Visiting preacher Jordon Gommer from our sending Church at Willetton Christian Church, leads this service to start our year of worship as a congregation in 2025. From Psalm 49, Jordan reminds us that death is an experience we will all have, none can escape it. No matter how wealthy, none can pay to escape it. The only way to overcome such a terrible end of life, is to trust in God for the ransom that He through Christ alone has paid for us. In this redemption alone do we find the assured hope of eternal life with death no longer having sway over us.
Readings reproduced on this page:
The Holy Bible: New International Version. 1996, 1984. Grand Rapids: Zondervan
Readings
Romans 8:31-39
1 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Text
Psalm 49 (NIV84)
1Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world,
2both low and high, rich and poor alike:
3My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the utterance from my heart will give understanding.
4I will turn my ear to a proverb; with the harp I will expound my riddle:
5Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me—
6those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches?
7No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him—
8the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough—
9that he should live on forever and not see decay.
10For all can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others.
11Their tombs will remain their houses forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands after themselves.
12But man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish.
13This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings.
14Like sheep they are destined for the grave, and death will feed on them. The upright will rule over them in the morning; their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions.
15But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.
16Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases;
17for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him.
18Though while he lived he counted himself blessed— and men praise you when you prosper—
19he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of life.
20A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish.
