Sermon Tone Analysis

Elders as shepherds

The heart of an elder

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!!! Announcements

!!! Bible presented

!!! Doxology                      /“We will give thanks to Thee” (Scripture in Song)/

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Call to worship

!!!!!! Bible Verse

Declare God’s glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; He is to be feared above all gods.

For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.

Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

(Psalm 96:3-6)

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The Lord’s Prayer

!!!!!! Blessing

Grace to you from God our Father, Jesus Christ our Lord through the powerful working of the Holy Spirit.

!!! Hymn No 32:                               /“God is our Strength and Refuge”/

!!! Prayer of Adoration and Invocation

Gracious God, we worship you for your steadfast love and faithfulness to us, your redeemed people.

We are so thankful that you have loved us from eternity past, before time began.

We cannot begin to comprehend the length and breadth, the height and depth of the love you have for us that has been so wonderfully expressed in the Lord Jesus Christ, yet we have believed in and have come to know something of the love you have for us.

Help us to remain in your love so that we may live in you and you in us.

Help us to love you whom we have not seen by loving our brother or sister whom we have seen.

Teach us to love as you first loved us.

Shed abroad your love in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

May we never be reduced to the level of a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal, and become as nothing, for lack of love.

Grant to us the patience and kindness of love in all our dealings with others.

Help us increasingly to reflect the likeness of him who gave his life in selfless love.

Grant that we may faithfully bear the image of our Creator, who is the very essence of love, so to love you with heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love our neighbour as our self.

Teach us today something more of your amazing love for us, unworthy as we are and increase our love for you through time and eternity, for Jesus’ sake, Amen.

!!! Scripture Reading                     /1 Peter 5:1-11/

!!! Prayer of Confession

!!! Pardon

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on him while he is near.

Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts.

Let him turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.

(Isaiah 55:6-7)

!!! Hymn:                                                            /“As the deer” (Scripture in Song –         4 verses and chorus)/

!!! Offering and Dedication

On my holy mountain, … there in the land the entire house of Israel will serve Me, and there I will accept them.

There I will require your offerings and your choice gifts, along with all your holy sacrifices.

(Ezekiel 20:40)

While the stewards gather in the offering, remaining seated all sing:

!!! Hymn no 615:                              /“Let your heart be broken”/

!!! Prayer for others

Almighty God, who has built your church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone: grant us to be so joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching that we may be made into a holy temple, acceptable to you, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Saviour, and Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to consider the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions.

Take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatever may hinder us from godly union and harmony: that, as there is but one Body, and one Spirit, and one hope of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all; so may we from now on be all of one heart, and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of one faith and love, and with one mind and one mouth glorify you;

Our Heavenly Father, look with tender mercy upon your church, purchased with the precious blood of Christ.

Deliver her from the enemy without and from the enemy within.

Cause a godly fear to come upon your church that would prevent any one of your people from being taken captive by the evil one to do his work.

Remind us of our accountability to Christ, the king and head of the church.

Indeed, remind ministers and elders of our double accountability and of the consequences for others of our words and actions.

Grant there to be an abiding in Christ, such that in vital union with him, your people may bear much fruit, fruit that shall last.

Cause there to be a waiting upon you, a keeping step with you and for hearts to be stayed upon you.

Strengthen your people to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with you, our God.

Deliver us from merely believing the right things.

Help us also to do the right things, with a right heart attitude toward you and one another.

Remove from our hearts any sense of mischief, any touch of evil.

Purify your church and be glorified among your people.

Merciful Father, look with tender pity upon those who do not love you.

Redeemer, look upon them with those eyes which are as flames of fire.

Let them see how badly they treat you.

Help them to realise the dire consequences of ingratitude, indifference and neglect of our Saviour’s blood.

Bring those who are careless and godless to seek mercy, to seek the Lord while he may be found.

Let all who are resisting or postponing a response to the claims of Christ see that it is both treason and folly to do so.

Saviour, fire off your darts, to prick the consciences of many, so that they may fall down before you and cry out for mercy.

We continue to be amazed by your grace in which the worst of sinners who were afar off have been brought in by your grace.

But Lord, do more of this amongst us.

Let us see greater things than these.

Where we have seen one saved, let us see one hundred, to the praise and glory of your name.

Gracious Father, you who makes wars cease to the ends of the earth, who breaks the bow and shatters the spear, come quickly to restore the blessing of your peace.

Grant that our present troubles be overruled to your glory, and the extension of your kingdom and the union of nations in faith and love of you.

Lord Jesus Christ, who by your coming to us in great humility sanctified the life of the home: we commend to you our homes and the members of our families, near and far.

Unite us in your love and guard us by your power from all evil, harm and danger.

Make us thankful for all the blessings of family life and keep us mindful of those for whom home has no meaning,.

Almighty God, who gave marriage to be a source of blessing to mankind, we thank you for the joys of family life.

Pour upon us your Holy Spirit, so that we may truly love and serve you.

Bless all who are married and every parent and child.

May we know your presence and peace in our homes; fill them with your love and use them for your glory.

Give patience to those who look forward to marriage.

Give courage to those who face trials within their marriage.

Give comfort to those whose marriage has broken.

Give gratitude to those whose marriages are successful and fruitful and let all our lives reflect Your love and power.

We pray that marriage may be held in honour everywhere: that husbands and wives may live faithfully together and that members of every family may grow in mutual understanding, in courtesy and kindness; that we may learn to forgive one another as you forgave us; that we may bear one another’s burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

!!! Scripture Reading                     /Ezekiel 34:1-24/

!!! Sermon                                          /The heart of an elder/

!!!!!! Introduction

My dear brethren in the Lord,

I my years as Presbyterian Inland Mission travelling padre I have seen quite a lot of places and I was privileged to meet quite a lot of people.

The areas I covered in the north-western parts of NSW were wool-growing areas.

In the dry areas a sheep farmer would need 15 acre to the sheep to make some sort of existence.

The paddocks are big and the task demanding.

You can imagine the size of a property big enough to carry 9,000 sheep.

But can you imagine the expression on the face of a farmer, who in sheering season could muster only 7,000 out of the 9,000 sheep?

There were 2,000 lost, not to be found!

Were they stolen, were they strayed, were they still alive?

It is in times like these that the wool-grower wishes he was more diligent in looking after his flock.

!!!!!! 8 A neglected flock – hopeless shepherds

The chapter of Ezekiel we read together tonight uses one expression after the other to describe a neglected flock.