Stones that Speak

We're going to begin our service then, friends, worshipping God by singing to his praise from Psalm 103.

Psalm 103 in Sing Psalms.

That's on page 135 of the Blue Psalm books, reading at the beginning of the psalm, Psalm 103.

Praise God my soul with all my heart, let me exalt his holy name.

Forget not all his benefits, his praise my soul in song proclaim.

The Lord forgives you all your sins and heals your sickness and distress.

Your life he rescues from the grave and crowns you in his tenderness.

We'll sing down to the end of the verse marked 11 to the praise of God, standing to sing,

Praise God my soul with all my heart.

Praise God my soul with all my heart.

Let me exalt his holy name.

Forget not all his benefits, his praise my soul in song proclaim.

The Lord forgives you all your sins and heals your sickness and distress.

Your life he rescues from the grave and crowns you in his tenderness.

He satisfies your deep desire.

He satisfies your deep desire.

From his unending source of good.

So that just like the evil strength, your youth will be her is renewed.

The Lord is known for righteous acts, and justice to the God in once.

Till Moses he made known his ways.

His mighty days to Israel's sons.

The Lord is merciful and kind.

To thine best, low and full of grace.

He will not constantly do.

For in his anger hide his days.

He does not banish our mercies.

For he has been their just reward.

And great his love as high as men.

To hearts alone, to fear the Lord.

Amen.

Friends, let's unite our hearts in prayer.

Let us pray.

Lord our God, we come and we seek this evening to know what it is to worship you in spirit and in truth.

That we are a people who are richly blessed as we reflect this evening upon the reason of our gathering.

That we gather together in order to come before the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the one who is high and lifted up.

The one who is infinite, eternal and unchangeable.

What a wonder it is that this is our desire.

To come and to worship.

And as we gather, O Lord, at this time, we pray that we might know something of your Holy Spirit leading us and guiding us to those fountains of living water.

That our gathering together would not be born out of any routine or ritual.

But rather that we would come with that sense of expectation.

Expecting you to fulfill your promise to your people.

That where two or three gather in your name.

You promised to be there in their midst.

And so we pray that indeed we would be here in the name of Jesus Christ.

That you would honor this promise.

And that we would be able to say it was good for us to meet.

You are worthy of all praise and adoration.

Not least because although you are the God who inhabits eternity, you are the God who draws nigh to sinners just like us.

You are a God who accommodates our weakness and our infirmities.

You are a God who meets us at our very point of need.

You accommodate our finite mind by revealing yourself to us in a way that we can understand.

And for this we give thanks.

We give thanks for your word.

This special revelation of not only who you are, but who we can be in you.

What a blessing it is that for many of us here tonight, we can say that indeed we are in Christ.

That our identity is not found in anything in this world.

Not even in ourselves.

But in the one who died and gave himself for us.

The one who cried out upon that cross.

It is finished.

So that for us, our life would just begin.

And so as we reflect upon the wonders of such an identity, we pray that all the more we would find ourselves coming and worshiping your name.

Individually and collectively as a people who you tell us is your beloved bride.

We know that indeed we are those who have been chosen from all eternity.

We know not why and in many ways we cannot understand the depths of such wonders.

But yet we believe.

We believe that you are God and that there is none other.

And that in this very act of faith, we come and we cling on to you as the only one for life and for death.

And Lord, we pray this evening for all who gather here.

Those who perhaps are unable to identify as of yet as a child of God.

Those who are perhaps wandering aimlessly in the wilderness as we once were ourselves.

That you would be with them even this evening.

That you would speak to them mightily by your word through your spirit.

That you would bring them to that place where they recognize their need of you.

For indeed what should it profit a man if he should gain the whole world and lose his soul?

What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Help us to see the brevity of time.

The time is short and eternity is long.

And that in light of this, we would make our calling and election sure by coming and laying hold of these promises by faith.

That those who seek will find.

Those who knock will have that door opened unto them.

And so we pray also for any gathered here this evening who as of yet are to profess your name publicly.

Those who perhaps do identify in their hearts as a child of God.

But have not come out and publicly shown that they have been bought by the precious blood of Christ.

Help them we pray even this evening as your word goes out.

That it would encourage them and draw them and strengthen them.

To truly know the blessing that follows such obedience.

We know that Satan is like a roaring lion seeking whom he might devour.

He is the accuser of the brethren.

He is the one who even at this time is whispering in our ears and telling us that we are his.

Forgive us, O Lord, for listening to his voice.

Forgive us for doubting our salvation.

Forgive us for the many times that we lose sight of the fact that our security is not in our own righteousness.

But in the righteousness of another.

