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[0:00] Good morning, a warm welcome to church this morning. Good to see all of you, good to see a few visitors with us as well and you're especially welcome. If you're able to stay behind and have a cup of tea afterwards, there's tea and there's coffee after the service.

[0:15] A few intimations just to go through, I haven't seen them so I'm just going to flick through them as we go. So tea and coffee after the service. A gaelic service is this evening and we have a monthly gaelic service and that will be taken by Angus M. MacLeod at 6 o'clock tonight.

[0:34] And there's an English fellowship after that at half past 7. And tonight at the English fellowship we usually have somebody who might speak or share testimony or something.

[0:46] And tonight we're going to have Florian and Chrissie who are going to, I'm going to ask them a few questions and they're going to speak a little about their experience as Christians over the years.

[1:01] So we're looking forward to that. Community lunch tomorrow, 12 till 2. It may go on slightly longer and it's free of charge, just the same order as was before we went into lockdown and everything disappeared.

[1:15] So 12 o'clock onwards, soup sandwiches, tray bakes, that kind of thing. And if you're able to come along to that, please do so. Elders and deacons training tomorrow at half past 7 on Zoom.

[1:32] Ladies fellowship on Monday and you've got details there just as usual. Tuesday, little fishes in the morning and Road to Recovery in the evening. So the babies come on Tuesday morning and those who struggle with addictions on Tuesday evening.

[1:49] So be encouraged to come along to that and pray for that work if you're not attending. Prayer meeting on Wednesday, half past 7 on Zoom.

[2:01] And Friday clubs as usual for the young ones and you've got the times there. The services next Sunday, God willing, I'll take both services myself, 11 and 6. Pensioner's lunch.

[2:14] Now this is a long intimation, so we're not going to read the whole thing. But Saturday, 11th of February, 1pm in the Harris Hotel, as has been the case in the past.

[2:25] There used to be postal invitations that would go out and when you came of age you received an invitation. But this time, they're just putting it out through Gia Doll and the churches and that kind of thing.

[2:40] So it's Sunday, 11th of February and it's for anyone aged 65 and above. In Luskentire, Devil's Elbow, to Boglass. It's just the general North Harris area.

[2:52] So there's details on a sheet and the sheet is out in the vestibule. So please take a sheet if you want to get some information on that.

[3:06] And these, other than the intimation there about the prayer conference, that's all the intimations. 3rd to the 5th of February, which isn't far away, next week.

[3:17] That's Barber's Church of Scotland, Jamie Grant, who is a lecturer at Highland Theological College. I knew him in the past and he's taken these meetings and they're looking at the Psalms as songs and as prayers.

[3:35] Psalms that guide us through life. So there's details there. Friday through till Sunday, you can be encouraged to go there. And I think these are all the intimations.

[3:48] So let's begin this time of worship now and we'll sing to God's praise. We'll sing Mission Praise 52, a great hymn that gives us a very simple and powerful expression of the gospel message.

[4:04] God sent his son. They called him Jesus. He came to love, heal and forgive. If he lived and died to buy my pardon, an empty grave is there to prove my Saviour lives.

[4:17] And we'll sing this hymn to God's praise. We'll stand to sing in just a moment. God sent his son.

[4:36] God sent his son. They called him Jesus. He came to love, heal and forgive.

[4:46] He lived and died to buy my pardon. An empty grave is there to prove my Saviour lives.

[5:02] Because he lives, I can face tomorrow. Because he lives, all fear is gone.

[5:14] Because I know, I know he holds the future. And life is worth the living just because he lives.

[5:27] How sweet to hold a newborn baby. And feel the pride and joy he gives.

[5:40] But greater still. The calm I should know. This child can face a certain days.

[5:51] Because he lives. Because he lives. I can face tomorrow. Because he lives.

[6:01] Because he lives. All fear is gone. Because I know, I know he holds the future.

[6:13] And life is worth the living just because he lives. And then one day, I'll cross the river.

[6:25] I'll find my smile. He'll know what will be. And then I'll stand. It's way to victory.

[6:38] I see the light, the glory, and I know he lives. Because he lives. I can face tomorrow.

[6:50] Because he lives. All fear is gone. Because I know, I know he holds the future.

[7:02] And life is worth the living just because he lives. Let's join our hearts together in prayer.

[7:18] Let's pray. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day.

[7:30] This your day. A day that has been set aside from all other days. We are called to stop all work that is not of great necessity and mercy.

[7:45] And we are called to be still and know that you are God. We thank you that this day is not a burden. At least it shouldn't be a burden to us.

[7:55] But it's a gift that you have given us. You are the God who made us. You are the God who knows us. You are the one who understands that we need to rest.

[8:05] Physically we need to rest. And we thank you that also spiritually we are called to rest. Our minds for so much of the week are so full of all the responsibilities and the activities and the stresses and the strains that we have to deal with in this world.

[8:26] But we thank you that this day is set aside so that we can turn our eyes upon Jesus and look full in his wonderful face that the things of earth we pray would grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.

[8:44] And we thank you for the grace of Jesus. We thank you that we come this morning to a God who is gracious. A God who is compassionate.

