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*Call to Worship | Psalm 35:27-28 | Blake Arnoult
God invites and calls us into his presence to worship him.
27 Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant!” 28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long.
*Song of Adoration | Psalm 130 (From the Depths of Woe)
We begin by responding with praise to God for who he is and for what he does.
From the depths of woe I raise to Thee the voice of lamentation;
Lord, turn a gracious ear to me and hear my supplication;
If Thou iniquities dost mark our secret sins and misdeeds dark,
O who shall stand before Thee? (Who shall stand before Thee?)
O who shall stand before Thee? (Who shall stand before Thee?)
To wash away the crimson stain, grace, grace alone availeth;
Our works, alas! Are all in vain; in much the best life faileth;
No man can glory in Thy sight, all must alike confess Thy might,
And live alone by mercy (Live alone by mercy)
And live alone by mercy (Live alone by mercy)
Therefore my trust is in the Lord, and not in mine own merit;
On Him my soul shall rest, His word upholds my fainting spirit;
His promised mercy is my fort, my comfort and my sweet support;
I wait for it with patience (Wait for it with patience)
I wait for it with patience (Wait for it with patience)
What though I wait the live-long night, and ’til the dawn appeareth,
My heart still trusteth in His might; it doubteth not nor feareth;
Do thus, O ye of Israel’s seed, ye of the Spirit born indeed;
And wait ’til God appeareth (Wait ’til God appeareth)
And wait ’til God appeareth (Wait ’til God appeareth)
Though great our sins and sore our woes,
His grace much more aboundeth;
His helping love no limit knows, our upmost need it soundeth.
Our Shepherd good and true is He, who will at last His Israel free
From all their sin and sorrow (All their sin and sorrow)
From all their sin and sorrow (All their sin and sorrow)
Music and Lyrics: Martin Luther, Richard Massie
*Confession of Faith | Heidelberg Catechism Q56
With the church in history we confess a basic statement of what Christians believe.
Pastor: What do you believe concerning “the forgiveness of sins?”
People: I believe that God, because of Christ’s atonement, will never hold against me any of my sins nor my sinful nature which I need to struggle against all my life. Rather, in his grace God grants me the righteousness of Christ to free me forever from judgment.
*Song of Confession | O Help My Unbelief
Psalms, hymns, spiritual songs are simply prayers that are sung. We respond in repentance and praise for God’s redemptive work in Christ.
How sad our state by nature is! Our sin, how deep it stains!
And Satan binds our captive minds Fast in his slavish chains
But there's a voice of sov’reign grace, Sounds from the sacred word:
“O, ye despairing sinners come, And trust upon the Lord.”
My soul obeys the almighty call, And runs to this relief
I would believe thy promise, Lord; O help my unbelief!
To the dear fountain of thy blood, Incarnate God, I fly;
Here let me wash my spotted soul, From crimes of deepest dye.
Stretch out Thine arm, victorious King, My reigning sins subdue;
Drive the old dragon from his seat, With all his hellish crew.
A guilty, weak, and helpless worm, On thy kind arms I fall;
Be thou my strength and righteousness, My Jesus, and my all.
Music and Lyrics: Isaac Watts, Justin Smith
Confession of Sin
We fight the temptation to hide our sin and instead acknowledge it openly to God, but we do so in light of the grace offered in Jesus.
Lord, bring new life where we are worn and tired; new love where we have turned hard-hearted; forgiveness where we feel hurt and where we have wounded; and the joy and freedom of your Holy Spirit where we are prisoners of ourselves. Give us new, resurrected hearts to know you, serve you, and love you today and every day. May the glorious truth of the resurrection of Jesus be ever-present in our lives. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon | Luke 23:39-43 | Blake Arnoult
The good news of the gospel is that we are forgiven in Jesus Christ. This assurance is based on God’s words of promise and it is therefore certain.
39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
*Song of Response | Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
We respond in repentance and praise for God’s redemptive work in Christ.
Come Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I’m come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above
Music and Lyrics: Robert Robinson
Prayer of Thanksgiving
We offer our gratitude to God in prayer in response to his gifts and blessings to his people and ask that he make us faithful managers of these gifts.
Song of Thanks | Give Us Clean Hands
As we offer our prayers so we also offer up our thanks in song.
/We can’t make it on our own, oh God,
We need the cross and the Savior’s blood./
We bow our hearts, we bend our knees,
Oh, Spirit come and make us humble.
We turn our eyes from evil things,
Oh, Lord we cast down our idols.
/Give us clean hands, give us pure hearts,
Let us not lift our souls to another./
/O God, let us be a generation that seeks,
That seeks Your face, oh, God of Jacob./
Music and Lyrics: Charlie Hall
Prayer for Christ’s Church
We lift up our requests to God knowing that he hears us when we pray.