And so we pray then that you would be with this dear congregation in the days that lie ahead.

We give thanks for their witness here in the town of Stornoway.

That this would be a continued witness.

That they would shine as a beacon of light in a dark world.

And that they would seek to reach out with the good news of the gospel.

We pray for this new ministry that has commenced.

We give thanks for it, for Calamordo.

And we pray that as he partners in the gospel with James.

That together they will see great things happening.

Not only in terms of a leadership team.

But as a congregation.

That they would all have that shared vision and purpose.

To go out and to, as it were, from one beggar to another.

Show them where to get food.

What a wonder it is.

That you have not left us to ourselves.

But you have provided for us that way of salvation.

Help us then to be reminded of its urgency.

And to seek with every fiber of our being.

To fulfill that calling that is ours.

To make disciples of all nations.

And so we pray that you would bless our time together this evening.

And also every other congregation that is meeting in a like manner.

We pray your hand of blessing upon the ministry of your word.

Wherever it goes out.

That it would go out with sincerity and with power.

That it would penetrate hearts.

So that men and women, boys and girls.

Would be fed and nourished in their souls.

That they would be drawn even from darkness.

Into your own most marvelous light.

And so be with us now we pray.

Forgive us for all our many sins.

And all we ask, we ask in Jesus name.

Amen.

Well we're going to continue singing to God's praise.

This time from Psalm 106.

Psalm 106 in the Scottish Psalter.

This is on page 378.

Psalm 106.

We can pick up a reading from verse 4.

Psalm 106 and verse 4.

Remember me Lord with that love.

Which thou to thine dost bear.

With thy salvation, O my God.

To visit me draw near.

That I thy chosen good may see.

And in their joy rejoice.

And may with thine inheritance triumph with cheerful voice.

Let's lift up our voices and praise.

Let's lift up our voices and praise from Psalm 106.

Verse 4.

Standing to sing.

Remember me Lord with that love.

Remember me Lord with that love.

For the love of that love.

Which thou to light us bear.

With thy salvation, O my God.

To visit me draw near.

That I thy chosen to be.

To be.

That I thy chosen to be.

To be.

For the love of that love.

To be.

To be.

To be.

To be.

To be.

To be.

