What's in a Blessing?

I'm delighted again this evening to welcome Reverend Colin Dow to the pulpit.

! He was saying this morning he was here as a student placement 24 years ago.

! So some of you will remember him, I'm sure.

Some of you might be a new face for you, but we're delighted to have him with us.

Colin is a minister in Crow Road Free Church in Glasgow,

what was previously St. Glasgow City Free Church.

And we're thankful for the ministry tours already today and look forward to his ministry this evening as well.

We pray God's blessing on Colin and the family.

We've been delighted to have them with us as well today as they return to Glasgow in the coming days as well.

Let the Lord be with them.

Thank you very much for your warm welcome.

Let us worship God and sing to his praise in Psalm 146.

Psalm 146 from St. Sams.

This is page 191.

We shall sing the whole psalm to the praise of God.

Psalm 146 from verse 1 to verse 10.

Praise the Lord, my soul will praise him.

I'll extol him all my days.

While I live, to God my Saviour,

from my heart I will sing praise.

Let's stand as we sing to God's praise.

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you, Father, my soul will praise him.

Thank you, Father, my soul will praise him.

Thank you, Father, my soul will praise him.

Thank you, Father, my soul will praise him.

Oh, praise him.

I'll extort it all my days.

I'll I live to God my Savior.

From my heart I will sing praise.

God, who do trust in princes?

Mortal men who cannot say.

All their plans will come to nothing.

When they perish in the grave.

Blessed is the one who truly looks for heaven.

To Jacob's God.

Blessed is the one who places all his hope upon the Lord.

He who made the earth and heaven.

And the sea split all their store.

He who gives his heavenly promise.

He who is faithful evermore.

He delivers from oppression.

And relieves the hungry's might.

He releases those in prison.

To the life the Lord gives sight.

He who does not know.

He who does not know.

He who does not know.

He who does not know.

He who does not know.

He who does not know.

He who does not know.

He who does not know.

He who does not know.

He who does not know.

He who does not know.

He who does not know.

He who does not know.

He who does not know.

He who does not know.

He who does not know.

He who does not know.

He who does not know.

He who does not know.

He who does not know.

He who does not know.

He who does not know.

He who does not know.

He who does not know.

He who does not know.

Let us pray.

O Lord our God, we join with the psalmist

in calling upon our souls to praise you

and to extol you all the days of our lives.

For you are God, our Savior.

You are the one who made the heaven and the earth,

the sea with all its store.

You are the one who keeps every promise.

You are the one who is faithful.

You are the one who delivers us from oppression

and relieves the plight of the hungry,

who releases those in prison and gives the blind their sight.

You are the one who raises those who are bowed down.

For you, O Lord, delight in righteousness,

protecting and caring for strangers,

for the widow and for the fatherless.

You are the one who frustrates the purposes of the wicked.

You reign to every generation, O Lord.

For over a hundred years,

the message of your sovereignty has been proclaimed from this pulpit.

That our God reigns.

You reign then, you reign still.

You will always reign as King and Lord.

And so our souls praise you.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

one true and living God,

help me worship you for who you are

and for all that you have done.

Our relentless Redeemer.

We thank you that you have demonstrated

your love for us in this.

While we were yet sinners,

Christ died for us.

The word became flesh and dwelt among us.

We have beheld his glory.

How then do we see the glory

of God on the cross?

If it is not that your own Son,

O Lord our Father,

was humiliated

and crucified in our place,

bearing the punishment our sin deserved,

bearing shame and scoffing rude,

in my place condemned he stood,

sealed my pardon with his blood.

Hallelujah.

What a Savior.

We draw near to you tonight

in the name of Jesus

as your people.

We thank you for the faith

that you have given us,

for even the faith

by which we are saved

is a gift from yourself.

Lord, we may have small faith,

we may have great faith.

It's not our faith that counts,

but the one in whom we have faith.

We thank you that you, O Lord,

are forever committed to us

in love and covenant promise.

You have said,

I will never leave you,

I will never forsake you.

Behold, I am with you

to the very end of the age.

Our Lord God and loving Heavenly Father,

we pray that you would comfort

those in distress.

We pray that you would give hope

to those in despair.

We pray that you would give strength

to those who are exhausted.

We pray that you would give joy

to those who are depressed.

We pray that you would give serenity

to those who are anxious.

