And we are free in C Shadow the darkness trembles we stand and testify that we Are Darkness before me a life of shame but life waser you call my name past present future my death is paid you only you have the Final at the cross you made a way death Rose from the grave and through the darkness Jes high above all things you have the final say you have the Final I receive as mine peace that is sure as I live in in Christ now and forever my heart SEC you only have theal at the cross you made a way conquer day Rose from the grave and your Ro to the darkness Jesus high up above things you have the final say you have the final say your kingom raining forever Jesus your name is greater you have the final
Say you have the final [Applause] [Applause] say Now nothing’s holding me in Jesus I believe as my king he leads me on no going back no turning [Applause] back now nothing’s holding me in Jesus I believe as my king he leaves me on no going back no no turning back no going Back [Applause] no through the darkness Jesus high above all things you have the final say yes you the final say your king greatting forever Jus your name is greater you have the final say you have the Fin yeah yeah Yeah [Applause] Are you hurting broken within overwhelmed by the weight of your sin Jesus is Calling have you come to the end of yourself do you thirst for a drink from the well Jesus is Calling oh come to the altar the father’s arms are open wide forgi was Bor with the precious blood of Jesus Christ [Applause] Be behind your regrets and mistakes come today there’s no reason to wait Jesus is Calling bring your sorrows and trade them for joy From the Ashes a new life is born Jesus is Calling oh come to the altar the father’s arms are open wide foress was B with the precious blood of
Jesus Christ Christ will come to the altar the father’s arms are open wide Foress wh SP with the precious blood of Jesus Christ what is savior isn’t he wonderful sing Iuj Christ is Rising bow down before him for he is Lord of all sing Hallelujah Christ is Reis Oh What A Savior isn’t he Wonder sing Hallelujah Christ is re hello welcome Everybody You want for our day and so we’re going to make sure we intentionally are inviting him in and listening to his following and leading this morning let’s pray together Lord we thank you that this is your day Lord in one sense every day is your day but Sundays
Especially we believe you have made them holy And we want to be very intentional in making this day for you a day for you where everything we do is just relational with you is about being with you and obeying you and worshiping you and Lord there’s something precious about coming together and as one people one body
Lifting your name high this morning so Lord we just want to honor you and worship you sing praises to you hear from your word and Lord we want to love you in every way amen amen why don’t you remain standing as we begin to sing together hallelujah our first song says you’re
Not a God created by human hands second one the second verse actually says you are the only God whose power not can contend he’s the king of kings and the Lord of L let’s give him all the praise this morning Hallelujah You another God created by human hand another God depend onal land another God anything we can give by your plan that’s just the way let’s take that again not God you are not a God created by human hands you are not a god dependent on any moral man you are not a
God in need anything we can give by a that’s just the way it is You Are God Alone from Before Time began you are on your throne you are God Al and right now in the good times and bad you are on your thr You Are God
Alone you’re the only God who power none can contend you’re the only god with name praise will never God the only God is worthy of everything we may be you are God just the way it is on everyone you are God Al time you are on
Your you are God lord right now I’m right now in the good times and bad you are on your thr you are my are unchangeable unchangeable unable unable you are you are unchangeable unable unable unable unable are you are you are God Alone from Before Time began you are on your
Thr You Are God Alone and right now and right now in the you are on your throne you are God unable unchangeable unchangeable unable unable you are you are unchangeable unshakeable unshakeable unable unable you are God from time you are you are God Al right now right now in the good times
Of you are on your thr you are God oh right now and right now in the good times and B you are on your strong you are God Al and right now in the good times and you are your thr you are God right now and right now in the good times
And you are God You Are God Alone yes Lord you are the unchangeable changer you remain the same regardless of the situation he’s right here regardless of where you are he Remains the Same hallelujah amen amen Amen and how great the C that us how high the mountain I could not in desperation I turn to heaven and for your name into the night then through the darkness your Ling kindness t to the shadows of my soul the work is finished the end is WR Jesus Christ my living
Home who could imagine so Greater Mercy what I gra the god of Ages step down from glory to where my S and my the has spoken I am forg the king of K be beautiful savior I’m yours forever Jesus Christ my living hallelujah hallelujah praise the one who set me fre
Hallelujah death lost his you br Every Chain salv in your name Jesus Christ my in the morning that still the prise your very body be to breing out of the the RO no the morning than him the morning the S of the pro your began to Brea out of Theus
