St Andrew's Cathedral Sydney, Sunday 12 September 2021 5pm

[Music] my song is love unknown my save is love to me love to the lovely show [Music] oh who am i that for my sake my lord should take [Music] his life did [Music] good evening friends hear the word of the lord for the lord watches over the way of the righteous but the way of the wicked leads to destruction welcome to saint andrews cathedral evening service as you can see from the background here we are not at the cathedral this evening but we will still be holding our service tonight as the people of god who meet in regular circumstances at the cathedral and whether you're watching for the very first time or where whether you're a regular member here at the cathedral we want to welcome you we're going to come tonight and do what we ordinarily do we're going to open the scriptures and hear god speak to us through his word lachlan neil our student minister is going to be opening up psalm 1 tonight and we're going to be looking at those scriptures and hearing what god would say to us we're also going to engage with god as we come to him independent prayer and we're going to lift our voices as we sing together so wherever you're watching our prayer is that this service will be an encouragement to you a challenge to you and that you would leave this service having met with god and virtually having met with his people being encouraged as we begin let us start by singing together the words of the song jerusalem [Music] see him in jerusalem [Music] such a friendly lonely man to see silent as a life [Music] let the so soldiers he could save see him there upon the cross now no longer breathe [Music] dust that form the watching crowds takes the blood of jesus [Music] is [Music] death [Music] who is the front [Music] is [Music] praise the lord [Music] well brothers and sisters as the people of god we do come together and as part of our coming together is our common confession of our need of a savior so we're going to pray a prayer in just a moment of confession as we bring our souls to the lord and ask for his forgiveness let us join together in these words heavenly father we praise you for adopting us as your children and making us heirs of eternal life in your mercy you have washed us from our sins and made us clean in your sight yet we still fail to love you and serve you as we should forgive us our sins and renew us by your grace that we may continue to grow as members of christ in whom alone is our salvation amen well brothers and sisters the good news is god provides assurance that we stand as people who are forgiven listen to these words god is slow to anger and full of compassion he forgives all who humbly repent and turn to his son jesus christ in whom there is no condemnation amen brothers sisters we're going to come to a time now where we're going to hear god speak through his words but as we do let me pray for us as we read the scriptures our heavenly father we ask that as we open your word now that you might point us to truth that you might point us to your son the lord jesus and as we come to your word give us hearts that are willing to obey ears that are willing to listen and feet that are willing to serve for we assess for jesus sake amen our first reading is from the book of psalms and it's psalm 1. blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers but whose delight is in the law of the lord and who meditates on his law day and night that person is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither whatever they do prospers not so the wicked they are like chaff that the wind blows away therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous for the lord watches over the way of the righteous but the way of the wicked leads to destruction this is the word of the lord thanks be to god hi my name's tamara tonight's new testament reading comes from john chapter 15 verses 1 to 11. we will hear jesus speaking to his disciples the night before he died i am the true vine and my father is the gardener he cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful you are already clean because of the word i have spoken to you remain in me as i also remain in you no branch can bear fruit by itself it must remain in the vine neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me i am the vine you are the branches if you remain in me and i in you you will bear much fruit apart from me you can do nothing if you do not remain in me you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers such branches are picked up thrown into the fire and burned if you remain in me and my words remain in you ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you this is to my father's glory that you bear much fruit showing yourselves to be my disciples as the father has loved me so have i loved you now remain in my love if you keep my commands you will remain in my love just as i have kept my father's commands and remain in his love i have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your your joy may be complete this is the word of the lord thanks be to god we just heard these words that person is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither whatever they do prospers you love to be described like that throughout history people have yearned for that kind of life endless books and proverbs and blog posts have been written claiming to have found the formula for real peace for satisfaction and joy these last few weeks have been especially dry and down difficult for many of us and this picture in psalm 1 is a beautiful