We thank you that you are

the God of our hearts,

the God who overcomes our hearts

and is greater than our hearts.

We pray that you would speak truth

to us this evening.

We pray for our church here.

We ask that you would

open the floodgates of heaven

and send your spirit

to begin a movement

in these islands once again

that would cause people

to fill the church,

to rush into the church,

eager to hear the good news

of Jesus Christ and be saved.

We pray, Lord,

that you would do a work

here in Kenneth Street.

Once again, Lord,

we thank you for Callum Smith here.

We thank you for Callum

for his gifting

and for his godliness.

We thank you for the way

that he shepherds

and cares for this congregation.

We pray that you would bless him

and Johan and the family

richly

in their ministry among us.

and we pray, Lord,

that as he looks for a colleague

and as we look for a colleague

that you would give us

unanimity of heart and spirit,

focusing our minds

upon what you would have for us,

not upon what our

personal preferences may be.

We pray for our denomination

as a whole.

We ask, Lord,

that you would help us

to remain faithful

to your word.

We do not stand

on the laurels of our heritage.

As much as we look forward

to a dynamic future

of your blessing.

We pray for the growth

of the church

all over Scotland.

Lord, we ask

that you would work powerfully

in every pulpit

from which your word

is preached this evening.

We remember the missionary

endeavour of your church

all over the world.

We thank you for the growth

of your church

in many nations.

We also remember

those nations

where there's

great challenge.

We remember the nation

of Japan

where a tiny church

is faced with

further decline.

We pray for your people

there

in that

highly populated country,

technologically advanced

and yet spiritually dead.

Lord,

will you not open

the floodgates of heaven

and pour down

your spirit

upon that great nation?

We pray, O Lord,

for our world.

We ask, Lord,

that you would make

wars to cease,

that you would frustrate

the purposes

of wicked men,

that you would relieve

the plight of the oppressed

!

And the hungry.

And Lord,

we pray for

our politicians

and those

in authority over us.

We especially

remember them

as they debate

the proposed

euthanasia bill.

And we ask, O Lord,

that your word

would take

front and centre

in all

of their decisions.

Lord,

we ask and pray

for this bill

not to go forward,

for it to be defeated

in both

Holyrood and Westminster.

And we ask that

rather than ending life,

which is your prerogative,

you would help us

to invest our

care and resource

and money

in preserving life

and giving dignity

to those

who are dying.

And Lord,

we consider now

our own personal needs.

We are hungry

for your word

this evening.

That's why we're here.

So will you fill us

with a new vision

of Jesus Christ?

But Lord,

there may be some

among us here

this evening

who do not yet know you,

who are here

by force of habit,

or because they have been

forced to be here

by their parents

or by peer pressure.

But do not know you.

They have not yet

discovered

the great meaning

of life

and the pearl

of great price

that is to be found

in Jesus Christ.

Lord,

will your spirit

do a work among us

this evening

that breaks open

the hardness

of our hearts?

will your spirit

do a miracle

of grace

within us

this evening

to transform

our hearts

of stone

into hearts

of flesh?

Help us all,

O Lord,

this evening

as we come

to come

with that attitude

of those Gentiles

who came to the disciples

saying,

Sir,

we would see Jesus.

Now we ask

all these things

with the forgiveness

of our sin

in Jesus' name.

Amen.

We're going to sing again

this time in Psalm 1.

This is on page

number 200.

It's from the

Scottish Psalter.

Psalm 1.

That man

hath perfect blessedness

who walketh

not astray

in counsel

of ungodly men

nor stands

in sinner's way.

nor sitteth

in the scorner's chair.

But placeth

his delight

upon God's law

and meditates

on his law

day and night.

Psalm 1,

the whole psalm

to God's praise.

best best best

nor stands in sinners' way.

Lord sitteth in the scorners' ship,

and raiseth his delight.

At most grog, so grog, so grog, so grog,

so grog, so grog, so grog, so grog, so grog,

We shall be like a tree that goes near planted by our earth.

Which in this season yields its fruit, and its sweet faith ever.

And only thou shalt prosper well, now with it are not so.

But like they are bound to virtue, which when right to our goal.

In judgment therefore shall most and such as the God we are.

Nor in the assembly of the earth shall we yet men appear.

For while the way of God remain, unto the Lord is Lord.