[8:56] A God who loves us and a God who calls us to come and find rest for our souls that is found only in Jesus. We thank you for the words that we thank you for the grace of Jesus.

[9:07] We thank you for the words that we so often go to in our minds. And as we gather together we hear Jesus say come to me all who are weary and burdened. All who labor and are heavy laden.

[9:19] And I will give you rest. And so we pray for that rest. We pray for that sense of peace. Just as we'll read in a short while of Jesus appearing to the disciples and saying to disciples who were flawed and who were inconsistent in so many ways.

[9:40] And yet Jesus says peace be with you. And we thank you that these words come not just to them but to us. And we confess that we are flawed and we are those who fail.

[9:52] Even as we look back over the last few days we can think of times that we have sinned. And we have let you down. And we have been unfaithful.

[10:03] And as we think of these times we pray that you would forgive us. As we confess our sin we pray that we would be cleansed in the blood of Jesus.

[10:14] And that we would know that assurance that we have peace with God through him. We pray for anyone this morning who may have sang the words or maybe not sang the words of the song of the hymn.

[10:30] And yet who don't know Jesus yet to save them. We know Lord that there may be many who come into churches who do not yet know Christ.

[10:43] And we ask that if there's anyone here in this room this morning or anybody who's listening on a device somewhere nearby or somewhere far away.

[10:53] And who doesn't yet know Christ as Saviour. We pray that you would be working in the power of the Holy Spirit. That there would be those whose eyes are opened even for the first time today to see the glory of Jesus.

[11:06] The sufficiency of Jesus. And the desperation of our need of Christ. Help us we pray to be united together in Christ.

[11:17] That we would be able to say as the Apostle Paul so often said. That we are in Christ. And we know the blessings and the security that is promised to all who are in Christ.

[11:31] We pray Lord for the wee ones. We thank you as we hear their voices. That they are here with us. We thank you that they are an answer to prayer. And we thank you that we have sang this morning.

[11:43] That because we know that Jesus lives. They and we can face tomorrow. We thank you Lord that in a world that is so turbulent.

[11:54] In a nation that is so far from you. We can feel alarmed when we read our papers and when we look around us. And yet we thank you that you are still the God who is sovereign.

[12:08] On the throne. You are still the God who is in control of all things. And we thank you that we can face every tomorrow that you allocate for us.

[12:19] Because we know that Jesus lived and died and rose for the salvation of all who believe. So give us faith we pray.

[12:30] That we may believe. We pray Lord for those who struggle this morning. We continue to pray for those who grieve. For loved ones who have passed in recent days and months and years.

[12:43] You know Lord the pain and the sense of loss that we feel. And we ask Lord for your comfort. And for your presence to fill the void that is left in many lives.

[12:56] We pray on for those who are sick. Who struggle with illness. Who await test results. And who are anxious about the future. And we ask Lord that they would hear your voice saying to them.

[13:08] Peace be with you. Lord we pray for those who are sick. We think of Rory Morrison. The minister who was here for many months in the past.

[13:21] Who has preached your word so faithfully. And lived it out so faithfully over the years. And now struggles with his health. We pray Lord that as he feels a physical wastage.

[13:37] As he feels his strength weakened. We pray that he would know a daily inward renewal. That he would know that you are with him. That he would know your presence.

[13:47] That he would know your peace. Your hand upon him for good. We thank you Lord for all that you have taught us through him. We thank you for the many occasions that he has pointed us to Jesus.

[13:59] And as he struggles at this time with his health. We pray that you would draw near to him and Chrisanne. And that you would bless them. We pray for Kathy Campbell as well.

[14:12] One that so many of us spent so many decades of our lives with. And as she went away from Harris yesterday to lock in. We're to be with our daughter and son-in-law.

[14:23] We ask that you would be with her. That you would be near to her. We thank you for your promise that you are with us wherever we go. And we ask that you would bless her. Where she is at this time.

[14:35] And that you would minister to her. Even when there is confusion at times in the mind. We thank you that you are able Lord to minister to us. In the ways that we need.

[14:46] So we bring her to you as well. And many others Lord. Who struggle with illness and infirmity. Those who are housebound. Those who battle with addictions. Lord for all that we think of.

[14:59] We pray for them. We pray that you would continue with us now. We pray that you would help us to fix our eyes upon Jesus. And we pray that you would lead us.

[15:10] That you would guide us in worship. And we ask all these things in Jesus name. And for his sake. Amen. Boys and girls would you like to come forward please.

[15:25] If I take that light up.

[15:39] Thank you. Just push that a little bit out of the way here.

[15:50] So how are you all today? All doing okay? Something to show you today. And. You've seen this before.

[16:04] You ever tasted these? Yes. What do you think of them? I got your teeth. You got me into them. That's right. Yeah. We'll come to that in a minute. Yeah. Have you all tasted these?

[16:16] Yes. Tell me. Oh. Finley. Have you never tasted it? Well. At the end of the children's talk. This is going to be a present for you. Okay. You can have a taste.

[16:26] You can have this in Sunday school. Hopefully. Tell me. What were they like? These things.

