[0:00] Thank you.
[0:30] And on Thursday was Ascension Day, a day that we remember and rejoice in the truth that our Lord Jesus Christ returned to his rightful place at the Father's right hand.
[0:42] And Charles Wesley's written a wonderful hymn about that. Clap your hands, you people all. So we're going to stand and sing that and then I'm going to hand over to Roger to lead us in God's word.
[0:55] Hymn number two on the sheet here. Hymn number two on the sheet here.
[1:30] Triumph in his sovereign grace. is The is jesus jesus".
[3:18] Wonderful in saving power, we let all our hearts adore. Lord, help them with either cry, glory be to God's Christ.
[3:45] Thank you very much and thanks to Peter and the church for having me to share with you this morning. I trust that God will bless us. It's wonderful to be able to come and sing together God's praise, isn't it?
[3:57] And I don't quite understand the mentality that says, oh, let's just do it once on Sunday. I think, wow, we have two services, let's be at both and show the world that we love to praise God together and hear his word.
[4:10] And, well, many of us have got a full day of praise and worship as we listen to music and the ministry of God's word. I brought some books.
[4:22] Those of you who know me know I always bring some books. I want to stress, I'm quite strict Sabbatarian, really. I'm very careful I don't spend money on Sunday if I can possibly avoid it.
[4:33] And I try to keep Sunday as God's day as best I can. So you say, well, why have you got some books? Well, I think it's very hard these days to get hold of resources and I stress I don't ever make any money whatsoever on any of the titles which I have.
[4:48] So we've put some out in the foyer and there's a bowl there. Just trust you to give a pound donation for the books. And I'm going to mention just three that may be of interest.
[5:01] There's a pile of these and it's a most helpful book. It's called Unbreakable. Here it is. I'm sure many of you have heard people say something like, oh, I'm okay with Jesus or okay with the New Testament but I just don't get the Old Testament.
[5:14] Don't really believe it. Usually the people who say that are people who are not reading the Old Testament because when one reads it, it becomes very clear this is indeed God's word. But this book is looking at what Jesus said about the Old Testament.
[5:28] And you'd be amazed how much he did say about it. And it's easy to read, very convincing and you'll see very clearly that if you believe in Jesus, you will also believe in the Old Testament.
[5:39] But anyway, have a look at it. I recommend it. And it's the sort of book to get and then pass on, I don't know, to the ministers in your church, the lay preachers who come, pass it on to them because it's very often not what they're being taught.
[5:51] And then a couple of other books to pass on. I've mentioned this one already. It's the newest of the series. I've got, I think, about six different titles of books which are collections of testimonies of how people came to faith.
[6:04] And each chapter, and there are 14 altogether here, 13 of them telling stories of how people came to faith. Each chapter includes the gospel but then there's a very clear explanation of the gospel afterwards.
[6:15] This is called A Passion for Life. And I just recommend it, not only for you to read, I think you'd be blessed if you read it, but maybe to try and pass on. Some of you are in guest houses, some of you are in hotels, some of you are on caravan sites, some of you are sleeping rough with a group of others who are sleeping rough.
[6:33] And in fact, I saw one of the Loch Ness, sorry, the North Ness boys, jogging this morning. It's quite interesting because he's been very clear to tell us that there are no railways in, where are you?
[6:47] Shetland. We do have buses. You don't need to jog. You just get on a bus here. It's amazing. And, but wherever you are, why not get one of these to pass on to somebody else?
[6:59] Even before you leave Whitby. But why not get two or three to pass on to others in the next few weeks? It's a gospel book. It's very easy to read. It's not in your face. Some great stories in here. Fiona Castle's in here.
[7:11] Oh, I've told you some of these for those who've been there this weekend. But it's only a pound and worth passing on. And then there are a few of these hardback books. And they really are hardback. How's that? And this one's called Things God Wants Us to Know.
[7:23] And it's explaining how God has revealed himself and he wants us to know who he is and who we are and what he has done and what we must do. And each of these hardback books, just a pound, but very easy to pass on to people who are interested.
[7:40] So have a look. You don't have to purchase anything or donate anything, but they're there as a resource. Now, I'd like to give you all as well one of these little leaflets. And maybe pass this on during the week.
[7:51] Or when you get back home, tell your neighbours, oh, I've been to Whitby and I've got this little leaflet about it. It's written by one of the elders of the church here, Barry. And it's called Whitby, a heavenly resort. Well, I hope heaven's better than Whitby.
