What Happens at Church?

[0:00] Well, if we could, with the Lord's help and with the Lord's enabling, if we could turn back to that portion of scripture that we read in Acts chapter 3, the book of Acts chapter 3, page 1098, if you're using the pure Bible.

[0:20] And I want us to look at the whole chapter, but if we read again at verse 19, the key verse in the chapter, where Peter says to those gathered in church, repent therefore and turn again that your sins may be blotted out.

[0:43] Repent therefore and turn again that your sins may be blotted out. Many of you here this morning are familiar with church.

[0:58] You're accustomed to what goes on inside this building that we call the church. You're used to what happens on any given Sunday at church because, well, many of you, many of you have been coming here for many years.

[1:15] You're what you would say, and I'm very glad for it, that you're a regular churchgoer. And maybe, I don't know your history, but maybe you were baptized in this church.

[1:26] Maybe you were brought up in this church. Maybe you went to Sunday school in this church. And you've attended this church for many, many, many services. Maybe you got married in this church.

[1:38] And maybe now you're, as a parent, you want to bring up your children to go to this church because you want them to have the upbringing that you had in this church. But the thing is, you're not only familiar with what goes on in church, you're also familiar with what we do in church because, well, you know that church is the place that we come to worship God.

[2:00] You know that as we gather together from different homes and different families, we all sing in church. You know that we pray in church. We bring all our petitions and requests to God, acknowledging that we need God to help us in our lives.

[2:14] We pray for forgiveness. We pray that we need direction. We pray that we need guidance. We pray that we need help and hope, which is, that's why we pray in church.

[2:27] We also read in church. We read God's word because the Bible, well, the Bible is the only book in all the world that can give us direction and guidance.

[2:38] It's the only book in all the world that can give and speak into any and every situation in our lives. And from the Bible, we also learn in church. We learn from God's word as it's opened and explained to us by whoever is preaching.

[2:53] And we're reminded from God's word again and again that life is uncertain. Death is sure. Sin is the cause. Christ is the cure. For many of us. For many of us. Maybe not all of us.

[3:05] But for many of us here this morning, we're familiar with this building we call the church. And we're accustomed with what goes on inside this building we call the church. But you know, even though church and coming to church is second nature to many of us and just part of our weekly routine.

[3:25] And if it's not your weekly routine, I'd encourage you to make it your weekly routine. But you know, for many people and for many people in our community, church and coming to church is something they're not familiar with.

[3:40] And it's something that they're not accustomed to. I'm sure that there are many people in our community that have been to church, whether they're attending a wake or a funeral, but they've never been to a church service.

[3:53] And there are others who have never even been inside this church building or maybe the church building next door. And maybe that's because they don't want to come. They have no interest in coming. They've never thought about coming.

[4:05] Or maybe they've never been asked to come. And the reality is we'll never know what their view of church is unless we invite them to come to church. And I have no doubt that we should use every and any means and opportunity to invite people to come to church.

[4:23] And as a church, we have a responsibility to invite people to come to church. Because everyone in this community and beyond this community is welcome to come to church, regardless of who they are, regardless of how they're dressed.

[4:39] It doesn't matter where they're from. Everyone should be made to feel welcome in church. This isn't our house. This is God's house.

[4:50] And you know, I say this, I say all this because when we come to this chapter in the book of Acts, we find a man who longed to come to church, but he had never been inside the church.

[5:02] But the reason this man had never been inside the church, it wasn't because he couldn't, he was never invited. It was the fact he wasn't even welcome.

[5:14] He wasn't allowed to come into church. He had to remain outside the church door begging. But you know, what we see in this chapter, and it's an amazing chapter, what we see in this chapter is that it all happens at church.

[5:30] It all happens at church. And with that, I just want us to ask this question that we're asking this morning. What happens at church? What happens at church?

[5:41] And from this passage, we can see that three things happen at church. Three things, receiving, recognizing, and responding. Receiving, recognizing, and responding.

[5:53] They are the three things that happen at church. So first of all, receiving. Receiving. Let's look at verse one. It says, Luke, who is the author of the book of Acts, he introduces this chapter by setting the scene.

[6:26] And he tells us that Peter and John, they're on their way to church. They're going to a prayer meeting. Because as it says there, it was the hour of prayer. In fact, there were three scheduled times of prayer for a Jew.

[6:40] The first hour was at 9am. The second was at noon. And the third at 3pm. And it says that it was the ninth hour that Peter and John were going to the prayer meeting.

