SBBC TV - Virtual Service - Sunday 2nd August 2020

[Music] good morning it is good to welcome you from my garden again uh this week our gardens are gone it's good to welcome welcome you uh to our garden uh this week as part of south beach baptist church i we just trust that you are going to enjoy being with us this morning and that you will meet god as we meet together today my name is moira and i i'm going to be leading the service through this week and in the next hour or so we're going to have a chance to worship together we're going to pray together i'm going to hear from god's word and our our senior pastor don curry is going to share from god's word today uh it is lovely to do church with friends this morning especially friends who bring coffee with them that is even better and the other brands of coffee are obviously available i it's just so good to be able to meet together to do church like this as part of of what we're doing this morning we're also going to celebrate communion together so you might want to take this opportunity just to go and grab some juice or some wine bread or crack or a cracker i to uh to celebrate with us later on in the service if you're part of the facebook group then please let us know you're here in in the chat let us know how you're doing that would be great because we're going to celebrate a communion later focus this morning in worship and what we're doing is on jesus and of what he has done for us and to help us with that as we start this morning i'm going to ask adam to come and he's going to read from philippines chapter 2 and he's reading from the new international leaders version of this morning as you deal with one another you should think and act as jesus did and as every nature he was god jesus was equal with god but jesus didn't take advantage advantage of that fact instead he made himself nothing he did he did this by taking on the nature of a servant he was made just like human beings he appeared as a man he was humble and obeyed god completely he did this even though it led to his death even worse he died on a cross it's god left him up to the highest place god gave him the name that is above every name when the name of jesus is spoken everyone will kneel down to worship him everyone in heaven and on earth and under the earth only kneel down to worship him everyone's mouth will say that jesus christ is lord and god the father will receive the glory so much adam and that's going to be our focus as we as we turn to worship now let me just pray and then we'll worship together father we want to come and we want to say thank you this morning we want to say thank you for jesus jesus we want to say thank you that you did come that you took on the nature of a servant that you obeyed your father completely and that you died for us and we come this morning and we we give you our thanks we give you our worship and we ask that you will be with us as we meet together that what we do and what we say and what we sing will be pleasing to you in jesus name we pray amen [Music] is [Music] is [Music] my god just die for me [Music] [Applause] me [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] oh my god [Music] me [Music] is [Music] [Music] my heart was free my rose [Music] my heart was free [Music] [Applause] [Music] we turn [Music] [Music] through [Music] amazing grace how sweet the sound that [Music] twas grace that taught [Music] and grace [Music] my [Music] me [Music] amazing grace the lord has promised good [Music] is [Music] my chains are [Music] me [Music] chains is gone i've been set free my god my favorite [Music] amazing grace [Music] the earth shall send is off like [Music] god below we'll be [Music] forever you are forever mine let's just take a moment to pray together father we thank you for your amazing grace we thank you for the love that brought jesus to earth we thank you jesus that you died for us and we pray that as we go through the rest of the service we'll just have that focus that remembering of all that you've done for us in jesus name we pray amen i don't know if you can hear but there's loads of lovely birds singing in the background uh signs of god's creation the joys of recording outside uh we're going to go through the rest of the service now pretty much just straight through uh we're going to be led in prayer we're going to straight over to don as he shares god's word with us um and then we'll come back to time of worship and then go into communion together if you want to join with us i later and join with baptist churches all over scotland it will be great to see you we meet together at seven o'clock uh if you you'll get the link to to that meeting on our website or on the facebook page and you can join with us to pray together some of us have been tracking with that uh right through lockdown be great to see hand overnight and we're gonna go out and then go through the rest of the service good morning everyone i would like to read a quote by john piper to lead us into prayer this morning life is not a straight line leading from one blessing to the next and then finally to heaven life is a winding and troubled road switch back after switchback and the point of biblical stories like joseph and job and esther and ruth is to help us feel in our bones not just in our heads that god is for us in all these strange turns god is not just showing up after the trouble and cleaning it up he is plotting the course and managing the troubles with far-reaching purposes for our good and for the glory of god let's pray together father for so many of us life is not a straight road we do hit switchback after switchback and during this time of covert 19 many are struggling with isolation and loneliness worried about their health struggling with questions over future unemployment or facing that loss of earnings right now we pray for those who are dealing with these issues this morning lord those within our church family within our community and in each and every country we thank you that we can look to your word for direction for comfort for encouragement and for peace of mind we thank you that despite all that is happening around the world that you are in control that god is for us and we ask that we will continue to see a reduction of covert 19 cases here in the uk and we pray for those countries lord which are struggling at the moment with rising numbers we ask that those in government