image it sounds so good so what does god say is the key to a blessed happy life we get to find out together as we read someone tonight and if you have a bible with you tonight it would be helpful to have that open so that we can go through it together as we jump in let me pray for us lord god thank you for your word to us in the psalms give us faith to receive it understanding to know what it means and the will to put it into practice through jesus christ our lord amen psalm 1 it shows us a person it shows us their key to blessing in verses 1 and 2. it shows us what this blessed life looks like in verses three to four and it shows us a great source of assurance in verses five and six and it's not just a picture for you to see and admire tonight it's an invitation for you to be this person let's start with the first two verses the key to the blessed life blessed now straight away it's worth pausing to ask what does that actually mean the hebrew word basically just means happy but through the old testament it kind of carries with it this sense of happiness given from god so as we think about the blessed life tonight let's think of it as a happiness given from god and with that in mind what exactly is this key to experiencing this blessing this happiness blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers well so far this just sounds like common sense doesn't it not many people deliberately look for evil people and hang around them and copy them so what is this actually saying sadly the bible presents the human condition a lot more pessimistically more honestly than we might want to it paints us as corrupted people with this kind of magnetism to selfishness and sin so this isn't describing the worst of the worst it's describing humanity without god and that's what the blessed person doesn't do so what's the alternative what does the blessed person do we might expect it to say rather this person walks in step with the righteous and stands in the way that the holy ones take and sits in the company of worshippers but it doesn't say that it it's not just about who you hang out with and who you try to be like it says but whose delight is in the law of the lord and who meditates on his law day and night there it is the key to the blessed life the psalm could end right there couldn't it but it doesn't now we'll need to come back to figure out exactly what that means to delight in the law of the lord and meditate on his law day and night but let's leave that question aside for the moment and let's follow this person the middle verses now show us the picture a beautiful picture of this person's life says that person is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither whatever they do prospers for the person who delights in the law of the lord and meditates on it day and night whose steps are guided by it that person is like a tree planted by streams of water imagine a tree that gets rain every morning it's a pretty good image isn't it but this is actually even better than that this tree always has water at the ready at its roots it's not dependent on daily rain it doesn't get dry in the afternoons it's always nourished and kept strong by these streams it doesn't say anything about the circumstances that the tree faces it's not promising a worry-free life for this person it's not saying that their bank account will always be full it's saying that this person will endure through heat and storm not withering or being uprooted because they are planted by the stream happiness from god is rich and lasting even in adversity but what about the alternative in verse 4 uses the image of chaff now that's not an image that our city slickers are that familiar with it's the husk of the grain that gets left behind as you harvest the useful part the grain uh it gets left behind and just carried off by the wind it just disappears maybe for us it's more like taking a dusty rug outside and giving it a good shake and those little specks of dust they just float off into the wind and disappear quite a contrast to the tree in verse 3. zanita and i are not very good at looking after plants we certainly couldn't say that any of them are quite like the tree in this arm we found that the ones that do best are little succulents or a little cactus maybe in a pot plant they don't need much water they can cope pretty well even when we don't look after them very well but verse 4 doesn't talk about the cactus the alternative to being like that tree in verse three is not to be a cactus that manages to survive on a little bit of water but to be chaff to be like a husk a little speck of dust that's carried off by a breath the one who does not delight in the law of the lord is lifeless that's a strong contrast and it adds extra weight to that question that we want to be considering what does it actually mean to delight in the law of the lord and before we come back to consider that let's keep following the person let's hear what the rest of the psalm has to say so we've been given the key to the blessed life in verses one and two and we've been given a beautiful picture of this blessed life is that really what it's like to live to delight in the law of the lord when we consider those people who who do delight in the law of the lord i mean like the psalmist like king david like christians today are they like this tree so many of the psalms speak of the righteous suffering and the wicked prospering like psalm 73 the psalmist says i envied the arrogant when i saw the prosperity of the wicked they have no struggles their bodies are