The Gospel Goes Viral

I'm going to look to the Book of Acts tonight and to continue thinking about this message that Paul preached.

! The first sermon of the Apostle Paul during his ministry in the first of his three great missionary journeys that are recorded in the Book of Acts.

I mentioned this morning that he was in the company of Barnabas who came from the island of Crete.

And when they visited that island together at the beginning of this missionary journey sent out from Antioch in Syria,

I suppose the leading apostle was Barnabas.

But after leaving the island and going to the mainland of Asia Minor and going to Pisidian Antioch,

they came to see Paul becoming the main spokesman of the mission.

He became the more gifted of the two and the more used by the Lord to spread the message that would one day win the whole world.

The first missionary journey covers Acts chapter 13 and 14.

Acts 13 · chapter mention

The narrative begins in Antioch in Syria.

It ends in Antioch in Syria with a report back to the sending church.

And all of that took around about a year and a half, under two years of traveling around 18 to 24 months.

And they visited the islands of the Mediterranean and they visited cities like Perga,

this city where this sermon was in Antioch, in Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe.

The message was one of hope.

It was full of the resurrection.

Just to stand back from this particular chapter, this particular passage that we're going to look at tonight,

just to remind you of what Acts is in the Word of God.

John Piper has helpfully commented that Acts is fairly unique in the Scriptures.

It's a book that's in the canon of Scripture to help prevent the church from coasting to a standstill.

It's really easy for that to happen to the Christian church,

especially if things are going quite well or if there are decent numbers or there's plenty money around or something like that.

We can simply think maintenance is all that we need.

We'll just keep going, keep the wheels turning, but to complete Piper's quote,

to prevent the church from coasting to a standstill and entering a maintenance mode

with all the inner wheels turning, working, but going nowhere.

There have been many moments in the history of the global church

where a particular local expression of the Christian faith starts to coast, to plateau and to decline

or comes under the judgment of the Lord.

And I'm pretty convinced that the book of Acts contains the answer to avoid that danger.

This book is saturated in prayer and in the fear of the Lord

and it is driven by the heartbeat of a missionary concern.

Wanting to see outsiders becoming insiders,

wanting to see people who are far away being brought near.

If we lose that prayerful concern and that missionary concern,

we're not really walking in the footsteps of the apostles.

We're not really living like a book of Acts kind of church.

And yet the book of Acts is there in the New Testament to say,

this is what life looks like between the first and second comings of Jesus.

We want to see witness from Jerusalem in ever expanding circles of effect,

like ripples in a pond.

You throw a stone in a pond and the ripples travel to the other side of the pond.

If you stand by a loch or something like that,

you've probably all done this.

You've thrown a stone and you see the little wave that it creates.

Well, the death and the resurrection of Jesus

are a moment at the center of the history of the universe,

sending out ripples.

And depending on how we hear that story and respond to it,

we will either be drawing nearer or drawing further away from life and hope and peace with God.

The church was born in Pisidian Antioch over the course of eight days of ministry.

Two Sabbaths, two Jewish Sabbaths.

Paul and Barnabas witnessing to a little group there.

And on the eighth day, they were thrown out and they had to flee.

But eight days was long enough to establish a living church that continued in that place

and that continued to glorify God for years and years and years to come.

This book of Acts is full of fuel for our prayers and wisdom.

If we want strategies, if we want an idea of who we should be and what we should be doing,

we don't need to look any further.

Title for my message tonight is the gospel goes viral.

It spreads like a contagion.

You see these things sometimes in the news or on social media or something like that,

that a story will be ignored for a long time and then suddenly everyone's talking about it.

It's mentioned, it's discussed, it's gossiped, it spreads all around the world.

And Jesus and his death and resurrection becomes the talking point in Pisidian Antioch.

The church is born and the church grows.

Two things about how this message came and about how it was reacted to tonight.

The first thing is that there is good news for those who break God's law.

The gospel, by definition, is good news.