Hallelujah there the world who set me free Hallelujah let my mer is for me you have worken every salvation in your name Jesus Christ might hallelujah hallelujah there the one who set me free Hallelujah that me you have broken every and salvation in your name Jesus Christ my living CH Jesus Christ my
Living I you God you I yes you are you’re my leing Jesus you are you’re my everything and you are live Mo and You you living we can never be a people without hope because Jesus is Alive and that is something we could celebrate every moment of every day of every minute I I don’t think we can ever come to the end of grasping how amazing how magnificent it is how totally beyond anything else in any religion in any philosophy in anything nothing has a living Risen Savior like we do Jesus is Lord And in a moment’s time we’re going to sing about how worthy he is but before that we’re going to send our Discovery Kids out and they’re all actually going upstairs today they’ll be collected from the usual place but they’re going to rehearse a little bit um yeah they’re
Going to rehearse a little bit and they’re going to be taking their offering as they go and as they give their offerings we are also going to be having some time to give might want to scan the QR code now you might want to make this part of your
Worship it might be a way of celebrating that Jesus is Worthy but let’s just continue to worship and celebrate a Living Hope a living Jesus all the saints and [Applause] ders they bow before before your cross all the other God their crowns before the Lamb of God you’re worthy of you’re worthy is all for from you are all things and to you are all things you deserve the glory let’s sing it together all the and before
Your and all the theirs before the of God you’re worthy of it all Jesus you’re worthy of it all for are all things and to you are all things you deserve the glory you’re worthy you’re worthy of you’re worthy of Jesus you are all things and to you are all things you deser
Glory Hallelujah Lord that our songs will come unto you as a sweet smelling fragrance this morning let our lives be a Living Sacrifice even unto you Lord that we will worship you day and night we will please you with our lives Day and night night and day let arise day and night night and day let s arise day and night night and day let day and night day and night night And and night night night night and And and you are worthy oh Lord you’re worthy the pro you are and to you are all you deserve the glory you worthy you worthy you’re worthy Lord God you’re worthy for from you are and to you are you deserve the glory one more time he’s worthy of it all chch you’re worthy
Of it alling for from you are all things and to you are all things you deserve the glory you’re wory Lord you’re Worth we you It for you are all things and to you are all things you deserve the Glory oh we join in the Angels We join in the elders we joining the sarap and Cher we seing in the word worthy God you are worthy you alone worthy you alone you alone are worthy of worship your name oh we say you are the greater oh yes are
The come on sing to the Lord a new song from your own words begin to sing to the Lord a song from your heart begin to make Melodies From Your Heart tell him how worthy he is tell him how worthy he is he’s worthy of our worship he’s
Worthy he made us for his worship he made us for his pleasure and that’s what we gathered here for father your word Lord you are Forever be your name God no one can you be glorified be magn your name Yes Lord none can compare to you you are The God Who seats on the throne the Earth is your foot stol and a Heavens your throne father We join in the angels and all the hosts of Heavens the cherub beams and the seraphim day and night they sees not worshiping you their eyes
Are fixed on you every minute every moment every second they say holy holy holy are you Lord God Almighty father the whole earth is full of your glory Lord we stand in a of who you are none can compare to you Lord you are magnificent you are wonderful beautiful
So perfect in all your ways Lord father what can we bring oh Lord we offer our lives as a willing sacrifice holy and acceptable Lord you are worthy no one else but you God you are so worthy in this place come and take your rifle
Place Lord not unto us Lord but to you alone you are so worthy you are so worthy we love you Lord from the depths of our hearts so we offer the fruit of our lipss a sacrifice of praise oh Lord father Hallowed Be Your Name most holy God we worship you Lord yes
Lord let’s just begin to pray that we can be people who give God all of us wholeheartedly he has our lives let’s just pray together Lord I just want to pray that you have all of me Lord I don’t want to hold anything back and I don’t want anyone here anyone
Connected this morning to be holding back because you are worthy of it all Lord we know you are gracious and patient with us we know you will welcome us whatever we offer you but Lord I pray even this morning that we can all go deeper deeper into relationship with You Lord we pray for all the needs in the church as well Lord we think of some of the unborn babies we’ve been praying for and Lord we know they need your miraculous touch Lord I pray that you are going to do amazing things in the lives of those children