Is it me, John, near

That I, thy chosen to deceive

And in their joy rejoice

And here with thine inheritance

Triumph with cheerful voice

We with our fathers

Say it, God

Act of iniquity

Too long we have the workers' feet

We have done wickedly

Thou wonders great wish

That, O Lord, this work

In each of our

Our fathers

All they saw yet well

It did not understand

And may thy mercy

Is not assured

Yet not in memory

But at the sea

In mercy

Provoked in grieveously

Never the rest

He saved the dead

Been for his own name's sake

That so he might

To be well

Lord

His mighty power

May

Well, friends, let us now turn

To read the word of God together

We're going to read from the Old Testament

And from the book of Joshua

Joshua chapter 4

Joshua 4 · chapter mention

We'll read the whole chapter together

Let us hear the word of God

When all the nation had finished

Passing over the Jordan

The Lord said to Joshua

Take twelve men from the people

From each tribe a man

And command them saying

Take twelve stones from here

Out of the midst of the Jordan

From the very place

Where the priest's feet stood firmly

And bring them over with you

And lay them down in the place

Where you lodge tonight

Then Joshua called the twelve men

From the people of Israel

Whom he had appointed

A man from each tribe

And Joshua said to them

Pass on before the ark

Of the Lord your God

Into the midst of the Jordan

And take up each of you

A stone upon his shoulder

According to the number of tribes

Of the people of Israel

That this may be a sign

Among you

When your children ask

In time to come

What do these stones

Mean to you

Then you shall tell them

That the waters of the Jordan

Were cut off

Before the ark of the covenant

Of the Lord

When it passed over the Jordan

The waters of the Jordan

Were cut off

So these stones

Shall be to the people of Israel

A memorial forever

And the people of Israel

Did just as Joshua commanded

And took up twelve stones

Out of the midst of the Jordan

According to the number

Of the tribes

Of the people of Israel

Just as the Lord

Told Joshua

And they carried them

Over with them

To the place

Where they lodged

And laid them down there

And Joshua set up

Twelve stones

In the midst of the Jordan

In the place

Where the feet

Of the priests

Bading the ark

Of the covenant

Had stood

And there they are

To this day

For the priests

Bading the ark

Stood in the midst

Of the Jordan

Until everything

Was finished

That the Lord

Commanded Joshua

To tell the people

According to all

That Moses

Had commanded Joshua

The people

Passed over in haste

And when all the people

Had finished passing over

The ark of the Lord

And the priests

Passed over

Before the people

The sons of Reuben

And the sons of Gad

And half the tribe

Of Manasseh

Passed over

Armed before the people

Of Israel

As Moses had told them

About forty thousand

Ready for war

Passed over

Before the Lord

For battle

To the plains

Of Jericho

On that day

The Lord exalted Joshua

In the sight

Of all Israel

And they stood

In awe of him

Just as they had

Stood in awe of Moses

All the days

Of his life

And the Lord

Said to Joshua

Command the priests

Bearing the ark

Of the testimony

To come up

Out of the Jordan

So Joshua

Commanded the priests

Come up

Out of the Jordan

And when the priests

Bearing the ark

Of the covenant

Of the Lord

Came up from the midst

Of the Jordan

And the souls

Of the priests

Were lifted up

On dry ground

The waters of the Jordan

Returned to their place

And overflowed

All its banks

As before

The people came up

Out of the Jordan

On the tenth day

Of the first month

And they encamped

At Gilgal

On the east border

Of Jericho

And those twelve stones

Which they took

Out of the Jordan

Joshua set up

At Gilgal

And he said

To the people

Of Israel

When your children

Ask their fathers

In time to come

What do these stones mean?

Then you shall let

Your children know

Israel passed over

This Jordan

On dry ground

For the Lord

Your God

Dried up

The waters

Of the Jordan

For you

Until you passed over

As the Lord

Your God

Did to the Red Sea

Which he dried up

For us

Until we passed over

So that all

The peoples

Of the earth

May know

That the hand

Of the Lord

Is mighty

And that you

May fear the Lord

Your God

Forever

Amen

And we pray

God's blessing

On that reading

Of his own

Holy word

Let's once again

Sing praise to God

This time from

Psalm 20

Psalm 20

Again in the

Scottish Psalter

We're going to

Read from verse 5

This is on page

224

Psalm 20

And verse 5

In thy salvation

We will joy

In our God's name

We will

Display our banners

And the Lord

Thy prayers

All fulfill

Now know I God

His King

Doth save

He from his

Holy heaven

Will hear him

With the saving

Strength

By his

Own right

Hand

Given

We'll sing down

To the end of the verse

To the end of the psalm

Rather

To the praise of God

Standing to sing

In thy salvation

We will joy

In thy salvation

We will joy

In our God's name

We will

Tis

�

Now know I magazines

O my God, his gift has saved him from his holy hand.

We'll hear him with the saving strength, by his own right and clear.

In chariots sounded, all fiddeth, some horses passed upon.

The dear remember, well, the name of our Lord God alone.

We rise and up, but stand where they are, how it come and fall.

Deliver, Lord, and let the king pass here when we do call.

Well, friends, just for a short time this evening, if we could turn back to Joshua chapter 4.

Joshua 4 · chapter mention

Joshua chapter 4, and we can read again from verse 19.

Joshua 4 · chapter mention

The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month,

and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.

And those twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal.

And he said to the people of Israel,

When your children ask their fathers in times to come, what do these stones mean?

Then you shall let your children know.

Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.

For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over,

as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over.

So that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty,

that you may fear the Lord your God forever.

I wonder, friends, if there's anyone here tonight who would say that they have an especially bad memory.

They find it difficult to remember things.

I know myself.

I find it difficult at times to remember dates.

And I need to be reminded.

And of course, I suppose it's a case for all of us in many ways.

Our lives are governed by diaries and by schedules.

We're apt to forget.

That is the nature of who we are.

We have short memories.

There are few people, of course, who are gifted with good memories.

Those who remember every last detail of every last situation.

Those who remember every last date that's on their calendar in the year that's ahead of them.

But generally speaking, we have poor memories.

We are apt to forget.

And friends, as we gather here this Friday evening, we praise the Lord.

We praise the Lord because he is a God of mercy and of grace and of love.

He is a God who meets us at our very point of need.

He knows who we are and what we're like.

He knows our infirmities.

He knows our struggles.

He knows our challenges.

He knows our trials.

He knows our tribulations.

Whatever you're going through tonight, perhaps no one else in here knows, but he knows.

And the wonder of who our God is, is this.

That he accommodates us.

He accommodates us at our point of need.

I said that in prayer.

A God who is infinite, eternal and unchangeable.

A God who inhabits eternity and yet he reveals himself to us through words.

He doesn't need to do this.

But he does.

He accommodates our limitations.

And in terms of our memory, he does the same.

That's why we're here tonight.

And we see that, do we not, throughout Scripture.

That because we as human beings, due to our sinful fallen nature, we are those who forget time and time again.