[6:51] So it was 3pm. Three in the afternoon. That they're going to church. But we have to ask, well, why are they going to the prayer meeting? Why would anyone go to a prayer meeting?

[7:05] Well, you go to the prayer meeting because you have a care and a concern for your community. And, you know, I need not remind you that if you have a care and a concern for your community, then the best place to come is the prayer meeting.

[7:18] And the best thing to do is to make your way to church like Peter and John. And gather together for prayer. Because the reality is there's much to pray about.

[7:30] There's much to pray about as a church. Because there are many cares and concerns that are going on in our community. There's a lot to pray for. There's those who are sick. As we know only too well, there are those in hospital.

[7:43] There are those in care homes. Those who are receiving treatment. Those who are housebound. There are those who are dying. And then there's you, my unconverted friend. And we pray for you too.

[7:58] We never forget you. We pray for you at the prayer meeting. That you would come and commit your life to Jesus Christ. But as Peter and John, as they're going to church, they see this man outside the church door begging.

[8:15] And we're told there in verse 2 that this man had been lame from birth. And as a result, he was just carried to the church door every day in order to beg from these churchgoers.

[8:27] And you know, in order to understand how desperate this man's situation really was, we need to understand that in the first century, being born with a disability, it meant a lifetime of poverty.

[8:39] Not only for yourself, but also for your family. But more than that, someone with a disability was often stigmatized. They were even ostracized.

[8:51] They were shunned. They were shunned as someone who was spiritually and morally inferior. They lived desperate lives of poverty. They were outcasts.

[9:02] That's why this man wasn't allowed inside the temple. You know, all that could be done for this lame man was that he would be taken to a public place where he could beg.

[9:13] And someone would show him mercy. And that's what the family of this lame man did. Every day they laid this lame man at the door of the church. And every day he held out his palms, longing to receive alms from people going to church.

[9:31] And the word alms, it just means charity or a donation. The lame man was looking for charity. He was looking for someone to have compassion on him.

[9:42] Someone to help him. Someone to place a donation of money in his hand. He was looking for a free gift. He was longing for an act of grace. And as Peter and John, as they arrive at the church that morning or that afternoon, they're ready to go to the prayer meeting.

[9:58] They're going to go and pray. And this lame man, he calls out to them. And he pleads just for money to help them survive. To survive one more day.

[10:09] And how do Peter and John respond to this man's request? Well, they don't pass him by. They don't ignore him. They don't see him as worthless like all the other churchgoers going into church did.

[10:25] No, Peter and John saw that this lame man, he's made in the image of God. Therefore, he's precious in God's sight. And he has a precious soul.

[10:36] And you know, it should make us ask ourselves, how would we respond to a man begging outside our church door?

[10:47] How do we respond to those sitting begging on the streets of our cities? Do we just pass them by? Do we ignore them? Do we even acknowledge them?

[10:58] Do we think they're worthless? Or do we see them as those made in the image of God? Do we see them as precious? Do we see that they have a precious soul? And you know, this passage that we're looking at, it reminds me of what I read a few years ago.

[11:15] There was an article in the Daily Telegraph a few years ago about a minister called the Reverend Derek Rigby. And the article explained that this minister, he delivered a clear message to his congregation.

[11:30] Because as the worshippers belonging to this congregation in South Wales, as they arrived at church one Sunday morning, just like any old Sunday morning, they found this tramp sitting outside the church.

[11:44] He was sitting in the doorway and he was drinking a can of lager. And this tramp, he had long hair, his clothes was dirty and it was ripped and he was stinking of alcohol.

[11:55] And even though this tramp was sitting in the doorway of the church, all the worshippers, they just passed him by as they went into the sanctuary. But after they had finished his tin of lager, thrown it on the pavement, the trampy went into the church building.

[12:10] And he went and sat down at the back pew with all his bags. He had all his syringes and the stench was coming off him. And he had all these bags with him.

[12:21] He was just sitting there in his filth. And no one spoke to him. No one came to help him. But then as 11 o'clock came, there was no sign of the minister. Reverend Derek Rigby hadn't turned up.

[12:34] And as the congregation, as they got more and more restless, it came to 5 past 11, 10 past 11. They were starting to wonder, where's the minister? Then the tramp at the back pew stood up, walked down to the front, stood in front of all of them, took off his wig.

[12:53] And he revealed to the congregation that he was the minister. And, you know, in the article, Reverend Derek Rigby, he said, It was interesting to see the reaction of people, especially because I was totally ignored.

