Liturgy 9/20

PRELUDE – “It’s Not Enough” by Dustin Kensrue

WELCOME & CALL TO WORSHIP – Psalm 5:11-12

Hear this call to worship from Psalm 5:11-12

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
    let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
    that those who love your name may exult in you.
 For you bless the righteous, O Lord;
    you cover him with favor as with a shield.

SONG –

“Glory in the Highest” by Chris Tomlin, Daniel Carlson, Ed Cash, Jesse Reeves, and Matt Redman

CONFESSION OF SIN – Psalm 51

Let’s read this confession of sin together from Psalm 51

Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.

 Surely I was sinful at birth,
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins
    and blot out all my iniquity.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
    so that sinners will turn back to you.
Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
    you who are God my Savior,
    and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
Open my lips, Lord,
    and my mouth will declare your praise.
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart
    you, God, will not despise.

 May it please you to prosper Zion,
    to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
    in burnt offerings offered whole;
    then bulls will be offered on your altar.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON – Psalm 32:1-2

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
    whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
    and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

SONGS – 

“To The Cross I Cling” by Isaac Wimberley, Matt Boswell, and Michael Bleecker

“How Can I Keep From Singing?” by Chris Tomlin

PRAYER Be Seated

SCRIPTURE READING – 1 John 5:13-17  Please Stand. End with “This is the Word of the Lord.” 

SERMON (Nathan)

SONG –

“Before the Throne of God Above” by Charitie Lees Bancroft and Vikki Cook

LORD’S TABLE

SONG— 

“It Is Finished” by Dustin Kensrue

BENEDICTION

ANNOUNCEMENTS

POSTLUDE – “The Cost” by Rend Collective

Liturgy 9/13

PRELUDE – “Carried to the Table” by Leeland

WELCOME & CALL TO WORSHIP – 

Here these words from Isaiah 46:8-10

“Remember this and stand firm,
    recall it to mind, you transgressors,
    remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning
    and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
    and I will accomplish all my purpose,’

Let’s stand and worship the unchanging God.

SONG –

“Unchanging” by Chris Tomlin

CONFESSION OF SIN – Matt. 3:10-12

In Matt. 3:10-12, John the Baptist bore witness to Jesus proclaiming:

   The ax is already at the root of the trees, 

and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down

 and thrown into the fire.

 I baptize you with water for repentance. 

But after me comes one who is more powerful than I,

 whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. 

He will baptize you withthe Holy Spirit and fire.  

His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, 

gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

In light of the coming kingdom of Christ, let’s take a moment to reflect upon our sins and repent of the many ways we fall short of his righteousness.

[Moment of Silence]

ASSURANCE OF PARDON – Matt 3:13-17

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.

But John tried to deter him, saying, 

“I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

Jesus replied, “Let it be so now;

 it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” 

Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. 

At that moment heaven was opened, 

and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 

 And a voice from heaven said,

“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, sinners like us can receive his perfect righteousness and his inheritance of Sonship. 

Let’s stand and worship our savior together. 

SONGS – 

“Nothing But the Blood” by Robert Lowry

“At the Cross (Love Ran Red)” by Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash, Jonas Myrin, Matt Armstrong, and Matt Redman

PRAYER  Please be seated

SCRIPTURE READING – 1 John 5:6-12 Please stand and respond with “This is the word of the Lord.” 

SERMON (Timothy Easterday) “The Superior Testimony of God”

SONG –

“There Is A Fountain Filled with Blood” by William Cowper

LORD’S TABLE (Theo) – 

SONG— 

“Jesus Messiah” by Chris Tomlin, Daniel Carson, Ed Cash, and Jesse Reeves

BENEDICTION (Jeremiah)

ANNOUNCEMENTS (Jeremiah)

POSTLUDE – “No Longer Slaves” by Josh Garrels

Liturgy (9/6)

PRELUDE – “Carried to the Table” by Leeland

WELCOME & CALL TO WORSHIP – Rev. 5:11-13

“Hear this call to worship from Rev. 5:11-13”

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
    to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
    and honor and glory and praise!”

 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
    be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”

SONG –

“Holy Is the Lord” by Chris Tomlin and Louie Giglio

CONFESSION OF SIN – Read Out Loud Together

Father in heaven, we thank you for the freedom you have given us

 through the life, death and resurrection of your Son. 

But we confess today that we often live like slaves. 

Instead of living like you delight in us, we avoid you in shame and guilt.

 Instead of receiving your favor as a gift, we try to earn it with our efforts.

 Instead of accepting your freedom, we prefer our chains.

 Instead of pursuing your purposes, we cling to our short-sighted agendas. 

Forgive us. Embrace us. Cleanse us. Heal us. 

We ask this in Jesus name. 

Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON – 

“Hear this assurance of pardon from Matt. 11:28-30”

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me,

for I am gentle and lowly in heart, 

and you will find rest for your souls. 

 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

SONGS – 

“How Deep the Father’s Love” by Stuart Townend

“Speak, O Lord” by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend

PRAYER Be Seated

SCRIPTURE READING – 1 John 5:1-5 Respond with “This is the Word of the Lord.” 

SERMON – “The Order of Salvation, Obedience, and Overcoming”

SONG –

“Give Us One Pure and Holy Passion”by Mark Altrogge

LORD’S TABLE – 

SONG— 

“I Will Follow” by Chris Tomlin

BENEDICTION

ANNOUNCEMENTS

POSTLUDE – “No Longer Slaves” by Josh Garrels

Liturgy (8/30)

PRELUDE –  “Lift Your Eyes” by Leeland playing in the background Start at 9:55 AM

WELCOME & CALL TO WORSHIP –

Hear this call to worship from Psalm 33:1-5

Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!
Praise befits the upright.
 Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

For the word of the Lord is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

 

SONG –

“All Creatures of Our God and King” by Jonathan Baird, Ryan Baird, St. Francis of Assisi, and William Henry Draper

 

CONFESSION OF SIN –

1 Cor. 13

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love,

I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge,

and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love,

I am nothing.

