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*Call to Worship | Psalm 24:7-9 | Blake Arnoult
God invites and calls us into his presence to worship him.
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 this 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.
*Song of Adoration | Arise O God and Shine
We begin by responding with praise to God for who he is and for what he does.
Arise O God and shine in all Thy saving might
And prosper each design to spread Thy glorious light
Let healing streams of mercy flow
That all the earth Thy truth may know
Bring distant nations near to sing Thy glorious praise
Let every people hear and learn Thy holy ways
Reign mighty God assert Thy cause
And govern by Thy righteous laws
Put forth Thy glorious power, that everyone may see
And earth present her store, in converts born to Thee.
God, our own God, His Church will bless,
And fill the world with righteousness.
To God the only wise the one immortal King
Let hallelujahs ring from every living thing
Let all that breathe on every coast
Praise Father Son and Holy Ghost
Music and Lyrics: William Hurn, Chris Miner
*Confession of Faith | Westminster Catechism Questions 26-28
With the church in history we confess a basic statement of what Christians believe.
Question 26: How doth Christ execute the office of a king?
Christ executeth the office of a king, in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies.
Question 27: Wherein did Christ's humiliation consist?
Christ’s humiliation consisted in his being born, and that in a low condition, made under the law, undergoing the miseries of this life, the wrath of God, and the cursed death of the cross; in being buried, and continuing under the power of death for a time.
Question 28: Wherein consisteth Christ's exaltation?
Christ’s exaltation consisteth in his rising again from the dead on the third day, in ascending up into heaven, in sitting at the right hand of God the Father, and in coming to judge the world at the last day.
*Song of Confession | Jesus I Come
Psalms, hymns, spiritual songs are simply prayers that are sung. We respond in repentance and praise for God’s redemptive work in Christ.
Out of my bondage, sorrow and night,
Jesus, I come; Jesus I come.
Into Thy freedom, gladness and light,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of my sickness into Thy health,
Out of my wanting and into Thy wealth,
Out of my sin and into Thyself,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of my shameful failure and loss,
Jesus, I come; Jesus, I come.
Into the glorious gain of Thy cross,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of earth’s sorrows into Thy balm,
Out of life’s storms and into Thy calm,
Out of distress into jubilant psalm,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of unrest and arrogant pride,
Jesus, I come; Jesus, I come.
Into Thy blessed will to abide,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of myself to dwell in Thy love,
Out of despair into raptures above,
Upward forever on wings like a dove,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of the fear and dread of the tomb,
Jesus, I come; Jesus, I come.
Into the joy and light of Thy home,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of the depths of ruin untold,
Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold,
Ever Thy glorious face to behold,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Music and Lyrics: Greg Thompson, William Sleeper
Confession of Sin | Psalm 42:1-6
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.
0 TO THE CHOIRMASTER. A MASKIL OF THE SONS OF KORAH.
1 As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my food
day and night,
while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember,
as I pour out my soul:
how I would go with the throng
and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
a multitude keeping festival.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation
6 and my God.
Assurance of Pardon | 2 Corinthians 5:14 | 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.
14 The love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died.
*Song of Response | Father, Long Before Creation
We respond in repentance and praise for God’s redemptive work in Christ.
Father, long before creation,
Thou hadst chosen us in love.
And that love so deep, so moving,
Draws us close to Christ above.
Still it keeps us, still it keeps us;
Firmly fixed in Christ alone.
Though the world may change its fashion,
Yet our God is e'er the same;
His compassion and His covenant
Through all ages will remain.
God's own children, God's own children;
Must forever praise His name.
God's compassion is my story;
Is my boasting all the day.
Mercy free and never failing,
Moves my will, directs my way.
God so loved us, God so loved us;
That His only Son He gave.
Loving Father now before Thee,
We will ever praise Thy love.
And our songs will sound unceasing
'Til we reach our home above.
/ Giving glory, giving glory;
To our God and to the Lamb. /
Music and Lyrics: Andrew Osenga, Francis Johnson
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 | How Great Is Our God
As we offer our prayers so we also offer up our thanks in song.
The splendor of the King, clothed in majesty,
Let all the earth rejoice, all the earth rejoice.
He wraps Himself in light, and darkness tries to hide,
And trembles at his voice, trembles at his voice.
How great is our God, sing with me,
How great is our God, all will see,
How great, how great is our God.
Age to age He stands, and time is in His hands,
Beginning and the end, beginning and the end.
The Godhead, three in one: Father, Spirit, Son,
The Lion and the Lamb, the Lion and the Lamb.
Chorus
Music and Lyrics: Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash, Jesse Reeves
Prayer for Christ’s Church
We lift up our requests to God knowing that he hears us when we pray.
*Reading of Scripture | 2 Corinthians 2:4-16 | Blake Arnoult
God reveals himself and his work and speaks to us his people through his Word.
4 For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you. 5 Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. 6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, 7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything.
10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
12 When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia. 14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.
Pastor: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God
The Preaching of the Word | Rev. Blake Arnoult
“The Pungent Aroma of Triumph”
2 Corinthians: The God Of All Comfort
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 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 | When I Survey The Wondrous Cross
We celebrate our communion in faith and song.
When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God;
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.
See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small:
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
Music and Lyrics: Isaac Watts
Departing Song | Revelation Song
We begin to end in faith and song.
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain.
Holy, holy is He.
Sing a new song to Him who sits on
Heaven's Mercy Seat.
Holy, Holy, Holy is The Lord, God Almighty.
Who was and is and is to come.
With all creation I sing, "Praise to The King of Kings,
You are my everything. And I will adore You".
Clothed in rainbows, of living color.
Flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder.
Blessing and honor, strength and glory and power be,
To You, the only wise King.
Chorus
Filled with wonder, awestruck wonder,
At the mention of Your Name.
Jesus, Your Name is power, breath and living water.
Such a marvelous mystery.
/Chorus/
Music and Lyrics: Jennie Lee Riddle
*Benediction | 2 Corinthians 13:14 | 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.
14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
New Website Launch
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Visit cornerstonehouston.com to view our brand new website!
Enjoy your summer!
Cornerstone is pausing all regularly scheduled programming for the summer with the exception of Sunday morning worship. We can’t wait to see you on Sundays and hope everyone has a great summer!