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Psalm One Sermons, Edinburgh (2026)

11/06/2026

How to restore our fellowship with the Lord Part 2/4.
The chastening of the Lord

How does God deal with Christians who are out of fellowship?:

Hebrews 12: 5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”

7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

v5 Chastening= humbled by defeat or wrongdoing with a view to doing better

rebuke=express sharp disapproval or criticism of (someone) because of their behaviour or actions:

scourges= whips

v6 When the Lord brings us correction (chastening which may involve grief and pain), we need to be willing to accept it (or even welcome) since we are true sons and daughters of God.

We ought to be pleased that the Lord loves us enough to chasten and rebuke us.

v7-8 We need to come under his discipline of our Father (discipline is a family matter-see Zechariah 3:3)

v10 God only chastens (trains) his children for their benefit which should lead us into holiness.

v11 The Lord’s chastening is painful for a season but later brings peace and a more holy lifestyle.

Carnal vs Spiritual Christians

¨ Carnal = a Christian who is out of fellowship with Lord

¨ Spiritual = a Christian who is in fellowship with the Lord

1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed

11/06/2026

How to restore our fellowship with the Lord Part 2/4.
The chastening of the Lord

How does God deal with Christians who are out of fellowship?:

Hebrews 12: 5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”

7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

v5 Chastening= humbled by defeat or wrongdoing with a view to doing better

rebuke=express sharp disapproval or criticism of (someone) because of their behaviour or actions:

scourges= whips

v6 When the Lord brings us correction (chastening which may involve grief and pain), we need to be willing to accept it (or even welcome) since we are true sons and daughters of God.

We ought to be pleased that the Lord loves us enough to chasten and rebuke us.

v7-8 We need to come under his discipline of our Father (discipline is a family matter-see Zechariah 3:3)

v10 God only chastens (trains) his children for their benefit which should lead us into holiness.

v11 The Lord’s chastening is painful for a season but later brings peace and a more holy lifestyle.

Carnal vs Spiritual Christians

¨ Carnal = a Christian who is out of fellowship with Lord

¨ Spiritual = a Christian who is in fellowship with the Lord

1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?

A carnal Christian can behave just as badly as an unbeliever.

An unbeliever cannot receive the things of God see 1 Corinthians 3:1-3

A spiritual believer can operate through the Spirit,

1 Corinthians 3:3 mere men= unbelievers

Amen

In Part 3 we consider what confession and repentance means.

07/06/2026

How to restore our fellowship with the Lord Part 1/4.
1 John 1:9 The ongoing remedy for our sin

In some ways when we get saved or born again the Lord could say ‘I have cleansed every sin from your life so go and sin no more.’

However, we know that we often slip and fall into sin (due to the old sin nature), and we would be stuck in sin if the Lord had not provided an ongoing way to get us back into fellowship with him.

That is what we are going to study today ‘how do we keep in continual fellowship with the Lord.

We can only bear fruit when we are in fellowship with the Lord and when are in sin we can bear no good fruit.

This is like playing badminton say 20 years ago or more, you could only score when serving.

The suggestion is that we can bear fruit only when we are in fellowship with God.

Relationship versus Fellowship

¨ Relationship is permanent.

¨ Fellowship is conditional.

Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

Salvation has two parts to it: kindred relationship and fellowship.

If like me, you agree that once saved always saved then our kindred relationship is permanent (eternal). If you disagree then you must consider just how permanent our relationship with Father God is, and what could break it. However, hopefully we can agree that our relationship is stronger than our fellowship.

We are born again into the family of God and are secure in it.

Fellowship (koinonia) is our ongoing interaction with God and can be broken quite easily.

Amos 3:3 can be understood as ‘how can we walk in agreement with a Holy God’? When we are out of fellowship with him through sin.

Fellowship in this context is our old friend koinonia which means an intimate sharing of our life

with God and with our fellow believers.

