“Church Without Walls”: Sermons on Luke’s Gospel – Luke 2:21-40

The “Church Without Walls” Report recommended that “congregations study, reflect on and live by one Gospel for one year, in the first instance, and let Jesus shape the life and structure of the congregation.” This series of sermons focuses on Luke’s Gospel.

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Luke 2:21-40
Here, we have the naming of the Baby (Luke 2:21). His Name was given to Him by God. His Name is Jesus – “Jesus! Name of wondrous love.” His Name is the Name of our salvation. His Story is the Story of our salvation.
Following on from the story of His birth, we have the first step towards the Future, His future, our future in Him. We are pointed in the direction of this future by two people who had waited for the coming of the Saviour – Simeon and Anna. For both Simeon and Anna, the past (the time of waiting) had come to an end and the future (the time of salvation) had begun. The end of the old, the beginning of the new – This is particularly relevant at the beginning of a New Year. The New Year is not only a change in the number of the year. It’s a time when the Lord is inviting us to put the past behind us and move into the future with Him.
As we move forward with God, we can learn from Simeon and Anna. In the welcome given to Christ by Simeon and Anna, we learn that the Story of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, is a Story of revelation, resurrection and redemption.
- In Christ, there is revelation.
- In Christ, there is resurrection.
- In Christ, there is redemption.
* In Christ, there is revelation.
God has revealed Himself to us. He has spoken His Word to us. Jesus Christ is His living Word. God has made Himself known to us. He has shown to us the way of salvation. Jesus Christ is “the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6). He is the Way without which there is no going. He is the Truth without which there is no knowing. He is the Life without which there is no living. This is revelation. This is God making Himself known to us. We are not left groping around in the darkness, trying to find our own way back to God. Jesus is the Way to God. We are not left in a state of confusion – the confusion of uncertainty. we have received a revelation of God’s truth – Jesus Christ is the Truth. we are not left without hope. God has given us hope for the future. Jesus is our Hope. In Him, we have life – eternal life.
* In Christ, there is resurrection.
None of us knows what each year will bring into our lives. There may be hard times ahead of us. we have no guarantee that our life will be easy. In Jesus Christ, we have a Saviour who enables us to look beyond our present circumstances to our glorious, heavenly destiny. Jesus Christ is “the Resurrection and the Life” (John 11:25). By ourselves, left to our own devices, we fall into sin, we fall away from God. With Christ as our Saviour, we are raised to newness of life (Romans 6:4). Through faith in Him, we receive God’s gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23). Christ is our life – not only for this life here on earth. He is our life – for all eternity in heaven.
* In Christ, there is redemption.
The future towards which we look forward, through faith in Jesus Christ, is not only a future which is summed up in the greeting, “Happy New Year.” It is a future which is summed up in the word, “redemption.” This is a word which teaches us that true happiness is not found in ourselves. true happiness is found in Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. In Him, we have “eternal redemption.” This redemption has been secured for us by the shedding of the precious blood of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. we have been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20). We have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19). Through Jesus Christ our Saviour, crucified and risen for us, God is calling us on to heavenly and eternal glory.
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At the time of Christ’s presentation at the Temple, the Story of revelation, resurrection and redemption was still in its infancy. The Story of revelation, resurrection and redemption was just beginning to unfold. The next step in the Story of revelation, resurrection and redemption is summed up in Luke 2:40 – “the Child grew and became strong; He was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him.” In the growth of the Child, there is an invitation to us: Will we grow with Him? Will we go from strength to strength? Will we grow in grace? Will we increase in wisdom? May God help us to make real progress in spiritual growth. May God help us to grow in Christ.

“Church Without Walls”: Sermons on Luke’s Gospel – Luke 2:1-20

The “Church Without Walls” Report recommended that “congregations study, reflect on and live by one Gospel for one year, in the first instance, and let Jesus shape the life and structure of the congregation.” This series of sermons focuses on Luke’s Gospel. I hope that other members of Presbytery will share some of their sermons.

