The Gathered Church (3) - Gathered to Listen to God

to now conduct the worship, and we'll begin by singing in Psalm 138.

Psalm 138, that's in the Scottish Psalter, that's on page 431, verses 1 to 5,

the tune of St. Paul.

Thee will I praise with all my heart.

I will sing praise to thee before the gods, and worship will toward thy sanctuary.

I'll praise thy name even for thy truth, and kindness of thy love.

For thou thy word has magnified all thy great name above.

Psalm 138, verses 1 to 5.

Psalms 138:1–5

If you're able to stand, please stand while we sing these verses.

Amen.

For thou art, I'll praise thy name even for thy truth, and kindness of thy love.

I'll praise thy name even for thy truth, and kindness of thy love.

For thou art, I'll praise thy name even for thy name.

And find all thy great name above.

Thou didst me answer in the day, when I to thee detry.

For thou art, I am us for thy thy name.

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How gifted place, O Lord,

when a sin from thy mouth shall hear

thy true and faithful word.

Yea, in the righteous ways of God

with gladness they shall sing,

for grace the glory of the Lord

who doth forever reign.

Let's now join together in prayer briefly.

We're praying for the young folks

on the Sunday school and creche

and also the tweenies at this time.

Let's call upon the Lord.

O Lord, our God, we thank you

that our children and young folks

can gather with us,

that we have a heart's desire for them

that they will know you

and that they will come to follow you

all the days of their lives.

And we thank you today, Lord,

that they are here with us

and we pray for those who are away

on holiday at this time

and not able to be with us.

And we pray for other children too

who may have joined us as visitors.

We ask that your blessing

will be with them today as well

as we meet together here to worship you.

Help us, we pray,

to give attention to your word.

Help us to learn from it

and help us especially

to know yourself

and to know the blessing

that you have for your people

to be our portion today.

Receive us, we pray now,

and cleanse us from sin

in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Well, a word to the children now

before we move on with the service.

I'm going to say a number of things to you

and I want you to stick up your hand

if you think that they are actually true.

There are more Lego figures in the world

than there are people.

Now, there are 8 billion people in the world.

That's 8,000 million people in the world.

That's a lot of people.

And if you think there are more Lego figures

than that in the world,

stick your hand up.

Adults can do it as well if you want.

Are there more Lego figures

than 8 billion people?

What do you think?

If you think no,

don't put your hand up.

If you think yes,

put your hand up.

Lots of people think

that's not true.

Some people do think it's true,

so they've got their hands up.

Okay.

What about this then?

Astronauts who go into space.

When an astronaut goes to space,

their body actually grows

a bit taller

while they're in space

and then go back to normal

when they come back to Earth.

Hands up those who think that's true.

Yeah, there's more people

think that that's true

than the first one.

One more for you.

A sea lion

is the only animal

that can clap in time

either to music

or to a beat.

How many people think that's true?

A sea lion is the only animal

that can clap in time

to a beat.

Nobody thinks that's true.

No hands going up.

Okay.

Well, let me tell you,

all of these are actually true.

All of them are true.

Yeah.

But it's not going to make

much difference to your life

whether you actually know that

or not.

I mean,

if you hadn't heard

any of that today

and you went back home

and you hadn't learned

that there are more

Lego figures in the world

than human beings

and that the astronauts

actually grow taller

for the time they're in space

and that a sea lion

can clap in time

to music or to a beat,

it wouldn't really make

much difference to your life

if you didn't know that.

But let me say something else.

God so loved the world

that He gave

His only begotten Son

that whoever believes in Him

should not perish

but have everlasting life.

How many believe

that that's true?

Every hand should go up.

Is there anyone who thinks

that that's not true?

No.

God so loved the world

that He gave His only begotten Son

that whoever believes in Jesus

would not perish

but have everlasting life.

See, it makes a big difference

what you think is true and not

when it's really important.

Some people say,

well, truth is something

that I can just believe for myself.

If it's true for me,

then it doesn't matter

about anything else.

And some people will say,

that's what you should have,

that's the kind of attitude

you should have to the Bible

or to the Gospel.

If it's true for you,

then that's okay,

but it's not true for me.

Now, we must never come

to the Bible or to church

to worship God

with thoughts like that.

It is important

that this is God's truth.

It's not just truth

for some people,

it's truth for everybody.

And it's important

because it tells us

the things

that are really,

really important for us

to believe

and to follow

and to accept.

So today,

it doesn't really matter

that some things

may not be true

or some things

may be true.

