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*Call to Worship | Isaiah 60:1-3 | Blake Arnoult
God invites and calls us into his presence to worship him.
1 Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the LORD will arise upon you,
and his glory will be seen upon you.
3 And nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your rising.
*Song of Adoration | All Hail The Power of Jesus’ Name
We begin by responding with praise to God for who he is and for what he does.
All hail the power of Jesus' name!
Let angels prostrate fall.
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Ye chosen seed of Israel's race,
Ye ransomed from the fall,
Hail Him Who saves you by His grace,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Hail Him Who saves you by His grace,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Let every kindred, every tribe
On this terrestrial ball
To Him all majesty ascribe,
And crown Him Lord of all.
To Him all majesty ascribe,
And crown Him Lord of all.
O that with yonder sacred throng
We at His feet may fall
We'll join the everlasting song,
And crown Him Lord of all.
We'll join the everlasting song,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Music and Lyrics: Oliver Holden, Edward Perronet, John Rippon
*Confession of Faith | Westminster Catechism Questions 26-28
With the church in history we confess a basic statement of what Christians believe.
Question 14: What is sin?
Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.
Question 82: Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God?
No mere man, since the fall, is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God, but doth daily break them in thought, word, and deed.
Question 85: What doth God require of us, that we may escape his wrath and curse, due to us for sin?
To escape the wrath and curse of God, due to us for sin, God requireth of us faith in Jesus Christ, repentance unto life, with the diligent use of all the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption.
*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 th' 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.
But there’s a voice of sov’reign grace,
Sounds from the sacred word:
“O, ye despairing sinners come,
And trust upon the Lord.”
Music and Lyrics: Isaac Watts, Justin Smith
Confession of Sin | Romans 3:20
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.
20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
Assurance of Pardon | Romans 3:21-22 | 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.
21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.
*Song of Response | Center
We respond in repentance and praise for God’s redemptive work in Christ.
/Oh, Christ be the center of our lives!
Be the place we fix our eyes;
Be the center of our lives./
You're the center of the universe,
Everything was made in You, Jesus.
Breath of every living thing,
Everyone was made for You.
You hold everything together;
You hold everything together.
Chorus
We lift our eyes to heaven,
We wrap our lives around Your life.
We lift our eyes to heaven, to You.
Music and Lyrics: Charlie Hall, Matt Redman
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 | Shine Jesus Shine
As we offer our prayers so we also offer up our thanks in song.
Lord, the light of your love is shining;
In the midst of the darkness, shining.
Jesus, Light of the world, shine upon us.
Set us free by the truth you now bring us
Shine on me, shine on me,
Shine, Jesus, shine; Fill this land with the Father's glory
Blaze, Spirit, blaze; Set our hearts on fire
Flow, river, flow; Flood the nations with grace and mercy
Send forth your word; Lord, and let there be light
Lord, I come to your awesome presence
From the shadows into your radiance
By the blood I may enter your brightness
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness
Shine on me, shine on me
Chorus
As we gaze on your kingly brightness
So our faces display your likeness
Ever changing from glory to glory
Mirrored here may our lives tell your story
Shine on me, shine on me
Chorus
Music and Lyrics: Graham Kendrick
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 3:3-18 | Blake Arnoult
God reveals himself and his work and speaks to us his people through his Word.
3 And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.
12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Pastor: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God
The Preaching of the Word | Rev. Blake Arnoult
“Old Ministry of Death vs New Ministry of Life”
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 | Come, Then Lord Jesus
We celebrate our communion in faith and song.
The Church has waited long, her absent Lord to see.
And still in loneliness she waits, a friendless stranger, she.
Age after age has gone. Sun after sun has set.
And still, in weeds of widowhood, she weeps a mourner yet.
The serpent's brood increase, the powers of hell grow bold,
The conflicts thicken, faith is low, and love is waxing cold.
How long, O Lord our God, Holy and true and good,
Wilt thou not judge Thy suffering Church, her sighs and tears and blood?
Come then, Lord Jesus, come
Come then, Lord Jesus
Come then, Lord Jesus, come, come, come.
We long to hear thy voice, to see Thee face to face,
To share Thy crown and glory then, as now we share Thy grace.
Should not the loving bride, the absent Bridegroom mourn?
Should she not wear the weeds of grief, until her Lord return?
Chorus
The whole creation groans, and waits to hear that voice,
That shall restore her comeliness, and make her wastes rejoice.
Come, Lord, and wipe away, the curse, the sin, the stain;
And make this blighted world of ours, Thine own fair world again!
/Chorus/
Music and Lyrics: Horatius Bonar, Katy Bowser, Kenny Hutson
Departing Song | I Stand Amazed in the Presence
We begin to end in faith and song.
I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me, a sinner condemned, unclean.
How marvelous! How wonderful! And my song shall ever be:
How marvelous! How wonderful! Is my Savior’s love for me!
For me it was in the garden, He prayed: “Not my will, but Thine.”
He had no tears for His own griefs, but sweat-drops of blood for mine.
Chorus
He took my sins and my sorrows, He made them His very own;
He bore the burden to Calvary, and suffered, and died alone.
Chorus
When with the ransomed in glory His face I at last shall see,
’Twill be my joy through the ages to sing of His love for me.
/Chorus/
Music and Lyrics: Charles Hutchison Gabriel
*Benediction | Philippians 4:19-20 | 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.
19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.