[16:39] Describe how. Describe what they taste like. I'll start at the back. Fraser. Fraser. Is it like. Is it like cream in the middle? And like. It's like.

[16:49] It's like. It's like. There's cream in the middle. Is it just like. White cream? No. What kind of cream is it? It's like. It's like chocolate cream.

[17:00] The best kind of cream. That you could ever get. And it's in the middle. Yeah. And what's. What else is. What else is it like? I'll come to you in a second Michael.

[17:11] I'll ask Henry next. What else? Yeah. They're very soft. They're very soft. And. What were they made of? The crunch. Is there any crunch to them?

[17:22] No. No. So what are they like Michael? Sickening. A little bit. Sickening. They're only sickening if you eat six of them in a row. But if you just eat one. They're not sickening are they?

[17:33] Well. Unless you've had like ten pizzas. If you've had ten pizzas. Yeah. Well. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But if you were just to have a moderate slice or two of pizza. And then you were to have this for your pudding.

[17:47] And then they would not be sickening. They would be. They would be delicious. Anyway. Bring your milk. I'll tell you the story. Having it with milk is amazing. Having it with milk is amazing. Yeah. You're right. I'll tell you the story. Anyway.

[17:57] These chocolate bars. Chocolate cake bars. Delicious things. I'd never heard of them. I'd never seen them. And then there was one day I was visiting over at Michael and Jono's house.

[18:10] And Michael gave me one of these to have my cup of tea. And it was amazing. And I'd never tried it. And I thought this is amazing. And then so I said to Maddie that night.

[18:22] Next Tesco delivery. Make sure that these things. I went hunting in the shops nearby. Couldn't get anything. So I said next Tesco delivery. I want Nesquik bars.

[18:33] I want two packs of them. And I want them in the fridge. And I don't want them going to girls pack lunches. I want them in the fridge for me. So for quite a long time I was eating these Nesquik chocolate bars.

[18:48] And I was enjoying them. And then I don't know what happened. But I just kind of forgot. I think Jon and Corin must have been enjoying them as well.

[18:59] You tried them too? No? No. I thought. I've never seen them. Never seen them. Oh well. You live and learn. Yeah. So I was enjoying them. And then I don't know what happened.

[19:11] I just kind of forgot about them. And then there must have been months. Maybe even a year. Pardon? Five years. Not five years. Maybe even a year.

[19:23] Was it like 2020? 2020 was kind of that sort of time. Yeah. But I hadn't had them for quite a long time. And then I was in the co-op on Thursday night with Lois.

[19:33] And Lois says, look. There's the Nesquik bars. It was the white chocolate bars. No, it wasn't the white chocolate. It was the brown ones. So she said, these are amazing, aren't they?

[19:45] And I said, you know what? They are. I've forgotten about them. So until I went and I bought a couple of packets. Girls were all going away. So the packets were into the fridge. Nobody else could touch them.

[19:55] And I've had a happy couple of days where I've been tasting and seeing and enjoying the fact that these Nesquik bars are good.

[20:07] Now, there is a psalm and it says in Psalm 34 and verse 8, taste and see that God is good.

[20:29] Taste and see that God is good. And, you know, there are lots of people who don't come to church.

[20:40] There might even be people who do come to church. And they've never tasted and seen that God is good. And they'll say things like, you know, I have to come along to church just to keep one or two folks happy.

[20:55] But, you know, all the stuff about church, I'm just boring. I just think about other things. And they don't read the Bible because they say, oh, it's boring.

[21:06] All that stuff about God. It's just about boring. It's not for me. That's the kind of things that they might not say it, but they feel it. They might come along to church just for an hour and then the rest of the week, oh, I'm not doing any of that.

[21:23] And, you know, that's silly. It's silly to say, I don't want to know God. I don't want to read the Bible.

[21:35] When actually, they've never tasted and seen that God is good. I mean, imagine Michael had said to me on that day in his house, have a Nesbitt bar.

[21:46] And I said, and I looked at them and I went, yuck, I don't want one of these. I would never have known how amazing and tasty these bars are.

[21:59] But I tasted and I saw that they are good. And I want to just say to you, boys and girls, and to the big boys and girls, and to others you might be watching somewhere else, taste and see that God is good.

[22:19] You know, there's nothing that's better than knowing that all our sins are forgiven.

[22:32] Because you and I, don't we, we all sin, don't we? We all know what it's like to have a guilty conscience. And we do something and we think, oh, no, I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have said that.

[22:43] And it's like a weight almost that's in our stomach. And we want to get rid of it. And we can come to God and say, please forgive me for my sin.

[22:53] Please take it away, Jesus. And he promises that he will. And it's like the weight, the guilt, it's taken all away. He washes our hearts clean. Our consciences are cleared.

[23:09] And that's an amazing thing to feel. And then when you go to sleep at night, and you put your head on the pillow, sometimes there can be things that make us scared and we're worried.

[23:23] And what do we do? We can pray and say, Lord God, will you please help me? There's this thing, there's that thing, there's the next thing, and it's making me worried. And please, you know all about it.