Where as the way of the earth shall white be overgrown.

We are going to read now in God's word from the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 13.

2 Corinthians 13 · chapter mention

2 Corinthians chapter 13.

2 Corinthians 13 · chapter mention

2 Corinthians chapter 13.

2 Corinthians 13 · chapter mention

This is the word of God.

This is the third time I am coming to you.

Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.

I warn those who sinned before and all the others.

And I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit.

That if I come again I will not spare them.

Since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me.

He is not weak in dealing with you.

But is powerful among you.

For he was crucified in weakness.

For he lives by the power of God.

For we also are weak in him.

But in dealing with you.

We will live with him by the power of God.

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith.

Test yourselves.

Or do you not realize this about yourselves.

That Jesus Christ is in you.

Unless indeed you fail to meet the test.

I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test.

But we pray to God that you may do no wrong.

That not that we may appear to have met the test.

But that you may do what is right.

Though we may seem to have failed.

For we cannot do anything against the truth.

But only for the truth.

For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong.

Your restoration is what we pray for.

For this reason I write these things while I am away from you.

So that when I come.

I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority.

That the Lord has given me for building up.

And not for tearing down.

Finally brothers.

Rejoice.

Aim for restoration.

Comfort one another.

Agree with one another.

Live in peace.

And the God of love and peace will be with you.

Greet one another with a holy kiss.

All the saints greet you.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And the love of God.

And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

Be with you all.

This is the word of God.

Before we turn back to that passage.

We'll sing in Psalm 19.

On page 23.

Psalm 19.

On page 23.

From which we shall sing.

Verses 7.

To verse 14.

Psalm 19.

Page 23.

From verse 7.

The perfect law of God.

Revives the soul of man.

His statutes which are sure.

Make wise the simple one.

The precepts of the Lord are right.

And fill the heart.

With great delight.

Let's sing Psalm 19.

From verse 7 to the end.

To God's praise.

The perfect law of God.

Revives the soul of man.

His statutes which are sure.

Make wise the simple one.

The precepts of the Lord are right.

And fill the heart with great delight.

God's praise.

For great, the earth commands.

Share light on what we see.

The fear of God is pure.

At last eternally.

The standards of the Lord express.

His perfect truth and righteousness.

The power of God is pure.

The power of God is pure.

The power of God is pure.

The power of God is pure.

The power of God is pure.

The power of God is pure.

You can discern His cause, forgive my hidden sin, keep me from willful deeds, may they not rule within.

And then I shall be free from blame and guiltless of transgressions.

Lord, let the words I speak, be pleasing in Your sight, and may my endless thoughts be in Your judgment right.

O Lord, You are the rock to me, You have redeemed and sent me free.

May I begin by once again thanking you from the bottom of my heart for the welcome that myself and my family have received this weekend up here.

It's been wonderful for Kathmer and myself to renew friendships.

You don't seem to have changed one little bit in the last 24 years.

As I said this morning, I have far less hair and far more children than I had back then.

But you don't seem to have changed at all, except the man standing beside me, Callum Smith.

He is your minister now.

My first experience of Callum was when he was inducted to Dumfries Free Church.

And over the years, I felt very blessed to work with him on the presbytery.

And it's wonderful to see him as your shepherd at this time.

But of course, we pray for a colleague for him.

Please turn with me back to 2 Corinthians chapter 13 and verse 14.

2 Corinthians 13 · chapter mention

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

At the end of every service of worship, the presiding minister will raise his hands and pronounce the benediction.

The word benediction literally means blessing or more literally to speak well.

The minister on behalf of God dismisses God's people with his blessing upon them.

The service concludes with the minister, or God rather, speaking well over his people.

Pronouncing both his pleasure in them and his intention for them.

His pleasure in them in that they are his children whom he loves, protects, and will provide for.

And his intention to strengthen them for all the challenges which lie in the week ahead.

So the benediction is an essential component in every Christian service of worship.

It is the public announcement of God's blessing upon his people.

As Christians, we are to listen carefully to the benediction.

Recognizing it's for us.

It's God's gift to us.

It's God's words of pleasure and intention for us.

Whatever issues I may be facing, whether grief or depression, whether joy or thankfulness, anxiety or doubt,

be it peace or tranquility, God wants me to experience his pleasure in me as his child and his loving intention toward me.

