Surviving the Winter: I am the Vine

Outline of Online Service 26^th July 2020

Surviving the Winter: I am the Vine  John 15:5

 

Choruses :         How Great is Our God

There is a Redeemer

The Lord’s Prayer  (Luke 11:2-4)

Bible Readings:

·     Israel - The Noble Vine   Jeremiah 2: 5-25

 

·     Jesus Christ - The True Vine   John 15: 1-17

 

Hymn 47:  Abide in My Love

·  Jesus used many agricultural metaphors about sheep and shepherds, vineyards and vine dressers.

·  What can we learn about grafting?

·  The nation of Israel being 'planted' as a noble vine - What happened?

·  In this metaphor Jesus said He is “the true vine” – how do we become His branches?

·   The Israelites of old did not 'abide' in the vine. How can we 'abide' in Him and what does it mean?  

Hymn 96:  Great Shepherd of Thine Israel

Surviving the Winter: Jesus Christ the Bread of Life

Outline of Online Service 12^th July 2020

Surviving the Winter: The Bread of Life  John 6:48

Psalm 111:1-6 – He gives Food to them that Fear Him

Hymn 100: Christ Jesus – the Living Bread

The Lord’s Prayer  (Luke 11:2-4)

Bible Readings:

·     Manna from Heaven:  Exodus 16:2-4, 11-15, 35

·     Elisha’s Food Miracle:  2 Kings 4:38-44

·     Jesus Feeds the Multitude:  John 6:1-14

·     The Bread of Life:  John 6:30-35, 43-51

Hymn 142:  Manna to the Hungry Soul

·        We need food for sustenance, even more so in the Winter!

·        God will provide the needs for our “daily bread” as He did in both the Old and New Testament times

·        However, we also need “spiritual bread” to develop our faith in God, and to maintain our desire to follow Him

·     In a metaphor Jesus said He is “the Bread of Life” – if we believe in Him and follow Him in our everyday life, we eat of this Bread

·     Jesus went on to confirm that, not as the Israelites of old who ate the manna and later died, “he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever”

·        Let us seek to be of those who will eat of this Bread, and being alive at the return of Jesus Christ to this earth, will live for ever, and be changed from mortal to immortal beings.

Hymn 32 – Tune 34:  The Sweet Taste of God’s Word

Doxology

Surviving the Winter: The Water of Life

Outline of Online Service 14^th June 2020

Surviving the Winter: The Water of Life  John 4:14

Psalm 1:1-6 – Water for the Godly

Hymn 68: Come to the Living Water

The Lord’s Prayer  (Luke 11:2-4)

Bible Readings:

·     Water from the Rock:  Numbers 20:2-13

·     The Living Water:  Isaiah 55:1-5

·     The Spiritual Rock:  1 Corinthians 10:1-5

·     Jesus at the Well:  John 4:1-14

·     The Water of Life:  Revelation 22:1-6

Hymn 21 – Tune 6: Seek Refreshing Water

·        When Israel were thirsty in the Wilderness God provided them with water from a Rock

·     Paul explained that the Rock was a figure of Christ, God’s Spirit, which always guides and guards those who trust in Him

·     The Bible contains many references to the metaphor of water being God’s Spirit to sustain His people as they wait for His promises to be fulfilled

·        Jesus said that this Spirit would produce a well of life within believers

·        Now we drink and thirst again, but there is the promise that we will never thirst again - by being physically born of God and changed from mortal to immortal beings at Jesus Christ’s return 

Hymn 51:  The Spirit of Truth… is Come!

Doxology

The Promise of the Father: Power from God

Outline of Online Service 24^th May 2020

The Promise of the Father: Power from God John 14:26

Psalm 95:1-11 – Give Praises to God

Hymn 115:  God’s Love Conquers All….

The Lord’s Prayer   (Luke 11:2-4)

Bible Readings:

·     The Long Way Round:  Deuteronomy 1:1-3, 9-14

·     God’s Spirit Poured Out:  Numbers 11:24-30

·     The Holy Ghost Promised:  John 14:15-17, 22-31

·     Jerusalem for Whitsuntide!  Acts 20:13-16

Hymn 117: God Brings the Victory

·        Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years to undertake an eleven-day journey because they did not put their confidence in God

·     God’s Spirit rested on the Seventy Elders in a similar way to the Pentecost outpouring, but they did not receive the blessing because of the hardness of their hearts (Psalm 95:9-11)

·     Jesus promised that God would send the Holy Ghost to prepare the hearts of His people to want to be obedient to God’s commandments

·        As Whitsuntide approaches let each of us seek for the Power of Christ and the Holy Ghost to direct our hearts to seek to keep His Words

·        We believe we are living in the time when the promises of Jesus Christ’s return will be fulfilled, and those who are obediently waiting can hold the hope to be preserved in spirit and soul and body and be changed from mortal beings to put on immortality at that time. 