[23:34] Will you please help me? And then it's like he gives us his peace. And there's nothing that's better than that. And then to know that when we come to the end of our time in this world, when we die, to know that because we've trusted in Jesus, we're going to heaven.

[23:54] And we're going to have perfect peace and joy. That's an amazing thing to know and to feel. And all these things are there for those who trust in Jesus.

[24:11] God is good. And he loves you and me. He wants us to know that and he wants us to feel that. He wants us to taste that. So boys and girls, big and little, taste and see that God is good.

[24:28] Sometimes we forget that. Christians, sometimes we forget that. But about like me, with the Nesquik bars, don't taste for months, even a year.

[24:41] Sometimes Christians, you know, we can stop praying so much. We can stop reading the Bible so much. We start tasting sins. We start watching the telly instead of reading the Bible.

[24:54] We'd rather go and play video games than go to YF. We'd rather go out and do something with our pals than pray. And we stop tasting that God is good.

[25:08] And what God is saying to us today through this psalm is taste and see. Maybe for the first time, maybe for the first time in a while. Taste and see that he is good.

[25:22] And we're going to sing about that in just a minute. But first of all, we'll pray. And we'll ask God to help us. Lord God, we thank you for, we thank you for how good you are.

[25:37] We thank you that you're a God who is good and who's loving and who's kind. We thank you that you are the God who has promised that if we come to you, and if we ask you to take our sins away, if we're turning away from our sins and we want to be forgiven, we thank you that you've promised that you will forgive us.

[25:56] We thank you that you've said to us that whoever comes to Jesus will never get pushed away, but will get taken close. We thank you that you're the God who likes to give to us peace when our hearts are troubled.

[26:12] We thank you that you are the God who likes to bless us and give us that sense of your being close to us. And we ask that you would be with us today for the boys and girls and for all of us here.

[26:29] Pray that we wouldn't be anybody who's so close to Jesus and yet never tastes how good he is. But may each one of us, we pray, come to Jesus and have our sins forgiven and experience the peace and the joy that comes to those who are trusting in the Lord.

[26:50] And we ask all this in Jesus' name and for his sake. Amen. We're going to sing that psalm now that I quoted from. Psalm 34 and we sing verses 1 to verse 11.

[27:04] God will I bless all times his praise. My mouth shall still express. My soul shall boast in God the meat shall hear with joyfulness. That's Taylor the psalmist and he's saying come on together let's trust God and let's sing out how great God is.

[27:21] Taste and see that God is good. We'll sing verses 1 to verse 11. We'll stand to sing to God's praise. God will I bless all times his praise.

[27:40] My mouth shall still express. My soul shall boast in God the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together.

[28:11] I sought the Lord the heir, and did me from all fears deliver.

[28:24] They looked to him and lighted where, not shame it were their faces.

[28:39] This German guide could have and saved him from all his distresses.

[28:52] The angel of the Lord encamps and round encompasses all those aback that to him fear and them delivereth.

[29:19] O taste and see that God is good, who trusts in him, is blessed.

[29:32] Fear God is saved, now that him fear shall be with want oppressed.

[29:46] The lions young may hungry be, and they may lack their food.

[29:59] But they that truly seek the Lord shall not pluck any good.

[30:12] O children, hither do ye come, and unto me hear.

[30:25] I shall you teach to understand, how ye the Lord should fear.

[30:39] Remember as they go to Sunday school, pray for them.

[30:56] I think what I'm overhearing John saying is, before too long we might have to go through there and leave the children in this way.

[31:22] It's good to see such a big number of them. And let's keep praying for them. We're going to read from Luke chapter 24. And we're reading verse 36.

[31:38] Verse 36. And this comes, for those who weren't around last week, we looked at the passage with the two on the Emmaus Road.

[32:06] They're walking along the road feeling discouraged. And Jesus comes to them and he speaks with them. He opens the scriptures to them. And he reveals to them that he's risen from the dead.

[32:20] And these two people, they change direction. They head back into Jerusalem where the disciples were to tell them that Jesus is risen.

[32:31] And there's great excitement as they do so. And then we pick up verse 36. And these two who were on the Emmaus Road are with the disciples.

[32:42] And they're speaking about what happened, what they experienced on the road. And it says there, While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, Peace be with you.

[32:58] They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, Why are you troubled and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet, that is I myself.

[33:09] Touch me and see. A ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see I have. When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, Do you have anything here to eat?

[33:26] They gave him a piece of broiled fish and he took it and ate it in their presence. He said to them, This is what I told you while I was still with you. Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets and the Psalms.

[33:43] Then he opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures. He told them, This is what is written. The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.

[33:54] And repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Amen.

[34:04] And may God bless that reading of his word to us. We're going to sing again now to God's praise. We'll sing from Psalm 103. Psalm 103.

[34:16] And we sing from verse 8 to verse 10. Two stanzas of the Psalm. The Lord our God is merciful and he is gracious, long-suffering and slow to wrath and mercy plenteous.

[34:31] He will not chide continually nor keep his anger still. With us he dealt not as we sinned nor did requite our ill. These two stanzas of Psalm 103.

