship pastor mark beswick uh is engaged to be married uh to simone stewart and i believe they are here somewhere hey why don't you just de-mask and stand and we can just offer our congratulations to you guys also i know that would have taken some of you by surprise and uh simone i know you've been here before normally worship in london welcome great to have you here at clm well something must be in the air and uh we'll see what happens next sunday right and uh yeah if you're hoping to be married well this is a good time to be praying um awesome well as part of our worship uh just a moment uh we're gonna bring our tides and our offerings uh this last week uh the team here have been preparing with our auditors the statutory accounts uh which is just uh the reporting on the previous financial year and although it gets a bit delayed it's kind of looking back on 2020 and going with that is a trustees report which just really signals all the different things that have been going on in the life of clm ministries and mission and sometimes you have to just take a breath and look back it's like climbing a mountain it's often when you stop and look down you don't realize how far you came and this week doing some work on that i was just amazed again at what the lord has done in and through this community the extent and the scope of ministries and mission that we don't shout about every sunday but are changing lives impacting the city and beyond and i want to say a huge thank you to all of you that play such an important part in that not only in serving and in leading many of you and being a part of ministries but also in giving financially that really is such an important base for being us being able to continue to push forward the vision of the house and reading the trustees report this week i was just blown away at the goodness of god and uh what he's enabled to put in and through our hands so i want to say thank you to you and i'm going to pray the blessing of god uh over all of us here father we thank you that you're with us we thank you that you're for us we thank you for your hand of blessing that is upon us we thank you lord that we can call you faithful and we can call you good because that's the testimony of our lives it's who you are we thank you father for for what you've birthed and what you've been able to rise here through different ministries impacting and changing lives strengthening the body of christ growing and making disciples we thank you lord for the reach and growth of mission that you've enabled us along with other churches to make it such an impact and imprint in our city we thank you lord that as we try and keep step with you holy spirit that you have so much more to do in and through us and i thank you father for your faithful people that sow in through tides and offerings and vision offerings to make it all work and i pray lord you would continue to open the windows of heaven over every household that seeks to trust you with finance that people's testimony would be god has been so good to me that i didn't give to get but as i've sought to trust the lord he has showered blessings upon me in a thousand ways let's let your blessing be upon your people in jesus name amen amen practically uh to give the the best way the most helpful way for us is to continue to give online and you can do that by going to our website and hitting the giving tab or just forward slash giving you'll see the bank details there you can set up a standing order or make a bank transfer there's also an online button which you can press to give by bank card or if you are the bill payer on your phone or you have the bill payers permission you can give by mobile phone text by texting clm give and then the amount in numbers up to and including 20 pounds to 70085 if you're here in the room and uh you have uh come ready to give a physical offering of cash or check then over at the back and also down the front there are some envelopes feel free to use that and put them in the pot here at the front well i won the church can we stand again together we're going to continue in our worship as the band leaders before esther comes to bring the word today let's worship so is is for me christ is enough for me everything i need is in salvation this hope will never fail for hell every song my soul will sing jesus is everything i need everything on no turning no turning back turning back is is is is no turning back no is that you have invited us to follow you you came and you found us and you called us after yourself and we thank you for the great privilege to follow the one to walk with the one who is always enough in every situation and circumstance and so lord we bring you our praise and our worship today and as we turn to your word we remember that everything we need for life and godliness you have given to us through your person and through your spirit and through your word and so we pray that you would minister into our hearts again today through your words speak to us stir truth and life and faith we pray in jesus name amen amen please do take your seats thank you so much band for leading us i think we're okay christ is enough or wasn't it great to celebrate those baptisms today and what jonathan didn't tell you was that the staff at higgs are now they've seen us do two lots of baptisms and last time the center manager was deeply impacted by what was going on she said to us at the end she was like i just she's like the joy the way that everyone's for one another she's like i just want to join in and this is the power of the gospel as we're obedient and we respond and people are able to see what jesus does in our lives and how it changes us as a community and we thank god and we honor him and we pray we would continue to be able to show jesus to many many people in this city of coventry it's my privilege this morning to turn us to the word and so whether