Order of Service – December 27, 1995

Call to Worship – Isaiah 62:11-12

Hymn 25 Praise to the Lord

Opening Prayer

Responsive Reading – 858BHB

Prayer of Confession

Hymn 475 I Need Thee Every Hour

Community Prayer

Bible Reading – Galatians 4:1-7

Devotion – Faithful to His Promise

Hymn 568 Will Your Anchor Hold?

Benediction (2 Peter 3:9)

9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Isaiah 62:11-12

Introduction – The Corruption of a Promise ILLN – Three elections in the next ten months. APPLICN – What is the value of a promise? How can we learn to accept the word of anyone in an environment when truth is expendable?

How Do we Know He is Faithful?? A Good Track Record The birth of Jesus was foretold by the prophets many hundreds of years before its fulfilment. There are promises to the people of Israel which find their fulfilment in the ensuing years. The promise of the land of Canaan still holds true today, despite over two occasions of being in exile from it on one occasion over 70 years, and a second stretch of 1800 years. The track record of promise to a people and to individuals is compelling.

A Good Character Here is a God who has stood by his people when they were unworthy. A God who has blessed a people far beyond their merit. A God who sent His own Son into the world to demonstrate His love, and then allowed His Son to die, in order that all the barriers to love between us should be shattered. This is the God who demonstrated love to the unlovely, who listened to those whose need was great. A God whose character is unquestionable.

And What of the Promise to Come?? There are a litany of promises which await fulfilment for the people who trust in God. There is the promise to be with us always The promise to supply all our need according to His riches in glory A promise to hear us and forgive us. A promise to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. The Timing for Fulfilment ILLN – Being the youngest in a household means watching older brothers and sisters getting the opportunity to do things before you. I had to watch them both learn to drive and get licences before I was allowed to sit behind the wheel. Once I tried to short-circuit that process, and was very lucky not to roll the car. I learned that there were some things that had to await an appropriate time. APPLICN – Some of the promises of God may appear to be unfulfilled, but they are waiting for just the right time. Paul said to the Galatians that “at the right time, God sent forth His Son”. It may have appeared that God was reneging on a commitment. He was simply awaiting the right time. But there were ongoing reminders that the promise had not been forgotten or forsaken.

The First Fruits of What is to come ILLN – First time tomatoes before Christmas day! Enjoyed eating not just because I love the taste of home-grown tomatoes, but because I know that it is a foretaste of things to come. APPLICN – The coming of Jesus into the world is not the whole story of the work of God. The cradle of Bethlehem is not the be-all and end-all of God’s work. It is the first-fruits of a great season! The faithfulness of God in sending His Son encourages us to trust Him, and to move in the ways that He asks. It is a genuine demonstration of His commitment to our welfare.

Conclusion – More than Faithful In celebrating the Christmas story of Jesus come into the world, we are hearing the story of one who is faithful to His promise. This was no ordinary event in time. It was no accident in the cosmos. It was a deliberate act of commitment by a faithful God to His promise. In this God we are invited to trust. In this God we are invited to place our lives. In this God there is hope, and commitment to a good future. God is faithful to His promise. And faithful to His people.

Gary Heard