He is a God who meets us at our point of need and who prompts us to remember.

You remember in Exodus 12, what do we see there?

Well, we see that after God has saved his people, he does what?

Well, he passes over the houses, does he not?

And he puts blood on the lintels of those who he's going to save.

He saves his people.

And of course, in response to saving his people, he knows that his people will forget.

So what does he do?

He institutes the Passover, this time where they would gather together and they would remember as a people that great deliverance from God to safety.

Of course, that's what we see here tonight.

Not only in the chapter that we read, but also in our own experience.

Because as we reflect upon how the Lord deals with us, we see that he's continuing to prompt us to remember.

Take, for example, the Lord's Day.

Today, we are a people who are so busy in life.

We have so much consuming our time and our energy.

But yet the Lord, in his love and in his mercy, he gives us this one day that we can set aside things that so take up our time.

And we can focus on gathering with his people and worshipping his name.

Why?

Because we forget.

I spoke to some in lockdown.

Perhaps you yourself would be able to testify to this as well.

That during lockdown, when we didn't have that routine of gathering together as God's people,

before we knew it, yes, we would watch sermons online.

But before we knew it, the Lord's Day began to become just like any other day.

And we could see, if we're being honest, and good Christian people have confessed to this,

being honest, that yes, we found ourselves as a people, once we had got our services out of the way,

doing what we wanted with the rest of the day.

That's the way we are by nature.

Left to ourselves, we forget.

And so that's why the Lord gives us this Lord's Day, not as a bind, but as a blessing.

A blessing to remind us.

To remind us of what?

To remind us of that great resurrection power.

So that we can gather together as his people, and that we can celebrate, because that's what it is, a celebration.

We can celebrate that victory that is ours in him, that he is not dead, he is risen.

That's what the Lord's Day is.

It's for our good.

And we come to a passage here tonight in Joshua 4,

and we see that the Lord is reminding the people for their good.

The context of this chapter is, of course, the exodus of the children of Israel.

They are making their way to the promised land.

They've had the Jordan parted for them, and they've had the path made clear,

so that after decades of wandering in the wilderness,

finally, eventually, they make their way to Canaan's shore.

That land that God had promised long since would be a land that is flowing with milk,

milk, and honey.

You know the story.

I don't need to go into it in detail.

We don't have time to go into that side of the story in detail.

But we know that they were a people who were making no progress.

They had been offered this freedom that God had given to them to lay hold of by faith,

and yet time and time again, they thought they were better off where they were.

Sounds familiar.

Maybe you're like that here tonight.

Maybe you're not a Christian.

And you're here tonight, and you know of the gospel message.

You know of the freedom that's offered in the pages of Scripture,

Lord's Day after Lord's Day in your head,

but not in your heart.

And perhaps you refuse to acknowledge it in your heart because you're scared.

And because you're scared, you're happy to settle for the status quo.

As it were, as I once was myself and every one of the Lord's people here,

going round and round in circles, perhaps even for decades in this wilderness,

when all along there is something so much better on offer.

That land that is flowing with milk and honey.

That place where there is freedom and joy and liberty.

That place where you can say, as I said in prayer,

I am in Christ.

And what a place that is to be in our souls.

And so they make their way through the Jordan.

We know the narrative.

We know the story.

But that's not the end of the story.

That's not the end of the Jordan narrative.

Because as the Israelites find themselves safe on the other side,

before they can move on to the next part of their journey,

the next chapter in their experience to go on and to conquer the land,

they're stopped.

They're asked to pause.

To reflect.

And in this reflection,

essentially what they're being asked to do is

is to ensure that they don't forget what the Lord has just done for them.

And of course, looking at what the Lord has just done for them,

he's parted the seas.

So that the sea was, as it were, a wall on either side of them.

This miraculous phenomena took place before their very eyes.

This wasn't something that they would have been seeing every day.

This was something, a sight to behold even for themselves.

And so we might say, well, of course they won't forget.

How could they ever forget what the Lord has just done for them?

This will be etched upon their minds for as long as they live.

But of course they would forget.

If not reminded,

they were fallen human beings,

apt to forget like you and like me.

And so what does the Lord do?

Well, he accommodates again in his mercy and in his love.

He accommodates their weakness.

How?

Well, let's look together at verses 1 to 3.

When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan,

the Lord said to Joshua,

take 12 men from the people,

from each tribe a man,

and command them, saying,

take 12 stones from here,

out of the midst of the Jordan,

from the very place where the priest's feet stood firmly,

and bring them over with you,

and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.

So basically what they were to do was this,

that one of each of the tribes of Israel,

one man from the tribes of Israel,

this was, of course,

representing God's people as a whole.

