Sunday

September 14, 2025

Resources and content for this Sunday.

Miracles and the Already, Not-Yet of the Kingdom

Matthew 9:1-8 | Rev. Blake Arnoult

Order of Worship

September 14, 2025

*Call to Worship | Psalm 103:1-5 | Rev. Blake Arnoult

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

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul,

    and all that is within me,

    bless his holy name!

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,

    and forget not all his benefits,

3 who forgives all your iniquity,

    who heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit,

    who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

5 who satisfies you with good

    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

*Song of Adoration | How Great Thou Art

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

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,

Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made.

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder

Thy pow'r throughout the universe displayed

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee

How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee

How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

And when I think of God, His Son not sparing

Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in

That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing

He bled and died to take away my sin

Chorus

When Christ shall come, with shouts of acclamation

And lead me home, what joy shall fill my heart

Then I shall bow in humble adoration

And then proclaim, My God, how great You are!

Chorus

Music and Lyrics: Stuart Wesley Keene Hine

*Confession of Faith | Psalm 103:6-12

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

6 The Lord works righteousness

    and justice for all who are oppressed.

7 He made known his ways to Moses,

    his acts to the people of Israel.

8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,

    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

9 He will not always chide,

    nor will he keep his anger forever.

10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,

    nor repay us according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

12 as far as the east is from the west,

    so far does he remove our transgressions from us.    

*Song of Confession | Jesus I Come

Psalms, hymns, and 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: William True Sleeper, Nathan Partain

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, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon | Acts 10:42-43 | Rev. 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.

42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

*Song of Response | Your Will Be Done

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

Your will be done my God and Father

As in heaven so on earth

My heart is drawn to self-exalting

Help me seek Your kingdom first

As Jesus walked so shall I walk

Held by Your same unchanging love

Be still my soul O lift your voice and pray

Father not my will but Yours be done

How in that garden he persisted

I may never fully know

The fearful weight of true obedience

It was held by him alone

What wondrous faith to bear that cross

To bear my sin what wondrous love

My hope was sure when there my Saviour prayed

Father not my will but Yours be done

When I am lost when I am broken

In the night of fear and doubt

Still I will trust in my good Father

Yes to one great King I bow

As Jesus rose so I shall rise

In ransomed glory at the throne

My heart restored with all Your saints I sing

Father not my will but Yours be done

As we go forth our God and Father

Lead us daily in the fight

That all the world might see Your glory

And Your Name be lifted high

And in this Name we overcome

For You shall see us safely home

Now as Your church we lift our voice and pray

Father not my will but Yours be done

And in this Name we overcome

For You shall see us safely home

Now as Your church we lift our voice and pray

Father not my will but Yours be done

Father not my will but Yours be done

Father not my will but Yours be done

Music and Lyrics: Jonny Robinson, Rich Thompson

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 | Hast Thou Heard Him, Seen Him, Known Him?

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

Hast thou heard Him, seen Him, known Him?

Is not thine a captured heart?

Chief among ten thousand own Him,

Joyful choose the better part.

Captivated by His beauty, 

Worthy tribute haste to bring.

Let His peerless worth constrain thee, 

Crown Him now unrivaled King.

What can strip the seeming beauty,

From the idols of the earth?

Not a sense of right or duty,

But the sight of peerless worth.

Chorus

'Tis that look that melted Peter,

’Tis that face that Stephen saw,

'Tis that heart that wept with Mary,

Can alone from idols draw.

//Chorus//

Music and Lyrics: Joel Littlepage, Ora Rowan, Kevin Twit

Prayer for Christ’s Church

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

*Reading of Scripture | Matthew 9:1-8 | Rev. Blake Arnoult

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

91 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Pastor: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

The Preaching of the Word | Rev. Blake Arnoult

“Miracles and the Already, Not-Yet of the Kingdom”

Matthew: The Gospel to the Church

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 | Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me

We celebrate our communion in faith and song.

What gift of grace is Jesus my redeemer,

There is no more for heaven now to give

He is my joy, my righteousness, and freedom

My steadfast love, my deep and boundless peace

To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus

For my life is wholly bound to his

Oh how strange and divine,

I can sing: all is mine!

Yet not I, but through Christ in me

The night is dark, but I am not forsaken

For by my side, the Saviour He will stay

I labor on in weakness and rejoicing

For in my need, His power is displayed

To this I hold, my Shepherd will defend me

Through the deepest valley He will lead

Oh the night has been won,

And I shall overcome!

Yet not I, but through Christ in me

No fate I dread, I know I am forgiven

The future sure, the price it has been paid

For Jesus bled and suffered for my pardon

And He was raised to overthrow the grave

To this I hold, my sin has been defeated

Jesus now and ever is my plea

Oh the chains are released,

I can sing: I am free!

Yet not I, but through Christ in me

With every breath, I long to follow Jesus

For He has said that He will bring me home

And day by day I know He will renew me

Until I stand with joy before the throne

To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus

All the glory evermore to Him

When the race is complete,

Still my lips shall repeat:

Yet not I, but through Christ in me!

When the race is complete, still my lips shall repeat:

Yet not I, but through Christ in me!

Yet not I, but through Christ in me!

Yet not I, but through Christ in me!

Music and Lyrics: Jonny Robinson, Rich Thompson, Michael Farren

Departing Song | Nothing But The Blood

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 heavenly host

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Amen

Lyrics & Music: Thomas Ken

*Benediction | Philippians 4:19-20  | Rev. 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.

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