[34:42] We sing in Gaelic and we remain seated to sing in Gaelic. SP Mike, Satsang with Mooji

[35:54] Satsang with Mooji Satsang with Mooji Satsang with Mooji

[37:24] Satsang with Mooji Satsang with Mooji Satsang with Mooji Satsang with Mooji Satsang with Mooji Satsang with Mooji Satsang with Mooji Satsang with Mooji Satsang with Mooji Satsang with Mooji Satsang with Mooji Satsang with Mooji Satsang with Mooji

[38:26] Satsang with Mooji Satsang with Mooji Satsang with Mooji Satsang with Mooji Satsang with Mooji Satsang with Mooji Satsang with Mooji Satsang with Mooji from sin, receiving the salvation, the peace, the blessing that you desire for us to have.

[38:49] We thank you that you are the God who desires that none would perish, but all would come to repentance. And we pray that we would all this morning in this place and the children in the room next to us, that we would be brought to that simple, powerful repentance as we seek to turn away from sin and self and turn in faith to Jesus, the one who has the words of eternal life.

[39:19] Hear our prayers. Help us, we ask. In Jesus' name. Amen. I expect all of us can recall a time in our lives when we failed.

[39:34] Probably most of us can recall a time even in the last few days where we've failed, we've done something wrong. But there's certain occasions in our life's experience where we've failed, we've done something wrong, and we're waiting for a blasting.

[39:53] We're waiting for a punishment. For people of my generation and upwards, we can think back perhaps to school days.

[40:03] Not so much today, but in school, things could be a bit more terrifying back then than they are today. I remember when you were in the classroom, if you were speaking, when you should have been listening, then you would maybe get a warning.

[40:18] If you were fortunate, you would get a warning. But if you were continuing to talk when the teacher was talking, if you were distracting the people around you, there might be one word of warning, and then you would be told, certainly in the schools I went to, out of the class, along the corridor, and go and see the headmaster.

[40:43] And there was a chair in Portree High School, just outside the headmaster's door, and you had to go and sit in this very public chair and wait for the door to open before you would get the lecture, to end all lectures.

[41:02] Or even at home. We can, I'm sure, recall occasions where there might be bickering all day. Sunday afternoons were the worst in our house. Sunday afternoons, that the siblings would all be falling out with each other.

[41:17] And there might be a sort of hour-by-hour discipline applied by my mum, but there would come a point, he would cross the line, and I would hear these words, okay, just you wait till your father gets home.

[41:35] And he will deal with this. And so you'd be sitting there, sweating, waiting for the door to open, and for the dread of what he might say.

[41:53] What then, as we go from there, from here, our experiences to Luke 24, we're seeing, Luke is zooming in for us into a room, and we see disciples who are gathered in this room.

[42:09] They're terrified. They're locked. The door is locked for fear of the authorities. And they have failed. They have fallen. And suddenly, Jesus appears in the room with them.

[42:31] And I just wonder if the disciples must have thought, what is he going to say to us? And then as we move to the text, and as we see verse 36, we're given this amazing statement that comes from Jesus.

[42:55] What does Jesus have to say back then and still today to failed, falling, flawed disciples? The answer is he has to say peace.

[43:11] Peace be with you. So the first point that we have in the time this morning that we have together is we see, we hear the peace of Jesus.

[43:24] Verse 36. Let's just get into the text. While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, peace be with you.

[43:36] So while they were still talking about this, we have to ask the question, what is this? And if we just rewind to the previous section, which we kind of did when we were reading, we can see that what they were talking about was the news that Jesus had risen from the dead.

[43:55] They'd heard this news from the woman who'd been at the tomb in that morning. They'd heard the news through Peter. They'd heard the news through these two, Cleopas and whoever else was with them on the Emmaus road.

[44:10] And so they have this news that Jesus, whom they saw die, has risen from the dead. And this is news that would have thrilled them, but it's news also that would have alarmed them because they hadn't exactly been faithful to Jesus when things got tough.

[44:34] And Jesus had warned them as we think back through the previous chapters before Jesus went to the cross. Jesus was very clear with the disciples. He warned them repeatedly that things were going to get tough.

[44:49] And Jesus made very clear to his disciples that he would suffer and that he would die and that they would fail him. They would desert him.

[45:01] They would deny him. And remember Peter, being Peter, clashes with Jesus over what he says. Peter insists that he would never deny Jesus.

[45:14] Everybody else might, but he certainly wouldn't. He would stick with Jesus all the way. Even if death comes, Peter says, I'll be there with you.

[45:28] And all the others, we're told, said the same thing. Jesus said, you're going to desert me, you're going to deny me, and they all said never. It's not going to happen. In fact, we have the conversation in Matthew 26.

[45:42] Let me just read the few verses from Matthew 26. Jesus told them, this very night, this is the night that Jesus was arrested and went in the direction of the cross.

[45:53] Jesus told them, this very night, you will all fall away on account of me. For it is written, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.

[46:05] But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee. Peter replied, even if all fall away on account of you, I never will. Truly I tell you, Jesus answered, this very night before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.

[46:26] But Peter declared, even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you. And all the other disciples said the same.