[13:07] And, you know, what a hard-hitting lesson to learn. Don't worry, I'm not going to do it. But, you know, what a hard-hitting lesson to learn about how to view people and how to treat people.

[13:19] But for Peter and John, when they were going to church, when they saw this man sitting at the church door, they saw him as precious. He was made in the image of God. Therefore, he's a precious soul.

[13:32] And we're told then in verse 4 that Peter, he looks at this man. He doesn't ignore him. He looks at him. And he says to the man, look at us. And the lame man, he holds out his palm, expecting to receive this gift of money from Peter and John.

[13:49] He expected to receive a gracious donation from Peter's hand. But what this man was about to receive was of far greater value than silver or gold. Peter says to him, silver and gold have I none.

[14:04] But such as I have, give I thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. And Peter, he gave to this man the greatest gift.

[14:16] The gift of salvation. He gave to him the gift of salvation. Now, I don't want us to get sidetracked wondering how Peter could give salvation to this man. Peter was an apostle.

[14:26] He was a sent messenger and representative of Jesus. So I don't want us to get sidetracked on that issue of giving salvation to this man. Because that's not what the passage is emphasizing.

[14:38] The passage is emphasizing that this lame man who was in desperate need, he received salvation as a gift. He received salvation as a gift.

[14:51] He held out his empty palm and he graciously received the free gift of salvation. He didn't work for it because he couldn't.

[15:02] He didn't earn favor with God because he couldn't. He didn't perform a religious duty to receive his salvation because he couldn't. My friend, there was nothing he could do to receive this full and free gift of salvation except hold out his empty palm and ask.

[15:21] That's all he could do. And you know, my unconverted friend, let me remind you again today. There is nothing you can do to receive this full and free gift of salvation except hold out your empty palms and ask.

[15:39] Because that's the promise of Jesus. Ask and you shall receive. And the thing is, if you want to be saved from sin and death and hell.

[15:50] And if you want to be saved to, saved to salvation and joy and eternal life. If you want to receive this full and free gift of salvation, then you need to hold out these palms and ask.

[16:06] Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone, says Jesus, everyone who asks, receives.

[16:19] Everyone who seeks, finds. To him or to her who knocks, it will be opened. And they're not my words. That's the words of Jesus.

[16:32] So you ask him to save you. And he will. Oh, he will. You ask him earnestly to save you.

[16:44] And he will. Because that's his promise. That's his promise. So what happens at church? At church we have the opportunity of receiving a gift we don't deserve.

[16:57] But secondly at church, we have the opportunity of recognizing the Savior who loves sinners. At church we have the opportunity of recognizing the Savior who loves sinners.

[17:10] What happens at church? Receiving and then recognizing. Recognizing. Look at verse 8. We're told in verse 8. And leaping up, he stood and began to walk and entered the temple with them.

[17:25] Walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God. And recognized him as the one who sat at the beautiful gate of the temple. Asking for alms.

[17:36] And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. And so as soon as this man received the free gift of salvation. We're told that he leaped up.

[17:47] He leaped up and began walking. And the first place he goes. The first place he goes. Is that he goes to church. He enters the temple with Peter and John. This lame man finally enters the door of the church.

[18:01] He enters the church walking and leaping and praising God. What a way to come to church. And you know this is the first time in his life. That this lame man had ever been in church.

[18:13] The law had forbidden him to enter. But grace had prevailed and grace welcomed him in. Yes he had sat outside the door of the church for many years.

[18:24] He had witnessed all these other people going into church. Walking past him. But he was always on the outside. He was always on the outside. He was always outside the door.

[18:36] Longing to come in. And you know my Christian friend here today. I sometimes wonder. If there are people in our community.

[18:48] Who are not in church. But they would love to come to church. They're on the outside. But they would love to come in. And all they need is that invite.

[19:00] That friendly welcome. And that's our responsibility. You know one of the questions on the POV. That you've all received.

[19:10] The Presbytery Oversight Visit. That questionnaire. One of the questions was. Do you feel comfortable to invite your non-Christian friends along to a Sunday service? But I was thinking.

[19:22] Well maybe the question should have been. Do you invite your non-Christian friends along to a Sunday service? Yes. And this is a challenge to me.

[19:32] As much as it will be a challenge to you. Because we can get so caught up in our own lives. That we forget what happens at church. But Luke is reminding us from this passage.

[19:44] That what happens at church on a Sunday. Is that we have the opportunity of receiving a gift we don't deserve. And we have the opportunity of recognizing the Savior who loves sinners.