Now the benediction that I choose to use most often is this one taken from 2 Corinthians 13, 14.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Now we're tempted, are we not, because we've heard these words so often,

not to think too deeply about what they mean.

In truth, we're rather spoiled by them because there's a richness here which goes beyond anything the world can offer us.

God blesses us not so much with grace, love and fellowship, although these are wonderful things.

God blesses us with himself and in essence says to us,

I will know you this week and you will know me this week.

I'll be with you through all the trials of this week.

Know this, my beloved child, I take great pleasure in you.

I love you and I'll be with you always.

Out of this benediction in 2 Corinthians 13, verse 14, we could say many things,

2 Corinthians 13:14

but I want to reflect this evening on just three.

First of all, it tells us about God.

Then it tells us about salvation.

And then it tells us about prayer.

Tells us about God, salvation and prayer.

At the end of the service this evening, listen carefully to the good words of this benediction.

They are for us as a Christian church.

And they are for us as individual Christians.

First of all then, these words tell us about God.

These words tell us about God.

My wife and I were privileged recently to travel down to Newcastle to attend a celebration for the ministry of Dr. Ian Hamilton.

Known to many of us, Ian is an influential Christian pastor, writer and theologian.

He has influenced many of us, myself included, for the good.

And inspired us to be the best servants of Christ it's possible for us to be.

At that celebration dinner, one of the speakers highlighted some of the distinctive emphases of Ian's preaching.

And he read something that Ian had written some years ago.

Ian wrote these words in a banner of Truth magazine.

We as Christians worship one God in three persons.

Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

This is the chief and distinctive doctrine of the Christian faith.

The doctrine of the Holy Trinity.

It's a mysterious doctrine without any earthly pattern.

But it's a doctrine we must believe if we are to call ourselves Christians.

It's a doctrine clearly taught in the Bible even if the word Trinity is never used.

We serve one God.

But the Father is God.

And the Son is God.

And the Holy Spirit is God.

The early fathers of the church, like Athanasius of Alexandria, stood firmly on the truth of the Trinity.

This year marks the 1700th anniversary of the formulation of the Nicene Creed.

The fundamental confession of the Christian faith.

In my church, we'll be studying the Nicene Creed a little later this year.

Athanasius was the key figure in its formulation.

We may be familiar with some of the language of the Nicene Creed by virtue of the Christmas carol,

O come all ye faithful, where in verse 2, it quotes verbatim some of the language of the Creed.

The Apostles' Creed, O come let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

The Apostles' Creed, for as valuable as it is, does not definitively declare the divinity either of Jesus as the Son nor of the Holy Spirit.

As such, a Mormon or a Jehovah's Witness can recite the Apostles' Creed.

But not the Nicene Creed.

For in unmistakable terms, the Nicene Creed declares,

The Son is God, the Father is God, and the Holy Spirit is God.

They are not of a similar essence to God.

They are the same.

Later, the Nicene Creed declares,

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.

With the Father and the Son, he is to be worshipped and glorified.

People often ask whether Christians worship the same God as Muslims or Jews.

The answer is an emphatic no.

No.

We believe in the divine trinity.

It is the cardinal doctrine of our faith.

Both Jews and Muslims worship a God who we may describe as a monad.

One God, one person, who alone, eternally has been alone,

and as alone, has nothing else other than himself to love.

For the Christian, because God is trinity, love stands central to the being of God.

The Father has always loved the Son and the Spirit, for they are not him.

The Son has always loved the Father and the Spirit, for they are not him.

And the Spirit has always loved the Father and the Son, for they are not him.

Such a strong inner Trinitarian love allows that infinite, eternal, and unchangeable love

each person of the Trinity has for the other to spill over into all he's created.

It's the doctrine of the Trinity which allows the Apostle John to say,

God is love.

So to the answer of whether Christians worship the same God as Muslims, Jews, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses,

the answer is an emphatic no.

There is no common ground between the God of these religions.

For their gods are monads, our God is divine Trinity, three in one.

The God who offers himself to us in this blessing, this benediction,

is the God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the fullness of his Trinitarian glory.

The great church father, Gregory Nazianzus, beautifully said,

No sooner do I conceive of the one, than I am illumined by the splendor of the three.

No sooner do I distinguish him, than I am carried back to the one.

No sooner do I conceive of the one.

