July 6, 2025

*Call to Worship | Romans 1:16 | Rev. Brooks Harwood

^{God invites and calls us into his presence to worship him.}

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.

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*Song of Adoration | Holy Is The Lord

^{We begin by responding with praise to God for who he is and for what he does.} 

We stand and lift up our hands

For the joy of the Lord is our strength

We bow down and worship Him now

How great how awesome is He

And together we sing

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Holy is the Lord God Almighty

The earth is filled with His glory

Holy is the Lord God Almighty

The earth is filled with His glory

The earth is filled with his glory

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We stand and lift up our hands

For the joy of the Lord is our strength

We bow down and worship Him now

How great how awesome is He

And together we sing

Everyone sing

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Chorus

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/ It's rising up all around

It's the anthem of the Lord's renown /

And together we sing

Everyone sing

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Chorus

_{Music and Lyrics: Chris Tomlin, Louie Giglio}

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*Confession of Faith | Westminster Confession of Faith, Ch. 13 On Sanctification

^{With the church in history we confess a basic statement of what Christians believe.}     

They, who are once effectually called, and regenerated, having a new heart, and a new spirit created in them, are further sanctified, really and personally, through the virtue of Christ’s death and resurrection by his Word and Spirit dwelling in them: the dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed, and the several lusts thereof are more and more weakened and mortified; and they more and more quickened and strengthened in all saving graces, to the practice of true holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.

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*Song of Confession | We Lift Our Eyes (Psalm 102)

^{Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs are simply prayers that are sung. We respond in repentance and praise for God’s redemptive work in Christ.}

“Mercy, mercy,” we cry out.

Turn an ear, Lord, when we call.

From Heaven’s holy height, look down

To an earth after a fall.

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Isn’t it you who has justified?

Hung on a cross for a wicked bride.

To you, O Lord, we lift our eyes

Isn’t it you who is glorified?

Paid for our sins with a holy price.

To you, O Lord, we lift our eyes.

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Bitter wine and ash for bread.

Are you with us in this place?

Our days, like evening shadows, end.

Have you turned away your face?

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Isn’t it you who has justified?

Hung on a cross for a wicked bride.

To you, O Lord, we lift our eyes

Isn’t it you who is glorified?

Paid for our sins with a holy price.

To you, O Lord, we lift our eyes.

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All our days pass away.

But you, O Lord, shall remain.

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Isn’t it you who has justified?

Hung on a cross for a wicked bride.

To you, O Lord, we lift our eyes

Isn’t it you who is glorified?

Paid for our sins with a holy price.

To you, O Lord, we lift our eyes.

_{Music and Lyrics: Rivan Bennevendo}

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Confession of Sin | based on Psalm 51

^{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.}

Have mercy on us, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out our transgressions. Wash us thoroughly from our iniquities, and cleanse us from our sins. For we know our transgressions, and our sin is ever before us. Against you, you alone, have we sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment. Indeed, we were born guilty, sinners when our mothers conceived us. Hide your face from our sins, and blot out all our iniquities. Create in us clean hearts, O God, and put new and right spirits within us. Do not cast us away from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from us, we pray through him who loved us and gave Himself for us, even our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Assurance of Pardon | Romans 8:15-17  | Rev. Brooks Harwood

^{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.}

¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

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*Song of Response | Praise To The Lord The Almighty

^{We respond in repentance and praise for God’s redemptive work in Christ.}

Praise to the Lord, 

The Almighty, the King of creation! 

O my soul, praise Him, 

For He is thy health and salvation! 

All ye who hear, 

Now to His temple draw near; 

Praise Him in glad adoration. 

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Praise to the Lord, 

Who o’er all things so wondrously 

reigneth, 

Shelters thee under His wings, 

Yea, so gently sustaineth! 

Hast thou not seen 

How all your longings have been 

Granted in what He ordaineth? 

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Praise to the Lord, 

Who doth prosper thy work 

and defend thee; 

Surely His goodness 

And mercy here daily attend thee. 

Ponder anew 

What the Almighty can do, 

If with His love He befriend thee. 

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Praise to the Lord, 

O let all that is in me adore Him! 

All that hath life and breath, 

Come now with praises before Him. 

Let the Amen 

Sound from His people again, 

Gladly for aye we adore Him.

_{Music and Lyrics: Stralsund Gesangbuch, Joachim Neander, Catherine Winkworth}

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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.}

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Song of Thanks | All Must Be Well

^{As we offer our prayers so we also offer up our thanks in song.}

Through the love of God our Savior, All will be well

Free and changeless is His favor, All is well

Precious is the blood that healed us

Perfect is the grace that sealed us

Strong the hand stretched forth to shield us

All must be well

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Though we pass through tribulation, All will be well

Ours is such a full salvation, All is well

Happy still in God confiding

Fruitful if in Christ abiding

Steadfast through the Spirit's guiding

All must be well

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We expect a bright tomorrow; All will be well

Faith can sing through days of sorrow, All is well

On our Father's love relying

Jesus every need supplying

Yes in living or in dying

All must be well

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On our Father's love relying

Jesus every need supplying

Yes in living or in dying

All must be well

_{Music and Lyrics: Mary Bowly Peters, Matthew S. Smith}

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Prayer for Christ’s Church

^{We lift up our requests to God knowing that he hears us when we pray.}

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*Reading of Scripture | Romans 7:13-25; 8:1-4; 8:38-39  | Rev. Brooks Harwood

^{God reveals himself and his work and speaks to us his people through his Word.}

¹³ Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. ¹⁴ For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. ¹⁵ For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. ¹⁶ Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. ¹⁷ So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. ¹⁸ For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

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²¹ So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. ²² For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, ²³ but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. ²⁴ Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

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⁸ There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ² For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

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³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Pastor: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

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The Preaching of the Word | Rev. Brooks Harwood

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“Grace for Strugglers”

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Pastoral Prayer

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Communion Song | Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies)

^{We celebrate our communion in faith and song.}

You hear me when I call

You are my morning song

Though darkness fills the night

It cannot hide the light

Whom shall I fear

You crush the enemy underneath my feet

You are my sword and shield

Though troubles linger still

Whom shall I fear

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I know Who goes before me

I know Who stands behind

The God of angel armies is always by my side

The One who reigns forever

He is a friend of mine

The God of angel armies is always by my side

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My strength is in Your name

For You alone can save

You will deliver me

Yours is the victory

//Whom shall I fear//

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Chorus

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/And nothing formed against me shall stand

You hold the whole world in Your hands

I'm holding on to Your promises

You are faithful

You are faithful/

_{Music and Lyrics: Scott Cash, Ed Cash, Chris Tomlin}

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Departing Song | Doxology

^{We begin to end in faith and song.}

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

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//Amen//

_{Lyrics & Music: Thomas Ken}

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*Benediction | Hebrews 13:20-21 | Rev. Brooks Harwood

^{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.}

‍²⁰ Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, ²¹ equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.