you're here in the room or joining us online why not turn with me we're going to exodus chapter 17 8-15 and if you want a title today it's fighting right the reality is that when we come to jesus and we start to follow sometimes uh we have to fight and fighting right is really important we're going to learn about this today so we're going to read from exodus 17 verse 8 to 15. it says this now amalek came and fought with israel in rephidim and moses said to joshua choose us some men and go out fight with amalek tomorrow i will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of god in my hand so joshua did as moses said to him and fought with amalek and moses aaron and her went up to the top of the hill and so it was that when moses held up his hand that israel prevailed and when he let down his hand amalek prevailed but moses hands became heavy so they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it and aaron and her supported his hands one on one side and the other on the other side and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun so joshua defeated amalek and his people with the edge of the sword then the lord said to moses write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of joshua that i will utterly blot out the remembrance of amalek from under heaven and moses built an altar and called its name the lord is my banner jehovah nissi what an interesting account but i think from this we can learn some things about how we can fight and win anyone here like to win i think we all like to win it's why saturdays for many people when the premiership goes on is uh either elating or devastating because we all want to win none of us ever enjoy losing but really these verses speak this morning into some of the battles that we may face in life and in faith i'm going to draw out three simple observations from this text which i think can help us to fight right the background here just in case you're not familiar we join israel at a bit of a critical point they are god's chosen people he has brought them out of slavery for several hundred years these people had been in slavery they'd come to the red sea this famous moment famous moment they were trapped the egyptians behind them the sea ahead of them and moses had held this staff this same rod that's spoken of in these verses out over the sea and god drove it back and they walked through on dry ground the army had followed but the sea had come back over them and been destroyed if you've read exodus or seen the film prince of egypt you know the story this is just a few chapters before it's kind of chapter 14 that happens and chapter 15 is really just a celebration of it all and then in 16 and 17 the israelites journey really gets going in earnest and it becomes critical very quickly because there's a need for food and there's a need for water for literally hundreds of thousands of people which is what the israelites were they experienced miraculous provision clean water when it wasn't meant to be clean they experienced manner and quail being delivered in every day and they arrive at this place refereed in where we find them in today's verses and once again there isn't any water and they're like we're all gonna die and moses because god tells him hits the rock with this rod in his hand and water comes out for it i mean there's so much action and drama in these chapters of exodus if you want an exciting bit of bible to read read exodus it's all good but exodus has got a lot of drama but i don't know if you can begin to imagine what these people had been through what they were going for what it was like for them they had grown up in slavery in egypt in the recent times for them conditions had got even harsher as moses had begun to petition pharaoh to let them go eventually after the plagues and the passover they'd been allowed to go but then been pursued by pharaoh's army until they found themselves at the sea and thought they were going to drown or be killed they were coming out of a place of oppression but daily the need for food and water was extraordinary and they found themselves their needs being met but they were still learning independence on god they must have been terrified on a daily basis and as if all of that wasn't enough we come to these verses and we find that the amalekites come and attack them they hadn't provoked them or challenged them but still the amalekites that's a very hard word to keep saying amalekites attack them in fact if we read in deuteronomy this account of the same it's it says in deuteronomy 25 17 to 18 it says remember what the amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of egypt it says when you were weary and worn out they met you on your journey and attacked all who were lagging behind they had no fear of god the israelites didn't go looking for a fight they weren't doing anything they shouldn't have been done in fact they were worn out and weary perhaps as some of you find yourselves today but they had to fight and to defend themselves and the first thing really that i want to draw out today as we consider fighting right is that there is a battle to fight there is a battle to fight the israelites were not looking for a fight they were not provoking of course some people do provoke a fight i wonder we probably all come across those people yeah maybe you live with them maybe you work with them those ones who are always spoiling for a fight you know the ones i mean but we're not we're not those are we and most people aren't like that and the israelites weren't spoiling for a fight in fact the truth was they weren't really fit for a fight they were weary they were worn out they had more experience as slaves than as soldiers they were undisciplined they were ill-armed they were apt to grumble and yet some of them had to fight the reality is they may or may not have realized it or felt like it but when they turned up in