[19:56] And that's what we see here. Because as soon as this lame man walks into church. All the other church goers. They immediately they recognize him. They've seen him before.

[20:06] All the other church goers. Who had ignored him and walked past him. They know exactly who he is. He's the lame man who sat at the door begging. And we're told that they were filled with wonder and amazement.

[20:18] At what was happening. But you know what's actually astonishing. Is that many of the church goers. They recognize this lame man. On their way into church. But what they didn't recognize.

[20:30] Was the Savior who was being preached in church. They recognize someone coming in. But they didn't recognize who was being preached. Because when the church goers question.

[20:42] What happened to the lame man. Peter then says in verse 12. He says men of Israel. Why do you wonder at this? Or why do you stare at us? As though by our own power or piety.

[20:54] We made him walk. Peter addresses the church goers. And he immediately. He directs his focus away from this lame man. He directs the focus away from himself.

[21:06] He wants all the focus to be upon Jesus. Because Peter knows. That what these church goers need. More than anything else. Is to recognize the Savior who loves sinners.

[21:18] And you know my unconverted friend. What you desperately need. More than anything else in the world. And it's more than anything else. What you need.

[21:29] Is that you recognize Jesus Christ. As the Savior who loves sinners. And you know what Peter preaches to these church goers. It's a wonderful sermon.

[21:41] He tells them. He tells them that Jesus is the promised suffering servant. Peter says that this Jesus was promised. He was promised.

[21:52] And he was promised way back in Genesis 12. When God made that covenant promise with Abraham. He says that God promised to Abraham.

[22:02] And to Isaac. And to Jacob. That through them. All the nations of the earth will be blessed. That this covenant promise. That was given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

[22:13] And to all their descendants. God would promise. And he would fulfill his promise. And Peter says he did that. He did that when he glorified Jesus.

[22:24] When Jesus was finally revealed. As his servant. Now when Peter says. That Jesus is God's servant. He's actually drawing attention to.

[22:35] Isaiah's prophecy of the suffering servant. Where we're told in Isaiah 53. That the suffering servant. This Messiah. This Savior.

[22:45] Would be wounded for our transgressions. He would be bruised for our iniquities. And that the chastisement that would bring us peace. Would be laid upon him. And with this.

[22:55] As Peter is affirming to all these church goers. Who are present. He's saying to them. Jesus. He wasn't a prophet. No. He was the Savior. He was the Messiah.

[23:07] He was the Christ of God. He was the one. Who was promised long ago. And then Peter says. Look what you did to him. Look what you did to him. You delivered him over to the Romans.

[23:19] You denied him in the presence of Pilate. Even though Pilate thought that this man. Had done nothing amiss. You denied him. You denied the holy and righteous one.

[23:31] He says. And you asked for a murderer. You called for Barabbas. And you substituted him. For this Savior. You shouted. Give us Barabbas.

[23:43] You shouted that. When Pilate asked. What shall I do with Jesus? You said crucify him. Crucify him. You said. And Peter. He says to these churchgoers.

[23:54] He says. You killed the author of life. You killed him. But the wonderful thing is. That he then says. But God raised him from the dead.

[24:07] And of this. We are witnesses. And you know. Having failed to recognize Jesus. As the promised suffering servant. Having failed to recognize Jesus.

[24:18] As the Savior who loves sinners. Peter. He then applies his sermon. To these churchgoers. By telling them that. It was by faith alone. That this lame man.

[24:30] Began walking. He says. It wasn't by works. Nor his human efforts. It was by faith alone. In the name of Jesus Christ. That's what he says in verse 16.

[24:41] He received. He received. The full and free gift of salvation. By faith alone. And my friend. That's the only way to be saved.

[24:52] Faith alone. In Christ alone. Faith alone. In Christ alone. In his commentary. Al Mohler says.

[25:03] That the implication for the crowd. Is clear. Just as the lame man. Was healed by faith. In Jesus Christ. So too. The crowd. Can only be forgiven. Of their sin.

[25:14] By turning to Christ. In faith. And repentance. The implication. For the churchgoers. Having heard this sermon. The implication.

[25:25] Was clear. That the only way. To be forgiven. The only way. They could receive. The gift of eternal life. Was by turning to Jesus Christ. In faith. And repentance. And you know.

[25:37] My unconverted churchgoer. Here today. The implication. Of Peter's sermon. Is clear for you too. The only way. You can be forgiven. The only way. You can receive.

[25:47] The gift of eternal life. Is by turning. To Jesus Christ. In faith. And repentance. Because that's what happens. At church. That's what happens.