Hymn 90:  Living the Life

Doxology

The Journey: Passover to Penetecost or Easter to Whitsuntide

Outline of Online Service 26^th April 2020

The Journey: Passover to Pentecost or Easter to Whitsuntide Acts 3:21

Psalm 130 – Hope, and Wait for the Lord

Solo Item - with Guitar

Hymn 104:  God is Our Refuge….

The Lord’s Prayer from Luke 11:2-4

Bible Readings:

·     The Journey with Israel:  Exodus 13:17-22; 14:5-9, 13-20; 16:11-15; 19:1-6

·     Journey with the Risen Saviour:  Mark 16:9-20

·     The Journey Today:  Acts 3:18-21

Hymn 34: Walking with Jesus Christ

·        A lot happened to Israel in the first 50 days following the Passover, when they left Egypt, including:

§  They were led by a cloud in the day and a pillar of fire by night, crossed the Red Sea on dry land, were fed by manna from heaven, were given water from a rock, God made a covenant with them to be His peculiar people, and they received the Ten Commandments around the “Day of Pentecost” (50^th day)

·     When journeying with Jesus, Easter was at Passover and Whitsuntide at Pentecost

·     Over this period, between the crucifixion and the “coming of the promise”, the Disciples moved from despair to power

·        As we travel from Easter to Whitsuntide let each of us seek to God to prepare us to be worthy of His promise of forgiveness, but also to send us the Power, through Christ and the Holy Ghost, to receive redemption of spirit and soul and body, and be kept alive until the return of Jesus Christ. 

Hymn 96:  Keep Going to the End!

Doxology

History Changing Events: Reconciliation - Palm Sunday

This was to have been a Musical Praise Service at the Church, but due to the Coronavirus the Meeting had to be cancelled:  this Service outline can be followed by those who wish in their own homes or privately

Suggested Outline of Service 5^th April 2020 – Palm Sunday

History Changing Events: Reconciliation Matt 21:8-9

Hymn 105:  Praise and Thanks to God

The Lord’s Prayer from Luke 11:2-4

Psalm 24:1-10 – The King of Glory

Bible Readings:

·     The Passover Instituted:  Exodus 12:1-13

·     Palm Sunday:  Matthew 21:1-11

·     Reconciliation through Jesus Christ:  2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Hymn 123:  Inspiration from God

·     In recent Services we have been looking at History Changing Events that impacted the relationship between God and His created people including: The Fall, The Flood, Choosing of Abraham, the Covenant with Israel and Elijah’s Challenge to the people

·     As mankind in general, and Israel specifically, drifted further from God the need of reconciliation became greater and greater

·     God had set a type of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus for all mankind when He instituted the Passover and led the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt

·     Jesus was recognised by some in His day as He who came “in the name of the Lord” on Palm Sunday and was sacrificed at Easter as the Lamb of God

·     In the same way that the Israelites selected their lamb on the 10^th day of the month, these people selected Jesus as He rode into Jerusalem, and then He was sacrificed, or crucified, a few days later

·     This Palm Sunday let us open our hearts to Him that He may enter into our lives and reconcile us wholly to God in spirit and soul and body. 

Hymn 69:  The Great Redeemer  

Doxology

History Changing Events: Israel Rejects God

Outline of Service 22^nd March 2020

History Changing Events: Israel Rejects God  1 Kings 18:21

Hymn 106:  Choose God….

The Lord’s Prayer from Luke 11:2-4

Psalm 67:1-7 – Living in Harmony with God

Bible Readings:

·     The Promises:  Exodus 19:1-8

·     The Dispersion of Israel (10 Tribes):  2 Kings 17:1-8

·     The Captivity of Judah (2 Tribes):  2 Kings 25:1-7, 13-14

·     The Promised Restoration:  Romans 11:1-11, 25-27

Hymn 135 (See Ps 67): God’s Blesses Those Who Honour Him….

·     God chose Israel to be a “peculiar” people unto Him

·     Israel rejected God as their Leader and disobeyed His commandments

·     Israel was dispersed and Judah taken into captivity because of their disobedience

·     Promises of Israel’s ingathering still remain – but they are now personalised rather than national

·     The Gentiles were brought into favour with God because of Israel’s rejection of Him

·     The Gentiles form a sort of spiritual Israel – the blessing to Abraham was that in his seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed

·     God’s Plan includes the restoration of Israel and Universal salvation.

Hymn 96:  Call on God’s Favour  

Doxology