Standing on the Promises
Worship
Bright Intervals
40 Brief Worship Services and Meditations for Any Occasion
Object:
Greeting and Call To Worship
The Psalmist wrote: My help cometh from the Lord who made heaven and earth. Jesus said: Lo, I am with you always, even unto the close of the age!
Opening Prayer
Gracious God, you have made great promises to your people. Forgive us when we doubt them, or simply forget all that you have told us about your faithfulness and your forgiving love. May we learn to take our stand not on our own strength, but on the wondrous promises of our gracious God. Amen.
Lord's Prayer
Special Hymn
"My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less"
The text of this hymn was written by Edward Mote. The idea came to him as he was preparing to visit the bedside of a dying parishioner. He shared these words with the dying man, and they meant so much to him that Mote published them in a leaflet in his church. Mote was born in London, where his parents owned a pub. According to him, his parents were not God-fearing people. At age sixteen, he was working as a cabinetmaker when his employer took him to an evangelistic service. There he gave his heart to Christ, and made the decision to become a Baptist pastor.
Scripture Reading
John 14:8-17, 25-27
Meditation
The Bible is a book filled with promises from God to help us live richer and fuller lives on this earth and for eternity. But how important are those promises in our everyday lives? I have a book in my library titled Are You Standing On The Promises, Or Just Sitting On The Premises? The question is, do you in your heart embrace the great promises of God, or are you just sitting listlessly on the sidelines, letting these words go in one ear and out the other?
One of the problems we face as we get older is that we forget those things we ought to remember. A husband and wife discovered a new restaurant, and they just loved it! The next evening they had some friends over to their house, and while the wife was out in the kitchen fixing coffee, the husband began telling about this wonderful new restaurant. "It sounds wonderful," said the friends, "but what is the name of the restaurant?" The husband could not remember the name. Then he said, "Wait, I have an idea. What is that flower that has a long stem, a beautiful blossom, and thorns?" "A rose," suggested the friends. "That's it!" said the husband excitedly. Turning towards the kitchen, he shouted, "Hey, Rose, will you come in here and tell us the name of the restaurant we liked so much last night?"
Now that is forgetfulness! But Jesus must have known how human it is to forget. On that night when he met with his disciples in the Upper Room just before his death, he repeated one of his greatest promises no less than five times! It was the promise, "I will not leave you alone ... I will be with you ... even to the end of the world!" If that great promise does not excite you, thrill you, and encourage you, you need to check your pulse or have someone see if you are still breathing!
This is God's promise to comfort us in the rough places in our lives. That word "comfort" literally means "with strength." People who are comforted by God are given a strength greater than their own to face the tough times. Back in the 1950s the name Ted Husing was a household word for anyone who listened to the radio. Ted was a very popular announcer at the peak of his career when he had to undergo a brain operation that left him paralyzed, blind, and unable to speak. He became bitter and discouraged, and would not even see his friends. But some of his Christian friends would not take "No" for an answer. They made him go with them to a baseball game where Ted could hear the crack of the bat and smell the hot dogs and peanuts. Then a friend said to him, "Ted, you are going to get through this. People all over this country are praying for you and they seem to know something you have forgotten -- that God has promised to be with you all the way." Ted Husing later wrote that it was this reminder of God's comforting presence that turned his life around.
The other great truth in this promise of Christ is that God will give us not only comfort, but courage. All of us need the courage to act when we are afraid; the courage to stand up for the truth when it is so easy to remain silent; the courage to help someone in need when it is so easy just to turn our heads the other way. One day an American visiting as a tourist in the Middle East saw a man on a bicycle, balancing a basket of oranges, crash into a porter who was carrying a heavy burden on his shoulder. The two were about to come to blows when, suddenly, the American tourist stepped between them and kissed the clenched fists of both men. The crowd applauded, and, eventually, the two men involved in the accident ended up hugging each other. Someone said to the American, "Where did you get the courage to do what you did?" His answer was simply, "The Spirit of Jesus gave me the courage to be a peacemaker!"