Lord we pray for those going through treatment Lord we pray for sunel this week round four Lord we just pray that your hand is upon him in every way Lord bringing healing bringing restoration protecting him Lord we pray for all those traveling Lord we think of Anita Jones Kyla traveling to
Ghana for a grandmother’s funeral Lord we just pray for safety and mercy your grace to be upon everything Lord we pray for all those traveling over Easter Lord have your hand upon them Lord I think of even the little things not great needs but this week we have a lot of organizational things to sort out as a church to go to two morning services to help support people who are doing more to help grow and reach more people with your good
News Lord I want to pray for every person yesterday that heard the gospel for the very first time I think there were between 30 and 40 people heard the gospel for the very first time yesterday because of people part of this church and Lord we pray that those seeds being Swn Lord that you water them that you see them grow Lord in a way we’ll never Understand but Lord let those seeds produce a harvest that points to a a god that is living that gives us hope and life in Jesus name amen amen why don’t we take this moment for our Limitless youth to go over the road and you can rest of you can take your
Seats as we begin to turn our attention to the screen for our notice board thank you is for all of the things coming up in the next few weeks first off this coming Saturday the 23rd of March at 10 till 12 there will be a life CC ladies brunch
With a chance to hear some testimonies and share Fellowship over some food for all the ladies of Life Church the cost is £4 per person and you can book on the events page of the Life Church website this is a reminder that from next week the 24th of March we will have
Two Services again here at life the first will be at 9:30 till 10:30 followed by refreshments and then the second service will run from 11: till 12:30 do join us at either of these starting from next week our mday Thursday service will be on Thursday the 28th of March here in
The Life church building from 6:30 till 7:30 p.m. this will be a short reflective communion service and will not be streamed so do join us for that evening also on the day after that we’ll be joining Christians together in chamford again this year for our Good
Friday service in the town Center on the 29th of March this year the service will be from 11: till 12:00 p.m. with Outreach events in the afternoon including our big Life Church Easter egg giveout we’ll be holding a baptism service on Sunday the 7th of April at our 1100 a.m. service if you’re
Interested in being baptized you are not too late have a chat with Pastor Phil or email him at phil. Hanam live.org there’s an important date for your diary so make sure you come along that’s all the announcements we have for the this week do check your inboxes there’ll be reminders in there
And have a great week um exciting things can I say one thing I’m I’m really excited about having a baptismal service but it’s yet I’m not sure who we’re going to baptize um we had several people who wanted to get baptized and none of them can make that day for certain
Reasons um but I feel like there are people and you are ready to be baptized you’re following Jesus you started that journey and it’s time to uh be obedient to scripture and uh to to just go for it and we would like to have a conversation I like to
Talk to everyone before they get baptized if for no other reason to make sure they understand what they’re doing but if there are people and you would like to get baptized just a few weeks time please come and talk to me or email us or have a conversation with one of
The elders or someone it’s really it’s it’s an amazing thing to do um so yeah and um there are still opportunities to help serve I’m told um when we go to two Services we still need welcomers for the first service and other people to help
So do volunteer in any any way you can um but let me let me start um just by very simply praying before I I go into a preach Lord I just pray that you will just guide the words I’m going to say Lord and open our hearts to hear what
You are going to say to us this morning Lord speak to us very clearly even if we all hear something slightly different from you Lord I pray that you connect with our hearts this morning and we know that you are the one speaking in Jesus name amen So site caveat here I feel like God asked me to speak on something that I’m not brilliant at certainly that does not come naturally to me and it’s to do with rest sleep how we’re refreshed revitalized renewed and this is an important part of being a disciple and it’s an important
Part of uh well it links to what Liz was talking about for Mother’s Day last week with our priorities it links to what John has started talking about with stewardship especially when we think of stewardship of time and our energy and our relationship with God but just before I realize just how
Bad I naturally am at this let me remind you how good God is you see Psalm 121 it talks about God watching over his people and it says he does not need to Slumber or sleep he doesn’t need rest like we do it says he who keeps you will not slumber
Behold he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep it reminds us that God doesn’t need rest like we do he can watch over his people and I find great comfort in this that we have a God who watches over us that he’ll never take his eye off the
Ball that he’ll always be there for us we can trust him no matter what we’re going through no matter what time it is but I also know that we are not God and we cannot live like he does and to try and do this can be foolishness I’m going to tell you about
