September 14, 2025
Resources and content for this Sunday.
*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.