At the risk of repeating myself, Ps 78: 4-7 may be described as my mission statement.

  ‘We will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
his power, and the wonders he has done.
⁵ He decreed statutes for Jacob
and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
to teach their children,
⁶ so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.
⁷ Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget his deeds
but would keep his commands.’ (Ps 78:4-7)

My heart’s desire is to pass on the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power and the wonders He has done to the next generation and the one after that and even to the children yet to be born. I never really knew my paternal grandfather as he died when I was three months old, but I am so profoundly grateful for his legacy of prayer for me and for the next generations. He was a talented church organist and every time my son plays the piano at church, I am aware of the generational aspect of faith more keenly than ever.

To me, passing on the baton is a crucial aspect of faith. I am profoundly glad to belong to a church with people of all ages, a family church where generations worship alongside each other. I don’t take this for granted and long to be able to live in such a way that encourages others to believe. I long to pass on the stories of what God has done, not only in history but in my life. When I take my granddaughter for walks, I talk to her of the church’s history: how we once were in a building on Beever Street, but God did miracles when we had only about £7000 in the bank and provided us with our current building at a cost of over £160,000, for example. I tell her of the people of faith and how they have seen God work in our village and in our lives. I want her to know that God is real and alive and working today. I want her to listen to the tales of her elders and understand that the God who has worked in the past is still working today.

You can be forgiven for thinking I go on about this a lot: you’re right. I do. I preached a series ‘Passing On the Baton’ in 2013, so I’ve been banging on about this for at least five years! I talked about ‘the next generation’ in 2017 at my granddaughter’s dedication. I make no apologies for this fact. If we do not tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, who will? If we are silent, how will our children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren know of God’s wonders? The first responsibility is the parents, then the rest of the family, then the wider church family. I feel like Asaph must have done. History is there for us to learn from. We need to pass it on.

The Bible is a tremendously honest and reassuring book. It does not paint a picture of perfect people, never making mistakes. The greatest saints are portrayed as fallible people: Abraham lying, David committing adultery and murder, Samson giving in to temptation, Peter denying Christ, Paul giving assent to the murder of Stephen. Hebrews 11 is known as the ‘chapter of faith’, but when we read through the list of people there, we are well aware of their mistakes and failures which emphasise all the more God’s amazing grace and forgiveness.

The author Paulo Coelho has wryly remarked, ‘A mistake repeated more than once is a decision.’ George Bernard Shaw once said, ‘Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time.’ Sadly, we all tend to make the same mistakes more than once, and Psalm 78 is an object lesson on this.

Ps 78: 9-11 sets the tone for the whole psalm: ‘The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle; ¹⁰ they did not keep God’s covenant and refused to live by his law.¹¹ They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them.’ In the wilderness, Israel ‘wilfully’ put God to the test, not once, not twice, but so many times that as we read the account, we wonder how God could keep on forgiving. Asaph points to this cycle in the middle of the psalm: ‘Whenever God slew them, they would seek him;  they eagerly turned to him again.³⁵ They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer.³⁶ But then they would flatter him with their mouths, lying to him with their tongues; ³⁷ their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant.³⁸ Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger    and did not stir up his full wrath.³⁹ He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.’ (Ps 78:34-39)

We cannot point the finger and tut-tut at their stupidity (often defined as the habit of making the same mistakes repeatedly!) because we are so prone to do the same thing. No wonder Jesus said, ‘You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?’ (Matt 17:17) The amazing thing is that He declared He would put up with us for eternity. (Matt 28:20) His forgiveness and love are not transient and fickle like ours. He is our Shepherd. (Ps 78:52-53, 70-72; Ps 23:1, John 10:11)

I’m all for learning from our mistakes. But I am profoundly glad that I serve a God of second, third, fourth and many more chances. As Rend Collective sing,

‘Always inside this mess
I have found forgiveness
Mercy infinite as You.’ (‘Second Chance’, Rend Collective)

Don’t let your mistakes keep you down. The cross means we can get up off the floor and start again.

Psalm 78 is a historical psalm written by Asaph, a Levite chosen to lead worship (1 Chronicles 6:39, 1 Chronicles 15:17) during the reign of David (1 Chron 16:27). Described by Hezekiah in 2 Chron 29:30 as a ‘seer’, this gifted musician and poet wrote 12 of the psalms in the Bible (Ps 50, Ps 73-83) and Ps 78 is described as a maskil, with the express purpose of teaching (Ps 78:1-2). Asaph tackles Israel’s history to show us something of God’s mercy, patience and perseverance. Dealing with people’s constant rebellion and stubbornness (see Ps 78:8, Jer 5:23) often aroused God’s wrath, but in the end, His love and compassion are constant. He is our faithful shepherd (Ps 78:52, Ps 23:1, Gen 48:15, Zech 9:16, John 10) and chose David to be a faithful shepherd to His people (Ps 78:70-72).

God’s mercy and perseverance are all the more remarkable when we consider how Israel responded to His miracles, care and provision. Instead of gratitude, obedience and faithfulness, they wilfully put Him to the test (Ps 78:18), constantly doubting Him and refusing to believe (Ps 78:32). We are constantly urged to learn from these examples; Heb 3:7-19 reminds us that we risk God’s wrath and displeasure when we harden our hearts and refuse to believe and warns of the consequences of unbelief. Ps 78 reminds us that ‘a sharply focused mind and a keenly retentive memory are the prerequisites to an obedient life.’ (Motyer, ‘Psalms By The Day’, P 223) We need to pass on the truths of the miracles and wonders of God to the next generations (Ps 78:1-8) so that we can all learn of God’s interventions in history and care of His people.