[46:39] So we're given that very clear record of this conversation. this last conversation with Jesus. And then, Jesus is taken away.

[46:54] And the disciples did exactly what they said they wouldn't do and what Jesus predicted that they would do. Peter denied Jesus three times, publicly, disgracefully.

[47:08] The rest of the disciples deserted him and Jesus, he was arrested, he was crucified and they watched them die. From a distance, that is.

[47:22] Because they were terrified. And yet now, Jesus was alive.

[47:32] and he was in the room. And what would he say to them? What would you expect?

[47:44] If you were one of these disciples, what would you expect? Bearing in mind the last conversation, what would you expect Jesus to say to you? I think probably I would expect a blast because it's what I would have deserved.

[48:00] We'd expect some words of fierce rebuke and correction, but what does Jesus actually say to them? He says to them, peace.

[48:13] Peace be with you. And these words are just overflowing with grace.

[48:25] The grace of Jesus. When they deserve punishment, Jesus gave them peace. When they deserve to be blasted for their failures, Jesus blessed them.

[48:44] Now, does that mean that their sin didn't matter? Does that mean that Jesus, he knew everything that had happened, but he just kind of swept it all under the carpet?

[48:58] Well, no, it doesn't mean that at all. A just God must punish sin. But Jesus has been to the cross to take the punishment for these specific sins.

[49:18] And now, he offers them his peace. And what encouragement that must have been for these disciples in that room.

[49:33] And what encouragement that is for us. because we fail and we fall and we let Jesus down.

[49:46] We deny him. Likely, we can think back to occasions even in the last few days or weeks where we've had an opportunity to say a word for Jesus and we've said nothing.

[49:58] Nothing. We're people who resolve to be faithful. We battle with sins and we make resolutions.

[50:09] I'm never going to do that again. I'm never going to say that again. I'm never going to do that again. We may even say that in prayer. We take our sins before the Lord and we confess them and we say, Lord, never, I'm going back there.

[50:22] and then we're back in it. We sin as they sinned. But Jesus stands among us today and he offers us his peace.

[50:44] He offers to take our sin away from us. He offers to take the punishment for our sin and exchange in exchange for that give to us his peace.

[51:00] And it's what the scholars call the great exchange. Jesus takes from us our sin and in exchange he offers to us his righteousness.

[51:14] Jesus takes from us the punishment that our sins deserve and in exchange he offers to us the peace that we don't deserve. And all that was worked out on the cross.

[51:31] We sang in Psalm 103 some verses and I'll read the verses. The Lord is compassionate and gracious. Verse 8. Slow to anger abounding in love.

[51:43] He will not always accuse nor will he harbor his anger forever. he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.

[51:57] And that's what we see in that room. They are not treated as their sins deserve because on the cross Jesus was treated as their sins deserve.

[52:12] If we are Christians this morning we are not treated as our sins deserve. because on the cross Jesus was treated as our sins deserved. And for those who are not Christians and who are still carrying their sin you don't have to be treated eternally in hell as your sins deserve if you will trust the Lord Jesus.

[52:44] He will take your sin to the cross and take the punishment in your place. That's the gospel message.

[52:56] That's what's on offer. Sin must be paid for. But if you trust Jesus he will pay for it on the cross and take your sin from you.

[53:09] but if you won't trust Jesus your sin will remain with you and you will have to pay for it eternally in a place that Jesus spoke of often called hell.

[53:23] that's the glory and yet the seriousness the awfulness of what is made so clear through the ministry of Jesus.

[53:41] Why would anybody hang on to their sin refuse forgiveness and go from this world to a never ending punishment for all the things that we know we've done wrong.

[54:02] That's the reality. But Jesus came to change that reality. Jesus came to offer us the alternative of peace not punishment through everything that he did on the cross.

[54:18] So the first point is the peace of Jesus. The second thing that we see here is the physical presence of Jesus and we'll spend less time on these points.

[54:34] Now the response of the disciples to the presence and the words of Jesus as we can see instantly is shock and fear. They were startled and frightened thinking they saw a ghost.

[54:49] Jesus said to them why are you troubled? Why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet it is I myself. Touch me and see a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.

[55:01] When he had said this he showed them his hands and his feet and while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement he asked them do you have anything here to eat? They gave him a piece of broiled fish and he took it and ate it in their presence.

[55:20] So we see here the physical presence of Jesus. Now there are some times in our lives and we have these moments that are so amazing that we almost kind of have to pinch ourselves to realize is this really true?

[55:36] And that's where the disciples were at at this particular time. They had just been catapulted from the depths of discouragement to the heights of joy and they want to believe.

[55:50] But they're struggling to believe because it just seems too amazing to be true. But it was true. And so Jesus condescends to them.

[56:05] And he speaks to them with that voice that they knew so well. And he shows them his hands and his feet which are still wounded from the cross. And he even asks them for something to eat.

[56:22] And then he eats it in their presence. So why does Jesus do this? Well, I think there's two reasons here. He wants first of all to give them evidence of the resurrection.

[56:37] And he wants to encourage them. And the evidence of the resurrection was Jesus himself. He was physically with them.