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Luke 2:1-20
The story of the shepherds at Bethlehem is just one part of a much larger story – the Story of the Divine Shepherd.
“The Lord is my Shepherd.” This is the great testimony of the Psalmist in the most well-known of the Psalms – Psalm 23. The Lord is the Shepherd of love. He is the loving Shepherd. The Lord loves us. He shows His love for us in the coming of Christ to our world.
The Christmas carols announce, for us, the love of Christ, our Saviour.
- “Love came down at Christmas, Love all lovely, Love Divine.”
- “Son of God, o how bright, Love is smiling from Thy face.”
- “Sacred Infant, all Divine, what a tender Love was Thine, thus to come from highest bliss down to such a world as this!”
The love of the Shepherd, the love of the Saviour – This is what we read of in the story of Christ. Jesus is our Saviour, our loving Saviour. Jesus is our Shepherd, our loving Shepherd.
We see His love in his birth. We see His love in His whole story – His life, His death, His resurrection, His coming again in power and glory.
As we look together at the story of the shepherds coming to Bethlehem, let us see it in the broader context of the complete Story of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd who died for our sins, the Great Shepherd who, in His mighty resurrection, triumphed over death, the Chief Shepherd who is coming again to establish God’s heavenly and eternal Kingdom.
(1) The shepherds came to Bethlehem to worship the Baby who was to become the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for us that we might receive the forgiveness of all our sins.
The story of the shepherds and their journey to Bethlehem begins with Good News – The Saviour has been born (Luke 2:10-11). What a wonderful day it was! – the day our Saviour was born. It was a wonderful day, but it was only the beginning of a wonderful life. It was the beginning of a journey which took Jesus from the cradle of Bethlehem to the cross of Calvary. It was the beginning of a journey which would bring God’s wonderful salvation to undeserving sinners.
At the Cross of Calvary – the place where Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, laid down His life for us, we learn of our sin and God’s salvation. It was our sin which sent Jesus to the Cross. It is God’s salvation which Jesus brings to us through His death on the Cross. This is Good News of great joy – “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15).
(2) The shepherds came to Bethlehem to worship the Baby who was to become the Great Shepherd who, in His resurrection, triumphed over death.
On the night that Christ was born, the shepherds were given an almost overwhelmingly awesome demonstration of the heavenly glory of God: “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favour rests’” (Luke 2:13-14).
At the beginning of Christ’s life on earth, there was a mighty revelation of God’s glory.
At the end of His life on earth, there was another mighty demonstration of God’s heavenly glory – God raised Jesus from the dead.
One of the Christmas songs – “Mary’s Boy Child” – contains the words, “Man will live forevermore because of Christmas Day.” We could also sing, “Man will live forevermore because of Easter Day.” The Child who was born at Bethlehem became the mighty risen Lord – Jesus Christ, risen from the dead.
As we celebrate Christ’s birth – the beginning of His life on earth, we must allow our thoughts to move on to the end of His earthly life – His mighty resurrection from the dead. When we do this, we will understand the true and full meaning of the final verse of the Christmas carol, “Hark! the herald angels sing”: “Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail, the Sun of Righteousness! Light and Life to all He brings, risen with healing in His wings. Mild he lays His glory by, born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth.”
(3) The shepherds came to Bethlehem to worship the Baby who was to become the Chief Shepherd who will come again to establish God’s heavenly and eternal Kingdom, the only Kingdom which shall endure forever.
Immediately after Christmas, our thoughts begin to turn towards the New Yea. the future is beckoning us. The future is calling on us. We must move forward. We must step into the future. God’s future. God is calling us to move into the future with Him.
In the story of the shepherds who went to Bethlehem to worship the Baby jesus, we have a striking contrast between the past and the future – what the shepherd were, what the shepherds became.
At the beginning of the story, we find the shepherds keeping watch over their sheep. At the end of the story, we find the shepherds glorifying and praising God. they were changed by what happened to them that night. They would never be the same again. They were new men. they had seen the lord and it had changed them.
“Glorifying and praising God” – This was the response of the shepherds to the revelation given to them on the night of Christ’s birth. They caught a glimpse of the heavenly worship and they began to worship God with hearts full of praise to Him.
In the story of the first Christmas, we catch a glimpse of something more – the Christ who came to Bethlehem is the Christ who will come again in the fullness of His divine glory: “Not in that poor lowly stable, with the oxen standing by, we shall see Him but in heaven, set at God’s right hand on high, when, like stars, His children crowned, all in white shall wait around.”

“Church Without Walls”: Sermons on Luke’s Gospel – Luke 1:67-80

The “Church Without Walls” Report recommended that “congregations study, reflect on and live by one Gospel for one year, in the first instance, and let Jesus shape the life and structure of the congregation.” This series of sermons focuses on Luke’s Gospel. I hope that other members of Presbytery will share some of their sermons.