[8:03] But Whitby's not bad. Okay. No, the great thing about heaven, the great thing about heaven is you can have as much fish and chips as you want and it doesn't get your heart wrecked. Whereas here, it does.
[8:15] I know. I've only had it twice in the last two days, so it's not too bad. Anyway, Whitby, a heavenly resort. I'd like to give you one of these each on the way out. Will you turn, please, in your Bibles to the very end of Luke's Gospel?
[8:28] Luke chapter 24. Thursday was Ascension Day, as Peter mentioned. And we're going to read the end of this great Gospel. Oh, that's yours. Sorry. He said, don't share germs. I just saw all the saliva.
[8:41] I thought, no, that's not mine. It's... Luke 24. No wonder they only have me once every two years.
[8:54] Luke 24. And verse 36. While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, Peace be with you.
[9:08] They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, Why are you troubled? And why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet.
[9:20] It is I, myself. Touch me and see. A ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see I have. And if I can just interrupt here. Notice Jesus says flesh and bones.
[9:31] He doesn't say flesh and blood. Because he'd shed his blood on the cross. And he didn't gather it up. If you've ever had contact with the Jehovah's Witnesses, you'll know that's a very important point.
[9:42] He says, flesh and bones. Verse 40. When he said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, Do you have anything to eat?
[9:56] They gave him a piece of broiled fish. And he took it and ate it in their presence. He said to them, This is what I told you while I was still with you.
[10:07] Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets and the Psalms. Then he opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures.
[10:18] He told them, This is what is written. The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day. And repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
[10:34] You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my father has promised. But stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.
[10:45] When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.
[10:58] Then they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God. Amen. Let's pray together, shall we, as we turn to God's word.
[11:12] Father, now we come to your holy word, which you have breathed and given to us. And we pray that your Holy Spirit would take hold of it and apply it to our hearts to make us more like the Lord Jesus, in whose precious name we pray.
[11:28] Amen. So the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. He died. He gave himself over to death.
[11:40] He was buried. And three days later, he rose from the dead. Then for the next seven weeks, he appeared to literally hundreds of people, showing himself risen.
[11:51] And what we've just had in this lovely passage is Jesus reflecting on his own death just a few weeks after he has died.
[12:02] Nobody else is ever going to be able to do that. Jesus reflecting on his own death. He showed himself alive, as Luke puts it, by many infallible proofs. But verse 41, Luke is very honest.
[12:14] He says, Some still did not believe because of joy and amazement. Now, Jesus speaks to his disciples for the last time. And Luke focuses very much on what it is, as Christian disciples, we are to go out and proclaim to our neighbors, well, Jerusalem, and the nations.
[12:35] He says, Actually, the things that I want you to proclaim are the things that were written in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms. Now, that's quite significant in itself, because the Old Testament as we know it, we know it with 39 books, in the time of Jesus was divided into three sections.
[12:53] They were the same books, but just divided into three sections. And they called those three sections the law, the prophets, and the Psalms. Jesus said, The law, the prophets, and the Psalms, the Old Testament, if we can use that phrase, it was speaking about these same things that I want you to go and proclaim to your neighbors and the nations.
[13:14] I want you to go and tell them, he says, about my suffering, my resurrection, repentance, and forgiveness of sins.
[13:24] And that's really what we're going to focus on this morning. Now, this is incredibly important, because if you get your religion from the BBC, and I hope you don't, but if you get your religion from the BBC, you'd get the impression that all Christians are interested in is, you know, do we believe in women bishops?
[13:40] What do we think about homosexuality, etc.? And they focus on periphery issues. They may be important, but they're periphery compared with the core, the foundational, the fundamental truths of the Christian gospel.
[13:52] Now, Jesus here is saying, this is what I want you to go and make known to your neighbors and the nations. When Matthew gives us the Great Commission, he says, go into all the world and teach them to observe all things that I've commanded you.
[14:08] When Mark focuses on the Great Commission, he says, go and proclaim this message to every creature, every person in every nation, in each succeeding generation, has the right to hear the news that Christ can save.
[14:22] When John focuses on the Great Commission, he says, look, I'm going to be with you. My peace, I leave with you. But here, Luke focuses on, what is the message that we are to be proclaiming to every nation?
[14:34] First of all, he says, I want you to go and tell people about my sufferings. So this is Jesus, as I say, just a few weeks after he was crucified, focusing on his sufferings.
[14:47] Now, actually, it's an interesting thing that he said, because in those days, crucifixion was almost normal. People were familiar with the idea that folk could be crucified.