[25:59] At church. You have the opportunity. Of receiving a gift. You don't deserve. And you have the opportunity. Of recognizing the Savior. Who loves you. But you also have the opportunity.

[26:10] Of responding. To a message. That will change your life. That's what we see thirdly. You have the opportunity. Of responding. What happens at church?

[26:21] Receiving. Recognizing. And responding. Responding. Look at verse 17. Peter says. And now brothers. I know that you acted.

[26:33] In ignorance. As did also your rulers. But what God foretold. By the mouth of all the prophets. That his Christ would suffer. He thus fulfilled. Repent therefore.

[26:43] And turn again. That your sins may be blotted out. That the times of refreshing. May come. From the presence of the Lord. And that he may send the Christ. Appointed for you. Jesus. Whom heaven must receive.

[26:55] Until the time. For restoring all the things. About which God spoke. By the mouth of his holy prophets. Long ago. So Peter.

[27:06] He continues to preach. To all the church goers. And he begins actually. To plead with them. He pleads with them. Personally. He pleads with them. To respond. To the message of the gospel.

[27:18] Peter says to them. I know that you acted. In ignorance. I know that you denied. Jesus. And crucified him. Because you failed. To recognize. That he was the promised.

[27:29] Suffering sermon. I know that you sent. Jesus. To Calvary. Without knowing. Or understanding. Who he really is. But Peter says. This wasn't an accident.

[27:43] God foretold. What would happen. Through his prophets. That the Christ. Would suffer. Peter tells. The church goers. There. That Jesus. His death. It wasn't an accident.

[27:53] No. No. This is the wonder of it. Jesus. Came into the world. To seek. And to save.

[28:04] The lost. It wasn't an accident. Jesus came into the world. He says. To save sinners. Jesus came that. He would die.

[28:14] And that you would have the promise. Of eternal life. And you know. Like these. Church goers. My unconverted friend. You have the same opportunity.

[28:27] Of responding. To the gospel. You have the same opportunity. Today. To respond. To the gospel. As the same opportunity. As they had. And you know. Peter.

[28:37] He even tells you. How to respond. That's how wonderful. This. Verse is. In verse 19. He tells you. How to respond. He says. Repent.

[28:48] Therefore. And turn again. That your sins. May be blotted out. I love the way. The authorised version. Puts it. Repent ye. Therefore. And be converted.

[28:59] That your sins. May be blotted out. Repent ye. Therefore. And be converted. That your sins. May be blotted out. And you know. Peter's plea here.

[29:10] Is so important. For us to understand. Because repentance. Repentance. Is a change of desire. Conversion. Is a change of direction. Repentance.

[29:21] Is a change of desire. Conversion. Is a change. Of direction. One commentator. He states that. Repentance. Has four essential. Aspects to it.

[29:33] And they're very. Straightforward. He says. First. Repentance. Must be intellectual. You must have an awareness. And an understanding. That you're a sinner.

[29:44] My friend. Do you have an awareness. And an understanding. That you're a sinner. Second. He says. Repentance. Must be emotional. Says. You must hate sin.

[29:55] And want to flee from sin. Because God hates sin. My friend. Do you hate your sin? Do you want to be separated. From your sin? Third. He says. Repentance. Must be volitional.

[30:06] You must have an earnest desire. To turn away. From sin. Do you have a desire. To turn away from sin? And fourth. He says. Repentance. Must be spiritual. You must believe.

[30:18] You must believe. That if you confess. Your sin. God is faithful. And just. To forgive you. Your sins. And to cleanse you. From all unrighteousness. That's the kind of repentance.

[30:30] You need to respond with. Repentance. That leads. To conversion. Because as we said. Repentance. That's a change of desire. But conversion.

[30:41] Is the change of direction. Conversion. Is turning away. From sin. And turning to Christ. My friend. To be converted. Is to turn around. It's to turn away.

[30:53] From sin. And living. For sin. And turning to Christ. And living for Christ. And my unconverted churchgoer. The message of the gospel. To you today.

[31:04] Is. Repent ye therefore. And be converted. That your sins. May be blotted out. That's what the Bible. Is telling you.

[31:15] And you know. To have your sins. Blotted out. It's a wonderful promise. Because blotting out sin. That's what happened. To a scroll. In the ancient world. Where sins were recorded.

[31:27] In the ancient world. When. It was in the Old Testament. When someone had transgressed. God's law. It will be written down. By the priests. Using ink. It will be written down. On a scroll. But if you.