It doesn't matter

whether you know about them

or believe them or not,

but it really does matter

that you know Jesus

for yourself

and that you know

that Jesus

is God's Son

who came into the world

to save us

from our sins.

And there's nothing

more important

for us to know

and to know

as the truth

than that.

So today,

this truth,

God's truth,

the truth that's

in the Bible

is so important

compared to many

other things

that may

or may not

be true.

Now we're going to say

the Lord's Prayer.

It's on the sheet

if you need to follow it.

We're doing this

because we want to learn

the Lord's Prayer

off by heart.

It's important

not just to know

the words

but to know

the meaning of them too.

And in fact,

certain other passages

of the Bible,

as much of the Bible

as you can,

it's important

for us to learn

and to be able

to recite.

So let's say

the Lord's Prayer then.

Our Father,

which art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done

on earth

as it is in heaven.

Give us this day

our daily bread

and forgive us

our debts

as we forgive

our debtors.

and lead us

not into temptation

but deliver us

from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

the power,

and the glory

forever.

Amen.

We're going to sing

once again.

This time we're singing

Psalm 119.

In St. Psalms,

that's on page 157,

verses 1 to 8.

Tune this before the throne.

Blessed are those

of blameless ways

who live according

to God's Word.

Blessed are those

who keep His laws,

who with their whole heart

seek the Lord.

Our theme topic

for the sermon today

is listening to God,

following the series

we're having

on the gathered church,

but the gathered church

in the sense

in which today

we're going to look at it

as the church gathered

to listen

to God's voice.

These words

in our Psalms today

have to do

mainly with

how we're hearing God

and how God is speaking

to us through His Word.

So these words,

Blessed are those

of blameless ways

who live according

to God's Word.

Let's stand to sing.

Blessed are those

of blameless ways

who live according

to God's Word.

Blessed are those

who keep His laws,

who with their whole heart

seek the Lord.

They keep themselves

from doing wrong

by walking in His

strength with praise.

You have established

laws on us

that are to be

open always,

that are to be

open always.

O that my grace

were steadfast, Lord,

in making your

your deeds

leads my aim.

So when I think

God you commands,

I would not feel

disgrace or shame.

I will praise you

with an upright heart,

as you just lost

are there by me.

All your deeds

I will obey,

do not forsake me

utterly,

do not forsake me

utterly.

Let's now turn

to read God's Word,

and our reading this morning

is from Acts chapter 10.

Acts 10 · chapter mention

The book of Acts chapter 10,

Acts 10 · chapter mention

reading from the beginning

down as far as verse 33.

Acts chapter 10,

Acts 10 · chapter mention

from the beginning

of the chapter.

You'll find it around

page 1106

in the church Bibles

if you're using those.

At Caesarea,

there was a man

named Cornelius,

a centurion

of what was known

as the Italian cohort,

a devout man

who feared God

with all his household,

gave alms generously

to the people,

and prayed continually

to God.

About the ninth hour

of the day,

he saw clearly

in a vision

an angel of God

come in and say to him,

Cornelius.

And he stared at him

in terror and said,

What is it, Lord?

And he said to him,

Your prayers

and your alms

have ascended

as a memorial

before God.

And now send men

to Joppa

and bring one Simon

who is called Peter.

He is lodging

with one Simon

at Tanner

whose house

is by the seaside.

When the angel

who spoke to him

had departed,

he called two

of his servants

and a devout soldier

from among those

who attended him,

and having related

everything to them,

he sent them

to Joppa.

The next day

as they were

on their journey

and approaching the city,

Peter went up

on the housetop

about the sixth hour

to pray.

And he became hungry

and wanted something

to eat.

But while they were

preparing it,

he fell into a trance

and saw the heavens

opened and something

like a great sheet

descending,

being let down

by its four corners

upon the earth.

In it were all kinds

of animals

and reptiles

and birds of the air.

And there came

a voice to him,

Rise, Peter,

kill and eat.

But Peter said,

By no means, Lord,

for I have never

eaten anything

that is common

or unclean.

And the voice

came to him again

the second time,

What God has made clean,

do not call common.

This happened three times,

and the thing

was taken up

at once to heaven.

Now while Peter

was inwardly perplexed

as to what the vision

that he had seen

might mean,

behold,

the men who were sent

by Cornelius,

having made

inquiry for Simon's house,

stood at the gate

and called out

to ask whether Simon,

who was called Peter,

was lodging there.

And while Peter

was pondering the vision,

the Spirit said to him,

Behold,

three men are looking

for you.