Fellowship with Him and One Another

1 John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from a

07/06/2026

How to restore our fellowship with the Lord Part 1/4.
1 John 1:9 The ongoing remedy for our sin

In some ways when we get saved or born again the Lord could say ‘I have cleansed every sin from your life so go and sin no more.’

However, we know that we often slip and fall into sin (due to the old sin nature), and we would be stuck in sin if the Lord had not provided an ongoing way to get us back into fellowship with him.

That is what we are going to study today ‘how do we keep in continual fellowship with the Lord.

We can only bear fruit when we are in fellowship with the Lord and when are in sin we can bear no good fruit.

This is like playing badminton say 20 years ago or more, you could only score when serving.

The suggestion is that we can bear fruit only when we are in fellowship with God.

Relationship versus Fellowship

¨ Relationship is permanent.

¨ Fellowship is conditional.

Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

Salvation has two parts to it: kindred relationship and fellowship.

If like me, you agree that once saved always saved then our kindred relationship is permanent (eternal). If you disagree then you must consider just how permanent our relationship with Father God is, and what could break it. However, hopefully we can agree that our relationship is stronger than our fellowship.

We are born again into the family of God and are secure in it.

Fellowship (koinonia) is our ongoing interaction with God and can be broken quite easily.

Amos 3:3 can be understood as ‘how can we walk in agreement with a Holy God’? When we are out of fellowship with him through sin.

Fellowship in this context is our old friend koinonia which means an intimate sharing of our life

with God and with our fellow believers.

Fellowship with Him and One Another

1 John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

As always when we want to correctly interpret scripture, we need to put in in context.

v5-7 God has no darkness or sin in his being whatever and has no truck with sin.

If we live in sin our fellowship (koinonia) with God is broken and we are kidding ourselves on (self-deception).

If we walk in the Spirit, we are agreed with the Lord, this brings us into fellowship with each other and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.

v8 If Christians say that they do not sin then John says that they are lying indicating an aversion to the truth.

v9-10 We will return to these verses further into the sermon.

In Part 2 we will consider 'the chastening of the Lord'.

03/06/2026

Take up your cross daily and follow Jesus Part 3/3.
Key stages in how Rees Howells “self-life” was dealt with by the cross.
Here are the stages in the life of Rees Howells :Intercessor in which the cross was applied to his self-life. For a short biography of Rees Howells refer to the first part of this teaching

A) Surrender of personal ambition
Early in his life, Howells had:
business prospects
personal plans

God required him to abandon total control over his future.

Cross dynamic:
letting go of self-determination.
accepting God’s direction without any guarantees

B) The crisis of full surrender

A defining moment described in the book is when he yielded:
his will
his rights
his entire life to God’s control

This is often presented as a decisive “death to self” moment.

But importantly—it was not the end.

C) Repeated “tests” of obedience

After initial surrender, God continued to deal with deeper layers of self through specific, sometimes uncomfortable commands, such as:
giving away money when it felt unreasonable.
obeying promptings that risked his reputation.
accepting situations that exposed his pride or independence.

Pattern:
God would ask → resistance exposed → surrender required.

This aligns closely with progressive cross application.

D) Identification with others through intercession
One of the most distinctive aspects of his life:
He believed God called him to identify with people or situations in prayer.
This sometimes meant bearing burdens that were not naturally his own.

In his understanding: Intercession required a kind of “death to self-interest” so that God’s purposes could flow through him.

E) Breaking of self-reliance
Repeatedly, the book shows God dealing with:
independence
natural strength
personal reasoning
So that:
his reliance shifted fully onto God
This echoes Paul the Apostle’s principle:
'strength perfected in weakness'.

Other points
The theological framework behind it.
The book strongly reflects a particular stream of teaching:
union with Christ in death and resurrection
the “crucified life” as experiential reality
obedience as the pathway to deeper spiritual authority
In simplified terms:
The more the self-life is yielded, t

03/06/2026

Take up your cross daily and follow Jesus Part 3/3.
Key stages in how Rees Howells “self-life” was dealt with by the cross.
Here are the stages in the life of Rees Howells :Intercessor in which the cross was applied to his self-life. For a short biography of Rees Howells refer to the first part of this teaching

A) Surrender of personal ambition
Early in his life, Howells had:
business prospects
personal plans

God required him to abandon total control over his future.

