Staines Congregational Church Sermons

Celebration of the life of Martin Marsden.
Welcome home, good and faithful servant!

1 Peter 2:11-25
 
11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honour the emperor.
18 Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. 19 For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. 20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
22 
“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 25 For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
 
Psalm 7
A shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjamite.
1  Lord my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me,
2 or they will tear me apart like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.
3 Lord my God, if I have done thisand there is guilt on my hands—
4 if I have repaid my ally with evil or without cause have robbed my foe—
5 then let my enemy pursue and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust
6 Arise, Lord, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice.
7 Let the assembled peoples gather around you,while you sit enthroned over them on high.
8 Let the Lord judge the peoples. Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High.
9 Bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure— you, the righteous God who probes minds and hearts.
10 My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day.
12 If he does not relent, he will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow.
13 He has prepared his deadly weapons; he makes ready his flaming arrows.
14 Whoever is pregnant with evil conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment.
15 Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit they have made.
16 The trouble they cause recoils on them; their violence comes down on their own heads.
17 I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.
 

Matthew 26:36-46Gethsemane
36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
Psalm 6
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. According to sheminith.[b] A psalm of David.
1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger    or discipline me in your wrath.2 Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint;    heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.3 My soul is in deep anguish.    How long, Lord, how long?
4 Turn, Lord, and deliver me;    save me because of your unfailing love.5 Among the dead no one proclaims your name.    Who praises you from the grave?
6 I am worn out from my groaning.
All night long I flood my bed with weeping    and drench my couch with tears.7 My eyes grow weak with sorrow;    they fail because of all my foes.
8 Away from me, all you who do evil,    for the Lord has heard my weeping.9 The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;    the Lord accepts my prayer.10 All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish;    they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.

1 Sam 16:13-23
16v13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.David in Saul’s Service
14 Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and anevil spirit from the Lord tormented him.
15 Saul’s attendants said to him, “See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. 16 Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the lyre. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes on you, and you will feel better.”
17 So Saul said to his attendants, “Find someone who plays well and bring him to me.”
18 One of the servants answered, “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the Lord is with him.”
19 Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.” 20 So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul.
21 David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers.22 Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, “Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him.”
23 Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.
Psalm 5
1 Listen to my words, Lord, consider my lament.2 Hear my cry for help, my King and my God,
for to you I pray.
3 In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.4 For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;with you, evil people are not welcome.5 The arrogant cannot stand in your presence.You hate all who do wrong; 6 you destroy those who tell lies.The bloodthirsty and deceitful you, Lord, detest.7 But I, by your great love, can come into your house;in reverence I bow down toward your holy temple.
8 Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies - make your way straight before me.9 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;their heart is filled with malice.Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they tell lies.10 Declare them guilty, O God!
Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you.11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
12 Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;you surround them with your favour as with a shield.
 

Psalm 2
1 Why do the nations conspire[a]    and the peoples plot in vain?2 The kings of the earth rise up    and the rulers band together    against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,3 “Let us break their chains    and throw off their shackles.”
4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;    the Lord scoffs at them.5 He rebukes them in his anger    and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,6 “I have installed my king    on Zion, my holy mountain.”
7 I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:
He said to me, “You are my son;    today I have become your father.8 Ask me,    and I will make the nations your inheritance,    the ends of the earth your possession.9 You will break them with a rod of iron[b];    you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”
10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;    be warned, you rulers of the earth.11 Serve the Lord with fear    and celebrate his rule with trembling.12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry    and your way will lead to your destruction,for his wrath can flare up in a moment.    Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Intro to the Psalms
 
What good are the psalms?
 
 - They teach us to pray
 - They train us to respond to all the Bible
 - They reshape our affections
 - They sweeten our emotions
 - The prevent individualism
 - They arouse us to warmth
 
They are the Bible made memorable.
 
Why sing the psalms?
 
 - Poetry makes you think without thinking!
-  Parallel thoughts in couplets
 - Songs make memorable
 - Songs enable worship together
 - Songs intensify emotion
 
Psalm 1: the righteous
 
  We want the blessed life rather than the best life!
  - Not going with the godless flow (normal general life)
  - Not standing for godlessness
  - Not sitting with God-mockery
  Christians delight in God's word:
  - From the heart
- 24/7
  Such people are vibrant and resilient
  - They bear fruit
 
Psalm 1: the wicked
 
  They are like chaff
  - In life they seemed "so weighty, so numerous, so plausible and so scornful"
  - They are actually lightweight rubbish
  They shall not stand before God.
 
Jesus sings the psalms?
 
  The psalms are songs by the king for the king (David)
  David is a picture of King Jesus
  The psalms are fulfilled in Jesus
  We receive the psalms' blessings in Christ
John 15:1-8 for example.

Heb 6:13-20
The Certainty of God’s Promise
13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.”[a] 15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
16 People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

Hebrews 10:19-25
A Call to Persevere in Faith
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Rev Andy Saville
Heb 12:18-29
The Mountain of Fear and the Mountain of Joy
12v18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; 19 to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, 20 because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” 21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.25 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”

Pulpit Swap Series - A Certain Word
Hebrews 9:4-16
9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works,[a] just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.
12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Jesus the Great High Priest
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,[b] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.