[56:51] This is no ghost. This is no hallucination that was shared amongst the disciples. Jesus was physically with them. He was physically risen from the dead.

[57:03] The resurrection was not and it is not some spiritual concept. Jesus was physically there. and the disciples were witnesses to that.

[57:17] They saw and they touched and they heard Jesus. They even shared a meal with Jesus.

[57:30] and it was important that they understood the physical historical reality of the resurrection because these disciples would go from that place and they would spend the rest of their lives telling people that Jesus was risen.

[57:50] And not only would they spend their lives telling people that Jesus was risen, these disciples would die because they would not stop telling people that Jesus was risen.

[58:03] And so the evidence of resurrection, the evidence of physical resurrection was Christ himself. The disciples didn't make that up. Why would they die for something that they knew not to be true?

[58:16] They knew, they believed, they experienced the physical presence of Jesus with them in that room. resurrection. And so the evidence of resurrection is given to them in this appearance of Jesus.

[58:32] And there's also great encouragement for them and for us in this scene because we're given a preview of what lies beyond the grave for those who believe in Jesus.

[58:50] The truth is there is physical resurrection. the shorter catechism is at question 47.

[59:01] I can't quite remember but the answer to the question is this. The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness and do immediately pass into glory and their bodies being still united to Christ do rest in their graves till the resurrection.

[59:26] resurrection will be physical and it will be personal and it will be real.

[59:42] You know eternity for those who are in Christ will not be spent on clouds playing harps thankfully.

[59:55] We will be with Jesus and we will be with all those who have trusted in Jesus in a new earth that is untouched by sin.

[60:10] a place where we will know each other will recognize each other will be the same but will be different. We will be recognizable but we won't have snapped ligaments in our knees.

[60:26] We won't have the infirmities that we struggle with. We won't have these things that we battle with because of the effects of sin in this world. we will eternally be with the Lord and with those who have trusted the Lord.

[60:41] We will know each other. We will see each other. We will recognize each other. We will be together. We will eat together. It will be real.

[60:56] The resurrection will be real. It will be earthy. It will be substantial. Physical. And there's great encouragement in that for those who are in Christ.

[61:16] Again, let me say a word to those who are not in Christ. Why would you ever pass this up? We experience rich things in this world.

[61:33] Relationships. There's many things in this world that we enjoy. And yet everything that we enjoy is touched or spoiled to some degree with sin. And the promise for those who trust in Jesus is that what we have enjoyed in a taste in this world, we will enjoy in full measure eternally.

[61:56] In that place where Jesus says, I am making everything new. A place where there is no pain, no sadness, no death, no tears, no separation.

[62:12] And that's the promise, that's the offer, that's the gift to those who believe. Why would you not accept us? I mean, look at the horrendous alternative to it.

[62:28] Hell is a place that we see little, we have little grasp of the reality of it, but we know it's a place of torment. We know it's a place where the sufferings that we taste in this world are intensified.

[62:43] We know it's a place where there is eternal separation and there is eternal isolation and loneliness. That's what we're warned of.

[62:56] And that's the track that Jesus came to take us off. If we will take his hand and let him lead us.

[63:14] The peace of Jesus, the physical presence of Jesus that gave the evidence and the encouragement of resurrection. resurrection. The third thing here is the prophecies that are fulfilled in Jesus.

[63:28] Jesus said to them, verse 44, this is what I told you while I was still with you. Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets and the Psalms.

[63:38] Then he opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures. And if you just glance at this section and the previous section and even back to the beginning of the chapter, there's a recurring lesson.

[63:56] And the lesson can be summarized by what Jesus really is saying to the two on the Emmaus road and to the disciples as they stand in amazement in his presence.

[64:10] What Jesus says to them is, you need to be reading your Bibles. Remember the two on the Emmaus road? Their hearts are burning within them as Jesus opens up the Bible.

[64:21] He's teaching them that there's blessing and there is abiding with him which will not be physical until he returns.

[64:34] In the meantime, we're to be in the Bible. The Holy Spirit will help us. He will draw near to us as we are in the scriptures. So, we see the two on the Emmaus road, they're amazed and Jesus says, you want to know my abiding presence with you, you need to be reading your Bible.

[64:56] Look at Mary when the tomb is empty. She's trying to figure it all out. And the message that comes to her through the heavenly messengers is, don't you remember what it said in the Bible?

[65:13] Don't you remember Jesus' words? He said, this is the way it was going to be. And then with the disciples in the room, Jesus is experiencing that the blessing of being with him is an ongoing blessing that is found as they were to read their Bibles.

[65:38] So, the message that comes to us today is the same message that came to the two on the Emmaus road, the disciples in the room, Mary at the tomb, and let's read your Bible. We have the law, we have the prophets, we have the Psalms, and they point us to Jesus.

[65:58] We have the Gospels, they are eyewitness accounts of the ministry of Jesus. We have the epistles, they are the theological workings of the apostles who are just trying to understand, their minds are being blown with wonder at all that Jesus had achieved for them on the cross.