One of my experiences of trying to live like this and I’m going to go back a long time to when I was um 18 my first term of University and they gave us this big project to do I think we had to design a gearbox okay
Um for those of you who don’t know I did I was studing mechanical engineering at the time and this big project had to be handed in on the last day of term just before we went home for Christmas 5:00 on the Friday and so I’d done bits of work and
Did some of the research but you know a week or two before the end of term handed everything else in and I started looking at it and me and some of my friends we realized actually there’s quite a lot of work to do for this it was quite big thank you
And we also realized that some of it which had to be doing these um computer labs um all of a sudden the last two weeks of term they were full all day there was never a computer free there was never an opportunity so we had this great
Idea of going late at night and working through the night when no one was on the computers and it was brilliant I mean we were so much more productive we chatting away all through the night getting all our work done brilliant however unlike some of my friends I
Worked through the night and then went to all the lectures during the day as well and probably for most of that last week of term never got more than two or three hours sleep at night so as we got towards towards the Friday I became less and less
Productive not only did my productivity decrease but one of the days at 5:00 a.m. in the morning I was cycling back to the computer lab thinking no one will be there yet and I had bags on the handlebars of my bike and a bag with all
My work in it and I absolutely crashed hitting a curb swi straight over the handlebars I mean it must have been much heavier and I must have been so tired but I thought it’s 5:00 in the morning at least no one will have seen that on a
University campus nope car full of girls watched me totally crash got out I mean they did run to my aid but I was too embarrassed and kept going but that’s not the worst thing that happened it wasn’t just that I got less productive it wasn’t just that I crashed this
Is a just a a stupidest terrible thing I did so I handed this project in on time 5:00 on the Friday brilliant I actually got an all right Mark for it which is maybe not that helpful cuz made you think you can get away with it but what happened next changed
That what happened next I obviously handed it in and then went and ate some food those of you who know me that’s quite standard and then I decided Well it’s Friday night the Christian Union’s on I’m not missing the last one of the term so I went to Christian union came home
Long awful week like I said not more than 2 or 3 hours of sleep any night some nights no sleep ridiculous I thought I’ll have a bath I’ll go to bed I’ll sleep in everything will be good got in the bath within 10 seconds I was asleep and I’m almost certainly not
Exaggerating there boom fast asleep I woke up nearly 5 hours later this was in December I remember it was snowing outside and I’d conveniently opened the window to make sure all the team would go out in University accommodation I was freezing I think I was probably the closest to having hypothermia I was
Totally blue I couldn’t rub a towel on me I was skin was burning I was like in a ridiculous State and I did what every great Christian Student does well I wrapped myself up in a towel and my duvet I said a quick prayer to hope I
Would wake up the next morning and went to bed thankfully I did wake up thankfully everything worked out but some of these experiences are wakeup calls that we can’t live like God does that there are certain things we need rest refreshment these are kind of things we cannot live without
Somehow you would have thought I would have learned my lesson from that but I’m not sure I ever have I’ve improved over the years I’ve learned but somehow still I need reminding to rest to take time out to make sure I’m spending time with God in all these ways
I’m still on a journey because I don’t think they always come come naturally to me and there’s a rebuke in the Bible about people trying to live like God do trying to stay up all night or just work longer or harder and it comes from Psalm
127 the first two verses say this unless the Lord builds the house those who build it labor in vain unless the Lord watches over the city The Watchmen stay awake in vain it is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest eating the bread of anxious
Toil for he gives to his beloved sleep and when I read that passage I recognize in myself this mistake over and over again thinking I can be more predi just by doing a bit more work staying up a bit later and getting a bit more done working longer
Hours staying up a little bit later to add a bit more to the sermon maybe we think just sending one more email will work and I’m sure I’m not alone in this because we all live in the Southeast and there is a culture that is not always healthy or
Biblical I wonder how many of you here send your first email of the day sat on the toilet it sounds stupid but that can’t be God’s plan right it’s almost like nothing is sacred anymore there is no downtime whatsoever I know it’s a the example but it highlights how things have changed