And the gospel is to be shared with those who are in the wrong before Almighty God.

The gospel is for sinners.

The gospel exposes the fact that we are sinners in need of Christ, in need of grace.

The reason I broke the reading this morning at verse 37 and took it up again tonight at verse 38

is that Paul seems here to be moving to application mode.

He gives us his teaching, his doctrine, in his sermon, lots of Old Testament quotation

in the verses recorded between 13 and 37.

But from verse 38 onwards, he's really bringing the plane down to land with his listeners in that synagogue.

He's giving them the application.

So what?

What should you do with this message of Jesus who's been raised?

And so he says in verse 38,

Let it be known to you therefore.

I want you to take this on board.

I want you to know this, understand it and act upon it, brothers.

That through this man, through Jesus, what do you get through Jesus?

What is the good news of Jesus?

It is that forgiveness is preached, is offered.

Forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you and by him.

Everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.

He was speaking to Jews.

He was speaking to people who were scrupulous in their Sabbath observance.

They went to the synagogue.

They did the things that Jewish people were supposed to do according to the law of Moses.

They would be circumcising their little boys.

They would be thinking about how they paid into the costs of the temple back in Jerusalem.

They would be thinking about the year and how at different stages in the year they obeyed the requirements of the law.

Their home life, even their kitchen, would be governed by the law of Moses.

And Paul says that's fine as far as it goes.

But it does not free you from sin.

The law of Moses actually teaches you how bad your problem of sin is.

The moral law applies to all human beings.

The Ten Commandments.

It applies to me.

It applies to you.

It doesn't matter in what era of world history we live.

It doesn't matter if we live in the Old Covenant or the New Covenant.

It doesn't matter if we're young or old.

The same Ten Commandments are binding on me, binding on my heart, binding on you.

And no amount of temple visiting or synagogue visiting or attempts at keeping the law can fix you.

Because every one of those Ten Commandments has been broken by every human being who ever lived except one.

Only Jesus kept this law.

Only Jesus pleased God at all times.

And this problem that we have sinned and we have offended against God, we're in a deep hole and we are digging it even more deeply.

We cannot climb out of the hole.

Jesus is the good news of forgiveness.

I want to put it to you that if you have religion without a living faith in Jesus,

you are trying to solve a guilt and shame and sin problem with something that will let you down.

Religion isn't going to cut it.

Even versions that are Christianized of religion are just so much self-help.

I was talking to a lad not so many days ago who grew up as a Jehovah's Witness.

And in his early 20s he has turned his back on all of that and he has embraced Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

And as far as I can see, a true and growing Christian disciple.

And he talked about what it was like to be a boy in that particular sect.

That they would do the mission things that they were told they had to do.

To be on side with God.

To be on side with the Kingdom Hall.

They would have to visit people or give out literature or approach doors.

But they would do it as slowly as possible.

It was usually a Saturday morning that he was involved in that as a boy.

As slowly as possible.

Not like Paul wanting the whole city to hear of Jesus.

Not like someone with the joy of salvation that wants everyone to know.

But getting off with as little as possible.

Because it's a drudge.

It's a trial.

It's not a joy.

It's not a pleasure.

It's just ticking a box.

My religion requires me to do this so I'll try and do it.

But my heart isn't in it.

And I suspect if we talk to religious people.

Whether they follow non-Christian paths.

Or versions of Christianity that don't have Christ and the cross at the center.

It's just a burden.

We're trying to carry something.

Paul quotes the book of Habakkuk to his listeners in the synagogue.

And he warns them.

He talks about freedom from these burdens.

Freedom from the law of Moses that they couldn't keep by themselves through Christ and his resurrection.

But in verse 40.

Beware therefore lest what is said and the prophet should come about.

Look you scoffers.

Be astounded and perish for I am doing a work in your days.

A work that you will not believe even if one tells it to you.

Now the background to that was that Habakkuk had a message of invasion.

Of the Babylonians coming to judge the nation.