*Reading of Scripture | Romans 1:16-32 | Blake Arnoult
God reveals himself and his work and speaks to us his people through his Word.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Pastor: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God
The Preaching of the Word | Blake Arnoult
“Everyone Needs the Gospel”
Romans: The Power of God for Salvation
Pastoral Prayer
Sacrament of Communion
Sacraments are visible signs of the invisible grace of God - what Christ does by his Holy Spirit within us. Communion (also called the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist), as the distribution of the elements of bread and wine, symbolizes a meal. Communion is a sign of fellowship. That sign signifies more than just the future heavenly fellowship that is to come. The outward sign signifies the inner reality that sinners already experience fellowship with God in the Spirit because of Jesus. Communion is not a meal for good people. It functions as a renewing seal to desperate sinners of that fellowship we have with our holy and gracious God.
You will be invited to come forward. If you are not a Christian we encourage you to spend this time in reflection on what you’ve seen and heard in the worship. Children who have not received their first communion are welcome and encouraged to come forward with their families to witness their partaking. We invite children who are ready to make a public profession of faith in Christ to arrange a meeting with the elders, and thus become “communicants” at the Lord’s Table.
Pastor: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Pastor: Lift up your hearts!
People: We lift them up to the Lord.
Pastor: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: It is right to give him thanks and praise.
Prayer of Thanksgiving and Words of Institution
Pastor: Let us proclaim the mystery of the faith:
People: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. Hallelujah!
Pastor: Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed for us. Hallelujah!
People: Therefore, let us keep the feast.
Pastor: The gifts of God for the people of God.
Please let an usher know if it is difficult for you to come forward. We would be happy to serve you at your seat. All communion bread is gluten-free. All communion wine is made from grape juice.
A communion prayer for those searching for the truth:
Lord Jesus, you claim to be the way, the truth and the life. If what you claim is true, please guide me, teach me, and open to me the reality of who you are. Give me the ability to follow you no matter what it might cost me. Give me an understanding for you that is coherent, convincing, and leads to the life that you promise. Amen.
Communion Song | Jesus Is Better
We celebrate our communion in faith and song.
There is no other so sure and steady, my hope is held in Your hand.
When castles crumble, and breath is fleeting,
Upon this Rock I will stand; Upon this Rock I will stand.
Glory, glory, we have no other King, but Jesus Lord of all!
Raise the anthem, our loudest praises ring; We crown Him Lord of all!
Your kindly rule has shattered and broken the curse of sin's tyranny.
My life is hidden 'neath Heaven's shadow,
Your crimson flood covers me; Your crimson flood covers me.
Glory, glory, we have no other King, but Jesus Lord of all!
Raise the anthem, our loudest praises ring; We crown Him Lord of all!
In all my sorrows, Jesus is better; Make my heart believe.
In every victory, Jesus is better; Make my heart believe.
Than any comfort, Jesus is better; Make my heart believe.
More than all riches, Jesus is better; Make my heart believe.
Our souls declaring, Jesus is better! Make our hearts believe.
Our song eternal, Jesus is better! Make our hearts believe.
Music and Lyrics: Aaron Ivey, Brett Land
Departing Song | Grace Alone
We begin to end in faith and song.
I was an orphan lost at the fall;
Running away when I'd hear your call.
But Father, you worked your will.
I had no righteousness of my own.
I had no right to draw near your throne.
But Father, you loved me still.
And in love before you laid the world's foundation,
You predestined to adopt me as your own.
You have raised me up so high above my station.
I'm a child of God by grace and grace alone.
You left your home to seek out the lost;
You knew the great and terrible cost.
But Jesus, your face was set.
I worked my fingers down to the bone;
Nothing I did could ever atone.
But Jesus, you paid my debt.
By your blood I have redemption and salvation.
Lord, you died that I might reap what you have sown.
And you rose that I might be a new creation.
I am born again by grace and grace alone.
I was in darkness all of my life.
I never knew the day from the night.
But Spirit, you made me see.
I swore I knew the way on my own,
Head full of rocks, a heart made of stone.
But Spirit, you moved in me.
At your touch my sleeping spirit was awakened;
On my darkened heart the light of Christ has shone;
Called into a kingdom that cannot be shaken;
Heaven's citizen by grace and grace alone.
So, I'll stand in faith by grace and grace alone.
I will run the race by grace and grace alone.
I will slay my sin by grace and grace alone.
I will reach the end by grace and grace alone.
Music and Lyrics: Dustin Kensrue
*Benediction | Numbers 6:24-26 | Blake Arnoult
God sends us out with his blessing. A benediction is not a prayer. We don’t bow our heads. We lift them up and even lift up our hands to receive his blessing as we are sent out as participants in his mission to the city of man.
24 The LORD bless you and keep you;
25 the LORD make his face to shine upon
you and be gracious to you;
26 the LORD lift up his countenance
upon you and give you peace.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Youth Teaching Series - Next Week!
Sunday, January 22, 11:30am
All 5th-12th graders are invited to join us at the Willson home directly after the service for our very first lesson of the spring in our youth teaching series!
Adult Teaching Series
Thursday, January 26, 7pm
This spring adults will be meeting on Thursday evenings at the Wade home! Join us for our first teaching session on January 26!
Supper Clubs Begin!
January, February and March 2023
If you signed up for supper clubs this spring, it is time to schedule your first gathering! Get together for a meal or activity and grow closer with your church family! If you need assistance connecting to your supper club, contact Emily McEwin.
Bible Studies
Men’s and Women’s spring Bible study dates will be announced soon!