across the world would make the correct decisions to keep their country safe not only now but in the future we pray particularly for those researchers both here and abroad who are developing a vaccine for covert 19. we thank you that there are several which are showing an autoimmune response and are moving to clinical trials we pray that these trials will prove successful and a vaccine will be developed quickly father we know that as a church family we haven't been able to meet together over the last few months we have missed the social interaction actions the hugs and the smiles we have missed worshiping together and the joy that being together brings we've missed not being able to hug and comfort those who mourn to visit those who are ill and hospital and to see our friends but we thank you lord that now we can intentionally reach out to others arrange a walk or have a coffee encourage a friend slowly we are moving forward and we pray lord that all of us will feel challenged to reach out to others in our church family in our community and to those we see regularly in our street help us to radiate jesus both in our words and actions father we remember our leadership and worship team we thank you for all the amazing work they do as they seek to bring us together sunday after sunday to worship you to learn more about you and to give us that sense of belonging and togetherness we thank you for their skills and talents and we pray your blessing upon them as they prepare each sunday service and we also pray for wisdom for the leadership as they make decisions regarding the way ahead we remember the alpha course that is ongoing at present we thank you for over 200 alpha courses in scotland since the beginning of lockdown and we pray for alan and his team as the lead alpha online each week may we see lives changed and people coming to know you over the coming weeks we thank you for the wedding of robert and rachel we pray your blessing upon them lord may you guide and direct them as they seek to serve you together in the years ahead father may we as a church be a blessing to all that we meet to all who know us and may we radiate christ during these troubled times a beacon to those who are seeking answers in jesus name we pray amen it's almost time for this morning's sermon that would be a good time to refill your tea or coffee as we spend a bit of time around god's word once you're grabbing another kappa some folks have been asking about how they might continue to give to the church even though we aren't meeting together physically at the moment when we do meet together normally we would usually allow the opportunity for people to do this during our services so obviously it's a bit more difficult at the moment the easiest way to do this right now is via bank transfer using the details which you can see on the screen at the moment if you're visiting with us today please please don't worry about this this is mainly for church members and people who come along regularly the money is used to amongst many things look after the church building to support other organizations and to fund the cost of the activities we run as a church so refill your cup sit back and relax and the sermon will start in about 30 [Music] seconds [Music] [Music] good morning folks it's great to have you join with us at south beach baptist church this morning on this first sunday in august thanks for being there also as this is the first sunday in the month we'll be having communion together as we typically would in the first sunday of the month so if you haven't done so already please get yourself some bread or a cracker and some wine or juice for communion later in this service today we are going to look together at luke's version of what is traditionally called the parable of the sore from luke chapter 8 verses 1 to 15. however i've given this sermon the title the parable of the sower the seed and the soils which i think is a more foolsome albeit longer description of the story today's passage then is part of the series that i've called looking at luke where we're walking through luke's gospel taking selected incidents and stories along the way and seeking to find out then what is going god is saying to us today through these passages so let's read the passage together it's luke chapter 8 verses 1 to 15 reading from the niv and i have entitled it the parable of the sower the seed and the soils after this jesus traveled about from one town and village to another proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of god the twelve were with him and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases mary called magdalen from whom seven demons had come out joanna the wife of chuza the manager of herod's household susana and many others these women were helping to support them out of their own means while a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to jesus from town after town he told this parable a farmer went out to sow his seed as he was scattering the seed some fell along the path it was trampled on and the birds ate it up some fell on rocky ground and when it came up the plants withered because they had no moisture other seed fell among the thorns which grew up with it and choked the plants still other seed fell on good soil it came up and yielded a crop a hundred times more than was sown he said this he called out whoever has ears to hear let them hear his disciples asked him what this parable meant he said the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of god has been given to you but to others i speak in parables so that those seeing they may not see the hearing they may not understand this is the meaning of the parable the seed is the word of god those along the path are the ones who hear and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts so that they may not believe and be saved those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it but they have no root they believe for a while but in the time of testing they fall away the seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear but as they go in their way they are choked by life's worries riches and pleasures and they they do not mature but the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart who hear the word who retain it and by persevering produce a crop amen a little bit of introduction then by way of background this story of the sewer uh the seed and