Because they were just going through the motions.

They were just religious.

There was violence and there was destruction and strife and conflict.

They weren't really repenting of these real sins.

They weren't addressing the root problem of the human heart.

And so Habakkuk says in Habakkuk 1.4

Therefore the law is paralyzed and justice never prevails.

That's why you scoff.

That's why you don't believe.

Even though someone explains it to you.

You won't believe it.

Because you don't deal with the root of your sin problem.

Well here's good news for a world with a sin problem.

Here's good news for a world that cannot climb its way up to God by itself.

God has come down.

God has come into the pit and the miry clay where we are.

God has come down in Jesus Christ.

And God has come under the load that we cannot carry.

And God has saved us through the cross and through the resurrection.

And all that we need to do is repent and believe and put our trust in Jesus.

Now those who opposed Paul and Barnabas in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch.

They shook the dust off their feet when they left that city.

They were rejecting Jesus and his death and resurrection.

And that meant they were condemning themselves.

And just as Jesus told his church to do in Matthew 10 and Mark 6 and Luke 9 and Luke 10.

Jesus said if they won't receive my peace and my word.

Shake the dust off your feet and go to the next town.

And go to the next town.

And go to the next town.

So that folk have the opportunity to hear the good news.

There is a way for lawbreakers to be saved.

But it's not through human effort.

It's not through human religion.

It's through faith.

That's all very well, isn't it?

But I suspect the easy thing to do is to just nod and say,

Yeah, I've heard that since I was a child.

I think that's right.

And not ask the question,

Am I doing this very thing that Jesus warned his compatriots in Israel about?

That Paul was warning the people in the synagogue about?

Am I doing this?

Are you doing this?

That we think,

My problem with sin and my problem with the things that I don't get quite right,

It's quite a small problem.

It's one I'm going to somehow muddle through and fix.

I don't really need God to come down and dramatically save me.

I don't need the Son of God to take my load.

I'm better than a lot of other people.

If there's a piece of your heart that thinks like that,

Talk to God about it and admit that that is a grievous deception and a foolish sin.

To minimize your need, to minimize your sin, to minimize your guilt.

And maybe to say,

I don't need the medicine that maybe some other people need.

We all need the medicine.

We all need the gospel.

We all need Christ.

What Paul says in the synagogue on the second Sabbath when he was there,

Is that he's going to turn to the Gentiles.

He's going to turn to the non-Jews.

Because so many of the Jews are hardening their hearts against the message of the prophets.

And the message of Jesus.

And the message of the apostles.

Not everybody.

But some hardened their hearts.

Be so careful that you don't go home tonight saying,

I can listen to this gospel next week, next month, next year.

It's not important tonight.

It is important tonight.

If you have unconfessed, unforgiving sin in your life,

It separates you from God and eternal life.

And I would not want to leave this building, let alone fall asleep at home tonight,

Without crying out to God,

Deal with my sin.

Give me eternal life.

Be merciful to me.

So there is good news for those who break God's law.

And that's what the verses 38 to 41 are all about.

Don't be like those who are mentioned in the prophet Habakkuk's book,

Who will not believe,

Even if one tells it to you.

But the second thing tonight,

As well as the good news for those who break God's law,

Is the right response to God's gospel.

Verse 42 to the end of the chapter shows us those who responded correctly,

And those who did not respond correctly.

Verse 42,

As they went out,

Went out of the synagogue on the first of the two Sabbaths,

The people begged them that these things might be told them the next Sabbath.

But they didn't wait till the next Sabbath.

Verse 43,

They haven't really left the vicinity of the gathering in the events in verse 43.

After the meeting of the synagogue broke up,

Many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas.

Isn't that interesting?

They heard the gospel,

And some of them became convinced,

There's something here that's real and necessary and true,

And I want to find out more about it.

Maybe that's where you are in your life before God tonight.

Well, they weren't happy to just say,

Well, we'll see what happens.