The phrase ‘it’s a dead cert’ is a horse-racing term meaning something is sure and certain, perhaps even a foregone conclusion. It seems an odd phrase, for ‘dead’ generally has negative connotations and ‘cert’ (‘certainty’) is a positive word. There are a number of things which as Christians are ‘dead certs’, however, which Stephen focussed on tonight:

1. Being God’s children and accepted and adopted into His family (Rom 8:16)
2. God’s abiding love (Rom 8:39). The world’s understanding of love is very fickle (people talk of ‘falling in’ love and ‘falling out’ of love as though love were something transient, whereas God’s love is everlasting, immeasurable and unfathomable.
3. Eternal life (1 Jn 5:13). Those who believe in the name of the Son of God can know (have assurance of) eternal life.
4. Calling (2 Pet 1:10). Christ has a plan and purpose for each one of us. Sometimes we feel uncertain about this calling or plan, but God is able to lead us and guide us: we need to seek Him for that plan. For those of us who feel we know God’s calling, Stephen urged us to move forward boldly, secure that God is with us.
5. Our heavenly inheritance (Heb 6:11). There are great rewards and benefits ahead for God’s people, but we are urged to show diligence to the end in order to make our hope sure.
6. A crown of righteousness (2 Tim 4:8). The birth of a royal prince in the UK recently reminds us that Prince Louis of Cambridge is fifth in line to the throne. Through faith in Christ, each believer can be sure there is a crown of righteousness waiting for us.
7. Seeing the Lord (1 John 3:2).We are promised that we will see Him one day.

All these ‘dead certs’ are for those who have put their trust in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Deliverer. The key to receiving these blessings is faith in Christ.

In the UK there have been lots of items for sale with variations on the war-time slogan ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’

This morning’s service looked at some advice Isaiah gave in Is 7:4: ‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid.’

Isaiah’s words came at a time of great crisis for Judah. Their king, Ahaz, did not follow God’s ways (2 Chron 28:1-4) and not only did they face battles against Israel, they faced Israel’s alliance against an even bigger enemy, Aram. (Is 7:2) Judah was ‘shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind’ (Is 7:2), but even this defeat did not persuade Ahaz to seek God (he simply offered sacrifices to the gods of Aram too! (2 Chron 28:22-23)) This was a time of crisis, and God sent Isaiah to speak to Ahaz, urging him to seek a sign (Is 7:1-7), something he continually refused to do with pious-sounding responses that could not actually hide his disobedience.

Sometimes our lives are devastated by circumstances and our faith can be shaken. But Isaiah reminds us that ‘if you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.’ (Is 7:9) When catastrophes come, we can despair. We can try to sort the situation out ourselves (as Ahaz did.) But Isaiah urges Ahaz not to fear what others fear but simply to fear God. (Is 8:11-13)

God’s advice is to be careful: we are urged to put a hedge around our hearts so that the enemy cannot invade. He tells us to be calm: Jesus embodied calm and serenity as he spoke to the waves (Mark 4:39) to calm the storm. When there is disquiet, distress and dismay, we need to be calm, slowing down and reminding ourselves of God’s truth, allowing His peace to guard our hearts and minds (Phil 4:7). Even in fearful times, Jesus promises us His peace (Jn 14:27). He tells us not to allow our hearts to be troubled, showing us there is a choice. Instead of the agitation of stirred-up emotions, He wants to bring us to a place of peaceful serenity.

God also tells us not to be afraid. We are often fearful because situations are out of our control, but we have a God who is always in control and therefore we need not bow to the problem but bow only to the God who can sort all problems (Is 8:12-13). 2 Cor 4:14-18 urges us not to lose heart, for we serve an awesome, great God (Ps 104:1).

We need to respond differently to the world when calamities hit us, for we have a great God who is working on our behalf. (Rom 8:28)

We’re very pleased that Fredrick & Reeba will be with us next weekend and will be taking part in both meetings on Sunday 6th May. It will be wonderful to hear news about what is happening in India and how God is moving in Bangalore and other areas. Do come along at 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. to hear more.

The next ‘Churches Together’ prayer meeting is on Wednesday 16th May at 10.30 a.m. at the Salvation Army. Come along to pray for our local communities.

On Saturday 19th May at 6 p.m. we will be holding our Annual General Meeting, a time of looking back at God’s faithfulness over the past year and looking ahead to the future.

On Sunday 20th May after the morning meeting, we will be joining with Big Local Thurnscoe for the Dinosaur Day at Phoenix Park (12-4 p.m.) Come along for dinosaur crafts, digging for fossils, finding out all about dinosaurs and exploring God’s wonderful creation!

Then we’ll be having our ‘Churches Together’ Pentecost Party on Wednesday 30th May from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Houghton Road Centre in Thurnscoe. There’ll be a range of crafts and activities, crazy golf and outdoor play equipment, plus free lunch. A lovely half-term treat!