healthy and strong they say how would god know does the most high know anything surely in vain i have kept my heart pure the psalmists are not blind optimists they wrestle with real frustration and real doubt is it really worth following the law of the lord is it all in vain well those first two verses gave us the key the second verses gave us a beautiful picture and these third verses now give us the great assurance of the blessed life verse 5 shows the end point of a life that despises the law of the lord therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous because the wicked have rejected the law of the lord they are like chaff and therefore they will not stand in the judgment but the righteous will the righteous will stand in the judgment they will gather and rejoice for it says in verse 6 the lord watches over the way of the righteous but the way of the wicked leads to destruction just a moment ago we heard a bit of psalm 73 as the writer wrestled with discouragement and doubt but then he turns to the lord and he says then i understood their final destiny surely you placed them on slippery ground you cast them down to ruin yet i am always with you you hold me by my right hand you guide me with your counsel and afterward you will take me into glory understanding the end is a big theme in the psalms it's a sad end for the wicked but it's a great comfort for the righteous for those who delight in the law of the lord to have assurance that the path they take is the way of life known and watched over by god so that still leaves us with one big question what does it actually mean to delight in the law of the lord what does it mean to meditate on it day and night is it reading the bible more let's consider that we have access to the bible now more than any other generation has i guess back then in the times of when this psalm was written not many people would have had a copy of the torah in their house maybe they would have heard it at the temple of the synagogue on the sabbath maybe they would have had a little verse written on a strip of cloth in their house and that's not just the case for the jews back then in that day really that's the case for the people throughout most of history until quite recently there was no printing press there was no couron bookstore there was no smartphone bible app for people to look to many christians around the world today still don't have those kind of privileges that we have and let's also think about the pharisees they did read the scriptures a lot they were able to and they did and yet jesus rebuked them sharply for their hypocrisy so let's heed the warning of jesus to the pharisees and not think that this is just telling us to read the bible more to be clear i'm not saying that we shouldn't it's such a gift to have a copy of the bible in our own hands and to be able to read it and delight in it i just think there's more to it than that so maybe to figure out what it actually means to delight in the law of the lord let's consider what the psalm means when it says the law of the lord the word torah could just mean teaching or instruction so it could be to live in line with god's instructions more likely the psalmist had in mind the torah the first the first five books of the bible the torah was god's revelation of himself to his people it was a record of their sin and their need for forgiveness it was the good news of their deliverance from slavery in egypt it was the system of sacrifices that god provided to atone for their sins so that they could be his people and that he could dwell with them it was their promise for a messiah and it also included instructions for daily living what a wonderful thing for the people of god to delight in but what's even better news for us now is that we have an even fuller picture of the law of god hear these words from romans 10 christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes jesus is god's full revelation of himself to us his death shows us our sin and also our need for forgiveness and it provides forgiveness his resurrection is the good news of our deliverance from slavery to sin and to satan he is the sacrifice that god provided to atone for our sins to be the lord's people and to have the lord who dwell within us he is the promised messiah for all nations and he calls us to live in obedience to his instruction so for someone to delight in the law of the lord then is to delight in all of this not just to read the book but to know god as he has revealed himself especially in jesus it's to be delighted in the gospel to hear john 3 16 and think yes that is such good news and it's to delight in his instruction too to hear jesus words in the sermon on the mount for example and think wow that's difficult but yes that is really good god's way is good and i will live by it and meditating on it day and night is not only memorizing the word of god but that's good but it's letting it speak to our hearts when we make decisions each day and each night and that's very hard it challenges our selfishness and our pride we hear every day go your own way do what makes you happy but delighting in the law of the lord often means denying ourself or praise god for giving us his spirit he works in us to bring the word of god to mind and to give us joy in obeying it in this psalm god gives us the key to the blessed life the beautiful picture of the blessed life and the assurance of the blessed life so plant yourself by the stream rejoice in god and in his son and in the gospel and delight in his instruction and be assured even