We'll see if we feel like coming along next week.

They followed Paul and Barnabas.

They wanted to know.

Because it was a big deal to know God,

To know peace with God.

It was a big deal.

And so they spoke with Paul and Barnabas,

And they urged them to continue in the grace of God.

To continue in the way of peace with God through the cross.

Verse 44,

So what has happened in Pisidian Antioch?

The whole city wasn't in the Jewish synagogue on the first Sabbath.

Something has happened in that city

Between one Friday and the next Friday.

The Sabbath was Friday night, Saturday morning.

What happened between the synagogue service breaking up

On the first Sabbath,

And then the following week, seven days later.

What happened to bring the whole city out?

People were talking.

The news of Jesus as the God who became a man,

The God who as a man suffered and tasted death,

The God who took shame onto himself,

And suffered and died on the tree,

On the cross,

That was being talked about in Pisidian Antioch all week.

And the whole city came out to the synagogue

To hear what was going on.

That's why I say the good news of the gospel went viral.

People were talking about it.

I can remember seasons in my own life

Where this seemed to be happening

And people were talking about the gospel

And who's being converted

And who's coming to church

And who's reading the Bible

And who's praying

And who's coming to Bible studies

And prayer meetings.

And sometimes that tide comes in

And sometimes it goes out a bit

And then it comes in again.

But are you looking for that?

Are you praying for that?

Are you expecting that God can do again

What he has done many times before?

Alistair Begg at a conference a while ago

I heard him say the following words

Talking about the local church

And how important it is

In God's work in the world.

Alistair Begg said

The authentic local church

Contains the DNA

Of a remade world.

I like that.

Where you get a few people

There might only be 20, 30, 50, 80, 100

There might be hundreds

There might be thousands

But if it's a real gospel church

That gathers around the word

Gathers around prayer

Gathers around the sacraments

There's something going on there

That has got the seeds of a new creation in it.

It's got the DNA of a remade world.

It's got the power

To make a dead place come alive.

I once came across a photograph

Taken in Chile

In the Atacama Desert

Which is the driest desert on earth.

Some polar regions can be classed as deserts

But outside of the poles

The Atacama in Chile

It's got mountains on one side

That stops clouds bearing rain

It's got the Pacific Ocean on the other side

That takes the wind away from the land

So that there's no chance of rain falling on the ground.

Very different from our dear Hebrides.

It doesn't rain a lot in the Atacama Desert

It's the driest place on earth.

And yet

In the 1970s

It rained heavily there.

And the thing that happened in that desert

That surprised people

And caused thousands of people

To travel there

With their cameras

And take photos of the place

Was that that dry wilderness

That had had no recorded rain

For maybe 300 years

When the rain came

It turned pink

And purple

With a bloom of flowers

A floral bloom

The seed was there

And the life was in the seed

Wherever God's word goes

Wherever God's gospel goes

It has the DNA

Of the new creation

Of the age that is to come

Within it.

And that means

If you are praying

For your children

For your spouse

For your Sunday school group

That you look after

For your youth fellowship

The seed has the life

Of the kingdom in it

And you are praying

That God would water it

And cause it to come alive

A super bloom

When dormant seeds

Burst into life

That is glorious and wonderful

When the word comes in power

Now there is resistance

In verse 45

When the Jews saw the crowds

They were filled with jealousy

Pure envy

Don't like to see

The success

Of the Christian missionaries

And so they began to contradict

What was spoken by Paul

Reviling him

And Paul and Barnabas

Don't shut up

They speak with boldness

It is necessary

That the word of God

Be spoken first to you

Since you thrust it aside

Judge for yourselves

Since you judge yourselves

Unworthy of eternal life

We are turning to the Gentiles

This is fulfilling prophecy actually

This is the role of the Messiah

And the role of the witnesses

Of the Messiah

I have made you a light

For the Gentiles

That you may bring salvation

To the ends of the earth

And the Gentiles rejoiced

And the word of the Lord

Was blessed to them

And many believed

And the word of the Lord

Spread through the region

Verse 49

And despite the opposition

They are filled with joy

And with the Holy Spirit

There is a bloom

There are flowers

There is life

The word of God was honoured

The word of God was shared

And God's sovereignty

Is at work in all of this

And a little bit of persecution

Didn't halt the power of the word

A bit of hassle

Didn't halt the power of the word

What about the islands?