Rise and go down

and accompany them

without hesitation,

for I have sent them.

And Peter went down

to the men

and said,

I am the one

you are looking for.

What is the reason

for your coming?

And they said,

Cornelius,

a centurion,

an upright

and God-fearing man

who is well spoken of

by the whole Jewish nation,

was directed

by a holy angel

to send for you

to come to his house

and to hear

what you have to say.

So he invited them

in to be his guests.

The next day

he arose

and went away with them,

and some of the brothers

from Joppa

accompanied him.

And on the following day

they entered Caesarea.

Cornelius was expecting them

and had called together

his relatives

and close friends.

When Peter entered,

Cornelius met him

and fell down

at his feet

and worshipped him.

But Peter lifted him up

saying,

Stand up,

I too am a man.

And as he talked with them,

he went in

and found many persons gathered.

And he said to them,

You yourselves know

how unlawful it is

for a Jew

to associate with

or to visit anyone

of another nation.

But God has shown me

that I should not call

any person

common or unclean.

So when I was sent for,

I came without objection.

I asked then,

Why you sent for me?

And Cornelius said,

Four days ago,

about this hour,

I was praying in my house

at the ninth hour.

Behold,

a man stood before me

in bright clothing

and said,

Cornelius,

your prayer has been heard

and your alms

have been remembered

before God.

Send,

therefore,

to Joppa

and ask for Simon

who is called Peter.

He is lodging

in the house of Simon

at Tanner by the sea.

So I sent for you

at once

and you have been

kind enough to come.

Now,

therefore,

we are all here

in the presence of God

to hear all

that you have been commanded

by the Lord.

Amen.

And may God

follow with this blessing,

this reading again

of His Word.

Let us once again

join together in prayer.

Lord,

we give thanks today

that we are gathered here

in Your name.

We thank You

for the purpose

of our gathering,

which is to worship You,

to come into Your presence,

to draw near to You,

and to come, Lord,

that we might give You

the praise,

the worship,

the honor that is due to You,

that we might also

be receivers

of Your blessing,

and through Your Word

we might come to know

more of that wonderful

eternal life

that You give

to Your people,

that we might also

be able to encourage

one another

in the things

of the Lord.

Oh, bless us,

we pray,

as we come before You.

And that Holy Spirit,

Lord,

of whom we were reading

in this passage

of Your Word,

may it please You,

Lord,

to bestow Your Spirit

today to guide us,

to open our hearts

and minds

to receive Your Word,

and to enable us,

oh, Lord,

to understand more fully

and more completely

and more accurately

those things

that are revealed in it

for our edification,

for our growth

in holiness

and in the grace

and knowledge

of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Bless us,

then, we pray,

as we come together

in this way once more.

We ask that Your blessing

may rest upon us

as a congregation

of Your people

and all the congregations

we represent today

wherever we live.

Lord, we pray

that You would be pleased

to bless Your own Word

in our midst.

We ask that You would assure us

that where Your people

gather together

in Your name,

You are there in the midst.

And You are there in the midst

because You take delight in them

and are pleased to bless them.

And we come before You,

Lord,

also conscious

of our unworthiness,

of our sinfulness,

conscious that we need

to confess our sin

as we do to You,

conscious that we need

Your cleansing

from our sin,

Your washing of us

by Your Holy Spirit,

that our hearts may be clean,

that our hearts may be sprinkled

with this power of Your Spirit

in forgiving our sins

and cleansing us

from our defilement.

And therefore,

that we may come before You,

O Lord,

with our conscience purged

and our sin put behind us.

We come before You,

Lord,

seeking that You would,

as we confess our sin,

that You would assure us

of Your great promise

that if we confess our sins,

then You are faithful

and just to forgive us

our sins

and to cleanse us

from all unrighteousness.

We ask Your blessing

to be with us

in all activities

related to our congregational life.

We pray for all

that will take place,

Lord,

by Your will

in this week to come.

And we ask

that You would continue

to bless

and to own

and acknowledge

all that we seek to do

in Your name

and accompaniment

with the worship services

of the congregation.

We ask, too,

Your blessing,

O Lord,

for Nigel Kenny

as he comes to speak

on Wednesday.

We give thanks for him

and from the Christian Institute.

And we ask, Lord,

that You would continue

to bless them

as they bring to our notice

and attention

and help us

with various materials

and matters

that help us

to face the issues

of the day

and those things

that are especially

of concern to us

in our generation.

And so, remember Him,

we pray,

as He goes

from place to place

and as He brings to us,

O Lord,

the work of the Institute.