How things are getting harder to protect time to protect rest and when we add more hours and just try and work harder well we might find that it’s just all in vain it robs us of sleep and peace and perhaps most importantly time with God I think there is a principle from
This that it is God who makes us productive not how much time we’re spending working I believe that’s true um it’s not that we can be lazy and never do any work but we have to recognize that if we’re not working with God and for God it’s in
Vain it’s not going to produce what we want it to that is a principle of productivity of riches of success of everything we cannot manufacture what God simply does but in instead I see in that passage that sleep rest refreshing they’re an expression of God’s love for
Us he does not want us to be constantly L striving constantly striving is it’s exhausting he doesn’t want us to be working every hour of day or night he doesn’t want time with him to be second right and the dregs we have to offer and I’ve already mentioned that
This fits with some of the things we’ve been talking about already but I think it’s also important as we’re moving towards two services and we’re asking people to come earlier and do more how do we make sure God is a part of all this how can we make sure that we’re
Still resting well and understanding Sabbath properly how can we make sure we’re not just going to be surviving but we can be thriving I really hope we can grasp some of this this morning and I’ll do my best to talk about a big subject which is not
Natural to me and point you to what the scriptures say and what God’s been saying to me this week because I think there are principles throughout the whole Bible principles of rest reflection that go right back to the start and maybe if you’ve got Bibles due turn maybe I can
Start at Genesis chapter 2 we can read about God creating the world and then on the seventh day he rested from his work and reflected on all that he’d done and that it was good Genesis 2 veres 1-3 say this thus the heavens and the Earth were finished and
All the host of them and on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done so God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it God rested from all
His work that he had done in creation I I realized something this week that God didn’t just rest on the seventh day he did two other things he says he blessed it and he made it holy he made it holy and that means he set it apart for himself it’s a day for
Him that’s significant because it’s not just then about rest but it’s a day to be with God a day to receive his Blessing I was thinking is our Sabbath about having a holiday a day of rest or a holy day a day with God there’s a big difference and they’re
Not mutually exclusive you can rest and spend time with God but I wonder if you can uh if you can truly have a Sabbath without God I don’t know if um any of you have ever been on holiday or had a day off and at the end of it
Have come back more tired and more anxious or than when you started sometimes it’s not just about the rest it’s about how we involve God in that rest how we come to him how we share with him it’s not just being inactive it’s not just about doing nothing it’s about
Intentionally doing what God wants on that day ceasing from the everyday things the the normal work life and focusing on something more special more intimate more relationship with God God helps us by giving us examples throughout the Old Testament of what this could mean and look
Like and um there’s a great example in Exodus 16 of what it might mean for that Sabbath day that day to be different um I’m going to summarize because I’m not going to read the whole chapter for the sake of time but in Exodus 16 the Israelites they’ve left
Egypt they’re in the wilderness they don’t want food they’re moaning like like they do a lot and God gives them bread from Heaven which they call Mana and every day they can collect this bread except on the Sabbath so for 6 days they collect I think it’s an uh a
Weight an of manner one for each person in their household one every day and if they collected more and tried to keep it it would go moldy and there’d be maggots in it and it was like no you rely on me every day for what you need that
Day and there was even some sort of you know God the economy there that however much they seem to gather they all had the right amount for the people in their household where they collected loads or little it seemed to be the same amount there’s something Divine about this how
God works things out this is how much you need you don’t need any more you don’t need any less they were learning to be Reliant and obedient to God however on the sixth day they could collect a double portion and keep half of that for the Sabbath
Day and this time when they kept it because that was what God had told them to do it didn’t go moldy it didn’t have maggots unless they tried to keep it longer and somehow The Impossible became possible when they just did what God Said it was impossible for them to keep it
Two days any other day but the day that was holy and blessed it became possible it’s also a little bit interesting that the sixth day they had to collect twice as much they might have had to work harder that day but God blessed it and there was a day when they didn’t
Have to work and strive like every other day a day when they could focus in on God and I think God he provides for people who trust and honor him it’s almost like he’s saying rely upon me and you’ll have enough trust me for your provision but also trust me for your