We see the collective of God's people coming together,

of course,

we know that two and a half of the tribes

had gone on before previously

to make their home in the promised land.

They had pledged to come back

and to help their brethren in the Lord

when the time would come,

and of course that time has come,

and so they all joined together

to send out one man to the riverbed

and to take a stone on their shoulder.

Now we can see that this was a large stone.

It wasn't a small stone.

It was one that would have to go on their shoulder,

a large stone.

And so 12 large stones made their way

from the riverbed up to the riverbank.

That's where they were to stay the night, in Gilgal.

And what they were to do with these stones

was to build a monument.

We don't know what this monument would have looked like.

In my own mind, I have a picture

of what we would call a cairn.

You see them on our island.

I know in Ness, in Skigersta,

there are two cairns out at a place called the Ka.

They're built up with stones.

They're a monument of something,

of what I'm not quite sure,

but of something.

There's another monument further out

called the Karnangyal.

This is a cairn that's speaking of a geologist

who, in years gone by,

worked in that part of Ness.

There's a war memorial in Stornoway,

a far more conspicuous monument,

a cairn, one that testifies

to the men who died in the war.

There are cairns, there are monuments

all around us.

And so that's what they're asked to do,

to build a monument,

to build a cairn.

But as we look at verse 9, friends,

we might begin to get a little bit confused.

Because there we read this,

and Joshua set up twelve stones

in the midst of the Jordan,

in the place where the feet of the priests

bearing the Ark of the Covenant had stood.

And there they are to this day.

So is there one monument?

Or is there two?

Is there one on the banks of the Jordan

and one in the middle of the Jordan?

This raises the question.

And of course,

commentators differ on this.

Even commentators of the same

Reformed tradition

will differ on their opinion

as to whether there are two monuments

or one monument.

Some who say that there's just one monument

would say that when this is speaking

of the twelve stones set

in the midst of the Jordan,

that the Hebrew would allude

to a translation that says

that Joshua had set up the stones

that had been in the midst of the Jordan.

So that he had taken up the stones

that had been in the midst of the Jordan.

And as we read the passage as a whole,

and as we read the comments

on the Cairn and Gilgal,

I think myself that this is most likely.

When we think logically

about there being a monument,

a Cairn in the middle of the River Jordan,

we would see that this poses

its own difficulties

if we look at verse 18.

And when the priests

bearing the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord

came up from the midst of the Jordan,

and the souls of the priests

were lifted on dry ground,

the waters of the Jordan returned

to their place

and overflowed all of its banks

as before.

The waters returned.

So that the valley of the Jordan River,

which went from 15 to 60 meters,

it was now full of water.

So that any stones,

any Cairns that had been built

in the middle of it

would either not be able to be seen,

which would defeat the whole purpose of them,

or would more likely be washed away.

But either way,

whether there's one or there's two,

what we know is this,

that this monument was set there

as a reminder.

That was its purpose,

to be a reminder.

But who was it to remind?

And what was it to remind them of?

Well, there are two or three things

for us to consider.

We read in verse 6

that they were to make this a sign among you,

so that when your children ask in time to come,

what do these stones mean?

What do these stones mean to you?

Then you shall tell them.

Then you shall tell them.

And these stones were there

to provoke conversation,

to stimulate discussion,

just as any Cairns or monument does today.

It was to be a talking point.

What do these stones mean?

Verse 21.

And he said to the people of Israel,

when your children ask their fathers

in times to come,

what do these stones mean?

Then you shall let your children know.

Israel passed over this Jordan

on dry ground.

For the Lord your God

dried up the waters of the Jordan for you

until you passed over,

as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea,

which he dried up for us

until we passed over.

Can you see, friends,

the purpose of this monument?

That this monument would be a talking point,

not only for the children of Israel.

This is a small detail,

but it's a significant detail.

And that's the wonder of Scripture.

The Lord includes these small details,

these small accommodations

for our weaknesses

so that we don't forget.

And that's exactly what this monument would do.

It would go on to act as a reminder

to the generations to come,

what the Lord had done.

People would say,

well, what does this mean?

What do these stones mean?

And those who would have heard it told to them

by their fathers,

who had been told by their fathers,

would say,

well, these stones tell a story.

They tell a story of the wonder

and the power of the God of Israel

who delivered his people.

Do you know that God?

Do you know that God?

Get to know that God.

He's a great God

who can do wonders for you.

And so conversations would be stimulated

for years to come.

These are stones that speak.

And of course,

as the Israelites themselves

went on to conquer the land of Canaan,

they would be overwhelmed, no doubt,

as they were faced with the magnitude

of what lay ahead of them,

the paralyzing fear

of the daunting task that was before them

to conquer the enemy.