[15:02] The great historian who chronicled the history of the Israelite nation, who was born around about the time when Jesus was crucified, was a man called Josephus. And we owe a great debt to Josephus, telling us many of the events that happened before Jesus, during the time of Jesus and after.
[15:17] He describes the Roman invasion of Israel in AD 70, when Jerusalem was razed to the ground. And one of his very graphic descriptions, he says, I saw hundreds of little fishing boats along the Mediterranean coast, each with their masts, and on either side of the masts were crucified two Jews.
[15:43] Crucifixion was normal. And yet Jesus said, I want you to go and tell your neighbours in the nations about my sufferings. So what was so significant about the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus?
[15:57] Well, first of all, that it was foretold, it was prophesied in the law, the prophets and the Psalms. You say, in the law? Where did it say anything about Jesus' crucifixion? Well, you'll know that if you've read through those early books of the Bible, there's often detailed description of the various sacrifices.
[16:15] Somebody was sinful. They recognised their sin. They wanted their sin to be dealt with and forgiven. So they took to the Jewish priest a sacrifice, maybe a lamb.
[16:27] And it was laid on a Jewish altar, and the Jewish priest would lay his hand on the head of the altar, and the sinful person would lay his or her hand on the head of the, of the, sorry, on the sacrifice. And then the sacrifice would die, its blood would be shed, and the sinful person would walk away feeling forgiven.
[16:43] But could an animal take away human sin? Well, no, but every animal sacrificed over those many centuries was looking forward to the fact that eventually, in the fullness of time, the Lord Jesus Christ would come, and he would be the sacrifice for sin.
[17:01] Behold, the Lamb of God will take away the sin of the world, says John the Baptist. Well, what about the Psalms? Did they talk about Jesus being sacrificed, and he suffered?
[17:12] Yes. Think of Psalm 22, for example, where even the very words that would be spoken by the people round about Jesus as he was crucified are written. There was an anticipation.
[17:23] There was a looking forward to the fact that eventually, the Saviour would come and be the sacrifice for sin. Well, what about the prophets? Did they? Oh, yes, they did. Time and again, think of Isaiah 53, that wonderful chapter, portraying the fact that Jesus would come, and he would die.
[17:39] Oh, we like sheep have gone astray. We've turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him, on Jesus, the iniquity, the evil deeds of us all. So Jesus says, go and tell them about my sufferings, about the fact that I carried on myself the rottenness, the wrong, the sin of the world that is in rebellion against the God who made them.
[18:05] We don't like the idea of sin these days. We have all sorts of ways of sort of brushing it under the carpet, you know, egocentricity, a bit of depravity, a bit of weakness, a personality trait, etc.
[18:18] No, the Bible calls it sin. Now, I remember watching on Question Time on television, perhaps two, three years ago, David Dimbleby chairing his panel. And have you noticed they always have atheists?
[18:30] Always. And on this occasion, there were only two of them, which isn't bad, really. There was David Starkey, the historian, and Chris Bryant, Labour MP for Merthyr Tidville, probably of all members of Parliament, the one who's most set against biblical Christianity.
[18:46] And during the Question Time, Chris Bryant just came out with the sentence, there is no such thing as evil. Hmm, that's quite a sentence. Well, if there is no God and no absolute standard, you know, it's a logical conclusion.
[19:01] David Starkey turned, looked Chris Bryant in the eye and said, when those men flew those planes into the Twin Towers, that was evil.
[19:14] And of course, he was right and everybody applauded. But Jesus went much further than that, speaking to his disciples. Listen to this. Speaking to his disciples, his followers, he said, if you then being evil.
[19:29] So does God see us as evil? Do you know, I think if we could see something of the purity, the holiness of God, we would then realise how evil we are.
[19:45] And our sin cuts us off from God. It will keep us out of heaven. It would condemn us to hell. Except that Jesus has come and he has paid for our sin on the cross.
[19:58] When he was hanging on that cross, in all the physical and emotional suffering, he suffered spiritually as the weight of the world's sin was laid on him.
[20:13] Some time ago, I was down in Somerset and I went to the Fleet Air Arm Museum. I don't know whether you've ever been. It's fascinating because they have a prototype Concorde there. So I have been on Concorde.
[20:23] We didn't go very far, but anyway, I went up the ladders and down. But, and it's a tiny little plane. Amazing. But I was looking and reading all about it as you go around this, this museum piece now.
[20:35] And there was a sign that talked about the nozzle at the front. And it said, the nozzle is called the propitiator.