What about Stornoway?

What about our schools?

What about our community?

What about people

With deep, deep hatred

Towards the things of Christ?

They may be being burnt

They may be had a bad experience

They may be being let down badly

By a Christian

Or by a church

And they don't want to touch

This Christianity

With a long, long, long barge pole

While prayer

And love

And gentleness

And the word

Can get through

Because the seed

Has life in it

The word

Has life in it

I want to finish

By giving you three signs

Of a healthy response

To the gospel

I think this will be true

At all times

And in all places

That where God is working

These three signs

Will mark God working

And God's word getting through

And these three signs

Are a hunger for the words

And an active witness

And an overcoming

Of opposition

Through grace

Hunger for the word

Active witness

Overcoming

Opposition

There is hunger

All through this chapter

And indeed all through

Many parts of the book of Acts

There is hunger for the word

Paul's sermon

Quotes Psalm 2

Psalm 16

Isaiah 55

Isaiah 49

Habakkuk chapter 1

Habakkuk 1 · chapter mention

It's full of the word

Paul is a word of God

Man

And God's grace

Is falling

On the word

If you find it hard to pray

Read through

A psalm

And ask God to help you

To turn that psalm

Into your stumbling

Halting prayers

It's the word

That will disciple you

And will help you

To grow spiritually

And to be fruitful

Spiritually

I've hidden your word

In my heart

That I might not

Sin against you

A few chapters on

In chapter 17

We read about

The Bereans

The people there

In chapter 17

Verse 11

Received the message

In Berea

With great eagerness

And examined the scriptures

Every day

To see if what Paul said

Was true

Many of them believed

They searched the scriptures

If you're not sure

If you've got questions

Search the scriptures

It's a sign

Of a healthy response

To the gospel

That we read

And that we

Carefully read

The word of God

The second sign

Is active witness

Again

This passage

Is full of it

Verse 44

The next Sabbath

Almost the whole city

Gathered to hear

The word of the Lord

Verse 49

The word of the Lord

Was spreading

Throughout the whole

Region

I mentioned this morning

That a team

Of three missionaries

Had been reduced

To a team

Of two missionaries

That did not stop

The word spreading

Mark

John Mark

Had left

But the blessing

Of God

Had not left

And so Barnabas

And Paul

See blessing

And their witness

And the witness

Of others

Makes the gospel

Credible

I know

There is live stream

And things like that

And that sometimes

We maybe think

Well

Do I really need

To go out tonight

Nobody will miss me

And I can always

Catch up with the service

Or I can watch it live

And that's true

But if you walk

Into a building

And there are

Hundreds of empty seats

That could be filled

It makes the word

Less credible

To any visitor

Who comes in

Off the street

And I think

This is something

That has happened

Across Europe

In the last

Centuries actually

That many people

Have concluded

That Christianity

Is irrelevant

Because it doesn't

Seem

To affect

People

Doesn't seem

To be precious

To them

Well the gatherings

Of God's people

Should be well

Supported

And the mission

Of God's church

Should be well

Supported

Prayerfully

Financially

And every other way

To show

That we really

Do believe this

And we do

Love and serve

This God

And we want

To be committed

And it may be

That there's a cup

Final on the TV

It may be

That we've had

A hard week

It may be

That we have

A lot of work

To do

In the next few days

But if God

Is great

In our thinking

We will not

Be minimizing

!