Closing Prayer
O God, teach us once more how important it is to stand on the solid rock of your promises to us. Amen.
The Psalmist wrote: My help cometh from the Lord who made heaven and earth. Jesus said: Lo, I am with you always, even unto the close of the age!
Opening Prayer
Gracious God, you have made great promises to your people. Forgive us when we doubt them, or simply forget all that you have told us about your faithfulness and your forgiving love. May we learn to take our stand not on our own strength, but on the wondrous promises of our gracious God. Amen.
Lord's Prayer
Special Hymn
"My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less"
The text of this hymn was written by Edward Mote. The idea came to him as he was preparing to visit the bedside of a dying parishioner. He shared these words with the dying man, and they meant so much to him that Mote published them in a leaflet in his church. Mote was born in London, where his parents owned a pub. According to him, his parents were not God-fearing people. At age sixteen, he was working as a cabinetmaker when his employer took him to an evangelistic service. There he gave his heart to Christ, and made the decision to become a Baptist pastor.
Scripture Reading
John 14:8-17, 25-27
Meditation
The Bible is a book filled with promises from God to help us live richer and fuller lives on this earth and for eternity. But how important are those promises in our everyday lives? I have a book in my library titled Are You Standing On The Promises, Or Just Sitting On The Premises? The question is, do you in your heart embrace the great promises of God, or are you just sitting listlessly on the sidelines, letting these words go in one ear and out the other?
One of the problems we face as we get older is that we forget those things we ought to remember. A husband and wife discovered a new restaurant, and they just loved it! The next evening they had some friends over to their house, and while the wife was out in the kitchen fixing coffee, the husband began telling about this wonderful new restaurant. "It sounds wonderful," said the friends, "but what is the name of the restaurant?" The husband could not remember the name. Then he said, "Wait, I have an idea. What is that flower that has a long stem, a beautiful blossom, and thorns?" "A rose," suggested the friends. "That's it!" said the husband excitedly. Turning towards the kitchen, he shouted, "Hey, Rose, will you come in here and tell us the name of the restaurant we liked so much last night?"
Now that is forgetfulness! But Jesus must have known how human it is to forget. On that night when he met with his disciples in the Upper Room just before his death, he repeated one of his greatest promises no less than five times! It was the promise, "I will not leave you alone ... I will be with you ... even to the end of the world!" If that great promise does not excite you, thrill you, and encourage you, you need to check your pulse or have someone see if you are still breathing!
This is God's promise to comfort us in the rough places in our lives. That word "comfort" literally means "with strength." People who are comforted by God are given a strength greater than their own to face the tough times. Back in the 1950s the name Ted Husing was a household word for anyone who listened to the radio. Ted was a very popular announcer at the peak of his career when he had to undergo a brain operation that left him paralyzed, blind, and unable to speak. He became bitter and discouraged, and would not even see his friends. But some of his Christian friends would not take "No" for an answer. They made him go with them to a baseball game where Ted could hear the crack of the bat and smell the hot dogs and peanuts. Then a friend said to him, "Ted, you are going to get through this. People all over this country are praying for you and they seem to know something you have forgotten -- that God has promised to be with you all the way." Ted Husing later wrote that it was this reminder of God's comforting presence that turned his life around.
The other great truth in this promise of Christ is that God will give us not only comfort, but courage. All of us need the courage to act when we are afraid; the courage to stand up for the truth when it is so easy to remain silent; the courage to help someone in need when it is so easy just to turn our heads the other way. One day an American visiting as a tourist in the Middle East saw a man on a bicycle, balancing a basket of oranges, crash into a porter who was carrying a heavy burden on his shoulder. The two were about to come to blows when, suddenly, the American tourist stepped between them and kissed the clenched fists of both men. The crowd applauded, and, eventually, the two men involved in the accident ended up hugging each other. Someone said to the American, "Where did you get the courage to do what you did?" His answer was simply, "The Spirit of Jesus gave me the courage to be a peacemaker!"
Closing Prayer
O God, teach us once more how important it is to stand on the solid rock of your promises to us. Amen.