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Luke 1:67-80
Prior to the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, there was the birth of John the Baptist. At the time of John’s birth, his father, Zechariah, sang a song of praise to God. It is a song of praise which (a) gives thanks to God for His blessings in the past; (b) rejoices in the blessings God gives in the present; (c) looks forward to God’s blessings in the future.
* Zechariah looks back to “the holy prophets of long ago” (Luke 1:70).
* Zechariah rejoices in the birth of John – “a man sent from God” (John 1:6).
* Zechariah looks forward to the coming of Christ. John’s ministry was to “go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him” (Luke 1:76 b).
Past, present and future – This is the framework within which we live our life. We live in the present, looking back to the past and looking on to the future.
* What can we learn from Zechariah’s song of praise, as we make our journey from the past, through the future and on into the future?
- “He has raised up a horn of salvation for us” (Luke 1:70).
- “to give His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins” (Luke 1:77).
- “the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace” (Luke 1:78-79).
* How does all of this become real in our lives? – It is through “the tender mercy of our God” (Luke 1;77). From beginning to end – in the past, in the present, in the future, our salvation is the work of God, the work of His tender mercy, His amazing grace, His wonderful love.
* Where do we find God’s tender mercy, His amazing grace and His wonderful love? – In the Man who was born the Babe of Bethlehem, the Man to whom John the Baptist pointed his hearers, the Man who is none other than the Son of the living God – Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. He has come. He is with us now. He will come again.
(1) He is “the horn of salvation”, raised up by God. At the heart of the Gospel, at the heart of our faith, there is Jesus Christ – “the horn of our salvation”, Jesus Christ – raised from the dead by God. We look back and we remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead. In Him, we find our true strength. He is our strong Saviour.
(2) Here-and-now, Christ is with us. He is the risen Saviour. He is the living Lord. He is Emmanuel – God with us. He is with us as the One who gives to us the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of our sins. The knowledge of salvation, the forgiveness of sins – These are the blessings we know here-and-now. Christ is not only a figure from the past and a hope for the future. He is our Saviour here-and-now.
(3) Jesus Christ, the risen Son of God, will come from heaven. he will bring His redeemed people into everlasting light and everlasting life. All of this will become a reality – an everlasting reality, through His everlasting love. let us keep our eyes fixed on our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let Him lead you in the way everlasting, the way that leads to His heavenly and eternal glory.

“Church Without Walls”: Sermons on Luke’s Gospel – Luke 1:57-66

The “Church Without Walls” Report recommended that “congregations study, reflect on and live by one Gospel for one year, in the first instance, and let Jesus shape the life and structure of the congregation.” This series of sermons focuses on Luke’s Gospel. I hope that other members of Presbytery will share some of their sermons.

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Luke 1:57-66
* “The hand of the Lord was with him” (Luke 1:66).
The words of Hebrews 11:4 – “he died, but through his faith he is still speaking” provide us with an apt description of John the Baptist. He belongs to the distant past, yet his words continue to speak to us today.
* “The hand of the Lord was with him.”
As we read of the ministry of John the Baptist, we read of a man who was fully devoted to the Lord, a man who was mightily used by the Lord.
* “The hand of the Lord was with him.”
Let us pray that the hand of the Lord will be upon us. With thanksgiving, we remember those whom the Lord who has so graciously and powerfully used for His glory in past generations. We are not, however, locked in the past. We learn from the past so that we can be greatly used, in this generation, to bring men, women and children to the Saviour.
* “The hand of the Lord was with him.”
John the Baptist was a bridge between the old and the new. He followed on from the Old Testament prophets. He pointed forward to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. We are to be like John the Baptist. We are to be a bridge across which people travel as they make their way to Jesus Christ, the living Saviour, We build on the past, basing our teaching on the Scriptures. We learn of the Saviour as we read the Scriptures. As we seek to point sinners to the Saviour, let us pray that the Spirit will work mightily in the hearts of many and that God will be glorified as many are brought to faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
* “The hand of the Lord was with him.”
The ministry of John the Baptist had a great impact on a large number of people – a “multitude came to be baptized by him” (Luke 3:7). Let us pray that God will raise up many preachers who will call many people to return to the Lord. May God grant that His faithful servants will see much fruit for their labours.
* “The hand of the Lord was with him.”
This is not only about John the Baptist. It’s about us. It’s about the purpose of God for our lives. He calls us to be His witness. He calls us to be faithful and fruitful in His service. We learn from John the Baptist – “a voice crying in the wilderness” (Luke 3:4). We look at the “wilderness” of today’s world. It is a world of “ungodliness and unrighteousness.” It is a world that has fallen under the judgment of God (Romans 1:18). Is there a way back to God? John the Baptist gives us God’s answer to this all-important question. He points us to our Saviour, Jesus Christ. He calls us to look away from ourselves. He calls us to look to Jesus, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). May our words, in this sinful generation, be a living echo of the voice of John the Baptist in his generation. May our words point to the Saviour. May our words call men and women to come to Christ and receive, through faith in Him, the forgiveness of all their sins.