in adversity that he watches over the way of the righteous and leads them to eternal life let me close with a prayer from psalm 119. teach me lord the way of your decrees that i may follow it to the end give me understanding so that i may keep your law and obey it with all my heart direct me in the path of your commands for there i find delight turn my heart toward your statutes and not towards selfish gain turn my eyes away from worthless things and preserve my life according to your word amen [Music] this life i live is not my own from my redeemer pay the price he took it to be his alone to be his treasure and his price the things of earth i leave behind to live in worship of my king is is the right to rule my life mine is the joy to live for him [Music] i die to sin upon the cross i'm bound to jesus in his death the old is gone and now i must rely on him for every breath with every full step that i tread what mysteries he has in store i cannot know what lies ahead but know that he has gone before [Music] there is a voice that hits the grave a powerless turn away a sound of life i know i'm saved the voice of god has called my name so i will rise [Music] i know my life is [Music] not fear to meet him there i know my life is [Music] brothers and sisters we've come to that time in our service where we're going to bring our prayers and petitions to our kind and heavenly father as we begin we have a special message by the governor of new south wales her excellency margaret beasley [Music] as we welcome spring i like many australians have looked forward to the uplift in our spirits and the sense of renewal that this season brings this is particularly needed this year when as i speak the people of new south wales are in lockdown despite the crack in our universe as we know it as one theologian has described covet 19 for many it has also been a time of spiritual renewal a time for prayer especially a time for praying for others much of our spiritual life is communal where people gather not only in prayer and worship but so as to bind socially and caringly with others that people have found comfort in private prayer is perhaps one of the special things to have come out of the pandemic although there is an absence of the community around us private prayer for others maintains the fabric of that community and importantly the care for others that is at the heart of community and care for others has remained at the heart of your community the archbishop of sydney has spoken to me about the ministry's care with food deliveries and support services to the vulnerable cards and phone calls to parishioners and neighbours the live-streamed and online prayer services and the creatively imagined text to prayer requests this pattern of connection and engagement has been repeated across our state by continuing to support each other in these ways we will emerge from this pandemic stronger and more deeply connected with our faith and with each other my warm best wishes to new south wales anglican diocese and parishes as you continue in your ministries of worship of teaching and of providing care support and compassion thank you for keeping communities both here and overseas at the forefront of your thoughts your actions and your prayers hi everyone my name is stephanie please join me as we pray together we'll be bringing before god the situation in afghanistan uh simon and jessica serving god in italy and schools and teachers uh learning in our lockdown season in sydney at the moment so please join me as we pray together god our father we thank you that you are the lord of all creation and that nothing happens in our world beyond your control and yet we grieve over the injustice and violence we have seen recently in our world especially in afghanistan in such difficult circumstances father please give wisdom to the citizens of afghanistan so that they will know how to survive in particular please guide our brothers and sisters in christ in how to deal with interrogations and brutalities in the days to come please may these believers receive the support and pastoral care they need father we also bring before you the children of afghanistan please allow schools to continue functioning and please preserve the dignity and wellness of children by raising bold leaders who will guard children's safety and fight for their protection from abuse and father we know that medicines and health care are in short supply in afghanistan so please provide health and wellness allow clean water to continue running and in your mercy please prevent widespread disease please provide food so that it will be accessible and affordable to the people of afghanistan and father please also provide work and a stable income especially for day laborers we bring you these requests father for the nation of afghanistan and trust you to be at work in your sovereignty even in the midst of chaos and injustice which we still see in our world in jesus name amen heavenly father we thank you for our friends simon and jess cal serving you in italy with their children lydia emma timothy and sophia thank you for giving them a peaceful and restful summer and that their family is adjusting well to sofia being with them thank you that she is healthy and settling into retains well father we thank you for joys and successes in ministry over the past year especially for the church family in bari and some of the student leaders from the university bible group that simon has been working with please continue to bless the cows with encouragement from partnerships like