referendum they turned up as people of promise they'd been brought out of egypt as god's people with a plan with a purpose with a promise on their life they've done nothing to provoke nothing to pick a fight but as god's chosen people as people of promise as people of his presence as they would grow to become their presence in this place was not neutral and that's why there was a battle to fight you know sometimes we can find ourselves in a fight and it's actually our own fault i know we never like to admit it but sometimes we bring it on ourselves maybe we've provoked maybe we've golded someone maybe we've irritated them we've been rude or ignorant i know it's hard to believe of the people sitting on your row but sometimes we do this sometimes we fail to do the things we should do and we find ourselves in a battle and it's of our own making or is that just me sometimes we're in a battle of our making but sometimes we find ourselves with a battle to fight and we don't even understand why we look around our life i think i didn't do anything all i did was follow where god led me all i did was step out i do not understand in such battles when they come for us they can knock us sideways take us completely by surprise but friends it's because we are god's chosen people we're people that when we walk in the room and when we turn up somewhere we're already people of promise we're already people of purpose we're already people of the presence of the living god and so when we turn up as people of influence like this people who are positioned called and placed to bring a different kingdom to carry a different presence then for those in that place uh presence is not neutral sometimes that can mean that we find ourselves with a battle to fight you start a new job and from the get go there's someone there who has an issue with you you haven't done anything you've not said anything but your presence there isn't neutral it provokes a response it may not provoke an overt fight there may not be anything but under the surface there is a battle to fight paul describes it like this in ephesians 6 verse 12. he says for our struggle is not against flesh and blood but it's against the rulers against the authorities against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms you see there's a battle to fight but it's not against flesh and blood so you might find yourself worn out and weary you might find yourself you're keeping your head down you're trying to keep a low profile but there can still be a battle to fight because we're god's people and when we turn up we turn up with promise we turn up with his presence and for those who don't fear god like the amalekites that can result in a fight there's a battle to fight and it's not flesh and blood and if we can remember this and even at some level come to expect this then it will help us in our lives in fighting right not going after the person not going how the issue presents but just thinking ah there's a battle to fight but it's not against flesh and blood so the israelites they found themselves in a fight and moses the leader he's he's got to respond he's got to show how to fight right and interesting if he doesn't just find all the ammo he can and just rush out and say we're going to sort this out i'm sure god's going to come with us what he does is he picks someone to lead a young lad called joshua if you know the bible you'll have known lots about joshua this is the first time he gets mentioned moses has obviously already got his eye on him as a potential successor and puts him there as the commander-in-chief and it may seem to us like a bit of an abrogation of responsibility by moses here that there's a battle that needs to fight with a bit of an unruly army and he sends a young lad out to go and fight but it isn't that at all because it's something moses knows and this is my second point this morning is that there is a banner to raise there is a banner to raise and moses knows that that is his business he can entrust the fighting on the ground to joshua but he must lead another part of the fighting that is equally critical he knows that he must raise a banner you know raising a banner or raising a standard is not uncommon in military settings although i know many of us aren't in military settings perhaps you've seen a movie before where you have like a medieval battlefield normally like set on some vast landscape somewhere and the troops are all lined up and there's weapons and armory there's horses all lined up there's this amazing sense of anticipation everyone's just like holding ready for the battle and high above the troops there's a few with poles and on them are these massive flags standards banners they're called and on them they have the mark of the monarch the mark of the king that they're fighting for and there is a sign for the hosts the troops to say this is where the fight is this is where the battle is this is where you rally to moses havoc doesn't have exactly that kind of banner but he has a standard of a different kind he has this staff the rod of god that he'd been using all the way through the journey he'd been sent on and he knows that he needs to raise it up like he'd raised it up before and he's going to take it up to the top of the hill and hold it out and as we read through the account this has a profound impact on the battle because when moses is holding it up it says the israelites prevailed but we all know what happens when you hold your hands up for a long time you know the end of a long worship set you're thinking no i need to put my hands and then the worship leader says just raise your hands with me you know no they're burning they're burning his hands start to lower and the amalekites prevailed aaron and her had to support him and they they do so but this is moses doing his part in the fighting raising up a banner what is he doing here i want to suggest he's