Cross dynamic:
letting go of self-determination.
accepting God’s direction without any guarantees

B) The crisis of full surrender

A defining moment described in the book is when he yielded:
his will
his rights
his entire life to God’s control

This is often presented as a decisive “death to self” moment.

But importantly—it was not the end.

C) Repeated “tests” of obedience

After initial surrender, God continued to deal with deeper layers of self through specific, sometimes uncomfortable commands, such as:
giving away money when it felt unreasonable.
obeying promptings that risked his reputation.
accepting situations that exposed his pride or independence.

Pattern:
God would ask → resistance exposed → surrender required.

This aligns closely with progressive cross application.

D) Identification with others through intercession
One of the most distinctive aspects of his life:
He believed God called him to identify with people or situations in prayer.
This sometimes meant bearing burdens that were not naturally his own.

In his understanding: Intercession required a kind of “death to self-interest” so that God’s purposes could flow through him.

E) Breaking of self-reliance
Repeatedly, the book shows God dealing with:
independence
natural strength
personal reasoning
So that:
his reliance shifted fully onto God
This echoes Paul the Apostle’s principle:
'strength perfected in weakness'.

Other points
The theological framework behind it.
The book strongly reflects a particular stream of teaching:
union with Christ in death and resurrection
the “crucified life” as experiential reality
obedience as the pathway to deeper spiritual authority
In simplified terms:
The more the self-life is yielded, the more God can act through the person.

Important clarification (this matters)
While the book (Rees Howells;Intercessor by Norman Grubb) is powerful, but it should be read with discernment.
Strengths:
Seriousness about obedience
Real cost of discipleship
Consistency with “take up your cross daily.”

Potential risks if misapplied:
Over-subjectivising guidance (“God told me…”)
Confusing personal impressions with divine command
Placing all believers under identical patterns of experience.
Not every believer will be led in the same way or intensity.

How it connects to “taking up your cross” in Luke 9:23

In Howells’ life, cross-bearing looked like:
surrender of will → “deny yourself.”
obedience at cost → “take up your cross.”
ongoing responsiveness → “daily”

But crucially:

It was not a single event—it was a lifestyle of repeated surrender.

Final Conclusions

The biography portrays the “self-life” being dealt with in two layers:

1. Decisive surrender
a clear yielding of the whole life to God

2. Progressive outworking
repeated situations exposing deeper self-will.
ongoing obedience shaping character.

Bottom line

According to Rees Howells: Intercessor:

God deals with the self-life not only through a one-time surrender, but through a lifelong process of testing, obedience, and deeper yielding—so that the believer becomes increasingly aligned with His will.

Remember how Jesus viewed the cross.
Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV)“Looking unto Jesus... who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross…”

Fix your eyes on Jesus and follow Him in cross-shaped living.

What cross is the Lord asking you to take up today?

Personal Prayer and waiting on the Lord

Amen

30/05/2026

Take up your cross daily and follow Jesus Part 2/3

Practical Applications— The Cross in Practice with examples from the life of Rees Howells.

In Part 1 we considered the biblical basis for taking up your cross daily and following Jesus. We then did a quick biography of Rees Howells: Intercessor, a man whose life demonstrated day by day what it is to take up your cross daily and follow Jesus.

A) Control (Self-Will)

Luke 22:42 (NKJV)“Not My will, but Yours, be done.”

Example: Rees surrendered his life direction completely.

Cross expression: Yield decisions and release control.

B) Possessions and Security

Matthew 6:24 (NKJV)“You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Example: He travelled without money for a train ticket, trusting God many time for provision. Cross expression: Trust God beyond visible provision.

C) Reputation and Pride

Philippians 2:7 (NKJV)“He made Himself of no reputation…”

Example: Rees appeared before the nobility without a hat (a major faux pas), risking serious misunderstanding.