[20:48] And I thought, well now that's a very interesting word. The Bible says this, Jesus, he's the propitiation for our sins, but not for our sins only, but for the sins of the whole world.
[21:01] So what is this word? Propitiation. Propitiator. Well think about that nozzle on the Concorde. As it goes through the air, cuts through the air, it takes all the friction, all the heat, all the fire, onto itself as it were.
[21:16] It takes the heat to protect the rest of the plane. And when Jesus was on the cross, he took on himself all God's rightful anger against sin.
[21:28] He took it on himself that we might be protected, that we might be forgiven. And set free. Jesus said, go and tell your neighbors, go and tell the nations about my suffering.
[21:39] I have died for sin. And then he said, and go and tell them not only that, but tell them that I rose again three days later. Do you know, the world has never produced a greater victory than Jesus not only dying for us and being buried, but rising from the dead.
[21:56] A couple of weeks ago, I was in Blayden, in Oxfordshire, and I went to a little churchyard and I stood at the grave of Sir Winston Churchill. The BBC some time ago voted him the greatest ever Brit.
[22:09] And maybe that is true. But even he didn't have the power to raise himself from the dead. He's buried and you pay your respects. But Jesus died. He was buried.
[22:20] And three days later, he rose. Do you know, the Bible teaches there is one God who is in three persons. He's Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
[22:32] And in every great work of God, the three persons of the Trinity are at work. So God the Father created the world. God the Spirit created the world.
[22:42] And God the Son created the world. When Jesus was born, God the Father sent Jesus the Son to be the Savior of the world and the Spirit worked in the virgin womb of Mary so that she conceived to give birth to the baby Jesus.
[22:55] At the baptism, the Son was buried. The Father spoke from heaven. This is my beloved Son. And the Spirit descended as a dove. Now do you know, in the resurrection, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were at work.
[23:08] The Father raised Jesus back to life. The Spirit raised Jesus back to life. We read those in the Scripture. But do you know, Jesus said he would raise himself back to life. John chapter 2. Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it.
[23:23] And he spoke of the temple of his body. John chapter 10. No one can take my life from me. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it up again. Jesus went into death for us, was buried, and raised himself back to life.
[23:40] I have a friend. You'll have to have him in Whitby sometime. What a character. He's called Andy Todd. He lives in Sheffield. And he's an illusionist. He's amazing.
[23:51] He regularly saws his wife in half. She's a local doctor. It can't be hard to be a doctor because she goes to work the next day. And he puts a sword through her head and she's fine.
[24:04] And I was seated, guys, where you are when I last saw him. And there was a table at the front covered with a tablecloth. And he took the tassel of the corner of the tablecloth like this and you could all see.
[24:16] And suddenly the table and the tablecloth started floating. And I was looking, where are the strings? Where's the pole? I must be. But there was nothing. It was, you know. And then he said, you all think this is elevating, don't you?
[24:28] Oh, yes. And he's so annoying. He won't tell you how he does it. And he says, it is not. I am fooling you. This is an illusion. And it's so annoying because you think, come on, tell us how you do it.
[24:39] But he never does. But he does this amazing program of illusion. And then he goes on to demonstrate and show how the resurrection of Jesus Christ cannot have been an illusion.
[24:53] How it had to be reality. His website is www.illusion and then the number to reality.com illusion to reality.com Jesus really did rise.
[25:06] He who died and was buried rose from the dead. He had a body that was as much at home on earth as it would be in heaven. And he says, go and tell everyone I have suffered and I have risen.
[25:19] No other man has ever been able to do that. It's proof that he is who he claimed to be. God incarnate. But then thirdly, he says, but go and tell them as well about repentance.
[25:31] I don't know why but our gospel preaching these days has moved away from preaching repentance. It's a strange thing because when John the Baptist began his ministry he preached repentance and he was very specific.
[25:47] You tax collectors, repent. You soldiers, repent. He was very specific. When Jesus began his ministry his very first words were repent. Peter on the great day of Pentecost stood up thousands of people listening and he says to them repent.
[26:05] The Apostle Paul in every single sermon that he preached all the way through the book of Acts and I'm sure we've only got them in Pracy their shortened sort of sermon outlines but nevertheless every single one of them he talks about repentance and the resurrection because Christ has died and he's risen and he spoke about these things.
[26:23] Go and tell your neighbours and the nations about my suffering my resurrection and repentance. This is God's agenda to change the world. The most important thing that you can ever pass on to anybody else is their need to repent and receive forgiveness.
