Sunday 12th September 2021.
Being open to learn. Speaking the truth in love. Being full of Grace and truth.
Welcome
Call to worship Psalm 116: 1-2,5.
Hymn: SofF621: You are beautiful beyond description
Prayers of Praise, Thanksgiving, Confession, Lords Prayer
Old Testament Reading:Isaiah 50:4-9 (NIV).
Epistle: James 3:1-12. New International Version- Taming the Tongue
Hymn: S of F 19: Amazing Grace
Prayers for others
Gospel: Mark 8:27-38
Hymn: S of F 290: Jesus is Lord
Sermon
Hymn S of F: 607: Who is on the Lord's Side.
Benediction.
1)Welcome
2)Call to worship Psalm 116: 1-2,5.
1 I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.
2 Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.
5 The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.
3)Hymn: SofF621: You are beautiful beyond description
4)Prayers of Praise, Thanksgiving, Confession, Lords Prayer
Almighty unchanging God, we stand in awe of you. Our creator, sustainer, and loving Heavenly Father. You are the refresher, healer and restorer, of our lives. Give us, we pray, wisdom and discernment in these changing times. Loving Father, rock of all ages, strong and true, we come to seek you and to hear you, to be still in your presence, to drink deeply once again from your refreshing water of life, the stream of your grace and peace that comes to us like a clear, cleansing flowing river to renew and to transform.
Lord of light and eternal love, Father of truth and wisdom, we worship you and adore you. Turn us inside out as we bow at your throne today.
Thankyou Lord God for this community of Hockley and for those places in which we spend our time each day. Thankyou that you that wherever you have set us to be, you give us strength and resources to serve you and to help our communities to be the places that you want them to be. Thankyou for your strength to be doers as well as hearers of your word. Thankyou that every perfect gift comes from you.
Forgive us Lord God for those times when we have chosen not to let our light shine for you, for when criticism rather than praise has sprung first to our lips, for when we have not supported one another in love, or protected those who are vulnerable. Cleanse our hearts, we pray, and renew a right spirit within us once more.
Thankyou loving God that because of Jesus and his death in our place, that we are a forgiven people, cleansed and restored by you, filled with your Holy Spirit and used to bless others by your grace.
In Jesus Name we pray.
Amen.
The Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who 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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.
Amen.
5)Introduction to Isaiah 50:4-9.
Our Old Testament Reading is from Isaiah 50:4-9. It is the third of what are known as four Servant Songs that are found within this prophetic book and it was written around the time of the Babylonian exile, after 587 B.C. The people of Israel found themselves unwillingly in a strange land as a result of invasion of their homeland and their drift from God. It was a tough time and so the idea of righteous suffering is therefore prevalent in Isaiah 50:4–9, the cost of remaining faithful to the LORD’s calling and yet how, in the end, God vindicated the servant’s obedience. Isaiah 50:4–9 was written in the first person with the prophet speaking about his experience of suffering through the lens of the servant’s first-hand experience.
6)Old Testament Reading:Isaiah 50:4-9 (NIV).
Isaiah 50:4-9.
New International Version
4 The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue,
to know the word that sustains the weary.
He wakens me morning by morning,
wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.
5 The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears;
I have not been rebellious,
I have not turned away.
6 I offered my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;
I did not hide my face
from mocking and spitting.
7 Because the Sovereign Lord helps me,
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,
and I know I will not be put to shame.
8 He who vindicates me is near.
Who then will bring charges against me?
Let us face each other!
Who is my accuser?
Let him confront me!
9 It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me.
Who will condemn me?
They will all wear out like a garment;
the moths will eat them up.
7)Introduction to James:
The prophet Isaiah then, amongst other things, introduced us to the importance of having a well-instructed tongue.
The apostle James continues this theme as he speaks of the importance of controlling what we say. What good are our good deeds and Christian service if we could not control our tongues enough to speak respectfully to other human beings?
8) Epistle: James 3:1-12. New International Version. Taming the Tongue
3 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.
3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
Using our speech wisely and thoughtfully. (Count to ten)
9)Hymn: S of F 19: Amazing Grace
10)Prayers for others
12) Introduction to Mark 8:27-38
At the time of our gospel reading, the disciples of Jesus had been travelling the highways and byways of Israel for over two years. They had experienced much in that time; heard Jesus teaching, seen his miracles, and in this passage, Jesus draws all of this together by asking them who they thought he was.
13)Gospel: Mark 8:27-38. New International Version
Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah
27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”
28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”
29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”
Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
Jesus Predicts His Death
31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
The Way of the Cross
34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
a.Mark 8:35 The Greek word means either life or soul; also in verses 36 and 37.
Speaking the truth in love.
Being full of Grace and truth.
14) Hymn: S of F 290: Jesus is Lord
15) Sermon
There is a story about a Christian man called Alan who bought a horse from a farmer who attended the same village church as he did. The farmer was apparently very devout and had trained the horse to respond to two words: the first word "Hallelujah" to make it go, and the second "Amen" to make it stop. Excited, Alan took his new horse out along the bridleways of the local fields and wooded areas and was riding along happily when he realised that he was heading towards the edge of a cliff. Terrified, Alan forgot which word was the one to stop the horse. Obviously wanting to prevent falling over the cliff to certain death, he bellowed out a prayer ending with the word - Amen. Phew! The horse stopped. Alan was so overcome with emotion and relief that he lifted his face to heaven and shouted a grateful 'Hallelujah,' !……….
Words…….They are really important. Using them, we communicate with each other, using them we form relationships, we get across ideas, pass on instructions, fall in love, write books, send letters and emails, and express our feelings, ambitions and passions.
