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Let's begin by declaring; To God Be The Glory
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Scripture Reading (Jeremiah 29:11-14)
‘For surely I know the plans I have for you’, says the Lord, ‘plans for your welfare not for your harm to give you a future of hope. Then when you call on Me and come and pray to Me I will hear you. When you search for Me you will find Me, if you seek Me with all your heart I will let you find Me’, says the Lord. ‘And I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.’
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This is how good God is: He sought me and found me
Let us pray
Father God, I come into your presence so aware of my human frailty and yet overwhelmed by your love for me. I thank you that there is no human experience that I might walk through where your love cannot reach me. If I climb the highest mountain you are there and yet if I find myself in the darkest valley of my life, you are there. Teach me today to love you more. Help me to rest in that love that asks nothing more than the simple trusting heart of a child. Let me rest and Just be still in your presence In Jesus name, Amen
Please take a few moment in personal prayer bringing to God our worshipping community here at Woodhouse. Bring your family, loved ones and friends to His throne. And then we will share together in The Lord's Prayer
Please share with me in 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,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
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Before we go to the word let us sing: In Christ Alone
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We serve a good, good God
All too often, the things going on in our lives, how we’re feeling, our circumstances, our finances, other people, the empirical evidence, shouts at us, declaring that God can’t be real. That God can’t possibly care about you. That God can’t, well, just can’t. If that’s you, then today, let me introduce you to a Good, Good God, who has good plans, for you!
Let me ask you something, when you hear the name ‘God’ what picture comes into your mind? Is it a picture of an old man or a father or a king? What does God look like in your heart.
We’re told that He’s a God of love but I suspect that many people have a much darker view of God. This view of a judgemental old man with a rule book. A God who keeps track of all our mistakes and all our faults and all our imperfections so that one day He can rub our noses into it. Some people think of God as being vengeful and vindictive and despotic even, meaning tyrannical. And yes, you open His word, the Bible, and you can find plenty of instances where the anger of God boils over and people are punished. You don’t have to look very far to find that at all.
And so, when we talk about entering into the rest, the peace of God, entering into His peace, that can be something of an enigma. Some people’s reaction to that is, ‘Really? Do you think?’ We all know that tiredness is a global pandemic. So many people are chronically tired, chronically exhausted and all the time God wants us to enter into His rest. But in order to do that we need to know that He’s a good God with a good plan for our lives.
The past few weeks have been very difficult for me. So many things pulling me in this and that direction. At times thinking, how can I possibly enter into the rest and the peace of God when there are things in my life that bring unrest. How can I do that? ‘I know, the Bible talks about forgiveness. I know the theory. I’ve sinned, Jesus died on the cross to pay for my sins so that justice would be done and so therefore when I believe in Him I’m forgiven. I know the theory’. But sometimes I struggle daily with this thing called life. And I know you do too.
So, we need to find something somewhere that shows us how God loves us and only want the best for us. And I know no better place than Psalm 103 beginning at verse 8:
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always accuse nor will He keep His anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins nor repay us according to our inequities. For as the heavens are high above the earth so great is His steadfast love towards those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west so far does He remove our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion for his children so the Lord has compassion for those who fear Him. For He knows how we are made, He remembers that we’re just dust. (Psalm 103:8-14)
Slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love. God loves us so much that He sent His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him wouldn’t perish but instead would have eternal life. (John 3:16) And the moment we trust that Jesus really did take our sin on His shoulders on that cross so that we could be forgiven, then we are forgiven. And then: As the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love towards those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us. Do you see the powerful language? He loves us more than we can ever imagine, and He separates our sin from us as far as the east is from the west. I love the bit at the end too where it says in verse 14: For He knows how we are made; He remembers that we are just dust.
In other words, He understands, He cuts us some slack to make mistakes and learn and grow, just as we do with our own kids. Because we love them more than they can ever, ever know. God is a good God; He has good plans for you and for me. Have a listen, Jeremiah chapter 29 beginning at verse 11:
‘For surely I know the plans I have for you’, says the Lord, ‘plans for your welfare not for your harm to give you a future of hope. Then when you call on Me and come and pray to Me I will hear you. When you search for Me you will find Me, if you seek Me with all your heart I will let you find Me’, says the Lord. ‘And I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.’ (Jeremiah 29:11-14)
That was written to God’s people, Israel, when to their shock and horror the Babylonians came along and destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple, the very Temple where the presence of God dwelt and took Gods own people into captivity. So, these people were gutted, they were demoralised, they were dispossessed. The Israelites, more than anyone else at any other time, could be forgiven for thinking that God was vengeful, an old man with a big stick. And so right in the middle of the mess in which they found themselves God says to them, ‘I’m a good God, I have good plans for you, come and seek Me with all your heart and you will absolutely find Me’.
And that’s what I believe God wants you and me to hear today. That whatever image we might have of Him in our heads and in our hearts, He’s a good God. A God of amazing grace. A God who has His best in mind for us. Of course, we’ll walk through the wilderness from time to time. Through trials and through sufferings. Times when it feels like God’s a million miles away. Of course, we will. And there will be times in our lives when, like Israel, we’re left wondering about the sort of God that God actually is. That’s why it’s important for us today to get God’s word into our hearts: He is slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love.
Love that is higher than we can ever imagine, with a forgiveness through Jesus Christ, His Son, that is absolutely more complete than we can ever begin to understand. And this God, this God has good plans for us, for you and for me. That’s why we can enter into His rest. That’s why, when we abide in Him, I love that word ‘abide’, we can finally, finally enter into His rest and experience the peace and the joy that Jesus Christ came to bring us.
That was written to God’s people, Israel, when to their shock and horror the Babylonians came along and destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple, the very Temple where the presence of God dwelt and took Gods own people into captivity. So, these people were gutted, they were demoralised, they were dispossessed. The Israelites, more than anyone else at any other time, could be forgiven for thinking that God was vengeful, an old man with a big stick. And so right in the middle of the mess in which they found themselves God says to them, ‘I’m a good God, I have good plans for you, come and seek Me with all your heart and you will absolutely find Me’.
And that’s what I believe God wants you and me to hear today. That whatever image we might have of Him in our heads and in our hearts, He’s a good God. A God of amazing grace. A God who has His best in mind for us. Of course, we’ll walk through the wilderness from time to time. Through trials and through sufferings. Times when it feels like God’s a million miles away. Of course, we will. And there will be times in our lives when, like Israel, we’re left wondering about the sort of God that God actually is. That’s why it’s important for us today to get God’s word into our hearts: He is slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love.
Love that is higher than we can ever imagine, with a forgiveness through Jesus Christ, His Son, that is absolutely more complete than we can ever begin to understand. And this God, this God has good plans for us, for you and for me. That’s why we can enter into His rest. That’s why, when we abide in Him, I love that word ‘abide’, we can finally, finally enter into His rest and experience the peace and the joy that Jesus Christ came to bring us.
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As we bring our worship to a close let us join together and sing: Good, Good Father
The Lord bless thee and keep thee
The Lord make His face to shine upon thee
And be gracious unto thee
‘For surely I know the plans I have for you’, says the Lord, ‘plans for your welfare not for your harm to give you a future of hope. Then when you call on Me and come and pray to Me, I will hear you. When you search for Me, you will find Me, if you seek Me with all your heart, I will let you find Me’, says the Lord. ‘And I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.’ (Jeremiah 29:11-14)4)) are made, He remembers that we’re just dust. (Psalm 103:8-14)
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