Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, March 7, 2024)
The State of Theology survey conducted by LifeWay Research and Ligonier Ministries in 2020 revealed that many US Christians are confused on a number of basic theological issues. Their views on these issues mirrored those of the broader US population. Among the issues on which they were confused was salvation. In this evening's message, "A Faith That Is Alive," we take a look at this issue.
GATHER IN GOD’S NAME
The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Keith and Kristyn Getty’s “Come Let Us Sing to the One.”
Verse 1
Come, let us sing to the One
To the Father of life,
For His light fills the earth like the sun;
Come, tell of the wonders He's done.
Great is the world He has made,
Are the mysteries untold,
Is His measureless power of old;
Come, come let us sing to our God.
Chorus
To our God, who is able
To strengthen us in His grace,
Beyond all we imagine,
Be all glory and praise,
Be all praise.
Verse 2
Come, let us sing to the One,
To the Saviour of life,
Find the fullness of God in the Son;
Come, tell of the wonders He's done.
Wild is the mercy of Christ,
Is the richness of grace,
Is the unending life we embrace;
Come, come let us sing to our God.
Chorus
To our God, who is able
To strengthen us in His grace,
Beyond all we imagine,
Be all glory and praise,
Be all praise.
Verse 3
Come, let us sing to the One,
To the Spirit of life,
Leading us in the way of the Son;
Come, tell of the wonders He's done.
Strong is the Spirit within,
Is the boldness to speak,
Is the power to run when we're weak;
Come, come let us sing to our God.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Songs for the Masses Songs from the Scriptures’ “Who Will Not Fear You – Revelation 15.”
Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways, King of the ages.
Who will not fear you?
Who will not fear you,
O Lord?
And bring glory to your name
You alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before you
your judgments made known.
Who will not fear you?
Who will not fear you,
O Lord?
Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways, King of the ages.
Who will not fear you?
Who will not fear you,
O Lord?
Who will not fear you?
Who will not fear you,
O Lord?
God has promised forgiveness
to all who truly repent,
turn to Christ in faith
and are themselves forgiving.
Let us confess our sins to God our Father.
Silence
Heavenly Father,
we have sinned against you and against our neighbour
in thought and word and deed,
through negligence, through weakness,
through our own deliberate fault;
by what we have done
and by what we have failed to do.
We are truly sorry and repent of all our sins.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ who died for us,
forgive us all that is past;
and grant that we may serve you in newness of life
to the glory of your name. Amen.
Merciful Lord,
grant to your faithful people pardon and peace,
that we may be cleansed from all our sins,
and serve you with a quiet mind;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Alanna Glover and Liv Chapman’s “Who Is Like You.”
Verse 1
Son of Man and Son of God
Perfect life and perfect love
Jesus Jesus
The God of life who takes on death
Triumphs with a final breath
Jesus Jesus
Chorus
Who is like you? Who beside you
Gives their life to save the sinner?
Jesus
Who can fathom love that ransoms?
Pays the debt to give us freedom?
Jesus
Verse 2
Reigning now and lifted high
Seated at the Father’s side
Jesus Jesus
One day coming back again
When your kingdom will not end
Jesus Jesus
Chorus
Who is like you? Who beside you
Gives their life to save the sinner?
Jesus
Who can fathom love that ransoms?
Pays the debt to give us freedom?
Jesus
Bridge
You conquered the grave and you rescued us
The Son of God, you reign
The victory of your eternal love
The Son of Man, you save
You conquered the grave and you rescued us
The Son of God, you reign
The victory of your eternal love
The Son of Man, you save
Chorus
Who is like you? Who beside you
Gives their life to save the sinner?
Jesus
Who can fathom love that ransoms?
Pays the debt to give us freedom?
Jesus
Let us pray.
Silence
Merciful Lord,
Grant your people grace to withstand the temptations
of the world, the flesh and the devil
and with pure hearts and minds to follow you, the only God;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
A reading from the New Testament (Romans 10: 4-13)
For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.
For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands. But faith’s way of getting right with God says, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (to bring Christ down to earth). And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead?’ (to bring Christ back to life again).” In fact, it says,
“The message is very close at hand;
it is on your lips and in your heart.”
And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Silence
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God.