Remember, too, Lord,

our friends

in the international mission

to the Jewish people.

We thank You for them

and we pray for them

at this time,

especially when we know

of such heightened tension

in Israel

and in the surrounding area.

We, Lord, ask that You

bless all their missionaries

in the various parts

of the world

where they serve You.

We pray that You would

continue to bless

their message,

bless their witness

to the Jewish people,

O Lord,

throughout all these areas

of the world.

Remember, too,

that troubled area

of the world,

O Lord,

especially at this time.

We pray for the people

of Israel.

We pray for the people

of Gaza.

We pray that You

will bless them

at this time

of difficulty,

of the outbreak

of war,

and the tension

that accompanies it,

and the destruction

that inevitably

is part of

such a situation.

Lord,

our God,

may it please You

to bring about

a true and lasting peace.

And may the hearts

of those who are

at enmity with You

and with each other

and with the Gospel,

may they come to be won

by the Holy Spirit,

that they come, Lord,

to lay down their enmity,

and especially their enmity

against Yourself,

and may they come

to know You

as the Prince of Peace,

the God of peace,

the God who brought

from the dead

our Lord Jesus Christ.

We ask Your blessing

for all other parts

of the world today,

all other nations

where there is war

and where there is terrorism,

where there is tension,

where there is so much

difficulty for people

to live their daily lives

in peace.

We ask especially again

that You'd remember

Ukraine and the situation there.

We pray that You'd bless them,

and we ask that You would

continue to help them

against the aggression

of those who have invaded

their country.

We ask, Lord,

that You would be pleased

to bring about peace

there as well,

but help us as we pray

for peace in our world,

Lord, to realize that peace

so often comes at a cost.

We need to stand

for principles

that we know from Your Word

are right and true.

We ask, O Lord,

that You would continue

to bless Your people there

especially,

and we ask that You would

be pleased to grant them,

especially those of them

who remain in Ukraine

as well as those

who have gone to other countries.

Lord, remember them,

we pray,

as a people,

and the hostility

against them at this time.

We ask for our own

Ukrainian friends

here in the congregation,

and the family who have come

to be with us

for some time.

Bless them.

Bless them as they think

of situations back home.

Bless them here with us,

we pray,

and guard them about

and keep them

and help them

in their daily lives,

Lord,

as they adjust at this moment

to being here

in a difficult place for them,

difficult in terms

of their language

and of the situation

and the culture.

Be pleased, Lord,

to bless them

and continue to watch over them.

We ask that You would

now continue to bless us here

as we worship You.

We pray that You would help us

to hear Your voice,

to listen to Your voice,

to hear us as You speak to us

through Your Word.

We ask that You would help us,

Lord,

to focus our mind

on the importance

of hearing the living God

and coming to respond

to His voice

with our obedient response.

Lord, grant us these mercies,

we pray,

for we ask them in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Before we turn to God's Word,

we'll sing once again,

again in Psalm 119.

And this time we're singing

in the Scottish Psalter.

I'm sorry,

we're singing in the Sing Psalms

on page 165,

singing verses 137 to 144.

The tune this time is Warrington.

O Lord, You are the righteous one.

The statutes that You give are just.

You lay down laws of righteousness

entirely worthy of our trust.

So, Psalm 119,

Psalms 119:137–144

verses 137 to 144,

on page 165,

to God's praise.

O Lord, You are the righteous one.

The statutes that You give are just.

You lay down laws of righteousness

entirely worthy of our trust.

My zeal consumes and wears me out,

because my foes forget Your word.

Your promises are tried and true,

and I, Your servant, love them, Lord.

O I am lowly undespised,

Your peace and time do not forget.

Eternal is Your righteousness,

true is the law that You have said.

The stress and trouble

best be done,

but Your commands are my delight.

Grant wisdom so that I may live.

Your statutes are forever mine.

Now please turn with me to Acts chapter 10,

Acts 10 · chapter mention

the passage we read,

especially the words we find in verse 33,

but we'll need to take these few verses

before that as well.

And indeed, we read through the whole passage

just to give us the buildup

to what we find in the verse

that we're looking at today.

So verse 33,

So I sent for you at once,

and you have been kind enough to come.

Now therefore we are all here

in the presence of God

to hear all that you have been commanded

by the Lord,

especially that second part of the verse.

We are here in the presence of God

to hear all that you have been commanded

by the Lord.

So a third in the series,

a very short series on the gathered church,

where we're looking at matters

that are particularly of importance

with regard to the church

as gathered together,

such as we are today in worship.

