20190303 – Sunday – South Adelaide

20190303 – Sunday – South Adelaide

This morning Fay B came and picked me up and drove me to South Adelaide.

It is so good of Fay to be driving me to the meeting every Sunday morning whilst I am without my driver’s license.

It is often confusing that we bear the same name, because there are not a lot of “Fay’s” in the world.

I really enjoy driving with Fay because she is quite a Bible student and so we are able to share our latest Bible information on the way to the meeting.

Fay sat with me today, 2nd row from the front, in the comfortable chairs.

There are four seats in the row, so  Carol D sat on the aisle, Adrian D next to her, Fay B next to Adrian, and me next to Fay.

It is so cosy having Fay join this little group, and we all enjoyed five minutes conversation before the meeting started.

Joseph C was the pianist this morning so my spirits lifted knowing that he would be playing.

It is not that other pianists are not good, but Joseph is simply so very, very talented, and I just love it when Joseph plays. 

He is a structural engineer by trade, and I have always told him that THAT was not the job for him, he should be BEING a musician for his day job.

Well now he is.

He has a recording studio which has become so popular that it is now his main source of income, so he gets to do what he loves every day.

I remember when I first met him, he had a head full of the most amazing “dread” locks, that made him look like a lion.

One day he decided to have his hair cut, so they had a special night at South where Joseph’s “dread locks” were cut off one by one, and auctioned off for “Agape in Action.”

I remember they made $7,000 selling off Josephs hair!!!

He is tall and very good looking, but he is also  a young man with the sweetest nature you could ever find.

And he plays BEAUTIFULLY.

Neville Rice was giving the exhortation this morning and so I knew that was going to be a treat too, and it was.

The reading was Psa 107 and was read by Kay R.

Neville’s subject was about Praising the Lord. 

The Psalms fall into 5 divisions of books, and the Psalms in book 5 are especially designed for public worship.

We are more likely to remember the words of Psalms like 58 and 59 if they are in the form of hymns rather than trying to remember all the verses of all of the psalms

Bullinger, in Companion Bible, says that the 5 books of psalms parallel the first 5 books of the Bible.

And in Deut he injects important spiritual lessons, lessons they should have learned from their wilderness wandering.

In Australia right now we are having destructive floods and bushfires which involve distressing experiences for some.

But in spite of all that, the evidence of the Lord’s loving kindness is everywhere. 

There are drought conditions and yet we are still blessed with food and water.

Here in Australia we have many blessings.

We meet in freedom to worship our God and Governments in Australia have never moved to take away those privileges. 

And however bad the government might be, the Government still functions.

And yet, society in general, (v43) does not consider God’s loving kindness, or his wonderful works to the children of men (Psa 107v8-15

We are asked to offer praise to God and to offer the sacrifice of praise (Heb 13v15). 

We have much to thank God for.

For the good things he has done for us, that we should not perish.

But we must allow God to “live in me” (Gal 2v20), remembering that he “loves me and gave himself for me.”

Without him, we wander in a solitary way (Psa 107v 1).

In their wilderness wanderings the children of Israel complained that they had “no bread.” 

They did not rate the manna, the bread from heaven, as “bread.”

They said, (Num 21), “Our soul loathes this light bread.” 

In their hearts they turned back to Egypt when “they ate bread to the full.”

Life was not easy in the wilderness, but there was a purpose too, which showed if they had believed it, that God was still showing loving kindness to them.

In Deut 8  Moses said, (v2-3)  Remember all the way that God led you to prove you to know what was in your heart.

He suffered you to hunger, and fed you with manna

The lesson they needed to learn was that “Man shall not live by bread only but by every word of God.”

Psa 107 v 3 God will gather his elect from all lands, from east and west, from north and south, from every side.

God had every right not to deliver his people because they were so ungrateful and so unthankful, but he delivered them with all their faults

And God will delivers us when we cry to him, and will “lead us forth by a right way” (Psa. 107v7)

God led Israel through the wilderness (Ex 3) which would not have been a pleasant experience. 

As we sing in Hymn 172, “Thy way not mine O Lord. Lead me by thine hand, else I must stray.”

God is leading us by he right way.

There is a “right way,” and Jesus “set his face to go to Jerusalem.”

Jesus said to God that he knew that all things were possible with God, (Mark 14), and if he could take the cup of pain away….but if not, thy will be done.”

The “right way” of God will lead us to the kingdom.

And yet, we sometimes rebel against God (Psa 107v10-11).

“Those who sit in darkness rebelled against the word of God”

There are times when we rebel against and contend the counsel of God.

But if we cry unto him, he responds to our cries.

He forgives us “our iniquities and destroys us not,”(Psa 78v38-39), he knows that “we are but flesh.”

And so we strive to follow him (Psa 107v2).

Sometimes God can seem so distant and not personal (Isa 63v4) and yet “the year of my redeemed is come.” 

The son of God loves me and gave himself for me.

And we are not redeemed with silver and gold, but with the blood of Christ (1 Pet 1v18-19.)

In Rev 5v9 the 24 elders san a new song.

You have redeemed us to God by the blood of Christ, and shown to us “the wonderful works for the children of men.”

So Fay drove me home from the meeting at South, and I was very satisfied with my morning of worship.