raising a banner of faith and of fervent prayer you know why he went up onto the top of a hill i think partly he went up onto the top of the hill because it meant that everyone fighting in the valley at any moment could turn around and they would see the staff of god being held out over them the same staff that had gone in the nile and turned it to blood the same staff that they'd seen held out over the red sea and the waters had parted the same staff that just yesterday or the day before had struck a rock and water had come out from it imagine being in a fight and looking up and seeing that same stuff held out over you you would think we can do this we can do this the lord is with us because raising a banner is about stirring faith for us that's maybe more like reminding ourselves of the times god has come through before the things that he's done the answered prayer the testimonies all the many times that he has averted a crisis when we've cried out to him this is what moses is doing he's raising a banner raising a banner of faith but it's not just a banner of faith it's also a banner of fervent prayer he is on the top of the hill he's saying lord you've got to help us lord of hosts we cry out to you we raise a standard here for your hosts to come and usher here and to see that this is the place that the king's armies are needed come and fight here come and bring us success he wasn't standing there wishing or just watching but he was asking for help demonstrably asking for help all the time that the battle raged and his praying presence on the top of the hill enabled the fighting presence down in the valley this is how we fight right sometimes we do need to actually fight joshua had to go down into the valley sometimes god will ask us to be still as he asks the uh the israelites in chapter 14 at the red sea but here he actually says no some people need to go out and fight sometimes we still have to face up to the enemy we may still have to have a difficult conversation we may still have to face the panel at work or whatever it is but we must not neglect to raise up the banner to attend to faith to attend to fervent prayer because this is fighting right and it's not just for moses and joshua it's for every one of us it's why the psalmist writes psalm 20 verse 5 we will lift up our banners in the name of our god the lifting up of a banner is for every one of us to do i know if we were to ask the stories in the room today i think there'll be many many hundreds of stories if we included you joining us online at home between us we'd have many many stories of testimonies of times we'd prayed and we'd cried out to god times when we did this times when we realized what was happening and we cried out and the lord came through for us you may have heard me tell this story before the time when we lived in nottingham we lived in a semi-detached house we shared a wall who loves sharing a wall with their neighbors yeah it's a wonderful joy isn't it we had thin walls and an extremely sensitive and quite techy neighbor and she used to bang on the walls and she used to shout at us if she thought we were making too much noise and we didn't make a lot of noise we weren't unreasonable but she would do this so regularly and so often i ended up intimidated in my own house i can remember like having some people around once and i knew one of the guys in the group had a really loud laugh and i was like just keep it down don't say anything funny i was anxious all night unless this guy simon laughed this is not right you shouldn't be living like this we began to raise a banner of prayer began to pray fervently began to pray regularly lift something up sometimes you put my hands on the wall jesus i lift up your name don't know what else to do but i lift up your name here and the situation turned around it got so much better it didn't completely disappear there was still the occasional shouts through the wall but it wasn't something that was a regular and present problem and the anxiety in my own heart lifted as we lifted up a banner in the name of god faith and fervent prayer he knew how to fight right there was a battle to fight but it was not against flesh and blood and there was a banner to raise of faith and fervent prayer but it's also good for us here to see what moses does after the battle and he's prompted here by god that there is an altar to build there's an altar to build i don't know what you're like if you've just been through a bit of an intense time and then you win or it's over or you're finished you finish working on a dissertation or you finish a big project to work you go home you want to crash right let's have some good food let's put feet up and that's all good this isn't what moses did but god comes to him afterwards and says now you need to write this down there's a memorial to be had that mustn't be lost put it in a book so it isn't you know doesn't get lost on the kitchen shelf or whatever i want you to remember what happened and know this for sure that i will completely defeat your enemy and moses response here is to build an altar i assume that he did write down what he was told you but he builds an altar a point of worship and of sacrifice a place of acknowledging what god had done a place of connection with god there's an altar to build it's a place of worship and encounter and remembrance these are really common throughout the early chapters of scripture genesis and exodus we see the patriarchs journeying pilgriming and then regularly stopping and building an altar and remembering acknowledging what god had done and how god had revealed himself to them and so moses we're told calls the altar the lord is my banner jehovah nissi in history often after such a victory a statue would have been built to joshua the victorious commander but moses builds an altar calls it the lord is my banner jehovah nissi he's acknowledging here the