[26:40] Putting it simply our part is to repent God's part is to forgive. Repentance is that sort of voluntary change of mind that turns the sinner from his or her own way to go God's way.
[26:54] absolutely central to the Christian message the need to repent. It's not remorse only it's not just eating humble pie it's acknowledging that we've been born with our faces set against God and we need to repent and turn our faces to God.
[27:13] Let me tell you a story that I have to say my wife was here she'd shake her head at this moment and say why don't you tell them this story nobody believes it. But anyway let me tell you the story I read it in good faith and it's up to you whether you believe it or not.
[27:26] It concerns the First World War and one particular woman who was married and she and her husband had one son but she lost both her husband and her son in conflict in the First World War and you can imagine the pain and the hurt and the bitterness that she felt and it was aggravated because next door to her lived a woman married and they had five sons and all the family survived and it really she didn't want to feel resentful and yet she felt it.
[28:00] One night she had a dream and in the dream an angel appeared to her and said you may have your son back if you want just for ten minutes.
[28:13] Now somebody's having a wonderful snore do raise them from the dead and tell them tell them I don't blame them. You may have your son back and you may have him just for ten minutes but you can choose which ten minutes you'd like.
[28:32] Maybe his little baby when you nursed him. Maybe his little toddler when he went out into the garden and played and came back so muddy but so happy. Maybe when you saw him go off to school carrying his new satchel for the very first time.
[28:45] Maybe when you saw him graduate from school. Maybe when you saw him for the very last time and he marched so proudly to war. You can have him back for ten minutes and you can choose.
[28:56] And in the dream she thought and she said I would like him back but not for any of those minutes you've just described. I would like him back when he was a little boy and I said to him to do something and he just said no!
[29:09] And he clenched his fists and he stamped his feet and he stomped off. I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! And he came back a few minutes later with tears rolling down his cheeks and he said oh mummy I'm really sorry I don't hate you at all I love you so much I'm really sorry I'll never be naughty again.
[29:29] She said I never loved him more than when he came back and said I'm sorry. Now I don't think you can say about God that he never loves us more than but he does love us even though we've dared to defy him and we're commanded to repent turn from our sin and trust the Lord Jesus Christ and when we do he forgives us.
[29:57] Salvation in the Bible is equated with forgiveness of sins. Let me just stress and some of you I know are deeply religious people but I want to stress this there is no other way to obtain forgiveness outside of the Lord Jesus.
[30:13] You can't earn it you can't go to church to just get it by your works you can't buy it you need to receive it as a gift. It can't be worked for and of course after death it is too late to repent and receive forgiveness.
[30:30] Jesus said go and tell your neighbours about my suffering my resurrection repentance and forgiveness of sins he says go and tell all nations this is a message of gospel for everyone everyone needs to hear this message.
[30:46] Now I want to just add one last thing because I don't know how many people have said to me over the years Roger you know I understand what you're saying I wish I had your faith I could never keep up the Christian life if I became a Christian I'd just go back to my old ways do you ever feel like that?
[31:03] but Jesus answered that in these final words before he went to the mountain and ascended to heaven he answered it by saying now look I send the promise of my father upon you but tarry wait in the city of Jerusalem until you've been endued with power from on high the triune God father, son and Holy Spirit says that as we trust and believe and go and tell the triune God is with us look we have the promise of the father I send you the promise of my father we have the plans of the son I send you but wait in the city and we have the power of the Holy Spirit until you're endued with power from on high this triune God comes to live within us we become his very dwelling place and he gives us the desire and the power to live for him and he keeps us and he uses us and he blesses us and one day he'll take us home we don't deserve his heavenly home we do deserve hell if only we could see it but heaven is not a reward heaven is a gift that we receive
[32:19] Christianity is not just a sort of enthusiasm a hobby that we take on and leave and drop my wife bless her I'm giving her a rough time today aren't I but she she teases me about my my enthusiasms I became very enthusiastic about Lapsang Souchong tea have you ever had it it's gorgeous I have to say it's burnt and it's smelly but it's wonderful and then somebody introduced me to Moroccan tea ooh now that's nice so I got loads of Moroccan tea and then I discovered licorice tea mmm it's great sends you a blood pressure sky high but it's worth it and it really in fact I'll tell you I was in I was in London last year and I went to I don't know whether you've ever been I went to Fortnum and Mason have you ever been there you sort of walk in and you just feel rich but if you buy anything you'll be desperately poor at the end anyway anyway I went up to the guy behind the counter and I said to him excuse me sir