They would forget.

Quite quickly, they would forget.

How often do you and I forget?

We're faced with something that's difficult.

We're faced with something,

if we're being honest in our mind's eye,

we say it's too difficult,

even for God.

And we forget.

In that blur of anxiety and of fear,

we forget.

We forget that this is the self-same God

who has delivered us in times past.

This is the self-same God

who seeks to lead us

to that place of safety and of refuge,

but still we forget.

We need reminded.

We need reminded.

And so for us here tonight, friends,

these stones speak.

They speak to us.

They speak to you and to me.

And what do they say?

Well, they say plenty.

Because if you're here tonight

and you're a Christian,

the reality is that you too

have a memorial in your life,

your own personal memorial.

You have that marker

that you can go back to in your mind's eye,

that point in time.

It might be a specific hour,

day, week, month, year,

couple of years,

whatever it is.

You have a time in your mind's eye,

a period whereby you know

that the Lord did something miraculous

in your life.

Perhaps you can't remember a time

in your life when you weren't the Lord's.

That's also the case for some.

Some are converted so young

that they cannot recollect this time,

but still you know the Lord

has done something miraculous

in your life.

He didn't part the Jordan,

but what he did was this.

He parted your heart.

He opened your heart

so that you could receive Jesus Christ

as your Lord and your Savior.

So much more miraculous

than anything we read here before us.

And when we're first converted,

when we have our hearts opened

in such a way,

is it not true, friends?

We're so full.

We're so full of zeal

and vigor and wonder

and awe

as we look back upon

what Jesus has just done

in our lives.

Just as the children of Israel

were here

as they reflected at Gilgal

on what the Lord had just done,

they couldn't believe it

and so it is with us.

When we see lambs,

as it were, coming,

we pray for more.

We can almost see it in their face.

face.

This brightness,

this vigor,

this zeal,

that something wonderful

has taken place

in their lives.

and we think that will never end.

That we'll always be on that mountaintop.

And how disappointed we are

when we come crashing down to earth

with a bang.

And so we do.

And so we do.

And as we're left, as it were,

to, not left,

but as we're called

to go on

and to live that life

of faith,

it can be difficult.

So much so

that we lose sight

of what the Lord's done

in our life

at the beginning.

We forget

the wonder

of that grace

and mercy

and love

that has drawn us

to Him

in the first place.

So that our hearts

grow cold.

Or so that

we're so busy

even with the church

but we forget

the Savior,

the Lord,

the King

of the church.

The main thing

doesn't become

the main thing.

He becomes secondary

in all that we do.

And so we need

reminded.

Allow me to ask you,

what does Jesus mean

to you tonight?

And I ask myself

the same question.

And we know

the textbook answer

what we should say

but really

in working terms,

what does Jesus

mean to you tonight?

In your life

on this Friday evening

in August,

if you were to

honestly answer,

what does Jesus

mean to you tonight?

How would you

articulate that?

How would I

articulate that?

It's a challenge.

It's a question

that searches us

because we can tell

what many different

things mean to us

tonight.

We can even tell

what church means

to us tonight.

But what does Jesus

mean to you

tonight?

We forget.

We forget

the wonder

of who He is

and what He's done

and what He will do.

we lose sight

of our identity

as being

in Him

and in none other.

We get bogged down

and held back.

We forget.

But tonight,

friends,

we have good news.

And the good news

is this,

that He accommodates us.

It's not to justify

our neglect

of our Lord

and Savior

or far from it,

but still,

the Lord

accommodates us.

He's so different

to us.

When people forget us

or neglect us,

what do we do?

We turn our back

on them.

We let them know

in no uncertain terms

that we're not happy,

we're not pleased,

not the Lord.

He accommodates us,

He meets us

at our point of need.

How?

By giving

to His bride

that memorial

to return

to time

and time

again.

What is it?

It is,

of course,

the Lord's Supper.

What do we read

in Luke 22, 19?

And He took bread

and when He had given thanks,

He broke it

and gave it to them,

saying,

This is my body

which is given

for you.

We read these words

so often

and, of course,

when we read words,

often familiarity

can lead us

to lose sight

of the depth

of their meaning.

This is my body

which is given

for you.

Do this

in remembrance

of me.

And likewise,

the cup

after they had eaten,

saying,

This cup

that is poured

out for you

is the new covenant

in my blood.

Do this

in remembrance

of me.

What we have here,

friends,

is a crucial marker

for God's people,

a time when we can

refocus on our Savior

and His loving kindness

and delivering us

out of the bondage

and the tyranny

of that wilderness

that we found ourselves in.

It's so easy to forget.

It's so easy,

even as the Lord's people,

to become high

and lofty

and to start looking down

on those who are not saved

and tutting

at their behavior

as if we ourselves

were never there.

We forget

that He took us

from the mighty clay,

from the fearful pit.

We didn't take ourselves,

He took us.

And so we need to be brought

back down to earth.

We need to be brought back

to that place

where we remember.

A reminder

of that miracle,

not the parting

of the Jordan,

but the miracle

of grace

that has taken place

in our lives.

That's what you hope

to do here

this Lord's Day.

And in this reminder,

there is strengthening.

Because it's important

to remember

that the Lord's Supper

isn't just a bare

memorial service.

That's not what it is.

We're not coming

to just remember.

It's so much more

than that.

The eating and drinking

in the Lord's Supper,

it shows forth

what they used

to call that

that mystical union

between Christ

and His people,

which essentially

refers to that

intimate,

that spiritual union

between Christ

and you

if you are His.

What the Apostle Paul

calls communing

or fellowshipping

in the body

and in the blood

of Jesus Christ.

Isn't that wonderful?

That He's given us that.

Do we deserve it?

No.

Are we worthy of it?

Certainly not.

But yet He gives us

that time

where we can be reminded

that we are in Christ.

This is not a bare memorial

or an act of remembrance.

And so never ever

treat the Lord's Supper

as such.

Come with that sense

of expectation

and praise

and worship.

that almost

sense of victory

within your heart.

He is not here

for He

has

risen.

And that's why

it's so important

for us to

avail ourselves

of such

a blessing.

God has given it

to us

for our good.

Now I didn't say

God has given it

to us

because we are good.

That's sometimes

what we can think.

Maybe you think

that tonight

you haven't professed

the Lord

as your Savior

and you are His.

You have a relationship

with Him

and you have done

for years.

But you say

I am not good enough

and neither you are

and neither you will be.

That is a complete

and I say this

with all love

and due respect

that is a complete

and utter

misunderstanding

of the whole

gospel of Jesus Christ

and not only that

but it undermines it.

Because with that

approach

you are saying

that there could be

a time that you

are good enough.

It will never come.

That's the whole point.

He is good enough.

And that's what

ought to draw us

all the more

that we take our eyes

off ourselves.

Yes we examine ourselves

but we take our eyes

off ourselves

and we look

to Him

and we say

Hallelujah

what a Savior.

What a Savior.

And so if you

haven't come forward

to the Lord's table

what's stopping you?

If you're His

we know that

this is the table

of the Lord

for His people.

It's a strengthening

ordinance.

What is it

that's stopping you?

You can't say

that you're not

good enough

or you can say that

but you're never

going to get over

that hurdle.

But what about

Christ?

What think

ye of Christ?

You answer that

and allow your

answer to that

question

to inform

the reason

why you are

or are not

at the Lord's table.

You're denying

yourself a blessing.

But more than that

this is important.

You're denying

others

your witness.

Remember

this memorial

was to serve

as a witness

to the children

of the people.

As many of you know

I grew up

in this very

congregation

and I would

sit up

in that seat

that has the

ladder in it

in the back

there

and the Lord's

Supper

would be

dispensed here

on a Lord's Day

morning

and I would

peer over

and I would

ask questions

what's happening?

Why are they

doing what

they're doing?

And I would

see people

partaking

some of whom

are here tonight

some are long

gone

and I would

look upon them

and they would

speak not as

stones

but as

living stones

those who

join

together

to build

the house

of God

that's what the

house of God

is not this

building but his

people

joining

together

I would

ask

what are they

doing?

What

does

this

mean?

if you

are not

coming to

the Lord's

table

and you

are his

and again

I say this

in love

what you're

doing is

this

you're

marrying

your witness

your friends

your loved

ones

your children

your grandchildren

your husband

your wife

your mother

your father

they're seeing

you holding

back year

after year

after year

refusing

to identify

with the

people

of God

and not

only that

and this

is a real

challenge

to us

you're

marrying

your witness

to the

community

at large

what do

I mean?