“Church Without Walls”: Sermons on Luke’s Gospel – Luke 1:39-56

The “Church Without Walls” Report recommended that “congregations study, reflect on and live by one Gospel for one year, in the first instance, and let Jesus shape the life and structure of the congregation.” This series of sermons focuses on Luke’s Gospel. I hope that other members of Presbytery will share some of their sermons.

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Luke 1:39-56
While at Elizabeth’s house, Mary praised the Lord. Her song of praise rises from the Lord and rises to the Lord.
At the heart of this song of praise, there is the “Saviour” – “my soul rejoices in God my Saviour” (Luke 1:47).
Mary’s song of praise is both a joyful testimony and a call to worship.
* Mary’s song could be summed up in the words of Psalm 35:9 – “My soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in His salvation.” This is Mary’s joyful testimony. She rejoices in the Lord. She takes delight in His salvation.
At the heart of her joyful testimony, there is the “Saviour” – “my soul rejoices in God my Saviour” (Luke 1:47).
* Mary’s song of praise comes to us as a call to worship, an invitation to join with her in praising the Lord. In her words of praise, we hear an echo of the call to worship, found in Psalm 34:3 – “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His Name together.”
Mary praised the Lord. She rejoiced in the Saviour. What about us? Will we praise the Lord? Will we rejoice in the Saviour?
* When we read the Word of God, we must not read it only as an account of things that happened a long time ago. We must also ask, “What is the Lord saying to me here-and-now? This is what we must do as we read Mary’s song of praise to her Lord and Saviour.
* In Mary’s song of praise, there are many echoes of the Psalms. by looking at one of the Psalms, Psalm 138, in connection with Mary’s song of praise, we can learn to worship Godlike Mary did – worshipping Him with our whole heart, with faith in Him, with deep appreciation of His love.
* Taking the first and last verses of Psalm 138, we can look at Mary’s song of praise, we will learn (a) how she worshipped God and how we are to worship God; (b) why she worshipped God and why we must worship God; (c) about the great theme of Mary’s worship and the great theme of our worship.
(a) How Mary worshipped God and how we are to worship God
Psalm 138:1 – “I will praise You, o Lord, with all my heart.”
“With all my heart” – This is how Mary worshipped God. This is how we are to worship God.
Let us worship God with our whole heart.
(b) Why Mary worshipped God and why we are to worship God
Psalm 138:8a – “The Lord will fulfil His purpose for me.”
This was Mary’s joyful testimony. Her song of praise came immediately after Elizabeth’s words: “Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished” (Luke 1:45).
Mary rejoices in the God of perfect faithfulness. This is what we must do. We must sing from the heart: “Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me” (Lamentations 3:23).
(c) The great theme of Mary’s worship and the great theme of our worship
Like the Psalmist before her, Mary rejoices in “God’s steadfast love which endures for ever” (Psalm 138:8). Before the Psalmist and after us, the great theme of all true worshippers will be, “God has loved us and we are glad.” Mary looked back to God’s promise to Abraham (Luke 1:54-55). She looked ahead to us and beyond us – all generations” – “His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.”
Here, we see love at every point, love for all time, love for all of eternity.

“Church Without Walls”: Sermons on Luke’s Gospel – Luke 1:26-38

The “Church Without Walls” Report recommended that “congregations study, reflect on and live by one Gospel for one year, in the first instance, and let Jesus shape the life and structure of the congregation.” This series of sermons focuses on Luke’s Gospel. I hope that other members of Presbytery will share some of their sermons.