Rest some of us find one of those easier than the other you know to take a Sabbath a day off and focus more on God that’s a step of Faith sometimes it’s way easier to think well I’ll strive and I’ll do some work and I’ll get things done I haven’t got
Time to give that to God I haven’t got time to trust him with that time because I’m busy achieving and doing things and this principle is important important and by the time Jesus was walking the Earth it had become really ingrained in culture and people understood the importance of
It however they’ made so many rules about not doing things they’d lost that it was holy and blessed because of God really they were honoring the rules and not honoring God they’ not used it as a time to spend with God and to serve God instead it had
Become doing nothing and making sure they were meticulous in doing nothing and relaxing and like I say it’s not a bad thing to rest and relax and do nothing it’s just not all this day is supposed to be about God wanted to be involved so that
He could bless their rest so it could be spiritual rest so it could be rest for their very Soul Jesus ministry shows just how strongly these rules had become and how far they were from God’s intent Jesus was criticized for what he did what he allowed his disciples to do
On the Sabbath one of the biggest criticisms was in healing a man with a withered hand because it was a Sabbath and they thought that was work healing and restoration surely that’s what rest in Sabbath is all about but they couldn’t see that and they thought Jesus shouldn’t have done
It Matthew Mark and Luke all record conversations about this and opposition Jesus had they all write about Jesus being lord of the Sabbath which is a massive claim and I’m just going to read from you from Mark’s gospel chapter 2 because it talks about God’s intent for the Sabbath
Before he says it he says this the Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath so the son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath the Sabbath was made for man I think the Sabbath is a gift for mankind almost an opportunity to take
Time out from the everyday from earning money and doing normal things and use it for something holy something precious use it to reflect back but to have time with God means we can serve him it means we can study him it means means we can spend time
Praying and not not trying to labor over things that are not spiritual things that are not holy that’s why Jesus said the priests can sering the temple and not be breaking the Sabbath because they’re serving God it’s holy I think it’s also why Jesus said he was Lord of the Sabbath because the
Sabbath then is about connecting with him he’s the one we go to Matthew 11:28 he says come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest interestingly the word he used for rest is the same Greek word as Sabbath rest in the Greek version of the new
Test T he’s almost aligning himself with Sabbath come to me I’m the lord of the Sabbath I’m the one who gives you rest I’m the one you need to meet with to make that day holy he’s the one that brings refreshing to our soul not just our body every part of us the
Deeper refreshing the deeper rest and there is a question of how deep do we want to go here how much restoration do we want going to skip a bit however I think even in the last week I have I’ve heard from God on and and realized
Something that the Sabbath is not just a gift from God to spend time with him that’s wonderful if that’s all it was that would be amazing if the Sabbath was just God saying here is a day that you can come and spend with me that you don’t have to
Strive and I’ll make sure I’ll bless it so that if you don’t work on that day and just spend it with me you’ll be okay there’ll be enough trust me you’ll have enough I think it’s more than that I actually think now that it’s God saying I desperately
Want to spend time with you because I love being in relationship with you because I want time with you with my people let me try and give an example of what that might look like if I said to Liz why don’t you take a day off next
Week so you can spend it with me she might think okay that’s a good thing okay maybe not but if I say to her I’m going to make sure you have the opportunity to have a day off next week because I am desperate to spend time with you because I love
You there’s a different emphasis why don’t you because you could spend time with me one might be a gift the other is a heart cry for relationship it’s a heart cry of love saying I love you and I want to spend time with you I want to be with you I
Want quality time not just bits here and there when can we have quality time together when can we have date night when can we do these things when can we invest and go deeper in relationship and I think sometimes to go deeper into relationship and to go
Deeper into re rest we need to slow down we need to spend time time with the one we love and don’t get me wrong you can spend every day with Jesus just as we rest every night but that step of Faith to commit a day to be with
Him it’s that quality time it’s that time when you’re not just maintaining you’re going deeper you’re going stronger it’s it’s not just fit in around work this is for him everything this day is for him and we know there were times when Jesus was up all night praying or the
Disciples spent the night singing in a prison or Shipwrecked they didn’t always have rest like we know it but Jesus was always part of that and he always brought them back to rest and always to time with him he can bless that day and make it holy just
