Bethel Baptist Church
Worship Service @ Home
1 August 2021
Previous Service
Service available on Youtube, or as text (below), or for audio see the Podcasts page.
Welcome
At the Elders and Deacons’ meeting we agreed that we should proceed with the new Covid “freedoms” with care and caution with everything being done in love towards all our brothers and sisters, especially to those who are more vulnerable to Covid:
- Face masks should still be worn during the Service
- Congregational Singing gradually introduced, one song for the time being
- Social distancing to be maintained
- To introduce Communion in the coming weeks
- No tea and coffee in the lounge for the time being
Church Weekend-Away
‘The rescheduled church weekend away has been confirmed for 3rd – 5th June 2022. If you would like to go please contact Andrea for an info. letter and sign-up form.’
Testimony
“For a while, I’ve been searching for the truth and wanted to know how to get closer to God. I read many books about different religions and I was drawn to Christianity. I searched for the Bible in Iran but I couldn’t find one. I tried to go to church but considering the restrictions in Iran, I wasn’t allowed to enter. I started searching for Christian satellite networks and got acquainted with SAT-7. I’m thankful that you received me with kindness and sent me resources. Many of my questions were answered through your programmes and I’m experiencing a certain peace and joy which I have not experienced before. I’m glad to be Christ’s disciple and God’s child – “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).
Nasrin in Iran
Worship
Word
Psalm 37:1-9
Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Ps. 37:4
Introduction
Unlike most Psalms of David, the words “O Lord” and “O God” do not appear because this is not prayer or praise but instruction and exhortation which is thoroughly practical. King David, a man after God’s own heart, is not in an isolated holy place, but living in the midst of much wickedness judging by the many references to evil and wicked people and contrasted to those who live godly and upright lives. So, is it possible to continually delight in the Lord and if so how do we do it? I find that by merely uttering these words to the Lord: “Lord I delight in You,” lifts my spirit. But how do we sustain this such that we are not merely saying words with a view to getting what we want off the Lord?
(1) Remain in the Lord’s Presence
David also wrote
You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11
If there is fulness of joy in the Lord’s Presence then we must remain in the Lord’s Presence if we are to delight in Him. If Jesus has promised,
I am with you always, to the very and of the age.
Matt. 28:20
and if God has said,
Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.
Heb. 13:5
then we are in His Presence continually. Interestingly, Adam and Eve were in the immediate Presence of God in the Garden of Eden, and Eden means “delight”. It’s a delightful thing to be in the Presence of God.
(2) Obey Him
We have to maintain being continually in His Presence by obeying Him. David was a man after God’s own heart because he obeyed God:
After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: “I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.
Acts 13:22
Jesus exhorts us,
Remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
John 15:9-11
(3) Get into the Scriptures
The apostle Paul writes,
For in my inner being I delight in God’s law.
Rom. 7:22
This ties in well with Psalm 1:2 regarding the one who walks closely with the Lord and is therefore blessed: “whose delight is in the law of the Lord”. Such is reiterated again and again in the Psalms e.g. read Psalm 119 and see how many times these and similar words are repeated “Your statutes are my delight” (Ps. 119:24) all the way through to Psalm 119:174: “Your law gives me delight”.
(4) Be filled with the Holy Spirit
Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and delighting in the Lord,
Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, ‘I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth …
Luke 10:21
So also the Church,
Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:18-21
We should long to be continually filled with the Spirit, delighting in the Lord.
(5) Delighting in Him for His works
The people were delighted with all the wonderful things He was doing.
Lk. 13:17
(6) He will give you the desires of your heart
This doesn’t mean that God will grant all the irresponsible, selfish and ever changing desires we have in our hearts. Rather, those desires that are in line with His.
The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him.
Psalm 37:23
Conclusion
The Lord delights in those who delight in Him, e.g.
The Lord your God is with you … He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.
Zeph. 3:17
and to those who respond and delight in Him, He gives them the desires of their hearts.
Questions for Discussion
- How do you delight yourself in the Lord?
- Share a time you lost your joy in the Lord? Why was it? How did you get it back?
- Does studying the Scriptures help? How? Share an example!
- Give an example of the verse in practice?
Quote of the week
“It is one thing to have a lot of information about God, but it is another thing to bask in the warmth and reality of His presence.”
A. W. Tozer
Verse of the week
Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations.
Isaiah 42:1
Let’s Pray
Heavenly Father, our delight is in You, and in Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and in Your Holy Spirit, God in three Persons blessed Trinity.
Father, fill us, Your Church anew, with Your Holy Spirit and do immeasurably more than all we ask, think and imagine according to Your power at work within us. Let us be continually filled with Your Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. That we may sing and make music in our hearts to You Lord, always giving thanks to You, our Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And Father let us go our with joy and be led forth in peace, that the people may know that Jesus Christ is Lord, the One whom we delight in, for His name’s sake, Amen!