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Luke 1:26-38
* At the beginning, we see God’s initiative (Luke 1:26).
* At the end, we see Mary’s response (Luke 1:38).
* In the centre, we see Jesus (Luke 1:31).
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We see here a picture of the Christian faith and the Christian life.
* “In the beginning, God” (Genesis 1:1).
* We say our “Amen” (Revelation 22:20).
* Jesus at the centre (the Gospels).
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* Jesus is the result of God’s initiative: “When the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman” (Galatians 4:4).
* Jesus is the cause of our response: “The Son of God loved me and gave Himself for Me” (Galatians 2:20); “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
* Jesus is at the centre – the centre of history, the centre of the Bible, the centre of our faith, the centre of our life.
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Who is this Jesus who stands at the centre of all things?
God’s angel, Gabriel, was sent to Mary. He tells us who Jesus is.
(a) He is our Saviour. The name, “Jesus”, means “Saviour.” When we call Him Saviour, we call Him by His Name.
(b) He is the Lord our God. When the angel says, “He will be called the Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:32), He speaks to us of the uniqueness of Jesus. He is none other than “the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). He is no ordinary man. He is no mere mortal. He is nothing less than God the Son, sent down from heaven above to be our Saviour.
(c) He is our King. He is the King of kings – “His Kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:33).
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As we take a close look at Luke’s Book, we will learn much about Jesus. May we learn to love, worship, follow and serve Him.

“Church Without Walls”: Sermons on Luke’s Gospel – Luke 1:5-25

The “Church Without Walls” Report recommended that “congregations study, reflect on and live by one Gospel for one year, in the first instance, and let Jesus shape the life and structure of the congregation.” This series of sermons focuses on Luke’s Gospel. I hope that other members of Presbytery will share some of their sermons.

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Luke 1:5-25
In the Gospel of Luke, the central character is Jesus Christ.
Before the Name of Jesus appears in Luke 1:31, we read of John the Baptist who paved the way for Jesus.
In the opening chapter of Luke’s Gospel, we remember a man whose name was given to him by God. The man’s name was John. His name means “The Lord is gracious.” His name speaks of the grace of God, reaching out to many people through His ministry.
When John the Baptist preached, he called on the people of his own day to learn from the faithful of past generations. John was sent by God “to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous” (Luke 1:17).
In the story of John the Baptist, we see the greatness of a man who was “great in the sight of the Lord” (Luke 1:15).
As we think of human greatness, let’s look beyond all of it to the greatness of God.

“Church Without Walls”: Sermons on Luke’s Gospel – Luke 1:1-4

The “Church Without Walls” Report recommended that “congregations study, reflect on and live by one Gospel for one year, in the first instance, and let Jesus shape the life and structure of the congregation.” This series of sermons focuses on Luke’s Gospel. I hope that other members of Presbytery will share some of their sermons.