Yesterday my kids were singing a song a Disney song it’s called at all cost and this is obviously not the context of the song but as I was hearing it it talks about protecting something and I was thinking what if that thing we’re protecting is our relationship with
God what if it’s not about prot protecting a day but it’s about protecting our relationship with Jesus who’s Lord of that day the s goes promise as one do I I will protect you at all costs keep you safe here in my arms I will protect you at all costs at all
Costs it’s a really beautiful song but what if the Sabbath is there so whatever it costes we can keep our relationship with Jesus Jesus healthy going deeper and Growing the Sabbath is the opportunity to protect at all cost our relationship and time with God that’s where we find rest that’s where we find blessing that’s a holy time a special time for God it reminds me of Proverbs uh 4:23 says above all else guard your
Heart for everything you do flows from it how do we go deeper with heart time with God got three takeaway questions for you I’m going to end with how can you involve God more in your Sabbath what might it mean I we started the service by intentionally praying and inviting God to be
Involved and I say involved I don’t think God just wants a little bit of the day I think he wants all of our hearts I think he wants the all be about him but how do we make sure that happens can we invite him can we pray
Can we take moments to at the start of the day that make a difference to everything we do how can you use the time to deepen your relationship with God it’s not just about time it’s about relationship how can we be going to Jesus Lord lord of the Sabbath the one who gives
Rest and go deeper in relationship with him and how can we be more obedient to God on the Sabbath might there be things we have to change might there be Steps of Faith that we have to take to say you know I’m not going to I’m I’m not going to do
This everyday thing if it if it gets in the way of me having real quality time with God then I’ll I I’ll take it out and I’ll trust God can make up the difference I’m sure there’s things we can all pray into and seek God
For and in a moment I’m going to get the band to come back and the first song they’re going to play I wonder if you would just start by listening it’s called How Deep The Father’s Love For Us and I really feel like this is all about how deep do we want to
Go and we might just be taking time to pause to listen and ask the question maybe some of these questions might come to mind I’ve just read but how deep do we want to go we’ve talked about before Ezekiel 47 the River of Life that gets deeper and deeper as it
Goes if we want to go into greater depths this is part of going deeper that deepening relationship that deepening Reliance that deepening rest some of us grow more in that time of rest than any other how do we protect that above everything else at all cost greater than anything else we have
Time holy time with Jesus with God maybe the band can come up now and I’ll pray Lord I pray for myself and for everyone that we will learn to make time with you precious to set aside Sabbath time even when it’s a step of Faith even when it’s a big trust thing
Knowing that if we don’t we labor and strive in vain Lord I pray that in those times you will make them holy you will make them deep relational times quality time with you going deeper time with you that we will grow and we will be blessed Lord I pray that every single
Person here will take steps forward to go deeper with you in Jesus name Amen now we rise As we Sing how de the father love for of beyond all Me that he shall give his all is Love to make har his pray how great the pain of arm the father St away I with my The Chosen One bring and his sons to Glory behold the man the cross my sin upon his show I sh that he my mighty voice call out the On it was my S That it was come compl his dying breath has brought me I know that in His I will not in no gfts no God no W but I will boast in Jesus CH he death the resur why should I came from his free one I canot give an but this I know we all my heart his has my why should I gain why should I gain from his
Fre I canot give an for this I know with all my heart he one has made my I very briefly mentioned earlier about going slower and I feel now just as John continues to play the piano we just need to go slower for a moment and I believe God is going to
Speak to us we’re going to take time just to listen it might be that he speaks to you personally about you it might be that he speaks prophetically and some of that needs to be shared publicly but we’re just going to take a moment to have some quality
Time with God and just be with him in his presence listening to him being open to what he wants going Slow Go We’re not in any Rush this morning but I’m just wondering if there’s anyone and God’s given you something to share word or a picture just an invitation to come and share it You Matthew chapter 6 verse 33 says but seek first his King Kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself each day has enough trouble of its own can we seek first God’s kingdom can
We seek first him is he and and the relationship with him the one we protect above every other what comes first in our Priorities To church um in the announcement over the past few weeks um next Sunday is going to be a very important um day in the life of the church so from next Sunday we’re going to be holding two services and sometimes we can just hear some of these announcements and just you
