This week we've re-started our church service 'in the flesh' so to speak. We'd hoped that you'd have been able to watch a live stream from this page but we've had some technical difficulties...

Further down the page you'll see a sermon video from this morning's service (once we get it uploaded).

I began the service reading the following Psalm...

Psalm 24.

Of David. A psalm.

¹

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,

the world, and all who live in it;

²

for he founded it on the seas

and established it on the waters.

³

Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?

Who may stand in his holy place?

⁴

The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,

who does not trust in an idol

or swear by a false god.^[a]

⁵

They will receive blessing from the Lord

and vindication from God their Savior.

⁶

Such is the generation of those who seek him,

who seek your face, God of Jacob.^[b][c]

⁷

Lift up your heads, you gates;

be lifted up, you ancient doors,

that the King of glory may come in.

⁸

Who is this King of glory?

The Lord strong and mighty,

the Lord mighty in battle.

⁹

Lift up your heads, you gates;

lift them up, you ancient doors,

that the King of glory may come in.

¹⁰

Who is he, this King of glory?

The Lord Almighty—

he is the King of glory.

It’s an astounding thought that the God who created everything and owns everything is the same God whose presence we can be in.

When you receive the LORD as you KING; As he comes to us (like a city lifting up it's gates) He does what’s impossible for us to do on our own. We know that the LORD – Jesus is the King of glory who comes, strong and mighty. He gives us clean hands and a pure heart!

When we think back to Psalm 24, we know that because of Jesus we’re able to be in God’s presence. However; when we think of what our King wants; for us to love God with all our heart and soul and mind; to love our neighbor as ourselves; we fail. We have sinned. As James writes "we stumble in many ways." (Jas 3:2)

Confession of sin is the way to receive forgiveness – to know restoration relationally. Here's a prayer of confession to use - perhaps you can pray it out loud with those you're meeting with at home or silently on your own.

Loving Father

We confess that we have been unfaithful to you and with one another.

We have worshipped other gods: money, power, greed, and convenience.

We have served our own self-interest instead of serving only you and your people. We have not loved our neighbors as you have commanded. Forgive us, gracious God, and bring us back into the fullness of our covenant with you and one another. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Hear again the good news.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

Link to Kids Activities

144,000 Sealed

7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. ² Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: ³ “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” ⁴ Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.

⁵ From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,

from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,

from the tribe of Gad 12,000,

⁶ from the tribe of Asher 12,000,

from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,

from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,

⁷ from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,

from the tribe of Levi 12,000,

from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,

⁸ from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,

from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,

from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.

The Great Multitude in White Robes

⁹ After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God,

who sits on the throne,

and to the Lamb.”

¹¹ All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying:

“Amen!

Praise and glory

and wisdom and thanks and honor

and power and strength

be to our God for ever and ever.

Amen!”

¹³ Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”

¹⁴ I answered, “Sir, you know.”

And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. ¹⁵ Therefore,

“they are before the throne of God

and serve him day and night in his temple;

and he who sits on the throne

will shelter them with his presence.

¹⁶

‘Never again will they hunger;

never again will they thirst.

The sun will not beat down on them,’^[a]

nor any scorching heat.

¹⁷

For the Lamb at the center of the throne

will be their shepherd;

‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’^[b]

‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’^[c]”

Footnotes

1. Revelation 7:16 Isaiah 49:10

2. Revelation 7:17 Isaiah 49:10

3. Revelation 7:17 Isaiah 25:8

The Two Witnesses

11 I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. ² But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. ³ And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” ⁴ They are “the two olive trees” and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.”^{[a] 5} If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. ⁶ They have power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

⁷ Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. ⁸ Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city—which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified. ⁹ For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. ¹⁰ The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

¹¹ But after the three and a half days the breath^[b] of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. ¹² Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on.

¹³ At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

¹⁴ The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.

The Seventh Trumpet

¹⁵ The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:

“The kingdom of the world has become

the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,

and he will reign for ever and ever.”

¹⁶ And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, ¹⁷ saying:

“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,

the One who is and who was,

because you have taken your great power

and have begun to reign.

¹⁸

The nations were angry,

and your wrath has come.

The time has come for judging the dead,

and for rewarding your servants the prophets

and your people who revere your name,

both great and small—

and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”

¹⁹ Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.

Footnotes

1. Revelation 11:4 See Zech. 4:3,11,14.

2. Revelation 11:11 Or Spirit (see Ezek. 37:5,14)

This week's Kids Catechism video - Question 19