Our desire

To honor him

In active

Witness

Romans 1

Romans 1:16

Verse 16

For I am not

Ashamed of the gospel

I fear that

Many Christians

Seem to be ashamed

I wonder how often

I'm tongue tied

And I'm ashamed

But that gospel

Is God's power

For salvation

For Jew

For Gentile

So when I meet

People

And they ask me

What I do

For a living

When I meet people

And they ask me

What I did

At the weekend

Or what I did

At New Year

Or at Christmas

I want to give them

An answer

That glorifies God

Not to sort of

Show off

Or to

Sort of

You know

Be a

A kind of

Pretend-y

Holy person

But to think

How can I

Answer this

Casual question

With a way

That says

I had a great

Weekend

I spent time

With a family

We ate together

And we got to

Go and worship

Jesus Christ

Together

And that's the

Highlight of our

Week

So important

To us

As a family

Hunger for the

Word

An active

Witness

Matthew Henry

Once said

The spirit of

Christ

Is the spirit

Mission

Do you believe

That

If we have

The spirit

We have

The spirit

To equip us

To be

Missionaries

To be

Witnesses

A hunger for the

Word

An active

Witness

And then

Overcoming

Opposition

And I guess

That sometimes

Just looks like

You keep

Going

Even when

You're tired

Or even

When

It's not

Easy

Verse 45

When the

Jews saw

The crowds

They were

Filled with

Jealousy

They began

To contradict

What was

Spoken by

Paul

Reviling

Him

Reviling

Is a

Strong

Word

My

Colleague

Chris Davidson

At

Merkinj

At the

Church

Plant

In one

Of the

Poorest

Parts

Of the

Highlands

In one

Of the

Most

Economically

Deprived

Postcodes

In

Scotland

Chris

Says

And I

Think he's

Right

If you

Want to

Be a

Gospel

Minister

In

Contemporary

Scotland

You need

A heart

That is

Soft

And gentle

Like

Jesus

And you

Need a

Hide

That is

Tough

Like a

Rhinoceros

It's not

Going to

Be easy

It's not

Going to

Be easy

To be

A deacon

Or an

Elder

It's

Going to

Cost

You

But we

Are called

As disciples

To take

Up the

Cross

It's not

Going to

Be easy

If you

Give up

A career

That's

A good

Career

To take

The wage

Of a

Church

Worker

And go

And spread

The news

Of Jesus

But it's

Worth it

Don't do

It

For earthly

Reward

You overcome

Difficulty

Cost

Opposition

You keep

Going

Verse 50

The Jews

Incited the

Devout

Woman of

High

Standing

And the

Leading

Men of

The city

And stirred

Up

Persecution

Is that

Really

What's

Stopping

Us

Are we

Being

Persecuted

Not

Much

Maybe

Sometimes

People

Have a

We

Laugh

At

Our

Expense

But we're

Not going

To be

Rounded

Up

And put

In jail

Are we

But we

Have brothers

And sisters

Who face

That

In Sudan

And where

Islam is

Sweeping

Through parts

Of Africa

And making

It so hard

To be a

Christian

In parts

Of India

In parts

Of Asia

Hinduism

And buddhism

Can be very

Militant

Atheism

Secular

Can be

Very

Militant

In your

Workplace

Maybe

It's not

Easy

To take

A

Respectful

Gentle

Christian

Stand

But do

It

Commit

Yourself

To God

And do

It

I don't

Think we

Will face

The risk

Of stoning

Paul faced

That in

Chapter

14

And verse

19

Because the

Jews from

Antioch

Travelled

80 miles

To the

Next town

That he

Was in

And stirred

Up trouble

Against him

And tried

To have him

Killed

That's a

Different order

Of difficulty

But he

Overcame it

By grace

By faith

Now what's

The worst

Thing

That's going

To happen

To us

If we

Look to

The Lord

And desire

To respond

To the

Gospel

As a

Christian

Who wants

To be a

Witness

To be a

Sin

What's

What's

The worst

That will

Happen

To you

If you

Are ready

To follow

Jesus

But you're