[33:19] I said do you have any licorice tea please and he said no sir we don't so being a Yorkshire I just said oh right can I ask why this is what he said it's true he said because sir it's cheap come on oh okay I got some in Oxford so it's that's a but you see it's not just an enthusiasm when you become a Christian oh you know I've been at a gospel music convention isn't it nice to be no no no no when you repent and receive forgiveness of sins when you trust in the sufferings of the Lord Jesus and his resurrection and you ask him to be your Lord and Saviour by his spirit he comes to live within you you're in his grip the triune God has got you and he's not going to let you go he's not going to let you walk out say bye bye to him he's got you and he'll keep you through life through death and then one day gloriously in eternity we'll be with him
[34:21] I want to ask you if I may very earnestly you know I love coming here and I love this convention and I love most of you there are one or two exceptions but most of you I do I love being with you but my heart's desire my real heart's desire my prayer is that we might all one day be with the Lord in glory it would be tragic if we were here on a Sunday morning or a gospel music convention and we'd never trusted the Lord Jesus and one day we'd be lost for eternity I beg of you if you've never yet asked Jesus to forgive you for whatever reasons church may have offended you Christians may have hurt you whatever reason I urge you in your heart in your heart call out to the Lord Jesus and say from this day please become my Lord my Saviour I repent forgive me I trust Jesus crucified and risen to be mine would you pray like that we're going to sing in a moment and then we're going to pray a couple of prayers one will be a prayer of repentance and asking for forgiveness of sins and then a prayer to commit ourselves to the Lord but please none of you leave none of you leave without knowing that you're right with God and if you are right with God go and tell your neighbours and the nations these great truths we're going to sing beneath the cross of Jesus
[35:45] I fain would take my stand the shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land number three on the hymn sheet slightly modernised words so let's read them and not just recite them and sing them enthusiastically beneath the cross of Jesus the great I take my stand and shine all the mighty rock within a weary land above within the wilderness the rest upon the way from the burning of the noontide heat and the burden of the day from the burning of the noontide heat and the burden of the day that awesome place where heaven's blood and heaven's justice need as to the holy matriam that wondrous dream was here so seems my
[37:44] Savior's cross was here to be a land up to earth and there lies beneath the shadow but on the mother's side the darkness the darkness the darkness of the hope and the hope for the great and the grace for the need and the light and there he and there he and there he and there he and the cross to arms and stretch to stay for there was a step to guard the way from that eternal way upon that cross of Jesus my eyes can't see the very bright for long who suffered there for me and from my stricken heart with tears to wonders
[39:09] I confess the wonders of his glorious love and my no worthless chest I take the cross thy shadow for my abiding place I ask of other sunshine and the sunshine on his face protect to let the world go to know the game for loss my sinful self my only shame my glory on the cross title chapter rapt no no this will sit encourage and urge you to echo it personalize it not out loud but in your heart and mind make this prayer your own and if you do let me just tell somebody or come and see me I'll be at the door
[40:39] I'll have these Whitby leaflets to give you but I'll also have a booklet called Trust in Christ which explains what it means to be a Christian it has this prayer in it and then some tips about growing as a Christian I'd love to give you one of those and then I'm going to pray a prayer to commit ourselves and all that's going on in Whitby to the Lord for the coming week so let's pray first of all a prayer of repentance and asking for forgiveness of sins dear God thank you that you know everything there is to know about me but I do want to say I'm sorry for my sin with your strength I want to turn from it please forgive me thank you that Jesus suffered and died for me thank you that he rose from the dead please become my Lord and my Saviour and help me to follow you for I pray in Jesus name
[41:49] Amen and Father we thank you for our time together thank you for this church this faithfulness the blessing it has been to this town and to many people over many years now thank you for the Whitby Gospel Music Convention the wonderful music we've been privileged to hear focusing on Jesus crucified, risen, exalted and one day the person we're going to be with throughout all eternity thank you for all that that convention stands for and has done and been such a blessing to us this weekend we pray for the rest of the day here and at the pavilion we pray for the coffee morning tomorrow we pray then for the ongoing few days with Andy McIntosh we thank you for him and his tremendous teaching on creation and the authority of the word and we pray that Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday would be great memorable nights for so many and indeed that some will come to see the truth of your word and for us many of us will be going our separate ways later tonight or tomorrow look after us keep us safe keep us close to you bless us and help us to be people who go and tell our neighbours and the nations these wonderful precious truths for we ask in Jesus name
[43:06] Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen J'avis Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen