[0:00] Welcome to evening service, welcome to those online as well. It's our pleasure to have Donya MacLeod of the Faith Mission preaching to us tonight. So we had the disciple this morning, so we're looking forward to the old master this evening.
[0:16] And following on from the service this evening, there'll be a fellowship at half past seven, to which all are welcome, so please do stay on if you can. Now, we have the usual meetings through the week tomorrow.
[0:30] A reminder that there'll be an elders' prayer meeting tomorrow night at 7pm. And next Sunday morning, the congregation are asked to arrive by 10.50, because it's Remembrance Sunday, so you can be here 10 minutes before 11 o'clock.
[0:45] That would be much appreciated. And also just a notice that we have a church meal coming up on the 24th of November, with a bit more information to come. on that in due course.
[0:57] So these are all intimations, and we pray for God's blessing upon Donny as he leads us in worship now. Well, thank you very much for the warm welcome, and it's always a privilege to be here to share in this time of worship with you.
[1:18] We're going to begin our worship. We're going to sing a Gaelic, a Psalm in Gaelic, Psalm 117. And then right after that, John McSween will lead us in a Gaelic prayer.
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[32:19] Thank you. We're away from you.
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[33:20] He said, also church.
[33:51] I slow you., Dad She needed a word of direction. She needed to be brought back to a right place. She needed to be brought back to the feet of Jesus.
[34:07] I wonder is that true for us here tonight, for someone. See, there's a warning for us here. We can read it and it's just God's word speaking to us.
[34:22] But we need to take stock and I need to take stock of where I am. And we need to take stock of where we are. Because as I said, we can get distracted so easily.
[34:36] We can get anxious and troubled. You know, when we find ourselves like that, we're perhaps not just the best of company, like the company we used to be.
[34:48] We perhaps don't so readily just talk about the Lord. And we have to watch too because we can affect how we influence others.
[35:02] So what's the answer? Well, we want to have a wee look at Mary, Mary's priority. She had a sister called Mary who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching.
[35:14] Jesus' own response to Martha's complaint was, But one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion which will not be taken away from her.
[35:31] She was listening to his teaching. This was the needful thing. This was the one thing that was needful.
[35:42] She was at the Lord's feet. Jesus is the one thing needful for us. It's him that we need above everything else.
[35:53] Amidst all the possible distractions there could be, we need to focus on him and perhaps focus on you. You see, Mary needed that. And we need that.
[36:04] We need to be at his feet. She chose to be there. But Martha needed it as well, but she wasn't there. Listening and the listening there's understanding.
[36:17] Taking in his very words. At his feet. We couldn't think, could we? Of a better place to be. How often are we like Martha?
[36:33] You know it's wonderful. What a wonderful situation. For them when Jesus came to their house. Amazing.
[36:46] The Saviour will come to the homes of those he loves. And of those who love him. He'll come where he's welcome. To those who are hungry.
[36:58] To those who will sit at his feet. We read also at the beginning of this passage that Martha welcomed him to her house.
[37:10] She actually welcomed him to her house. As they entered a village in verse 38, there was a woman named Martha who welcomed him into her house.
[37:21] She was anxious. But she wasn't listening to him. She wasn't at his feet. She was anxious and troubled. It's like, come in.
[37:37] But I have a lot of other things to see to. Can we get like that, friends? I have a lot of other things to see to. I'm sure that many, perhaps most, of the people here tonight can tell of a time when you received Jesus into your life by faith.
[38:05] You welcomed him, as it were. Is it so real tonight? Are you still welcoming him?
[38:17] Are you still at his feet? Or is it, I have a lot of other things to see to. And you're not where you should be.
[38:28] You're not at his feet. That's where he's calling us to be. You see, you can come along. You can be at the services.
[38:42] You could watch online. But does that warmth, does that desire, does that attentiveness, does that hunger? Is it still there?
[38:55] At his feet. Or have things crept into our lives? Just like Martha. Doing good.
[39:07] But not at his feet. Martha, Martha. Jesus said. You need to be where your sister is. You need to be listening to my word.
[39:22] Because his word, isn't it? His word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. His word is so rich and so full. Yet we're so easily distracted.
[39:38] And we can miss the opportunities, can't we? We're not there. Is coming out to worship still a priority in our lives? Is the prayer meeting a priority in our lives?
[39:53] Well, it should be. Because we should be at his feet. We should be there if we claim to be his people. You see, Mary is worshipping as a disciple of Jesus.
[40:07] Martha, she's distracted with other things. And the other things will all go. You see, that's the thing.
[40:19] But one thing is needful. That will never be taken away. It will never be lost. In Psalm 27, the psalmist said, Mary had chosen that part.
[40:46] Notice it's the word chosen. We need to make good choices, don't we? We need to seek God for grace to make good choices.
[41:00] We need to seek God for grace to be obedient to his word. To live lives of holiness if we are his people. Be holy for I am holy.
[41:12] Where will we learn holiness? Where will we learn what we really should be doing? How we should be? And we will only learn that at his feet.
[41:24] We will learn it there. Because after all, wasn't it at the feet of Jesus that we found forgiveness? Was it not at his feet that our sins, where we found forgiveness for our sins when we came to him at the cross?
[41:44] Was it not there that peace came into our lives like the hymn says it was down at the feet of Jesus? Oh, that happy, happy day that my soul found peace in believing and my sins were washed away.
[41:58] It was down at the feet of Jesus where I found such perfect rest, where the light first dawned on my spirit and my soul was truly blessed.
[42:08] It was down at the feet of Jesus where I brought my guilt and sin that he cancelled all my transgression and salvation entered in.
[42:19] The demon-possessed man. Where was he found? He was found at the feet of Jesus. Before that, he was in the tombs.
[42:31] His life was just an absolute... He was a terror. His life was an absolute, total mess. But an encounter with Jesus.
[42:44] He was found at his feet. And he was clothed. And he was in his right mind. People in revival, that I have the privilege, and you'll have too, how often do they speak about the presence of God?
[43:04] Where are we going to find this presence of God if we're not going to be at his feet? And they'll talk about sitting in his presence.
[43:18] Never wanting to move. And then they say, and I'll never forget it. We've got times like that, friends.
[43:29] That we'll never forget. We'll find these times at the feet of Jesus. But we're so easily distracted. His word. That's what we get.
[43:42] Isn't it? When the psalmist said, your word have I stored up in my heart, that I might not sin against you. That's what we find when we're taught by him at his feet.
[43:53] His word. Martha wasn't there. Now we miss out so much. We miss out on such blessed time.
[44:04] That perhaps we have a real longing for in our hearts that we just long to be there. And we'll only know those blessed times when we find ourselves at the feet of Jesus.
[44:18] to worship him. To fall down before him in humility. showing our complete dependence upon him.
[44:33] we're so happy to have a real longing for in our hearts, that Martha learned the lesson. Martha learned the lesson.
[44:45] She took the rebuke. Because later on, we read two wonderful statements that Martha made. when in the passage in John 11 where it's talking about the resurrection and the life and the raising of Lazarus she said Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died but even now I know that whatever you ask from God God will give you then she said in verse 27 she said to him yes Lord I believe that you are the Christ the Son of God who is coming into the world and when she said this she went and called her sister Mary saying in private the teacher is here and is calling for you isn't that just truly lovely because back in the passage we're thinking about Martha was so distracted she was actually wanting Jesus to send Mary away from his feet but now she's saying the teacher is here and he's calling for you
[46:02] I wonder is there someone tonight and the teacher is calling for you maybe someone that you've never ever come to Jesus in the first place you've never known that wonderful experience of knowing Jesus Christ as your Saviour you've never known what it is to have your sins forgiven to be washed and cleansed in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ to know him to sit at his feet in that way the Saviour is calling for you to come to come to him and fall down before him and ask for forgiveness maybe there's someone and you've done that many years ago and you're just not in a good place the same could be said the teacher is here and he's calling for you he's calling for you and will you come just like you came whenever you came before we can only come back in that same way we can say
[47:19] Lord forgive me cleanse me do you know what God is so gracious and anyone who comes like that he will receive and he will never cast out is there someone that has wandered someone perhaps like Martha distracted anxious and troubled you need to return into the warmth of the loving company of Jesus and fellowship with him once again because after all the chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever and ever Amen Lord we pray that you would help us to take your word to heart and we seek your forgiveness because we do live in a day of such distractions we live in a day when we can be caught up with such busyness that help us
[48:27] Lord that we wouldn't neglect sitting at the feet of Jesus help us Lord give us grace if there's any who have find themselves in that distracted place we pray that we would take that rebuke from you to our hearts because you are calling us you are calling us to come to come back to you help us then to know our hearts been opened to receive you into our hearts afresh that we would have fellowship with you and you with us that we would know the joy of the Lord being our strength once again and that we would give you all the praise and all the glory Lord we give you thanks and we ask that you would help us as we sing our closing praise we would sing it to your glory make it our response to the word this night in
[49:36] Jesus name we pray Amen finger closing hymn is Oh for a closer walk with God Oh for a closer walk with God a calm and heavenly friend a light to shine upon the road that leads me to the Lamb where is the blessedness I knew when
[50:38] I first saw the Lord where is that soul refreshing view of Jesus and his word what peaceful hours I once enjoyed how sweet their memory still but they have left an aching ploy the world can never fill return
[51:39] O who he doth return sweet messenger of rest I hate the sins that made thee mourn and drove thee from my breast the dearest idol I have known lord whatever that idol be help me to tear it from thy throne and worship only he who shall my walk be close with
[52:56] God come answer in my frame so pure her blood shall mark mark the road that leads me to the land and now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all Amen and Ź ๆ