the soils is a parable a parable is a particular kind of story in short a parable is a story with another meaning beyond the original story that being the case parallels parables are they're meant to be a bit of a puzzle something that we need to think about and scratch our head over that much is clearly indicated by the fact that the disciples in the story had to ask jesus what the parable meant so to the parable of the sower the seed and the soils verses one to three give us the context of the story luke's account in chapter 8 begins with after this that is after the story we considered last time in luke that's the story of jesus being anointed by a sinful woman at the house of simon the pharisee and so after these events then jesus was ministering and sharing the story of the good news of the kingdom of god we're told the phrase the good news of the kingdom of god is basically a way of summarizing all of jesus teaching about how to love god with everything that you have such that our lives are transformed and so that we will love our neighbor as ourselves we're further told that the 12 disciples were with jesus and also significantly a group of women whose lives had been touched and changed by jesus such that they became followers some are specifically named and these women helped to support jesus and the disciples from their own means in the societal context of the time that was really counter-cultural and it's very clear evidence that jesus always valued the place and the significance and the ministry of women as part of the kingdom of god verses 4 to 10 the story and a comment from jesus as jesus was going about preaching teaching listening healing spending time with people who would listen he was gathering quite large crowds in that setting then jesus shares a parable that parable is shared with the crowds who were following jesus including the 12 disciples but at this point not exclusively to them jesus then tells the story of the sower the seed and the soil a story that would have been very accessible then to people who came from an agrarian economy farming was a a normal part of life for very many people and so jesus story would really really connect with them however in verse 8b jesus comes out with this rather enigmatic little statement and i quote whoever has ears let them hear i don't know about you but this gives me a kind of a mind picture of students sitting in a university lecture smiling and nodding their heads but actually not having a clue about what is being said note i sometimes might have been that student so it's something that i get in that sense in short this means that everyone may hear jesus message but not everyone will kind of get or understand jesus message that thought is further unpacked in verse 10 parables are a bit of a puzzle as i've said not everyone will properly understand what is being said i believe the consistent teaching of the bible is that we need the illumination of god the holy spirit to help us to understand what god is saying to us think for example of people's sorry peter's declaration of jesus being the christ in matthew 16 verses 16 to 17. previously then jesus had asked who do people say that i am and then addresses the disciples and says who do you say that i am verse 16 simon peter answered you are the messiah the son of the living god jesus replied blessed are you simon son of jonah for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood but by my father in heaven so this was not peter's invention or bright idea this wasn't merely a kind of light bulb moment this was something that came to him as a revelation from god himself what's the point well in essence it's simple not everyone who hears about jesus christ being god's son and savior will get it understand it and then receive it own that for themselves that understanding only comes as we respond to what god reveals to us then our eyes are open then we see clearly verses 11 to 15 the meaning of the parable from verses 11 to 15 then jesus explains the parable to the disciples not to the whole group who are following so what is jesus really saying here well in broad outline not everyone who hears the word of god the call of god on their lives the invitation to follow jesus faithfully and for a lifetime not everyone who hears that warm generous and gracious invitation to respond will respond positively and of those who do or who appear to do so not all will as verse 15 puts it quote hear the word retain it and by persevering produce a crop which is clearly the best outcome of all let's also be clear that the purpose of the seed the word of god being sown is to bear more fruit to make more faithful followers of jesus let's break that down a bit firstly let's be clear that the seed is the word of god three points then firstly verse 12. sorry there will be four points apologies firstly verse 12 people hear the word of god but the devil takes away that word from their hearts and they do not believe and they are not saved that is they are not saved to follow christ eternally and saved from an eternal separation from god that the dis that the bible calls hell sadly such souls are lost and not found secondly verse 13 then the seed falls on rocky ground they receive the word with initial joy but there's no root so they believe for a while but fall away again sadly the outcome is that such souls are eternally lost third point verse 14 the seed falls among thorns and maybe we can relate to that one a little bit more in scotland as thorns and thistles are kind of part of our landscaping environment uh in in a rural setting so some seed then falls among the thorns and those folks do hear the word of god and respond to it but stuff happens life happens challenges disappointments riches pleasures and we're told and they do not mature or bear fruit which is exactly what the the greek word here means from a human point of view i i get this a bit from a spiritual point of view i think i get it quite a lot from a human point of view i'm not a gardener i've never been a farmer but i see maggie uh planting flowers in her garden and she'll say to me something like i brought that plant all the way from orkney and look how well it's doing these years on on the other hand she'll say oh that's sad i thought that plant would flourish in a new pot and no it just looks sad with another sadness in her voice from a spiritual point of view it saddens me