No sooner do I conceive of the one.

It's a beautiful mystery.

Don't feel threatened by it.

Feel invited by it to participate,

even as the overflow of each divine person's love for the other

overflows into the life of the church

and into the life of individual believers.

Now one of Ian Hamilton's famous phrases is that

every doctrine of the Christian faith must be practical

or it's of no use.

Every doctrine of the Christian faith must be practical.

The doctrine of the Trinity is the cornerstone of our faith.

So it's not surprising it is the most practical

of all the doctrines of Christianity.

What warrant do I have to believe

that God loves me?

How do I know that God loves me?

When I've failed him,

when I've backslidden,

when I've become spiritually cold,

when I've sunk into pits of depression and anxiety

where I cannot but hate myself,

when I've fallen away from him,

what assurance do I have

that God loves me?

It is because

by virtue of his being Trinity,

God is love.

It is more natural for him to love

than it is for me to breathe.

Among many other warrants,

this is the most powerful,

the eternal,

infinite,

and unchangeable

inner Trinitarian love

between Father,

Son,

and Spirit

which overflows

into our daily experience

as Christians.

Shall such love

now hate me

who it has loved

since before I was born?

Shall he now hate me?

Shall such love

cast me away now

who it has held close

to its heart

since before the sun

began to shine in the sky?

Shall he?

If I am united to Christ,

the Father cannot look upon me,

yes,

even the ugly,

messy,

sinful me,

without seeing

the glorious righteousness

of his Son,

and he loves me.

Furthermore,

if the inner Trinitarian love

of Father,

Son,

and Spirit

has overflowed

into my life,

surely that love

should overflow

from my heart

into the lives

of others.

Why do we bear

with one another,

forgive one another,

and comfort one another?

We do it

because

the love

of a Father

for a Son

and the Spirit

has flooded

our hearts

with the love

of God,

a love

which spills

over into

our love

for others.

And so

the Apostle John

writes,

Beloved,

if God so loved us,

then we

ought to love

one another.

You see,

this wonderful

doctrine of the Trinity,

far from being

an abstract theological

doctrine,

is the most practical

of all Christian doctrines.

It serves

as the foundation

for all we are

to believe

concerning God

and for our life

together

as Christians.

When hands are raised

at the end

of the service

and a blessing

is pronounced,

it's as if God

himself is saying,

Go,

my children,

live in love,

even as the Father

loves the Son

and the Spirit

and the Son

loves the Father

and the Spirit

and the Spirit

loves the Father

and the Son.

So this blessing

tells us,

first of all,

something about God.

Secondly,

it tells us

something about salvation.

Tells us about salvation.

This benediction

is remarkable

on many accounts

but chief among them

is what it tells us

about the source

and the means

and the purpose

of our salvation.

Here we have

the Christian gospel

in miniature.

The grace

of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The love of God.

The fellowship

of the Holy Spirit.

The source

of our salvation

is to be found

in the love

of God the Father.

The source

of our salvation

is to be found

in the love

of God the Father.

God so loved

the world

that he sent

his only begotten

Son.

We wrongly

attribute

to God the Father

the sternest

of all the divine

attributes.

wrath,

judgment,

righteousness,

etc.

But time and again

the Bible

wants us to understand

that the source

of our salvation

is to be found

in the infinite,

eternal,

and unchangeable

love of the Father.

God,

to be understood

as the Father,

demonstrated

his love

for us

in this.

While we were

yet sinners,

Christ died

for us.

God the Father

is simply

filled with love.

In 1 John 3

1 John 3:1

verse 1,

see what kind

of love

the Father

hath lavished

upon us

that we should

be called

children of God

and that is

what we are.

It's a love

with no beginning

and no end,

no start

and no finish.

A love

for us

as infinite

as God

himself

is infinite.

It can't be

measured

or calculated

not even

by our actions.

It's an

unconditional

love.

No human

love

is unconditional

but God's

love for us

carries no

condition.

If someone

was to ask

me this

evening

why I

am a

Christian,

I could

only answer

I love

him because

he first

loved me.

And then

if that

someone

was to

explore with

me why

God loved

me,

all I can

say is

that God

loves me

not for

any qualities

I have,

not for

anything he

can make

out of me,

but because

it's in the

nature of

God the

Father to

love.

