Listowel Community Church
156 Halstead Ave N N4W 3C4 Listowel, ON, Canada

Our sermon archive can be accessed via this Google Drive link: https://drive.google.com//0B_7gk3LLCK6iOFlES0Vmek9tb2M/edit

Looking forward to Sunday's meeting at the Ag Hall!

Beautiful Sunday morning

What beautiful weather to worship the Lord >together< outside!

It was so good to be together for Share and Prayer last night. There's still lots of room for you to join next Wednesday evening.

Check out Sunday's sermon here on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com//1vLdGMmnbqtRXds1hyneYAd3R2/view

Today's sermon has been uploaded: https://drive.google.com//1Tig9Cya_Sq1mOlH0qUmXHdM5dJtMgF8

A reminder that the sermons are being recorded on Zoom and are uploaded to the Google Drive that is linked in the pinned post here on the Facebook page.

13. O Lord, My Strength Psalm 24:7-10 ... I believe the Lord is asking us to open up to Him in a new way and that He is giving us an invite to welcome Him into our life experience in a greater measure. As difficult as this time has been for us, it would be too bad if we didn’t grow closer to Him through it. This time during the different phases of the coronavirus pandemic when all is in a new normal state (a phrase I don’t normally like to use) we need the Lord in a new way. We need to learn of Him, for the present situation. This requires us to welcome Him into our turmoil, our frustrations, our uncertainty and even into our hope. Please, welcome Him into wherever you are at the moment. To help convey the idea about inviting Him into our experience in a new way, I want us to read and mediate on Psalm 24:7-10 7. Lift up your heads, O gates, And be lifted up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! 8. Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. 9. Lift up your heads, O gates, And lift them up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! 10. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. As we consider Psalm 24, this Psalm is most likely speaking of the Risen, Victorious, Lord Jesus being welcomed back to Heaven. We read in 1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14, 19:11-16 where it gives a description of the Risen Jesus as the King of kings and the only Sovereign. So then to welcome the King of glory is to welcome the Risen Jesus who is a mighty warrior who also includes you in His victory! Come Lord Jesus, in a new way in our lives.

12. O Lord, My Strength Psalm 97:1-9 ... The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice the Lord reigns is an eternal truth that has been revealed by God to us His people. Recently I have felt COVID fatigue. I would like to have life back the way I knew it, I’m sick of all things COVID. On top of that, I need to lead in responding to what will our church do and how will we publicly meet together. All of these together are exhausting, but at this time it is exhausting for most people. I remind myself of His Sovereignty and that He reigns and that He is the Lord Most High over all the earth. At times as Christians we can say Jesus is Lord and forget the impact and reality of that statement. Or when things are not going well, we might say well at least God is in control, but somewhat with the attitude of throwing up our arms in defeat. But the statements Jesus is Lord, God is in control, He is Sovereign are statements of profound revelation and they are professions of Hope and Faith. We can so easily miss the magnitude of who He is, the Lord Most High over all the earth. This is who we worship and serve, the Lord of Glory. When we say Jesus is Lord we are declaring that we have an expectation of everything being transformed and that He will make all things new. So, what I am experiencing and seeing today, is not the final thing. When this life is over, and I see Him face to face I will be able to say, You have done all things well. And so, I choose today to declare in faith that He is Sovereign and that He is doing all things well. With these thoughts in mind read the first 9 verses of Psalm 97. Psalm 97:1-9 1. The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; Let the many islands be glad. 2. Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. 3. Fire goes before Him And burns up His adversaries round about. 4. His lightnings lit up the world; The earth saw and trembled. 5. The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. 6. The heavens declare His righteousness, And all the peoples have seen His glory. 7. Let all those be ashamed who serve graven images, Who boast themselves of idols; Worship Him, all you gods. 8. Zion heard this and was glad, And the daughters of Judah have rejoiced Because of Your judgments, O Lord. 9. For You are the Lord Most High over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.

What did you learn from Ant & Taryn this morning?

A conversation with Dr Anita Phillips and Christine Caine full of humility and grace. Dr. Anita helps white believers better understand the past and current realities of their black brothers and sisters, while giving helpful insight into the differences of our cultures and communities. https://open.spotify.com/episode/6evSrBJ9JlOyB5CtXjjuaB

In a revival the saints are suddenly aroused from a state of lethargy by an overwhelming awareness of the reality of God. They are like sleepers shaken awake. Jonathan Edwards.

11. O Lord, My Strength Psalm 138:7,8 ... From our sharing time on Sunday, a thought was contributed about revive us o Lord. That is a cry that comes from our heart at times, but it is a work of grace of the Holy Spirit in us to bring this cry. My hope and prayer through this time with COVID-19 and the quarantine and physical distancing is that as a church we become a changed people. As much as I want my old normal back, I don’t want it without having a transformation having taken place in me. I have been asking for a reviving and a revival within the church at large and our church. Revive us o Lord. Check out what David prayed in Psalm 138:7,8 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me. 8 The Lord will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting; Do not forsake the works of Your hands. David was acknowledging that he walked in the midst of trouble and that he had enemies that wanted to see him defeated. We too are in a time of trouble and we have an enemy that wants us to fail. But we have the Lord our strength working on our behalf and bringing us salvation or deliverance (see verse 7). The Lord is at work, even when we don’t see it or understand it, that is what trusting Him is about. There is no need for faith or trust when we can see and observe His work, the faith and trust is necessary during the time we don’t see. So, the prayer to revive is a prayer asking Him to make us alive or keep us alive in Him. David finishes in verse 8 with The Lord will accomplish what concerns me, because there is a trust that the Lord is at work. We can trust that He is at work in us and that we will come through all of this with COVID-19 with eternal change in our hearts. I remember being told early in my Christian faith that God is more concerned with our character development than with our comfort and so I embrace the discomforts at this time, and I trust that He is at work reviving us.