[31:39] Had your sins. Blotted out. If you confessed. Your sin. If you offered. Your sacrifice. The sin was blotted out. And they would take a sponge. And they would just. Wipe the ink.

[31:50] Away. And it would all. Be wiped clean. It's all blotted out. And that's what Jesus. Promises to do with you. When you come. And confess your sin.

[32:00] He wipes it all away. He blots it all out. Am I unconverted friend? That's the opportunity. You are given. Every time.

[32:12] You come to church. You have the opportunity. Of having your sins. Blotted out. You're given the opportunity. Of responding.

[32:22] To the message. Of the gospel. You're given the opportunity. To repent. And be converted. That your sins. May be blotted out. And today.

[32:34] In church. You are here. In God's. Wonderful providence. And you're given. Another opportunity. To respond. To the gospel. Another opportunity.

[32:48] I don't know. How many more opportunities. You're going to get. But this opportunity. Is today's opportunity. Today's opportunity.

[32:59] That you have to take. With empty hands. Just asking. You have a wonderful opportunity. And my longing.

[33:11] All my longing. Is that you will take. Your opportunity. Before you meet. Your last one. And the thing is. About opportunities. You don't know.

[33:22] When your last one will be. So in this. Morning. We've been asking. What happens in church. What happens at church.

[33:35] And if anyone asks you. This week. What happens at church. You can tell them. That at church. You have the opportunity. Of receiving a gift. You don't deserve. At church.

[33:45] You have the opportunity. Of recognizing. The Savior. Who loves you. At church. You have the opportunity. Of responding. To a message. That will change.

[33:56] Your life. You have an opportunity. What will you do. With this wonderful opportunity. The Bible is saying.

[34:06] To you today. Repent. Repent. And be converted. That your sins. May be blotted out. May the Lord bless.

[34:17] These thoughts to us. Let us pray. O Lord our gracious God. We give thanks to thee. For. The clearness. And the clarity.

[34:27] Of the gospel. We bless thee. O Lord. That it is presented. To us. In. Such a way. That we need. To respond. To it. And Lord. We pray. That we would.

[34:38] All that we would come. Saying like the hymn writer. That nothing in my hands. I bring. But simply. To thy cross. I cling. All that we need.

[34:49] To cling. To this cross. The cross. Upon which. The prince of glory. Died. Help us Lord. To see. That it's only through the cross. That we can have our sins.

[34:59] Blotted out. Help us then. We pray. To respond. To come. And to do as Jesus. Tells us. To ask. That we might receive. To seek. That we might find.

[35:10] To knock. That the door. To eternal life. Would swing open. Lord bless. Thy word. To us. We pray. Keep us on mercy's ground. Until we find thee. And go with us Lord.

[35:21] Into the week. That lies ahead. O a week. That is unknown to us. But known only to thee. Keep us then we ask. For we ask it in Jesus name. And for his sake. Amen.

[35:36] We're going to bring our service. To a conclusion. By singing the words. Of Psalm 130. Psalm 130. The Scottish Psalter. Page 421.

[35:47] Psalm 130. Psalm 130. And we're singing.

[35:57] The whole psalm. And this psalm. It's a psalm. Of repentance. It's a penitential psalm. For the psalmist. He is crying. From the depths.

[36:09] Longing. For the Lord. To hear his voice. What the psalmist realizes. Is that. The only one. Who can forgive him. His sin. Is the Lord. That's why he needs.

[36:20] To come to the Lord. But he begins. In the depths. And having confessed. His sin. He ends in the heights. And he's telling. Everybody else. Around him. That they need.

[36:30] To do the same. They need to come. And confess. Their sin. To the Lord. Lord. From the depths. To thee I cried. My voice. Lord. Do thou hear. Unto my supplications.

[36:41] Voice. Give an attentive ear. Lord. Who shall stand. If thou Lord. Shouldst mark iniquity. But yet with thee. Forgiveness is. That feared. Thou mayest be.

[36:51] So the whole psalm. Of Psalm 130. To God's praise. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[37:01] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[37:12] Truths mark iniquity, but yet with thee forgiveness is that fear thou mayest be.

[38:08] I wait for God, my soul doth wait, my hope is in his word.

[38:28] More than they that for mourning watch, my soul waits for the Lord.

[38:47] I say, more than they that to watch, the mourning light to see.

[39:05] Let Israel open the Lord, for with him mercies be.

[39:24] Unplenteous redemption is ever found with him.

[39:43] And from all his iniquities, he Israel shall redeem.

[40:02] The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all, now and forevermore. Amen.