[66:18] And we have all of this. And the message that is coming as a recurring message through this chapter is we need to be in the Bible.

[66:33] The children through in the wee room sing the chorus regularly. Read your Bible, pray every day, and you'll grow, grow, grow.

[66:47] So a very simple question in application. Are you and I reading our Bibles? You know, you don't go home on a Sunday afternoon, have a big dinner, and expect that big dinner is going to do you until next Sunday afternoon?

[67:07] You need to eat every day. Are you and I every day opening the Word of God, feeding from the Word of God, experiencing the wonder of being with Jesus, hearing the words of Jesus, seeing the glory of Jesus?

[67:35] Because we'll only do that if we're in the Bible. The prophecies fulfilled in Jesus. Alistair Begg, I said this on Wednesday night, in encouraging us to read the Bible, he says the whole of the Bible is a book about Jesus.

[67:53] In the Old Testament, he is predicted, in the Gospels, he is revealed, in the Acts, he is preached, in the Epistles, he is explained, and in the revelation, he is expected.

[68:06] Do you want to know about Jesus? Do you want to hear Jesus? Do you want to experience Jesus? Do you want to encounter Jesus? Do you need to be in the Bible? And the final thing here, just a word, is the preaching that was instructed by Jesus.

[68:26] Occasionally, people say to me, and say to other ministers, I don't know how you find something to say every week when you stand up and have to make a sermon.

[68:39] And the truth is, I don't have to, I don't have to find something to say. Because I've been instructed what to say, what to preach, every week.

[68:52] And it's really the same message. It comes from different parts of the Bible, and there are different insights, there are wondrous truths, and scripture, but the simple message that we are instructed to preach week by week is, well, let's look at it in these two verses.

[69:13] Jesus told them, this is what is written, the Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day. And that's the gospel message.

[69:25] gospel message is not me telling people about my experiences with Jesus. The gospel message is not telling people what Jesus can do to help us with our struggles and our worries.

[69:41] There's a place for that, and it's true that Jesus helps us with our struggles and our worries. It's true that Jesus will give us great experiences as we come to him, but that's not the gospel.

[69:54] The gospel is news. And it's the news, it's the historical fact that Jesus came to this world and he lived a perfect sinless life.

[70:08] He suffered and he died and on the third day he rose. That's the news. That's the headline from 2,000 years ago.

[70:23] Jesus lived, he suffered, he died, and he rose. That's historical truth. And now we have the application in verse 47.

[70:38] And repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem. So that's what Jesus instructed.

[70:52] This is his instruction to preachers. Tell people, he says, that I suffered and died and rose.

[71:05] And tell people that we must repent. turn away from our sin. And receive forgiveness as we come to Jesus.

[71:21] That's what he instructed. And that's what the disciples did. They didn't go off to theological college for four years. They'd had three years with Jesus, but he gives them the instruction and they leave the room.

[71:37] And starting in Jerusalem, they began to tell people that Jesus suffered and died and rose to save sinners. And if sinners repent and turn away from sin and believe that Jesus suffered and died and rose for us, we will be forgiven.

[71:56] That's the message they took. They preached it in Jerusalem and got into a whole lot of trouble for it. And then they took it all through the nation of Israel and then they took it into Europe and eventually it reached Scotland.

[72:17] And that's the same message that Jesus has instructed me to preach today in Harris. You and I are called to repent of our sin.

[72:33] Because every single person here and everywhere is a sinner. It's a message for us. And you and I are called to believe in Jesus.

[72:49] And if we do that, we will be forgiven our sin. All of it. And we will know the peace of Jesus.

[73:03] We will know the presence of Jesus. And we will be given the promise of resurrection from the dead.

[73:20] Let's pray. Our heavenly father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for this message that Jesus instructed the disciples to carry from the room out into the world.

[73:38] And we thank you that this message has reached us even today. So help us, we pray, to repent. Not to hang on to our sin. But to confess it.

[73:51] To turn from it. Give us faith that we might understand the scriptures and believe in Jesus. And give us, we pray, the assurance of the blessings that are promised to all who do believe.

[74:11] That there is forgiveness. That there is eternal life. There is peace with God. There is resurrection. If we are in Christ. May we be in Christ, we pray.

[74:24] May we respond and receive the amazing grace that we hear and we see and we experience as we look to Jesus.

[74:36] And we pray these things in his name and for his sake. Amen. We'll sing to conclude the hymn, Mission Praise 31, Amazing Grace. how sweet the sound.

[74:48] Thank you.

[75:18] I'm lost, was lost, but now I'm found. Was blind, but now I see.

[75:33] T'was grace that brought my heart to fear, How grace my tears relieved.

[75:48] How precious did the grace appear, The hour I first believed.

[76:04] Too many dangers, boils, and tears, I have already come.

[76:20] T'was grace that brought me safe thus far, How grace will lead me home.

[76:35] When we've been there ten thousand years, Thine shining as the sun, When glorious days to sing God's praise, That when we first began.

[77:06] And now may that grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, And the love of God the Father, And the fellowship, the comfort of God the Holy Spirit, Be with us all now and forevermore.

[77:20]  Amen.