We've looked previously at Matthew 18,

as many as are gathered in the name of Christ,

even if there are just two or three,

God or Christ is present in the midst.

We looked at that passage first of all.

Then we looked at Hebrews chapter 10,

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

from the foundation of Jesus

being the high priest of His people,

that we are to draw near to God.

And then it says a number of things

that are related to that,

finishing with that we are to

draw near to God and be together,

assembling, not forgetting,

the assembling of ourselves together,

as the custom of some is,

but rather that we stimulate one another

to love and to good works,

another important aspect

of our gathering together,

along with the worship of God,

which is given primary consideration.

And today we're looking

at this particular focus

on being in the presence of God

to hear all that you have been commanded

by the Lord.

Now, there's a lot to do with

attending to the worship of God,

and that is more than just listening to God.

We're singing His praises.

We call upon Him in prayer, as you know.

But we're focusing today on this verse

as it gives particular interest to us

with regard to listening to God.

We're gathered together

as the church of God

to hear what God has to say to us.

And it's interesting,

the way that it's put here.

We've read through the build-up to it,

this man Cornelius,

and how the Lord brought this to his house,

how He brought him into this situation.

And so our focus,

and really this in many ways

is a miniature, isn't it,

of what the church ought to be

or what the gathering of the church,

the gathering of the church

in a congregational sense

or even the wider sense

or even a smaller sense,

how it ought to be.

And the words here, I think,

are so appropriate for ourselves,

whether it's here

in a congregational setting

or a smaller or larger setting,

that we can say

we are all here

in the presence of God

to hear what God has to say to us

through the preaching of His Word,

the things that are commanded

by the Lord.

Now, what then can we take

from this passage?

Well, first of all,

we learn from this

the importance of a due preparation

to hear God's voice.

The importance of a due preparation.

The key to any successful project

or event is in the preparation.

It doesn't matter what you're going to do,

whether it's a small or great event

or project,

the key is in the preparation.

Tradesmen will tell you that

if you come and say to them,

well, that's a really brilliant job

you've made,

whether it's painting

or joinery,

whatever it is,

and they'll tell you,

yes, but the secret

is in the preparation.

If you do the preparation,

if that's the way it should be,

then that's really the basis

of a good job,

the basis of a successful project.

And it's the same

with our hearing of God's Word.

In many ways,

the preparation is as important

as the moment you're actually hearing

the Word itself being preached to you.

And the key, therefore,

in the preparation

is also in this passage as well.

Because you notice,

he called his friends in verse 24.

You notice what Cornelius did

when he,

on the following day,

as they entered Caesarea,

Cornelius was expecting them

and had called together

his relatives and close friends.

You see, for Cornelius,

this was going to be

a really important event.

He was expecting the apostle Peter.

He was expecting him to come

with some people accompanying him.

And this word expecting

that you find in that verse

is really an important word.

It's important because it means

something more than just

a general sort of expectation.

Cornelius was expecting them

means Cornelius was eagerly

looking forward to them coming.

Cornelius had his mind set

upon them coming

and upon Peter especially

coming at his invitation

to his house

to tell them more about the Lord.

Cornelius was not a Jew.

He was a Gentile.

He was a convert to Judaism.

He still had a lot to learn,

as you obviously see

from his reaction

when Peter entered.

He wanted to worship Peter

until Peter corrected him.

But he was a devout man.

He worshipped God.

He prayed.

This was an answer

to his prayers to God.

And here is Cornelius

expecting them.

He had prayed.

He knew he was coming.

And the coming of Peter

was of such importance to him

that he called together

his friends and his relatives

to be part of that occasion.

It wasn't enough for him

that he was expecting Peter eagerly.

It wasn't enough for him

that he was excited

at the prospect

of this apostle coming

to speak to him,

to tell him more about the Lord.

He wanted others to share

in that experience.

He wanted others to come

and benefit from that event.

And you know,

that's what is true for us

as well, isn't it?

Surely.

That we come together here

not just for our own sake.

We don't just come

as individuals.

We come collective.

We're the gathered church of God.

But you want others

to share that experience.

Why do you want others

to share that experience?

Well, you don't say to people,

come and hear our minister.

That's not where you begin.

You begin with saying,

there's an important event

happening every single Sunday

and other times

in Stornway Free Church

or whatever church

we belong to.

And it's important

because it's made important

by the fact that God is there

and that God is speaking

to us through His Word.

Come and hear Him.