A Faith That Is Alive
In his Notes on St. Paul’s Epistles to the Romans John Wesley makes several observations which merit careful thought. The sum of the gospel, he states, is that if our heart believes in Jesus and our life confesses him, we shall be saved. Confessing Jesus with our mouths means confessing him even in time of persecution when our confession may cost us our lives. It is not enough to believe with our understanding only. We must believe with our heart. When we believe in Jesus, we are restored to a right relationship with God. We are reckoned to be righteous in his eyes, and we are put right with him. When we confess Jesus with our mouth, we obtain final salvation. Wesley notes that confession in this passage implies the whole of outward religion as believing implies the root of all inward religion.
The reason that I am drawing attention to Wesley’s notes on today’s reading (Romans 10: 4-13) is that he recognizes that being put right with God and being saved involve more than an intellectual acceptance of the claim that Jesus was raised from the dead. Our belief in Jesus’ resurrection must be a heartfelt conviction. It is not enough for us to walk to the front of the church when the pastor gives the invitation and pray a “sinner’s prayer,” make a public declaration of faith in baptism, or make a profession of faith at a service of confirmation and receive the prayers of the church. Our statement of what we believe must be made publicly not only with our mouths but with our lives. Our lives must embody what we say that we believe—Jesus is Lord. God raised him from the dead and made him Lord of all.
This goes beyond reciting the Apostles’ Creed every Sunday. It goes beyond praying the Lord’s Prayer. It means faithfully representing Jesus in the world and in the church, living according to his teachings and his example. It means showing that Jesus is indeed the Lord of our hearts and the Lord of our lives.
This is also where many of us run into difficulty. We may believe that since we have prayed a “sinner’s prayer,” have been baptized in the presence of witnesses, or formally accepted as a member of the Christian Church with laying-on-of-hands and prayer, we have done all that we need to do.
We may believe that we must shout to the rooftops at every opportunity that we are a Christian.
But where we fail is that we neglect to confess Jesus with our lives. Our lives do not show that the risen Jesus is the one who is in control our lives. Indeed, our lives differ little from the lives of the non-Christians around us.
Both the apostle James and the apostle Paul in their own way draw to our attention that a faith which puts us right with God and saves us is a faith that is alive. It is a faith that is shown clearly through our actions. We live out the teachings and example of Jesus.
The apostle James tells us:
"What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, 'Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well'—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?
So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
Now someone may argue, 'Some people have faith; others have good deeds.' But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.'
You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?" (James 2: 14-20 NLT)
James goes on to use the patriarch Abraham and the prostitute Rahab to illustrate what he is saying. He concludes:
"Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works." (James 2: 26 NLT).
James is not just talking about performing acts of kindness as important as they are but living our lives fully according to Jesus’ teaching and example. Jesus not only went about doing good during his earthly ministry, but he taught his disciples to do good even to their enemies. He taught them to treat others exactly as they would wish to be treated.
The apostle Paul tells us that the saving faith which puts us right with God and saves us is “faith expressing itself in love” (Galatians 5:6 NLT). It is shown in loving actions toward others. Paul is also talking about spending our lives in a way patterned upon Jesus’ teachings and example.
Now living out Jesus’ teachings and example cannot save us. What saves us is a vital faith evidenced by a life lived Jesus’ way.
Jesus himself taught:
“A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart” (Luke 6:43-45).
Likewise, a living faith is identified by what it produces. It will yield a life patterned on Jesus’ teachings and example. We may not exhibit such a life right away. It will not spring up overnight. But as we grow in faith, our faith will become more and more evident in our life.
How then do we grow in faith? God’s grace is working in our lives, not only enabling us to have faith but also to invigorating and strengthening our faith and proving its truth which may not have previously been certain. The Holy Spirit nudges us to act upon the faith which we have. Acting upon our faith helps it to grow. Failing to act upon our faith weakens it.
Life is filled with lots of choices, big ones and little ones. With each choice we are invited to trust God, trust his word, trust his goodness, trust his faithfulness. When we trust God in making a decision, we stretch our faith. When we stretch our faith, it increases.
The outcome of our decision does not matter. What matters is our trusting God. We may not see the outcome that we had desired, but we give God our trust. We do not trust God in hopes that he will bestow blessings on us. We trust God because God is most worthy of our trust.
We live out Jesus’ teachings and example, trusting that they originated with God and therefore are the right and proper thing to do. Our living out of his teachings and example is an act of faith as well as evidence of faith.
Giving our full attention to “all the ordinances of God,” as John Wesley described “the public worship of God; the ministry of the Word, either read or expounded; the Supper of the Lord; family and private prayer; searching the Scriptures; and fasting or abstinence” also helps our faith to grow. They stir and nourish our faith.