Know just gloss over it but something significant is going to happen from next week we’re not going to be able to meet in the same format that we have been meeting and I think as God opens up some of these opportunities to the leadership and they take out the steps in faith I
Think we need to rise up as a congregation to really pray and ask that God’s will will be established through the two services that God himself will bring more people into the fellowship and that God will sustain all those who now need to double up to support these
Services um the protocol the music um Ministry the technical uh Ministry those who serve teas and coffees and those who are on the doors um ushers like myself and so on and so forth so I think we should all just rise up together today and hold hands together as a step of
Faith because we’re stepping out by faith as a church and let’s commit the two Services unto the Lord and ask that God’s will will be established even through this new initiative can we all stand up together Please our heavenly father and our God we worship you and we thank you the Bible says that every good gift and every perfect gift comes from a above and it comes down from the Father of Lights with whom there’s no variableness neither shadow of turning father we know that it’s not the devil’s
Intention for people to be saved or to come to the knowledge of the truth it is God’s intention so father God even as you have led our pastor Phil and the leadership team to step out by faith and to decree two Services we pray father God that that which
You have ordained will be established in Jesus name we pray that each one of us oh God will rise up to the challenge and that father God you will send laborers into your Vineyard in the name of Jesus we pray that those who we are preparing to receive into our congregation and
Into our fellowship that Lord you will open doors and you will bring them in in jesus’ name and we pray that even as we go forth today that Lord you will make us Fishers of Men that you help us to share the good news with as many people
That we come in contact with and that your will will be established and done in Jesus matous name amen amen all right well let’s finish by saying yes to God that’s our final song right we say yes let’s sing it with everything we’ve got wholeheartedly everything let’s go for It take away to be a Way to be your hands and we say my soul is what you have what my soul whatever you have whatever we can trust in You for you are with us you are always whatever you whatever my what you we know that you are for us not against us not us we all that you are for us not against us against we know that you are not we know that You H Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah hall hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallah have a blessed and holy day with Jesus thank you for coming Oh come to the altar the the precious blood of Jesus Christ will come to the altar the father arms are open wide foress was SP with the precious blood of Jesus Christ [Applause] Thank you [Applause] Lord you cross as you wait for the crown tell the world [Applause] of I’ll never be more L than I am right now wasn’t holding you I take control of me to make you C I’ll never be more L than I am right now going through a storm but I won’t go down I hear your voice carried in the of the wind and call me out you would cross an oce so why would
It you’ve never been closer than you you are right now you are you are you are I will be cont in in every circum you are you are you are I don’t want to forget how I feel right now on the mountain I can see so clear what it’s all about St on my side when the Sun goes down don’t want to foret Right you are I know that you are you are you are so I will be I will be right now every circumstance I’m Lord he always you are [Applause] in Forever always always [Applause] enough I Everything love I’m already chosen I know who I am I know what you spoken I’m already Lov more than I could Imagine and that is enough I’m already already I’m already chosen I’m already chosen I know who I am I know who I am I know what you spoken know you spoken I’m already love already more than I could imagine that is enough that is enough it’s enough for me I’m already
Already I’m already chosen already chos I’m know who I am I know who I am I know I know what you sp I know what you I’m already love more than I could even Fe that is enough that is it’s enough it’s enough that is enough is what his Tru
Say is better than anything that is enough that is what he’s declared over us it’s true that is enough is that is enough that is enough that is enough that is enough you are is you are is when I have you I everything that is when I have Jesus I have everything that
Is that is you are you are my you are you’re my por you are more than enough for me you are you are you so I I you you are am I Am you are you are enough I will be in every [Applause] C you [Applause] Are no no Ifes the lies with beauty and Splender how much more will he clo you how much more will he clo you if he watches over every Spar how much more does he love you how much more does he love you if Hees Beauty and much will [Applause] will he oh he dresses with beauty Anda how much will God provider don’t Wor Wor love much To His it’s more than you oh yeah according to his power It more you Accord to your [Applause] Good more than enough more than you know more than you know you Know you oh yes you are you Are you always Been in every circumstance you are will Circum He knows my