That's the conviction,

really, isn't it,

of what's happening here today.

We haven't just gathered together here

because we have a nice time together,

because we enjoy fellowship

with each other.

That's all part of it,

I'm sure.

But we have come together today

because we're convinced

that this is a place

and this is an occasion,

this is an event

where God comes to speak to us.

Where God addresses us

through the Bible,

through the Word of God

being preached.

Where God has laid upon

a preacher's heart

things that He wants to share out

and preach to the congregation.

That's what God,

that's why God has placed us

where we are.

You see,

our invitation to others

to come to church,

however we put it,

doesn't really make much difference

how we put it,

though we have to think carefully

about our words,

but we want people

to come to church.

We want others

who've stopped coming to church

or dropped out of the habit

of coming to church

for whatever reason,

especially since the COVID period.

We know that there are some people

maybe still reluctant

to come out physically to church

to join others.

All of that is part of

where we are as a people

and as a congregation

and as a community,

but however we put it

and however much

the invitation is meant,

this is the basis of it

because we are convinced

that the importance

of this event

is based on the fact

that God is here

and that God speaks to us

and that we should be ready

to listen to Him.

So the preparation

in the preaching of the gospel,

the preparation for it

is based on the fact

that it's an occasion

where God speaks to His people

and therefore not only

do we want to come

to be part of that ourselves,

but we want others

to share it with us as well.

That's where the invitation,

that's where the evangelistic emphasis

of the church

really reaches out to people

on the basis of what happens

in the preaching of the Word.

But there's also,

along with calling His friends,

this due preparation,

there's a readiness to hear.

Now he says,

we are all here

in the presence of God

to hear all that you have been commanded

by the Lord.

They are there in the presence of God,

Cornelius is saying,

we are all here,

and we are here specifically

to hear what you have to say,

what God has commanded you

to say to us.

Well, many of us are old enough

like I am to go back

to pre-television days

and even to pre-digital radio days.

And when you wanted to listen

to something on the radio,

I remember as a boy

with my father listening

to things like

international football matches

Scotland were playing.

You would listen to it on the radio,

but you had to tune the radio

to the right channel,

and sometimes the signal

wasn't all that great,

and you would hear a lot of whistling

and cracking and noises,

and then the channel would come up

and you'd be listening to it,

and then just maybe

at a very important part

in the commentary

and the radio commentary

of it would go again,

crackling away,

and you'd lose so much of it.

But you were trying

to tune that radio

to the correct position

to hear what was being said,

and you were really

listening keenly,

and because you were keen

to hear and keen to listen

and keen to actually

follow what was being said

and hear all the details of it,

you wanted to make sure

that the tuning

was as accurate as possible.

And that's really,

in a sense,

what we're doing

with our minds

and with our souls

as we come to church,

as we come to

hear the gospel.

And as we come to follow

the words of Cornelius there,

this is how it should be

for ourselves,

our minds to be tuned

accurately and carefully

and prayerfully

to the voice of God.

There's no ordinary voice.

There's no ordinary occasion.

We may think at times

that it's something

that we just do habitually,

and we do.

It is a habit.

It's a good habit,

but it's more than that.

It's something where we,

every time we come,

should be thinking,

I'm there to listen to God.

I'm there to listen

to what God has given

the preacher to say.

And however much

we've heard it already,

it's the same

on this occasion

as on previous occasions.

We're here

to listen to God.

the larger catechism,

question 160,

what is required of those

that hear the word preached?

Important question.

It is required of those

that hear the word preached

that they attend upon it

with diligence,

preparation,

and prayer,

that they examine

what they hear

by the Scriptures,

that they receive

the truth with faith,

love,

meekness,

and readiness of mind

as the word of God,

that they meditate

and confer of it,

that they hide it

in their hearts

and bring forth

the fruit of it

in their lives.

Now,

there's a lot packed

into that answer

to the question,

what is required

of those

that hear

the word preached?

but it's such

an important issue

and so many things

that are related to it

because it's such

an important issue.

We are here

in the presence of God

to hear

all that you have been

commanded

by God

to say.

I'm always annoyed

if I'm on a plane

or any place else

that has a safety announcement.

Just recently

on a plane,

the safety announcement

was about to be made

and over the time

I came,

the announcement,

I want you to listen

very carefully

to this following

safety announcement.

Even if you heard

similar before,

this is particularly

appropriate

to this type

of aircraft.

So,

please put off

your headphones,

stop your reading,

whatever you're doing,

please listen

and watch the demonstration.