The writer in Isaiah used words to express the experience and suffering of the servant figure in Babylonian exile. How, when all was said and done it was the Sovereign Lord who woke him morning by morning, awoke his ears to listen and learn, helped him when disgrace threatened and vindicated him when he was accused and mistreated by others.
The apostle James in his epistle reminds us that our tongue is an amazing instrument given to us by God. He compares it to the rudder of great sailing ships that are powered by the wind, but directed by a very small rudder. Our tongues similarly set our courses in prayer, service and witness. We can enter into all that God has for us, even when the winds are contrary to us. But we can also misuse our tongues and mess everything up in an instant by a misplaced word or intentional slight. Negative criticism, moaning, gossip, or “course talk” all emanate, says James via the same tongue that blesses and encourages on other occasions. Whilst we are all saved by Grace alone, and “made new creatures within” when we trust Christ as saviour, learning to discipline our attitudes and speech is down to us to master and get to grips with!
As the Old Testament moved onto the new, Jesus at his birth was described as being the word, God made flesh on earth. This is the subject of the poem “The ancient newborn babe by Anna Turner
The ancient newborn babe
This is God made physical
Ancient spirit now visible
The Divine word
Now an enfleshed syllable
Arriving as angels wax lyrical
As the divine, all holy, mystical
Becomes child, vulnerable, little
The ancient of days
Becomes a newborn babe
The word who breathed out life
Needs to breathe to stay alive
Starter of time
Maintainer of space
Now bound by both of their
Constraints
The stars he crafted
Shift in the skies
Honouring his cries
And leading the honoured
To honour
Their maker
The created bringing gifts to their creator
Bowing before the cradle
Of the worlds all holy maker
Marvelling in the gaze of
The ancient newborn babe
Jesus, the word made flesh, used words himself, along with stories, actions and pictures in the sand to share God's good news for humanity.
Words in the form of questions asked and queries made were amongst His favourite teaching tools.
We heard one of those questions asked today. It came at a time after Jesus had been travelling around Israel with his disciples for over two years; a time in which they had seen miracles, heard compelling stories and teachings and had witnessed Old Testament prophecies come true. Yet they had never actually put into words what they thought about Jesus and his identity.
This changed during this encounter with Jesus when he asked them two questions. The first was ‘Who do the crowds say I am?’
This answer to this one was easy, a bit like those of the focus groups of today, so beloved by governments hoping to give people what they want.
“The disciples replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that you are one of the prophets of long ago who has come back to life.’
But Jesus had not finished with this theme. He then made it personal. Did his friends think that the Judaea crowds were right or had they reached a more considered conclusion?
“‘But what about you?’ Jesus asked them. ‘Who do you say I am?’ (Luke 9:20).
This question left them with no place to hide. This was the moment of truth for the disciples. Were they going to follow the crowd, stick with the conventional wisdom or had they another, more insightful answer? What do you really think?
“Peter answered, ‘You are God’s Messiah’” (Luke 9:18–20). Parallel accounts found in Matthew 16 and Mark 8 add more to this exchange. The gospel of Matthew relates that Peter did more than just identify Jesus as the Christ; he also proclaimed Jesus’ divine nature: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).
In response to Peter’s declaration, Jesus expressed the blessedness of his faith: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven” (Matthew 16:17). God, in His grace, had opened the disciples’ eyes to see Jesus for who He truly was.
This divinely inspired declaration of faith marked a turning point in Jesus’ teaching ministry with His disciples. Starting then, the Lord gave His disciples additional information, as shocking as it was for them to hear: “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life” (Matthew 16:21).
However, even though the disciples now believed that Jesus was the Son of God, they still had a hard time processing this notion of a suffering Messiah.
This after all was their beloved friend, teacher, and friend whose life seemed now to be on the line. Moreover, along with most others in Israel, the disciples were expecting a military, all conquering, nationalistic messiah. Thus Peter, perhaps out of love for Jesus, remonstrated with Him about this vision of a suffering future, only to then be soundly corrected by Jesus as one who was only thinking of human concerns and not the concerns of God.
Jesus not only laid it on the line with his disciples that following him would be costly, but he did so also with the crowd.
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life/soul, will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?
Notice that this was not a politician's election speech, aimed at being popular; Jesus told it how it would be for those who would follow him. There is a cross involved, of one kind or another, for all who do so
But what exactly did Jesus mean by saying that his disciples must take up their cross, deny themselves, and follow Him?
I would suggest this, the cost of discipleship means letting go of the worldly ambitions that often control our lives, and instead, offering our service to growing the kingdom of God.
Jesus offers a choice. A choice to follow the way of the world and lose your life; or to follow the way of the cross and gain the only life worth having.
The costs, as well as the benefits - are integral to Christian faith.
The prophet Isaiah spoke of the costs of living for God and the sovereign Lord who vindicated him was near.
The apostle James powerfully reminded us that discipleship also involves discipline, our actions must match our words and our words must match Gods purity and holiness.
Jesus himself, through the gospel writer, St Mark, challenges us to be wholehearted in the way that we follow him. There are to be no half measures, no caveats, no exclusions, just total commitment to Jesus wherever he leads.
We are to be a people who are fully committed to being full of both truth as well as grace in equal measure. It is so easy to get this balance wrong. To be so full of truth that grace is absent and our interactions appear harsh. Conversely to be so full of Grace that biblical truths are laid aside and our gospel witness struck null and void as church practice is inexorably “squeezed into the secular worlds “anything goes” mould”.
Encouragingly, the risen Jesus, the Messiah, the word of life, the suffering servant, our prophet, priest and king is with us as we take up our cross of witness and service for him in the week ahead. Amen.
16)Hymn S of F: 607: Who is on the Lord's Side.
17).Benediction.