these as they work to share the good news of jesus please bless the plans that the cows have made for this year coming and allow their gatherings to go ahead in person as much as possible both with church and with uni students father we especially bring before you the training conference which simon is preaching at later this month please help him to speak faithfully and powerfully from the early chapters of revelation please use his efforts and the conference as a whole to greatly bless the students who come please help them to make good plans for the year ahead and father please give the whole cow family good habits and rhythms going into the year ahead especially the children as they start back at school and preschool this month and please may simon and jess and their family be a light to those who don't know jesus and an encouragement to their brothers and sisters in the way that they live for you we ask these things in the name of jesus amen and our father we bring before you our own city especially teachers and schools across sydney in this season of lockdown please give teachers perseverance and creativity as they seek to keep their students engaged and on track in particular we bring school principles before you as they endeavor to manage their schools under very difficult circumstances please bless their efforts and help them to persevere and father please help students and their parents to cope well with the challenges of home-based schooling and to be supportive and appreciative of the efforts the teachers are putting into online school help them not to be critical in light of the challenges but rather thankful and father we ask that this season of lockdown might be a helpful time of learning for many students we pray this especially for students and families from our own gathering here at the cathedral but also for those known to us all those among us who are teachers we bring all these things before you in the name of jesus our lord amen and now let us join together in the words of the prayer that jesus taught his disciples to pray our father in heaven hallowed be your name your kingdom come your will be done on earth as in heaven give us today our daily bread forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for the kingdom the power and the glory are yours now and forever amen well friends we've come towards the end of our service and in just a few moments after the service we will have our regular post church zoo meeting and tonight we're going to do things just a little bit differently rather than just having a social catch up which we often enjoy as well on top of our social gathering after church in the post church zoom can have a time to break out into some smaller groups and also share together in prayer so i encourage you to stick around for that you would have received the link in the email that went out to you on friday also on the church facebook website for the 5 p.m congregation you will too notice in just a moment they will appear on the screen a qr code and this qr code reminds us particularly those who are visiting for the first time we'd love to hear from you you know the drill if you've been out in the world in the last year simply scan the qr code let us know of your visit we'd love to know if there's something that we can pray for as we come together as staff during the week otherwise we just love to know of your visit so feel free to contact us that way well friends we come to our final song now and we are going to join together in the words of this hymn i will trust you [Music] i will trust you in the darkness i will serve you in my pain i will worship in the wilderness and will follow to the end for you are the suffering shepherd and you know your sheep by name so i will trust you in the darkness once again [Music] i believe your word of comfort when the light of life grows to him i will heed your voice at midnight when the tempest rate within i will cling to christ my savior who has borne my sorrow sting and i will trust you in the darkness once again [Music] oh lord jesus save your brother friend come really sauce lord come back again [Music] i will praise your name in winter when the skies are cold and gray i will feed upon your promises and will cry to you each day i will lean upon your spirit and your word will i obey yes i will trust you in the darkness come what may o lord jesus save your brother friend come release us lord come back again i will trust you in the darkness on your faithfulness depend as i long for your appearing and the day that never ends i will glory in the gospel and your word of truth defend so i will trust you in the darkness once again [Music] yes i will trust you in the darkness oh my friend [Music] brothers and sisters we've come to the end of our service we've been reminded tonight that we need to plant ourselves by the stream that we need to trust in god's instruction rejoice in his son and no matter what our circumstances remember that we have a god who oversees and cares for us so let us send each other out with the words of these blessings as we go out to live in this world father take us and use us to love and serve you and all people in the power of your spirit and in the name of your son jesus christ our lord amen brothers and sisters go in peace to love and serve the lord in the name of christ amen [Music] walking away [Music] still walking to save us [Music] you

Channel: St Andrew's Cathedral Sydney

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Length: 47min 44sec (2864 seconds)

Published: Sat Sep 11 2021