Cross expression: Rees accepted the loss of recognition.

D) Obedience in Small Things

Luke 16:10 (NKJV)“He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much.”

Example: Rees restricted his food to simple meals in obedience to God.

Cross expression: The practice of immediate obedience.

E) Dependence vs Self-Reliance

John 15:5 (NKJV)“…without Me you can do nothing.”

Example: Rees lived without provision, relying fully on God.

Cross expression: Dependence on God over his own ability.

F) Love Through Sacrifice

Galatians 6:2 (NKJV)“Bear one another’s burdens…”

Example: Rees welcomed tramps into his home.

Cross expression: Rees served sacrificially.

G) Comfort and Ease

Example: He accepted discomfort rather than ease.

Cross expression: Rees choose obedience over comfort.

H) Ownership and Rights

Example: Rees treated everything as belonging to God.

Cross expression: He lived in total surrender (stewardship).

I) Relationships

Example: Rees followed God even when relationships were often strained especially with his parents.

Cross expression: He put Christ first always.

J) Control of Outcomes

Example: Rees obeyed God without seeing results.

30/05/2026

Take up your cross daily and follow Jesus Part 2/3

Practical Applications— The Cross in Practice with examples from the life of Rees Howells.

In Part 1 we considered the biblical basis for taking up your cross daily and following Jesus. We then did a quick biography of Rees Howells: Intercessor, a man whose life demonstrated day by day what it is to take up your cross daily and follow Jesus.

A) Control (Self-Will)

Luke 22:42 (NKJV)“Not My will, but Yours, be done.”

Example: Rees surrendered his life direction completely.

Cross expression: Yield decisions and release control.

B) Possessions and Security

Matthew 6:24 (NKJV)“You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Example: He travelled without money for a train ticket, trusting God many time for provision. Cross expression: Trust God beyond visible provision.

C) Reputation and Pride

Philippians 2:7 (NKJV)“He made Himself of no reputation…”

Example: Rees appeared before the nobility without a hat (a major faux pas), risking serious misunderstanding.

Cross expression: Rees accepted the loss of recognition.

D) Obedience in Small Things

Luke 16:10 (NKJV)“He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much.”

Example: Rees restricted his food to simple meals in obedience to God.

Cross expression: The practice of immediate obedience.

E) Dependence vs Self-Reliance

John 15:5 (NKJV)“…without Me you can do nothing.”

Example: Rees lived without provision, relying fully on God.

Cross expression: Dependence on God over his own ability.

F) Love Through Sacrifice

Galatians 6:2 (NKJV)“Bear one another’s burdens…”

Example: Rees welcomed tramps into his home.

Cross expression: Rees served sacrificially.

G) Comfort and Ease

Example: He accepted discomfort rather than ease.

Cross expression: Rees choose obedience over comfort.

H) Ownership and Rights

Example: Rees treated everything as belonging to God.

Cross expression: He lived in total surrender (stewardship).

I) Relationships

Example: Rees followed God even when relationships were often strained especially with his parents.

Cross expression: He put Christ first always.

J) Control of Outcomes

Example: Rees obeyed God without seeing results.

Cross expression: He operated in faith without sight.

K) Consistency Over Time

Example: Rees lived this out over years.

Cross expression: Rees lived a daily cross-bearing.

Amen

Personal prayer

In Part 3 we consider the key stages of how the self-life of Rees Howells was dealt with by taking up his cross daily.