And you know,

it's really annoying

because there was

somebody in front of us

who just had the earphones

on all the time.

I don't know,

maybe they were listening

to it through the earphones.

I doubted.

And there were other people

that were just in

conversation so loudly

with their fellow passenger

that you could hardly hear

what was being said

because of their voice

being raised

to get it above

the announcement.

What's really happening there?

There's people being

given directions

as to their safety

and their well-being

and they're just hearing

it as a noise

but they're not really

listening to it.

They're maybe saying,

oh, I heard all this

before, I know it all.

Or maybe they're saying,

well, I don't want to think

about this plane crashing.

I don't want to think

about that sort of disaster

so I'm not really

going to listen to this.

It really scares me.

Maybe that's the reason

they don't listen.

But they should listen.

Their safety depends on it.

If that were to meet

with an emergency,

just imagine the panic

for people who hadn't

been listening to

what was being said.

What do I do?

Where's my life vest?

Here, God is doing

exactly the same thing

but in a much more

important way.

He's giving you

a safety announcement today.

He's announcing to you

the things that are

so crucial to the

well-being of your soul,

the well-being of your life,

to your eternity.

And even if it's difficult

for us, as it is at times

for us naturally,

to think about the end of life,

what might be true

at the end stage of life,

what is true about death itself,

what is true about eternity,

what the Bible has to say.

I know it's difficult

for us to actually think

of those things

because they're such

serious issues,

but it's because they are

such serious issues

that we have to listen

to God.

And we have to clear

our minds

so that we're attuned

to the voice of God.

The gospel

is in many ways

God's safety announcement

to us.

Here is where

our security is.

Here is where

our relationship with God

is set out for us.

Here is what is most

important and crucial

for us.

And even you young folks

today, you're not too young

to listen to the voice

of God.

And I know sometimes

you actually show us

that you do listen,

and that's great

to the voice of God

because you tell your parents

or others when you get home

of what the minister was saying

or what the children's address

was or whatever,

and we hope that that's true.

But it's important always

that you listen

to the voice of God

in the gospel,

in the Word of God,

in the preaching

of the gospel.

So you're never too young

to prepare

to meet with God.

Never too young

to serve God.

Never too young

to be a disciple

of Jesus.

And so to do so,

we listen to God.

We are here

in the presence of God

to hear

all that you have been

commanded

by the Lord.

You know,

the Bible

joins together

three things

very, very closely.

So closely, in fact,

that you can't separate them

unless you've been

deliberately

difficult about it.

And the three things

are hearing,

listening,

and obeying.

Because hearing

in the teaching

of the Bible

generally means

that you are listening.

It's not just

the hearing of a sound.

It's the hearing

that is listening

to what actually

is being said,

to what God

is actually saying to us.

And it's with a view

to obeying that

with a view

to actually working

that through

in your own life.

These are the three things

the Bible

so closely joins together.

Sometimes,

as we've seen

with the safety announcement,

people are hearing,

hearing the noise of it,

but not really listening

to the words,

not listening precisely.

It must never be like that.

You and I

must never get so used

to the preaching

of the gospel

or to reading

the Bible

for ourselves

that we will just do it

as a matter of fact

and a matter of form

and think that we've

just ticked that box.

We are here

in the presence of God

to hear,

to listen,

to have our minds

attuned

to what God

is actually saying to us

through the message

of the gospel.

So that's the due

preparation,

due preparation

that flows into

what we actually do

while we're here

in church,

while we're gathered together

under the gospel.

But there's something else

that I want to mention

as our second main point

is that we are all here,

not just to hear

all that you've been

commanded by God,

but he's saying

we are all here

in the presence

of God.

We are here

in the presence of God.

He didn't say

we are all here

in the presence

of each other.

We are all here together.

That was true.

We are here,

he says,

in the presence of God.

And you know,

in many ways,

we might say

that that's one

of the most important

issues for us

to have in our minds

as we come together

collectively

to worship the Lord.

That we are,

in fact,

in the presence

of God.

And the more

we fill our mind

with the facts of that,

with the fact of that,

with the factuality of that,

with the truth of that,

the more you and I

will be prepared

to listen.

Because if we come

consciously to church

or to wherever else we are,

even if we're just reading

the Bible on our own,

if we come conscious

of the fact that

it's God's presence

we are in,

we're always in God's presence

in a sense,

we're never out of God's sight,

but it's a special sense

in which we come

into God's presence

as we come together

collectively

as a gathered church

to worship Him.