and frankly hurts me that for that that some of the most difficult awkward thrawn it's a good scottish word if you don't know it look it up unpleasant and downright rude people i have ever met have been people who are professing christians quite often people who would have regarded themselves as christians for many years but they're evidently immature they may well be mature in years but not in faith faith has stayed somewhere in i don't know nursery school or primary school and this comment in luke 8 14 at least at least helps us to understand that a bit but let's understand that this is a sad outcome in christian terms some people could have achieved so much more and yet just didn't and so they're immature and that is profoundly sad on so many levels fourth point and now the good news verse 15 the seed is always good but the soil is not always good here we have good seed the genuine word of god is always good seed but here the good seed falls on good soil that is people verse 15 quote with a noble and good heart who hear the word who retain it and by persevering they produce a crop firstly note the contrast with verse 14 in verse 14 we are told that people hear the word but we're not told as we are in verse 15 that they hear the word they retain it and they persevere they press on they persevere in their understanding of and living out of the word of god to grow and to develop and to mature as a disciple of christ such that we encourage other christians and we also help others to follow christ in a way that will also um they will also then hear and retain and persevere some conclusions what does it mean and why does it matter to us i want to make a couple of points firstly then for those of us who are believing christians let's recognize that verse 15 gives us a helpful biblical description of what it takes to be a fruitful believing christian over the long haul verse 15 describes fruitful believing christians as having quote a noble and good heart people like that hear the word of god really hear the word of god retain the word of god and the word retain here means to hold on to to hold to firmly and finally it's quite a strong word and to persevere again the word here um could be understand as having nuances of perseverance and endurance and patient endurance friends being a christian is the original course in life long learning and you never arrive you're never done learning ever friends we need each other we need father son and holy spirit but we need each other and we need each other way beyond a sunday morning gathering we need to choose to be intentionally relational encouraging and supporting one another being family together being discipled together friends we christians are called to be people who hear the word of god who retain the word of god and who persevere in the life of faith by the grace of god may that describe us secondly i want to make a few comments about uh what is potentially a kind of tricky or sensitive matter for some folks at least whatever our reading and understanding of some of the detail of the parable of the sower the seed in the soils many of us christians will have family and or friends who once walked maybe apparently walked question mark don't know with christ and they now no longer do just about anyone i think who's been a christian for some time will likely have experienced the sadness and possibly the pain of something like this happening pastorally it seems to me that a key question here is how should we respond well in these circumstances i think generally but in these circumstances in particular we're called to love people not to judge them or get annoyed with them but to love them we're called to be an example such that they would want to return to following jesus and we should pray pray and pray some more fourthly leave the outcome in god's hands because he knows the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end and we do not he is sovereign and we are not by way of further comment for myself i would eventually and ultimately stand with those who say that if someone has genuinely come to christ and there has has therefore become one of christ christ's ones was what it means to be a christian if that has been a genuine faith in christ leading to salvation in christ as distinct from a mere profession of faith in christ that doesn't really go anywhere even if they've slipped away for now at the end of the day i would stand with those who believe that is one if one has been genuinely saved then one will be saved for eternity however at the end of the day thankfully thankfully we are not the judge of such things only god is so for anyone that we know in these circumstances i do believe that the best things that we can do is to love them not to judge them or get annoyed with them to love them to be an example ourselves in our own way of life and living and in the ways in which we work out our loving and following jesus to pray pray and pray some more and fourthly we leave the outcome in god's hands because he is sovereign and we are not and if i can finally close then uh by just saying to anyone who's following this service and you're not yet a believing christian and you want to become a christian you can pray right where you are recognizing that you're a sinner that is that you've done some wrong stuff that god would not be pleased with recognize that you're a sinner ask for god's forgiveness ask him to save you by asking him to come into your heart today and find some christians to help you on that journey and to grow into the kind of person that's described as being productive and fruitful and long-lasting in their christian life if there's anything that we at south beach baptist church can do in that regard please do get in touch via our contact us section on our church website at southbeachbaptistchurch.com we really would love to hear from you and to help you as best we can may god bless you may god illuminate all our understanding as we continue to explore his word thank you for being with us amen i cast my mind to calvary where jesus pled and died for me i see his wounds his hands his feet my savior wrong that cursed his body burned and drenched in tears they laid him down in joseph's to the entrance sailed by heavy stone messiah still and all alone oh praise the name of the lord our god oh praises [Music] foreign god then on the third [Music] where is [Music] oh praise the