Thinking

Some of

My friends

Will tease

Me

Tease you

Isn't it

Worth it

That the

Son of

God

Hung

Naked

On a

Tree

And died

For you

Isn't it

Worth it

That you

Might be

Teased

By someone

Nail your

Colors

To the

Mast

Follow

Jesus

He's

Worth it

Overcome

Opposition

I'm just

Amazed

By this

Chapter

That there

Were

Eight

Days

That Paul

And Barnabas

Spent in

That city

But when

They left

It

They left

A church

Free

Church of

Scotland

Has been

Around

Since

1843

We're

Heading

For another

Big

Anniversary

2043

Will have

Been

Around

For two

Centuries

I fear

That we

Are not

As tough

As Paul

And his

Companions

Were

That we

Give up

Too

Quickly

That we

Quit

Too

Easily

And so

I encourage

You to

Find your

Strength

And find

Your joy

And find

Your encouragement

In the

Gospel

The good

News

For those

Who break

God's law

Come to

The cross

And the

Good news

That all

Who come

With the

Right

Response

To the

Gospel

Will be

Saved

And will

Then have

News to

Share

There is

Encouragement

Here

I wonder

If Scotland

Is a dry

Spiritual

Desert

More arid

Than the

Atacama

I wonder

If prayer

And fasting

Are needed

So that the

Rain begins

And the

Seed

Comes alive

Father

In heaven

We bless

You for

Being together

Under the

Word today

For being

Together under

The Word

This evening

And for

The pictures

That we

Have of

The growth

Of the

Early

Church

Despite

Persecution

There was

Response

!

There was

Harvest

Grant

Harvest

And response

Tonight

And in

Our hearts

And in

This gathering

And in

The weeks

And the

Months

And in

The years

To come

Bless

Your servant

Callum

Smith

As he

Ministers

Here

And all

Who are

Part of

The team

Here

And all

Who preach

Here regularly

In English

And Gaelic

Bless the

Coming weekend

And the

Visit of

Colin

Macleod

Next Sunday

And bless

The work

And the

Witness

Of all

Who serve

You

Across

This land

Of ours

Bless every

Gospel

Church

And grant

That the

Arid

Days

The dry

Days

The wilderness

Desert

Days

Will be

Replaced

With super

Bloom

With life

With glory

With many

Many

Stories

Of salvation

Hear our

Prayers

Amen

Shall we

Close

With the

Lovely

Words

Of psalm

84

From the

Scottish

Psalter

Psalm

84

We'll

Sing

From the

Beginning

Of the

Psalm

In the

Scottish

Psalter

Psalm

84

How

Lovely

Is thy

Dwelling

Place

O Lord

Of hosts

To me

The

Tabernacles

Of thy

Grace

How

Pleasant

Lord

They

Be

We'll

Sing

Verse 1

And 2

And then

We'll go

Down to

Verse 8

Lord

God

Of hosts

My

Prayer

Here

The

First

Two

Verses

And the

Final

Four

Stanzas

Of

Psalm

84

To

God's

Glory

The

Tune

Is

The

Homes

Of

Donegal

Paul

How lovely is thy place, O Lord, of hosts to thee.

The tavern outcomes of thy gifts have blessed longed me.

My thirsty soul of timidly, yet face thy horns to see.

My heavy heart and flesh I urge, O living not for thee.

Lord God, of hosts my prayer here, O Jacob's gardener.

He guard her shield, look on the face of thine and ironed deal.

For in thy courts on me excels a thousand rather than.

My thoughts I dwell like deep and warm, and dwell in tents of sin.

What of the Lord's house sun and shield, give peace and glory there.

And dwell with hope no good on end, and other need to live.

O thou that art the Lord of hosts, and man is to thee blessed.

With my assured confidence, on thee alone thou best.

Receive God's blessing.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion and fellowship of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, be upon you,

and on the whole Israel of God, today and forevermore.

Amen.

Go in peace.

Thank you.