well let's

come back

to our

text

and with

this

I'm

nearly

finished

because

as well

as reminding

the Israelites

and their

children

that this

simple

monument

this simple

monument

was to

remind

all

people

the pagans

the godly

the ungodly

all that were

living in the

vicinity

all who were

worshipping

false gods

they were

they were

this

monument

would serve

as a reminder

of what the

God of Israel

had done

and was

doing

verse 24

so that all

the peoples

of the earth

may know

that the

hand of

the lord

is mighty

that you

may fear

the lord

your god

forever

these stones

spoke to

the people

at large

and you know

that's what

our profession

of faith

does

it speaks

to people

we're nailing

our colours

to the mast

that is the

nature of

faith

we will not

walk on

water

till we

step out

of the

boat

and when

we nail

our colours

to the mast

people see

that we

identify

not in

this world

but in

Christ

so that

when you

go back

to your

workplace

on Monday

you can

say I

have

professed

I have

come out

on his

side

when you

go back

to your

street

you can

say to

your neighbours

I have

now

identified

as a

child

of God

by being

obedient

to his

command

you're

witnessing

to those

around you

not of

yourself

but of

your

saviour

and you

can say

then with

all confidence

come see a

man who

told me all

things that

ever I

did

is this

not the

Christ

is this

not the

Christ

I'm not

ashamed to

call him

my saviour

you come

and know

him

for

yourself

what a

witness

that is

don't we

need that

witness

in the

day that

we live

in

that's

what faith

is

stepping

out

in the

strength

of the

Lord

and so

friends

if you

are his

come

you come

and you

show forth

in humble

remembrance

of what

God

has done

in

your

life

you be

part of

this

marker

of this

cairn

we've

often heard

it said

that the

church is

like a

wall made

up of

stones

different

sized

stones

there are

large

stones

there are

small

stones

but every

single

stone is

needed

you might

look at

other people

here and

you might

say I

will never

be as

godly as

that person

of course

that's the

voice of

the devil

but no

matter how

you see

yourself

the reality

is that if

you're

Christ's

he sees

you as

a precious

stone

a needful

stone

and so

come

be part

of

this

glorious

body

of Christ

by identifying

as him

as his

rather

that you

would

unashamedly

allow that

flag to

fly above

that cairn

he

has died

for me

let us

pray

what wonderful

words oh

lord that

any of us

can say

he

has died

for me

and as

we reflect

upon

what you

have done

we come

and we

seek

forgiveness

for our

apathy

and our

coldness

but yet

we don't

stop there

because our

identity is

not found

even in

our own

obedience

but in

Christ

but help

oh lord

our identity

in Christ

to inform

our obedience

so that we

might come

come and

know for

ourselves

the blessing

that follows

therein

for us to

come

and identify

that indeed

we have been

brought into

your banqueting

house

the banner

over us

is love

and so we

pray for any

of our dear

friends here

who are

perhaps

struggling

and have

been for

years

who have

got so

many fears

and anxieties

of what it

means to

profess your

name

draw them

we pray

by your

spirit

give them

that boldness

to come

forward

a step

that they

will never

ever regret

and so go

before us

now we pray

be with

our friends

here in the

remainder of

their communion

weekend

as they

remember

your death

until

you come

again

that they

would do

so so

mindful of

the fact

that you

are here

with them

part us

then with

your blessing

and forgive

us for

Jesus

sake

amen

we're going

to conclude

singing to

God's praise

from Psalm

136

Psalm 136

again in the

Scottish

Psalter

this is a

psalm of

reminders

what we

read in

every verse

is that

his mercy

for certainly

his mercy

is due

most firm

and sure

eternally

each and

every verse

reminds us

why because

we forget

so let's

sing friends

together

verses

first of

all verses

1 to

4

1 to

4

and then

down to

13 to

16

so verses

1 to

4

and then

verses

13 to

16

praise God

for he is

kind

his mercy

lasts for

he's

standing to

sing

praise God

for he

is

kind

his mercy

lasts for

aid

give thanks

with heart

and mind

to God

across

his mercy

away

for certainly

his mercy

dear

most firm

and should

be

turned

away

the Lord

the Lord

is here

his mercy

his mercy

still

endure

with

one

verse

only

he

that

were

by his

great

power

for

certainly

his mercy

sure

was

destroyed

from

his cities

nor

one

or

his

has

his

Chloe

or

his

Devil

has

just

been

he

to

нож

CHOIR SINGS

CHOIR SINGS

CHOIR SINGS

CHOIR SINGS

CHOIR SINGS

CHOIR SINGS

CHOIR SINGS

CHOIR SINGS

CHOIR SINGS

CHOIR SINGS

CHOIR SINGS

CHOIR SINGS

CHOIR SINGS

CHOIR SINGS

CHOIR SINGS

CHOIR SINGS

CHOIR SINGS

CHOIR SINGS

CHOIR SINGS

CHOIR SINGS

CHOIR SINGS

For certainly is mercy sure, most pernature, eternally.

After the benediction, if you'd just allow me to meet you at the door.

Now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit,

rest on and abide with you now and forevermore. Amen.

Amen.