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Luke 1:1-4
We begin with the first four verses of Luke’s Gospel.
In our first look at Luke’s Book, we ask four questions:
(1) What is Luke’s story about?
(2) Where did Luke get his story from?
(3) How are we to read Luke’s story?
(4) What can we learn from Luke’s story?
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(1) What is Luke’s story about?
We might ask this question differently: Who is Luke’s story about?
The answer is Jesus.
Luke is the writer of this Gospel.
Jesus is the Theme of the Gospel. Jesus is the Gospel. He is the Good News.
Luke tells us many things about Jesus.
The first thing he tells us is this: Luke’s Gospel is “an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us” (Luke 1:1).
“Fulfilled” – This is not the beginning of the story. It’s the fulfilment of a story which has been many centuries in preparation. Long before the birth of Jesus, the prophets were speaking of the Messiah or Christ who was to come.
The story told by Luke is part of a much larger story – the Story which begins at the start of Genesis and continues on to the end of Revelation.
The Gospel of Luke tells us about “the things that have been fulfilled among us”. The Christ has come. Jesus is the Messiah. God has fulfilled His promises. God has sent His Son. He is Jesus our Saviour. This is the Good News. This is God’s Good News.
(2 ) Where did Luke get his story from?
Luke’s Gospel is not a work of fiction. He didn’t make his story up. It’s not a figment of his imagination. He’s telling us about things that happened. His Gospel is based on eyewitness testimony. Luke tells us that these “eyewitnesses” were also ministers (or servants) of the Word.
* When we read of the Word, our thoughts turn to God. He is the One who has given the Word to usus . It is His Word.
* When we think of the Word of God, we think also of Jesus Christ. He is the living Word of God.
* We think also of the Scriptures. The Bible is the written Word of God.
* Our thoughts also turn to the preaching of God’s Word. We study the Bible, learning what it says to us concerning our Saviour.
(3) How are we to read Luke’s story?
Here, we can learn from the name of Luke’s first reader – Theophilus.
In Bible times, names had their own meaning. The meaning of each name was very important.
There are two shades of meaning in the name, Theolphilus. These two shades of meaning are closely related to each other. They are both concerned with love. They are both concerned with God.
Theophilus means “loved by God.” It also means “lover of God.”
“Loved by God”, “Lover of God” – these two phrases indicate to us the way in which God wants us to read the Gospel of Luke.
* We are to read the Gospel of Luke with a view to learning about God’s love. The Gospel of Luke will show us how much we are loved by God.
* We are to read the Gospel of Luke with a view to increasing our love for God. The Gospel of Luke will help us to love God more.
As we read this Gospel together, let us pray, “Lord, show me how much You love me. Lord, help me to love You more.”
(4) What can we learn from Luke’s story?
We will learn many lessons as we take a close look at Luke’s Book.
In his introduction, Luke highlights one very important lesson. It is the lesson of “certainty” (Luke 1:4). We read the Gospel of Luke so that we might “know the certainty of the things we have been taught.”
Our God is trustworthy. We can put our trust in Him with confidence. God’s Word is truth. We can trust His Word. It is His Word of truth.
Reading the Gospel of Luke will strengthen our faith.
Let us pray that the Gospel of Luke will change us, making us more like Jesus.

Jesus Christ – The Rock Of Our Salvation

As well as Peter’s three denials, we have three wonderful statements which point us away from Peter, in his failure, to Christ, who is the Rock of our salvation.
(a) “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).
(b) “This Jesus, God has raised up and “made both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:32, 36).
(c) “Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone. To you who believe, He is precious” (1 Peter 2:4-7).
Praise God – Our faith is not built on shifting sand. It is built on Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the risen Lord, the wonderful Saviour.

A Statement of Christian Faith (46) – and creation will rejoice in worshipping the Father, through the Son, in the power of the Spirit, One God, blessed for ever.

This is a Church of Scotland statement of faith. The commentary which follows is my own.

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We believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is love. We praise God the Father; who created the universe and keeps it in being. He has made us his sons and daughters to share his joy, living together in justice and peace, caring for the world and for each other.

We proclaim Jesus Christ, God the Son:
born of Mary,
by the power of the Holy Spirit,
He became one of us,
sharing our life and our death.
he made known God’s compassion and mercy,
giving hope and declaring forgiveness of sin,
offering healing and wholeness to all.
By His death on the cross and by His resurrection,
He has triumphed over evil.
Jesus is Lord of life and of all creation.

We trust God the Holy Spirit:
who unites us to Christ
and gives life to the church;
who brings us to repentance
and assures us of forgiveness.
The Spirit guides us
in our understanding of the Bible,
renews us in the sacraments,
and calls us to serve God in the world.

We rejoice in the gift of eternal life:
we have sure and certain hope of
resurrection through Christ,
and we look for His coming again
to judge the world.
Then all things will be made new;
and creation will rejoice
in worshipping the Father,
through the Son,
in the power of the Spirit,
One God, blessed for ever.

Amen.