Many of us

are fond of

the Christian

singer-songwriter

Stuart Townend,

how deep

the Father's

love for us,

how vast

beyond

all measure.

if the

love of

God the

Father is

the

source of

our

salvation as

Christians,

the grace

of the

Lord Jesus

Christ is

the means

of our

salvation.

How our

becoming

Christians

came about.

The

mechanism

of our

salvation

is the

grace of

God in

the Lord

Jesus

Christ.

In

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 8:9

8 verse

9,

the apostle

writes,

you know

the grace

of our

Lord Jesus

Christ that

though he

was rich

yet for

our

sakes he

became

poor so

that you

by his

poverty

might become

rich.

When we

think of

Jesus we

cannot but

think of

the grace

of God

toward us.

Because of

Jesus we

did not

receive what

we deserved.

We received

what we did

not deserve.

On account

of our

sins we

deserved

the

condemnation

of death

but on

the cross

Jesus was

punished

for our

sins and

died to

bear our

condemnation.

On account

of our

sins we

did not

deserve the

riches of

the mercy

and glory

of God

but on

the cross

Jesus earned

them all

for us

and has

freely gifted

them to

us.

Our

salvation may

have cost us

nothing but

it cost the

glorious son

of God

his life

blood shed

on the

cross for

us.

What gift

of grace

is Jesus

my redeemer

that is no

more for

heaven now

to give.

Because of

Jesus Christ

I who

deserved to

die eternally

now by

faith in him

shall live

eternally in

the glory of

my heavenly

father.

because of

Jesus Christ

I whose

sins were

once as

crimson as

blood

now by

faith

wear the

white robe

of the

righteousness

of Christ.