We can like the father of Mark 9:24 who implored Jesus to help his unbelief ask God to increase our faith. Asking for more faith is itself an act of faith in which we stretch our faith.
One thing to keep in mind about faith. God will give us more faith, but we will not know that we have it unless we exercise it. In this regard it is like going on a journey. To start the journey, we must first step outside our house. We will go nowhere if we do nothing. It is the same with faith. We must take that first step. Faith comes with that first step. The more steps we take, the more our faith will grow. There is no point in wrangling over who is taking the initiative—God or ourselves. What matters most is that we take that first step.
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Abi Marthinet-Glover, Jake Marthinet-Glover and Alanna Glover’s “You Have Called a People.”
Verse 1
You have called a people to be your hands and feet
You have called a people and healed our unbelief
From every tribe and nation, all corners of the earth
You have called a people to sing your endless worth
Verse 2
Called to be made like you, in Christ to be made whole
Called to be a witness to the hope we hold
Before the powers in heaven your wisdom is made known
That you have built a people on Christ the cornerstone
Chorus
We sing, “Holy, holy”
Yours is glory, glory
With myriads and myriads declaring round your throne
We sing, “Worthy is the Lamb!”
Verse 3
How will all men know us, oh saints of God above?
How will all men know us, if not by our great love?
Not hungry for dominion, but servants of the least
Our treasure is in heaven: there waits a wedding feast!
Final Chorus
We sing, “Holy, holy”
Yours is glory, glory
With myriads and myriads declaring round your throne
We sing, “Worthy is the Lamb!”
We sing, “Holy, holy”
Yours is glory, glory
With myriads and myriads declaring round your throne
We sing, “Worthy is the Lamb!”
We sing, “Worthy is the Lamb!”
Let us affirm with Christians across the ages what we believe about God
and his love for us.
We believe in one God,
who made us and loves all that is.
We believe in Jesus Christ,
God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was born, lived, died and rose again,
and is coming to call all to account.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
who calls, equips and sends out God’s people,
and brings all things to their true end.
This is our faith, the faith of the Church:
We believe in one God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER
Let us pray to the Lord with all our heart and with all our soul.
Lord, have mercy.
Let us pray for all Christian people, that they may live in love and truth.
Lord, have mercy.
Let us pray for all ministers of the Church, and for our brothers and
sisters in Christ.
Lord, have mercy.
Let us pray for peace throughout the world, and for all governments.
Lord, have mercy.
Let us pray for our neighbours and for all our friends.
Lord, have mercy.
Let us pray for those who hate us as we pray for those who love us.
Lord, have mercy.
Let us pray for refugees and prisoners, and for all who are exposed to the
dangers of travel.
Lord, have mercy.
Let us pray for all sick people, for the sorrowful and the dying.
Lord, have mercy.
Let us pray for the abundance of the fruits of the earth, and that the
poor and hungry may receive a just share.
Lord, have mercy.
Let us remember our brothers and sisters who have entered into eternal
rest.
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.
Let us continue praying in a time of open prayer.
A period of open prayer follows.
The leader brings the period of open prayer to an end saying
Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer.
Heavenly Father,
you have promised to hear
what we ask in the name of your Son:
we pray you to accept and answer our prayers,
not as we ask in our ignorance,
nor as we deserve in our sinfulness,
but as you know and love us in your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
As our Savior taught his disciples, we pray
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE
In darkness and in light,
in trouble and in joy,
help us, heavenly Father,
to trust your love,
to serve your purpose,
and to praise your name,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
May the almighty and merciful God,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
bless us and keep us
now and forever. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Katie Barclay Wilkinson’s “May the Mind of Christ.”
Verse 1
May the mind of Christ my Saviour
Live in me from day to day,
B his love and power controlling
All I do and say, all I do and say.
Verse 2
May the word of God dwell richly
In my heart from hour to hour
So that all may see I triumph
Only through his power, only through his power
Verse 3
May the peace of God my Father
Rule my life in everything
That I may be calm to comfort
Sick and sorrowing, sick and sorrowing
Verse 4
May the love of Jesus fill me
As the waters fill the sea;
Him exalting, self abasing,
This is victory, this is victory.
Verse 5
May I run the race before me
Strong and brave to face the foe,
Looking only unto Jesus
As I onward go, as I onward go.
Verse 6
May his beauty rest upon me
As I seek the lost to win
And may they forget the channel
Seeing only him, seeing only him.
Those present may exchange a sign of peace.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
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