lord is our standard he is our banner he is the flag flying over his people the hand covering them protecting them walking with them going with them the power and the presence that is over them he's the one that gave them victory as they learned to fight right you see for us when we've been through a difficult time i want to suggest to us that actually there's an altar to build at the end of it maybe if you've not stopped to reflect after the last few months of covid maybe we would benefit from that it might look as simple as just writing a few words in a journal you don't have to be a great writer or have brilliant english or whatever language you speak but just write down what god has done in this season what he's brought you through it maybe just taking a little time to worship and to thank him for what he brought you through maybe to reflect and to know what god has shown you of himself in this time but finding a way to stop and to acknowledge him to worship and to remember alone or with others formally or informally it doesn't really matter but there's a worship there's an altar to build to worship and to remember and there's something about this building of an altar that completes the experience of us fighting right we begin by realizing there's a battle to fight and it's not flesh and blood and then knowing that there's a banner to raise of faith and fervent praise but then also at the end of the experience realizing that part of the process is for us to be grown and transformed and brought closer to god and that happens when we build the altar and worship and remember it's how we come out stronger ready for the next battle it's how we learn and grow so friends whether in your work or your school in your family we're going to find ourselves in battles i know that's not what you came to be told to encourage you today but we are going to find ourselves in battles not constantly but they will come and moses shows us here how to fight right and i want to encourage us to remember these things that there is a battle and it's not against flesh and blood that there is a banner for us to raise up of faith and fervent prayer and as we go into a time of prayer and fasting this week let's raise that banner of faith and fervent prayer let's lift it over some of the situations of our lives some of the things that we need to see a breakthrough let's lift it up over some issues in our city or nation or some of the other nations of the world let's be active in raising that banner let's continue raising a banner over racial injustice as we seek to do what we can practically but also to pray because the name of the god who can make a difference will make a difference let's stand with one another this week in prayer and fasting like aaron and her coming alongside others whose arms might be tiring but as we pray and fast together we can strengthen one another and let's not neglect to build the altars that we need to bring of worship and remembrance i'm going to welcome the band to come back and to join me moses called his altar the lord is my banner it's what he'd seen it's what he'd witnessed it's what he'd learned through this particular battle it's interesting to me that in the last verses god says go and recount this to joshua he says rehearse it in front of joshua joshua knew how to fight a battle but joshua didn't know fully what had gone on on the top of the hill and the lord says rehearse this to joshua he needs to know he's going to need this maybe that's why a few chapters later we find joshua lingering in the tent of the meeting in god's presence learning to pray but that's another message for another day there's a word here that moses wants the next generation to know they need to know what happens on the top of the hill when you raise a banner he said they need to know that the lord who was with you in that battle as we raised a standard as we raise his standard he will completely defeat your enemies and that is what he has promised another some lessons here for us to take away and to weave into our lives but i want us to respond this morning and encourage us just to activate something as a response today and maybe you're sitting here listening and maybe you know there's some situations in my life that i know i need to be raising a banner over maybe i've faced it as a flesh and blood problem but it's not i need to start engaging with something spiritual and i'm just going to invite you simply to stand where you are maybe even to raise your hands and just begin to speak the name of jesus over your situation invite you to do that right now if that applies to you if you know there's a situation where you need to raise up the banner we're going to join you in a moment so don't worry you won't be alone yeah if you want to that's it stand to your feet just begin to pray also i just sensed as i was preparing that this is there's a particular word here over our young people and something a banner that needs to be raised over our young people to speak of life and victory to lift up the standard almost to raise it over them and say this is the place lord where we need your hosts to rally and to fight i don't know if you're here in the meeting i expect we'll have maybe more in our next meeting but if you're here and you're maybe between 11 and 20 i would love it if you would just stand to your feet and join with us because i want to speak something over you this morning thank you i feel the lord wants to speak to you our young people our joshua generation because i perceive that the challenges of the last 18 months have been really really tough for you and i believe the lord wants to say he knows and he sees your journey your friends may not have been there to see some days or they may not have understood but the lord sees and he knows he knows what this is cost he knows what it's been like he knows how it's made you feel he knows the