Well if the

love of God

the father

is the

source of

our salvation

why we

are Christians

the grace

of the

Lord Jesus

Christ

the how

of our

becoming

salvation

the means

the

fellowship

of the

Holy

Spirit

is the

purpose

of our

becoming

Christians

the purpose

in the

upper room

discourse

in John

between

John 14

17

Jesus

tells his

disciples

what will

happen to

them

after his

death and

resurrection

and he

says

I will

ask the

father

and he

will give

you another

helper

to be

with you

forever

even the

spirit of

truth

whom the

world cannot

receive

because it

neither sees

him nor

knows him

you know

him

for he

dwells

within you

and will

be in

you

later

Jesus

says

if anyone

loves me

he will

keep my

word

and my

father will

love him

and we

will come

to him

and make

our home

with him

in other

words

the Holy

Spirit

whom

when we

believe

the

father

sends

to live

within

us

is the

presence

of the

fullness

of the

triune

God

with us

in and

through the

Holy Spirit

we have

fellowship

with God

the father

God the

son

here then

is the

purpose of

our salvation

that we

may know

God

and have

fellowship

and communion

with him

in his

high priestly

prayer in

John 17

John 17:3

verse 3

Jesus

describes

what eternal

life is

this is

eternal life

he says

that they

know you

the only

true God

and Jesus

Christ

whom you

have sent

God

when we

read these

words

the

fellowship

of the

Holy

Spirit

we are

to think

of how

the

Holy

Spirit

brings

to our

hearts

the glorious

knowledge

of the

fullness

of God

Father

Son

and Holy

Spirit

that is

why

this is

a

benediction

offering

us

Son

Father

and Spirit

one

God

oh yes

in this

blessing

God is

offering

us

grace

love

and

fellowship

but more

importantly

he is

offering us

himself

he is

saying to

us

I will

know you

and you

will know

me this

week

I'll be

with you

through all

the trials

of this

week

know this

my beloved

child

I take

great

pleasure

in you

and I

will be

with you

always

in the

raising of

hands

at the

end of

the

service

God

is

reminding

us

of the

purpose

of our

salvation

that

he

himself

shall

be our

inheritance

our

portion

and our

reward

not what

he gives

us

but

he

himself

what

does

any

lover

want

but

the

one

he

loves

he

doesn't

want

her

money

he

doesn't

want

her

gold

he

wants

her

the

triune

God

and the

mysterious

glory

of his

trinity

says to

us

you can

have

my

grace

and you

can

have

my

mercy

and you

can

have

my

fellowship

but more

than

anything

else

I

want

to

give

you

myself

God

goes

with us

into the

week that

lies ahead

God

in the

fullness

of all

he is

he goes

with us

and he

says I'll

never leave

you

no I'll

never forsake

you

tells us

about

salvation

well

finally

this

benediction

tells us

about

prayer

prayer

one of

my

senior

Christian

mentors

recently

gave me

a book

to read

it's

entitled

distinct

communion

and written

by

Dan

Peters

who some

of you

may

know

building

upon

the

work

of the

English

Puritan

John

Owen

in his

book

communion

with

God

which

some

of you

may

have

read

Dan

suggests

and

proves

from

scripture

and

historic

theology

that

we

as

Christians

can

enjoy

distinct

communion

with

each

person

of the

Holy

Trinity

that

depending

upon

our

situations

and

circumstances

we

may

pray

either

to

Father

to

Son

or

to

Holy

Spirit

Dan

seeing

something

very

important

in this

book

which

is

something

I

want

to

work

on

in

my

private

and

public

prayers

in

this

book

in

this

verse

we

read

the

grace

of

the

Lord

Jesus

Christ

and

the

love

of

God

and

the

fellowship

of

the

Holy

Spirit

be

with

you

all

the

triune

God

is

inviting

us

to

enjoy

his

grace

and

his

love

and

his

fellowship

but

under

the

inspiration

of

the

Holy

Spirit

Paul

is

choosing

his

words

very

carefully

he's

attributing

grace

to

the

Lord

Jesus

Christ

he's

attributing

love

to

God

the

Father

he's

attributing

fellowship

to

the

Holy

Spirit

it's

not

as if

we

can't

attribute

love

and

fellowship

to

the

Lord

Jesus

Christ

it's

not

as if

we

can't

attribute

grace

and

fellowship

to

God

the

Father

and

it's

not

as if

we

can't

attribute

grace

and

love

to

the

Holy

Spirit

but

under

the

inspiration

of

the

Holy

Spirit

in

this

verse

Paul

attributes

grace

to

the

Lord

Jesus

Christ

love

to

God

the

Father

and

fellowship

to

the

Holy

Spirit

remember

the

love

of

God

the

Father

is

the

source

of

our

salvation

the

grace

of

the

Lord

Jesus

Christ

is

the

means

of

our

salvation

and

the

fellowship

of

the

Holy

Spirit

is

the

purpose

of

our

salvation

surely

the

exactness

of

Paul's

words

together

with

the

meaning

for

our

salvation

opens

up

a

new

horizon

for

how

we

can

enjoy

distinct

communion

with

each

person

of

the

Trinity

if

I

feel

rejected

and

unloved

if

I'm

not

sure

whether

God

loves

me

or

not

I

can

address

my

prayers

to

God

the

Father

because

love

comes

from

him

if

I

feel

guilty

and

ashamed

not

at

all

convinced

of

my

right

to

eternal

life

I

can

address

my

prayers

to

God

the

Son

because

grace

comes

from

him

and

if

I

feel

distant

from

God

and

very

much

alone

not

at

all

sure

of

whether

I'll

ever

feel

close

to

him

ever

again

I

can

address

my

prayers

to

God

the

Holy

Spirit

because

fellowship

comes

from

him

if

my

problem

concerns

the

source

of

salvation

I

can

take

it

to

God

the

Father

in

prayer

if

it

concerns

the

means

of

salvation

I

can

take

it

to

the

Lord

Jesus

Christ

in

prayer

if

it

concerns

the

purpose

of

the

salvation

I

can

take

it

to

the

Holy

Spirit

in

prayer

it's

not

wrong

to

pray

just

to

God

for

he

is

triune

and

he

is

one

but

for

our

benefit

Paul

allows

us

access

into the

contributions

of each

person of the

Trinity

to our

salvation

on a

daily

level

why don't

you give

this a

goal

in your

prayers

I

am not

a

fan

of

sci-fi

but

I

know

enough

about

it

to

have

learned

that

in

the

future

spacecraft

!

will

all

have

shields

to

defend

themselves

against

the

laser

beams

of

enemy

spacecraft!

Now

there's a

sense in

which

when a

minister

raises

his

hands

at the

end

of a

service

of

worship

and on

God's

behalf

proclaims

the

benediction

God is

placing a

shield of

protection

around us

so that

whatever may

happen in

the week

ahead

we shall

not merely

cope

but we

shall

overcome

the

blessing