name of the lord forever [Music] he shall return [Music] on jesus [Music] foreign [Music] oh praises [Music] [Music] oh [Music] god [Music] we lift our heads we turn our eyes to you again and we surrender to the truth that all we need is found in you receive our adoration [Music] received how wonderful you are [Music] in christ jesus love god receive our vibrations [Music] says [Music] [Applause] [Music] all creations standing [Music] [Applause] [Music] shouting at your praise receive our adoration jesus receive our adoration how wonderful [Music] jesus lamb of god receive your adoration how wonderful [Music] good morning friends we come to that part of our service where we share together around the lord's table we come to share together then in the communion meal this is the meal that is for the church family the wider church family it is therefore anyone who has a personal relationship with jesus christ as lord and savior if that's where you are then you are very welcome to join with us in sharing together in this communion meal if that's not where you're at uh or not where you're at yet then we hope that you will benefit from reflecting and considering through this part of our service together but the actual participating in the meal is essentially for those of us who are believing christians um and so we thank you for uh paying attention to that let us then begin in prayer together if you truly and earnestly repent of your sins and are in love and charity with your neighbors and our resolve to lead a new life following the commandments of god and walking hands forth in his holy ways draw near with faith and take this ordinance to your comfort and growth in grace we hear further words of invitation behold the gifts of god for the people of god now that the supper of the lord is spread before you lift up your minds and hearts above all faithless fears and cares let this bread and wine be to you the witness and signs of the grace of our lord jesus christ the love of god and the fellowship of the holy spirit consecrate your lives afresh to god and pray for strength and grace to do and bear his holy will amen we now hear some words from god's word i am the bread of life jesus told them whoever comes to me will never be hungry whoever believes in me will never be thirsty john 6 35 jesus said listen i stand at the door and knock if any hear my voice and open the door i will come into the house and eat with them and they with me revelation 3 20 when we bless the cup of blessing is it not a means of sharing in the blood of christ when we break the bread is it not a means of sharing in the body of christ because there is one loaf we many as we are are one body for we all share one loaf amen one corinthians 10 16 17 let us pray a prayer of preparation and confession almighty god to whom all hearts are open all desires known and from whom no secrets are hidden cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your holy spirit that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name through christ our lord amen let us share together then in a prayer of thanks for the bread father we thank you for the bread that represents the broken body of christ that as we break it and share it together we're reminded that that sadly tragically but necessarily christ's body was given that we might know eternal life lord grim hard terrible though it was we thank you father for the sacrifice of christ we thank you for his body broken in the cross and that we remind ourselves of that with the bread that we break now so father we thank you for the bread that we share shortly when we break the bread then is it not a means of sharing in the body of christ because there is one loaf we though many are one body for it is one loaf of which we all partake so if you have your bread or cracker handy may you take it and break it take this then in remembrance that christ died for you and feed on him in your heart with thanksgiving amen the psalmist writes in psalm 116 verses 12 to 14 how can i repay the lord for all his benefits to me i shall lift up the cup of salvation and call on the lord by name i shall pay my vows to the lord in the presence of all his people and so we hear the familiar words in the same way he took the cup after supper and said this cup is the new covenant sealed by my blood whenever you drink it do this in memory of me a prayer of thanks for the cup lord god almighty we thank you father for christ's sacrifice on the cross for his blood spilled that meant that ours didn't need to be we we couldn't we're not worthy but christ was father we thank you for all that you have done for us in the sending of christ for his sacrifice in the cross and for the spilling of his blood so here is now as with thanks we come to share the cup together drink this and remember that christ's blood was shed for you and be thankful as we move towards a close we hear these words of declaration your death o lord we commemorate your resurrection we confess your final coming we await glory be to you o christ christ has died christ is risen christ will come again amen let us pray prayer that closes off this part of our service our communion service together almighty god we thank you for feeding us with the body and blood of your son jesus christ through him we offer you our souls and bodies to be a living sacrifice send us out in the power of your spirit to live and work to your plays and glory in christ's name amen we move then friends towards the close of our service together and uh i can share with you at this point just one kind of intimation or announcement which is simply that the church building will once again be open this coming thursday morning for an hour between 10 and 11 for personal prayer and reflection and you're welcome to join us um at that time should you wish to do so otherwise thank you very much for being part of our service together this morning it's been great to have you with us and we hear these closing words of benediction god who made us we worship you christ who saved us we thank you spirit who strengthens we need you god the father bless our days god the son we give you praise god the spirit guide our ways now and for evermore amen amen god bless thanks again for being with us [Music] you

Channel: South Beach Baptist Church

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Length: 75min 56sec (4556 seconds)

Published: Sun Aug 02 2020