things that you've maybe been tempted to do in this time that you wouldn't normally have done and he sees you and he knows you and he loves you and i feel there's something that i want to ask all of us to do for our young people today and that is to raise our hands up over our young people so even from where you are right now just if i can invite everybody to raise their hands if you want to stand to do this or remain seated i don't really mind but to look at where our young people are and for those who are already standing who are not our young people we're standing and agreeing with you also but we stand here because i believe we need to declare something over our young people today and guys we want you to know we want to see our hands raised for you today and to see that we are raising a banner over you that we are standing for you that we are lifting the name of jesus over you because we know he's gonna completely defeat your enemies but we want you to see it and know it that we're for you that we're championing you we think you've done amazing to make it through the last little season and we stand with you and i just invite everyone across the room if we can just begin to speak out the name of jesus particularly over our young people to speak his presence to speak his power to speak his deliverance and freedom we speak out in this place today that the lord is our banner we speak out the name of god jehovah missy we speak it over our young people the god who covers the god who protects the one who is our standard of victory the one who comes through for us and we speak this name over every enemy that would come against our young people that every enemy that comes against your people lord we speak your name that every weapon formed against them will not prosper but we'll fall to the ground and be nothing and we pray lord for your love and grace your power to meet and encounter and cover and protect and carry every single one of them and bring them on from strength to strength we pray in the name of jesus and of every person today for those who stood lord with needs in their lives we agree today we raise a banner together we hold up our hands together to speak the name of our god to declare the blood of jesus the sufficient power this is what we depend on this is what we raise over our lives and we ask lord that as we pray that you would so summon your hosts to fight in every situation as we raise the banner that we would see your victory we would see your glory we would see your honor and that you would be revealed to us even through the toughest tests that we face and we ask it in the name of jesus amen oh man let's worship together we're going to raise a banner by declaring who god is amen our god is a consummate a burning holy flame with glory and freedom our god is the only righteous judge ruling over us with kindness and wisdom and we will keep our eyes a mighty fortress is a sacred refuge is your name your kingdom is unshakable our god above is heavens forever is refugees we'll keep our eyes on you so we can is is is let's declare something of the victory of god and he is our banner thank you lord lord reminded today thank you for your word and that you are our fortress you are our banner of victory lord and lord for anyone here today all of us in the situations we're in would we remember lord to lift you up to raise you up god when we need to lord help us lord to trust in you that we would know that you protect us and you are our refuge in times of need in jesus name amen amen well maybe you're here today or tuning in online and you have never given your life to jesus but uh you would like to do that just now well all you need to do is follow this prayer that i'm gonna speak now and um this is basically you declaring your need for jesus in your life and the words will come up on the screen too but if you want to respond to jesus today then just follow this lord jesus thank you that you love me thank you that you died for me on the cross please forgive me for the wrong things that i have done please come into my life be my lord and savior fill me with your spirit and help me to follow you amen just to say if you responded to that then if you're in the room we'd love it if you would come to our prayer ministry team who would be really willing to help you with maybe some next steps in your journey of faith with jesus so if you're tuning in online then we'd love it if you could reach out to us online at clmchurch.co.uk and we'd be happy to speak to you about some next steps for yourselves as well and just to finally say so a few things um if you are new today we'd love it if you could head to our connect point at the back of the room and my right to you mo to my right and to your left and we'd love to connect with you maybe help you get more integrated into the life of the church also our prayer ministry team as i've already said will be available if you would like them to pray for you over absolutely anything going on in your life maybe in response to the sermon today they'll be here ready to pray with you in a coveted secure way and also just to say don't rush off we have refreshments in the foyer area so please grab a tear of coffee it's there for you and one more final thing just to remind all of our students that student lunches are happening today in church at 2 p.m in the undercroft there are very few spaces left but you still can book in by going to clm church dot co dot uk forward slash students well as we finish allow me to speak a blessing and may god be your strength in the battle and may you remember to raise the banner of faith and prayer in jesus name amen oh man thank you for being church foreign foreign uh so it

Channel: CLM Church

Views: 774

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords:

Id: ylwcf4UEVWo

Length: 128min 0sec (7680 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 19 2021