26/05/2026

Take up your cross daily and follow Jesus Part 1/3
How to crucify the self-life with examples from the life of Rees Howells :Intercessor

Key Scripture
Luke 9:23 (KJV)
“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
________________________________________
1. The Call to Discipleship
Luke 9:23 (KJV)
“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
Jesus calls for a reoriented life: deny self, take up the cross, and follow Him.
________________________________________
2. The Cost of the Cross
Matthew 10:37–38 (KJV)
“He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me... and he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.”
Following Christ may cost relationships, comfort, and possessions.
________________________________________
3. The Daily Nature of the Cross
Romans 12:1 (KJV)
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
The cross is a daily surrender, not a one-time event.
________________________________________
4. The Inner Meaning of the Cross
Galatians 2:20 (KJV)
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me...”
The self-life is replaced by Christ living within.
________________________________________
5. The Misunderstanding of the Cross
The cross is not inconvenience or random suffering—it is obedience to Christ at cost.
________________________________________
6. The Paradox of the Cross
Matthew 16:25 (KJV)
“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”
Losing your life for Christ leads to finding true life.
________________________________________
7. The Pattern of Christ
Philippians 2:8–9 (KJV)
“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name.”
Christ’s pattern: humility, obedience, death, then glory.
________

26/05/2026

Take up your cross daily and follow Jesus Part 1/3
How to crucify the self-life with examples from the life of Rees Howells :Intercessor

Key Scripture
Luke 9:23 (KJV)
“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
________________________________________
1. The Call to Discipleship
Luke 9:23 (KJV)
“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
Jesus calls for a reoriented life: deny self, take up the cross, and follow Him.
________________________________________
2. The Cost of the Cross
Matthew 10:37–38 (KJV)
“He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me... and he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.”
Following Christ may cost relationships, comfort, and possessions.
________________________________________
3. The Daily Nature of the Cross
Romans 12:1 (KJV)
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
The cross is a daily surrender, not a one-time event.
________________________________________
4. The Inner Meaning of the Cross
Galatians 2:20 (KJV)
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me...”
The self-life is replaced by Christ living within.
________________________________________
5. The Misunderstanding of the Cross
The cross is not inconvenience or random suffering—it is obedience to Christ at cost.
________________________________________
6. The Paradox of the Cross
Matthew 16:25 (KJV)
“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”
Losing your life for Christ leads to finding true life.
________________________________________
7. The Pattern of Christ
Philippians 2:8–9 (KJV)
“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name.”
Christ’s pattern: humility, obedience, death, then glory.
________________________________________
8. Practical Application — The Cross in Practice
With Examples from the Life of Rees Howells
________________________________________
A Short Biography of Rees Howells
Based on: Rees Howells: Intercessor by Norman Grubb. Published by Lutterworth Press, 1952.

Rees Howells’ story continues to inspire believers to pray with boldness, perseverance, and expectation, believing that God still moves through intercessors today.
Rees Howells (1879–1950) was a Welsh coal miner turned missionary and intercessor whose life became a striking example of radical obedience to God.
After a conversion experience and early exposure to faith missions, he sensed a call to total surrender, which led him into a series of costly acts of self-denial—giving away money, embracing dependence on God for provision, and yielding personal rights and ambitions.
He served as a missionary in Africa, where he learned deeply practical lessons in faith and identification with others, before returning to Wales to help establish the Bible College of Wales.
During the Second World War, he became especially known for a ministry of strategic intercession, believing that God led him and his community to pray through critical moments that affected the course of the war.
His legacy lies not in public prominence but in demonstrating a life shaped by the cross, marked by obedience, faith, and a sustained commitment to intercessory prayer.

Amen
Personal Prayer
Heavenly Father, teach us what it truly means to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow the Lord Jesus Christ.
Deliver us from self-will, pride, fear, and dependence upon the flesh. Form the character of Christ within us through obedience to Your Spirit.
Help us to embrace the cross, not merely in theory, but in daily practical surrender.
May our lives become vessels through which Christ can express His love, humility, obedience, and power.
And Lord, raise up in these days men and women with the same spirit of faith, surrender, and intercession that marked the life of Rees Howells.
In Jesus Christ’s name, Amen.
________________________________________
Part 2
In Part 2 we consider the application of the cross to the self-life with specific examples from the life of Rees Howells

Psalm One Sermons

11/06/2026

11/06/2026

07/06/2026

07/06/2026

03/06/2026

03/06/2026

30/05/2026

30/05/2026

26/05/2026

26/05/2026

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