We're in the presence

of God

in that special sense

of which the Bible

often speaks,

that we draw near to God.

And we saw that

in Hebrews 10.

You'll find in Hebrews 4,

Hebrews 4:16

verse 16,

let us draw near

to the throne of grace,

that we may receive

mercy and obtain grace

to help in time of need.

James 4, verse 8,

James 4:8

draw near to God

and He will draw near

to you.

So when we come

to gather together

as the gatherer church

of God,

we are drawing near

to God.

And as we're drawing

near to God

as we gather,

we do so mindfully.

We do so mindful

of the fact

that it is God

that we approach,

that we're in the presence

of God.

And that's what makes

the occasion

truly special

and significant to us,

that we're not just

meeting together,

we're meeting together

in the presence

of God.

How important

is that to yourself

today?

Is that how you prepare

to come to church

today?

Did you prepare

by saying,

I know that I'm going

to be with others

coming into the presence

of God,

so I've really got

to think about that?

I've got to think

about the privilege

of that,

the importance of that?

I know that I'm going

to a place

which is associated

with God speaking

through the preaching

of the Word.

I need to prepare

for that,

I need to pray

about that,

I need to think

about what that means

to myself,

is that how you came,

is that how you prepared?

And when you think

about the fact

that God is speaking,

that that's what makes

the occasion very special

through the preaching

of the Word,

did you invite

somebody else to come?

Did you say

to somebody,

look, I really would like

you to come to church

with me today,

it's important?

Did you invite someone

to church?

When did you last

invite somebody

to come to church

with you?

See, if we're thinking

as we should be

of how important

an occasion it is

that God speaks

to His people,

how important

an occasion it is

where we're in

the presence of God,

that our hearts

should surely be burdened

that others would come

and share that

and share that experience

and know that

for themselves.

And that's why

we invite them,

because it's important

to us

that God is here,

that God is speaking,

and we want others

to benefit

from that with us.

And he says here,

we are all

in the presence

of God here.

And that word

all actually

is very emphatic

in the Greek text

of that verse.

Now, therefore,

we are all here.

Cornelius said,

all of us are here.

Everybody that I invited

is here,

and we're here

to hear what God

has to say to us

through you.

And that makes it

important too,

because we can say

that of ourselves today,

we are all here.

In other words,

you say of yourself,

well, I'm here

and I'm here

with a lot of other people,

and we're here

to hear what God

is saying,

and that's where

I want to be,

and that's what

I really love to be.

It doesn't matter

what others say.

It doesn't matter

what others

outside the all

have to say.

This is for us.

This is where

I want to be.

This is what's meaningful.

This is what's important

to me.

And we are all here.

Nobody's left out.

Those who are here

are here

because they want

to be here,

because they know

that it's an important

occasion.

for themselves.

And it's to hear

all that you have been

commanded by the Lord.

That's interesting

because the beginning

of the chapter,

we read that

this man,

Cornelius,

was a centurion

of a certain group

of soldiers

called the Italian Corps.

You might say

that was his group.

That was the group

he was in charge of.

And as a centurion

in charge of

a hundred soldiers,

this man would be

well used to giving

orders.

And not only would be

well used to giving

orders,

but well used to expect

that the orders

he gave would be

obeyed.

That people would

actually do the things

that he was ordering

and that he often

would be for their own

safety as well.

And as he gave the orders,

he expected those

who were hearing him

to carry out these orders

to the best of their ability.

And that's what God,

our commander,

is saying to us today.

The things that you have

been commanded

by the Lord,

there's no ordinary task

to preach the gospel.

I'm not highlighting myself

when I say that.

Others who are preachers

of the gospel

will say exactly

the same thing.

It's no ordinary task

to preach the gospel.

It's the greatest privilege

given to human beings

to actually be

the mouthpiece for God,

to actually be someone

that God is using

to convey His truth

or to seek to explain

or expound His truth.

That's why it's commanded

by God.

That's why it lies upon us

as something that God Himself

places upon us

as a burden.

He commands us

to preach the gospel.

It's not a burdensome command

in the sense

in which we don't want

to do it.

It's burdensome

because it carries

responsibility.

But you see,

the thing for you today

as hearers of the gospel,

hearers of the gospel

preached is this.

All the things,

I trust in speaking the truth,

all the things

that you will be hearing

today in this sermon

are things commanded

by the Lord.

You're not here

to listen to me.

You're not here

because I have something

that I am commanding you to do.

You're not here

because I am instructing

or pointing

or doing something

that draws your mind

to certain activity

that you're hearing