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and creation will rejoice in worshipping the Father, through the Son, in the power of the Spirit, One God, blessed for ever ( John 13 (especially John 13:21-30 and John 13:36-38) and John 21:15-17 )
Here, we look at two men. In some respects, they are similar. In other ways, they are very different. Both belonged to the special group of Jesus’ twelve disciples. Both failed their Lord. One returned to the Lord. The other did not. One became a witness to Christ’s resurrection. The other did not. One became a faithful servant of the Lord. the other did not. The two men are Simon Peter and Judas Iscariot.
It would be very easy for us to concentrate exclusively on the story of Peter. It is a very encouraging story. It is the story of a failure whose life was turned around by the power of Christ. It is the story of what Christ can do in the lives of even those who have failed Him terribly. It is the story of a man who became a fearless witness for Christ, a fearless preacher of the Gospel. It is the story of a man whose letters (1 and 2 Peter) have been a source of spiritual strength to God’s people down through the centuries. It would be very convenient to remember Peter and forget about Judas.
The Word of God does not permit us to forget about Judas. When we read the story of Judas, we must read it as a word of warning. Judas highlights for us the very real possibility of turning our backs on Jesus Christ and staggering on blindly into a lost eternity without Christ. Judas is a warning to all of us. Judas is a truly tragic figure. He ended up taking his own life. The tragedy of Judas is not so much the fact that he, literally, committed suicide. The real tragedy lies in the spiritual “suicide” he had been committing for some considerable time. Judas Iscariot’s sin against the lord was deliberate, calculated and premeditated. Long before his tragic death, Judas had chosen to go the way of the betrayer rather than the way of the disciple. He had sided with Satan rather than taking his place on the Lord’s side. As we hear of Peter- a triumph of grace, a man marvellously restored to the Lord and mightily used by the Lord, let us never forget the warning that comes to us from this tragic character – Judas Iscariot.
As we consider this “tale of two men” – Peter and Judas, let us see here also a “tale of two cities.” There is the heavenly city towards which peter points us in his letters. There is the city of destruction, the destiny to which all those who turn their backs on Christ are headed, When we hear of Peter and Judas, we are faced with areal challenge. The hymn writer puts this challenge in the form of a series of questions: “Who is on the Lord’s side? Who will serve the King? Who will be helpers other lives to bring? Who will leave the world’s side? Who will face the foe? Who is on the Lord’s side? Who for Him will go?” Will you, like Peter, respond with a prayer such as this? – “By Thy call of mercy, By Thy grace divine, we are on the Lord’s side, Saviour, we are Thine.” Or, will you, on the other hand, be like Judas and ignore the warning spoken so powerfully by Jesus Himself? – “What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26; Mark 8:36).
Judas missed out on all the blessings which came to Peter, once he was restored to the Lord. Peter became a witness to Christ’s resurrection, a man mightily used by the Lord during the time of the Acts of the Apostles. God doesn’t want any of us to miss out on the blessings of His salvation. He wants us to come to the Saviour and enjoy the wonderful blessings of His saving power and love. If you have not yet come to the Saviour, the story of the rest of Peter’s life is the story of what you’re missing. It is also the story of what your life can be if you will come to Christ and begin a new life with Him.
The blessings enjoyed by Peter were restoration, usefulness and heaven.
(1) Restoration – In a time of weakness, Peter, in the face of enormous stress, had failed his Lord. The risen Christ returned to peter. For each denial, Jesus gave Peter an opportunity to re-affirm his love for Him. Peter said, three times over, “Yes, Lord, You know that I love You” (John 21:15-17). Peter was restored to the Lord. restoration – that’s the first blessing you miss out on if, like Judas, you go your own way rather than the lord’s way. Restoration – that’s the first blessing you enjoy when, like Peter, you say, “Yes, Lord, You know that I love You.”
(2) Usefulness - A second contrast between Peter and Judas lies here. the life of Judas Iscariot was a wasted life. By the time, Jesus rose from the dead, Judas Iscariot had taken his own life. Peter, on the other hand, became a witness of Christ’s resurrection. By the time the Day of Pentecost had come, the place of Judas Iscariot, among the twelve disciples, had been taken by another – Matthias (Acts 1:15-26). Peter, on the other hand, was preaching the Gospel with such power that three thousand souls were brought to faith in Christ (Acts 2:37-42). The Lord calls us not only to be restored but also to be useful. Here is a prayer you can pray, “O use m, Lord, use even me,just as Thou wilt, and when and where.”
(3) Heaven – The contrast between Peter and Judas is not complete when we say, “Peter was restored and Judas was not. Peter became useful and Judas did not.” There is a further contrast. It is the contrast between heaven and hell.
In his first letter, Peter speaks, in glowing terms, of the future hope of the Christian: “Blessed be the god and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy, we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are guarded for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5).
In his second letter, Peter urges us to make sure that we really do belong to Christ: “Therefore, brethren, be the more zealous to confirm your call and election, for if you do this you will never fail; so there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:10-11).
God does not “wish that any should perish.” He desires that “all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Nevertheless, “the Day of the Lord will come like a thief” (2 Peter 3:10), and we must live holy and godly lives, as we await the fulfilment of the Lord’s promise – “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:11, 13).