 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love,

I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast;

it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way;

it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing,

 but rejoices with the truth.

Love bears all things, believes all things,

hopes all things, endures all things.

 Love never ends.

As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease;

as for knowledge, it will pass away.

 For we know in part and we prophesy in part,

 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.

 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.

When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.

Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

 

In light of the many ways the Lord has loved us, let’s take a moment and repent of the many ways we fail to love God and neighbor as we ought.

[Moment of Silent Prayer]

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

Hear this Assurance of Pardon from Psalm 32:5

I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.

 

SONGS –

“He Will Hold Me Fast” by Ada Ruth Habershon and Matthew Merker

“Rock of Ages” by Augustus Toplady

PRAYER

SCRIPTURE READING – 1 John 4:13-21

SERMON (Nathan) – “Perfect Love Casts Out Fear”

SONG –

“Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery” by Matt Boswell, Matt Papa, and Michael Bleecker

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH –

Let’s affirm our faith together with this portion of the NICENE CREED

We Believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.

LORD’S TABLE

SONG —

“I Stand Amazed in the Presence” by Charles Hutchinson Gabriel

BENEDICTION

ANNOUNCEMENTS

POSTLUDE – “In the Hands of God” by Newsboys

Liturgy (8/23)

PRELUDE – “Love Move First” by Casting Crowns

WELCOME & CALL TO WORSHIP  – Nehemiah 9:5-6

Stand up and bless the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting.

Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.

You are the Lord, you alone.

You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host,

the earth and all that is on it,

the seas and all that is in them;

and you preserve all of them;

and the host of heaven worships you.

Song –

“All Praise to Him” by Bob Kauflin and Matt Merker

CONFESSION OF SIN — Ezra 9:6-8

O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God,

for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads,

and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens.

From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt.

And for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests

have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands,

to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to utter shame, as it is today.

 But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the Lord our God,

to leave us a remnant and to give us a secure hold within his holy place,

that our God may brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery.

 

ASSURANCE OF PARDON – Romans 5:6-11

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—

though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—  

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners,

Christ died for us.  

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood,

much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son,

much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.  

More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Songs –

“Be Magnified” by Lynn DeShazo

“How Deep the Father’s Love” by Stuart Townend

 

PRAYER

SCRIPTURE READING – 1 John 4:7-12

SERMON  – “God is Love”

Song –

“My Jesus I Love Thee” by Adoniram Judson Gordon and William Ralph Featherstone

LORD’S TABLE –

 Song —

“Now Why This Fear?” by Augustus Toplady and Doug Plank

BENEDICTION

ANNOUNCEMENTS

POSTLUDE – “Oh, Great Love of God” by David Crowder Band

Liturgy (8/16)

PRELUDE – “Creed” by Rich Mullins

WELCOME & CALL TO WORSHIP – Psalm 95:1-8a

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;

let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

For the Lord is a great God,

and a great King above all gods.

In his hand are the depths of the earth;

the heights of the mountains are his also.

The sea is his, for he made it,

and his hands formed the dry land.

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;

let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

For he is our God,

and we are the people of his pasture,

and the sheep of his hand.

Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts.

Song –

“Come Praise and Glorify” by Bob Kauflin and Tim Chester

CONFESSION OF SIN –

EVERYONE:

Almighty and merciful God,

we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep.

We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts.

We have offended against your holy laws.

We have left undone those things which we ought to have done;

and we have done those things which we ought not to have done.

O Lord, have mercy upon us.

Spare those who confess their faults.

Restore those who are penitent,

according to your promises declared to the world in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

And grant, O merciful God, for his sake,

that we may live a holy, just, and humble life

to the glory of your holy name.

Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON – 1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins,

he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins

and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Song –

“O Great God” by Bob Kauflin

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH – The Apostles’ Creed

EVERYONE:

We believe in God the Father Almighty,

Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ

his only Son our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, dead, and buried,

he descended to hell

and on the third day he rose again from the dead,

he ascended into heaven,

and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,

from thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,

the communion of the saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting.

Amen.

Song –

“How Firm a Foundation” by Unknown

PRAYER

SCRIPTURE READING – 1 John 4:1-6

SERMON – “Testing the Spirits”

Song –

“In Christ Alone” by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend

LORD’S TABLE

OFFERING

Songs –

“A Mighty Fortress” by Martin Luther

BENEDICTION

ANNOUNCEMENTS

POSTLUDE – “Fal$e Teacher$” by Shai Linne

Liturgy (8/9)

PRELUDE

WELCOME & CALL TO WORSHIP – Psalm 46:10-11

“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Song –

“No One Higher” by Heath Balltzglier, Seth Condrey, and Steve Fee

CONFESSION OF NEED – from The Book of Common Prayer (1928)

O most mighty and merciful God,

in this time of grievous sickness,

we flee unto thee for succor.

Deliver us, we beseech thee, from our peril;

give strength and skill to all those who minister to the sick;

prosper the means made use of for their cure;

and grant that, perceiving how frail and uncertain our life is,

we may apply our hearts unto that heavenly wisdom

which leadeth to eternal life;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Song –

“Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder” by John Newton and Laura Taylor

ASSURANCE OF PARDON – Romans 8:15-17

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!”

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

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.

Song –

“Blessed Assurance” by Fanny Crosby

PRAYER

SCRIPTURE READING – 1 John 3:9-24

SERMON – “Assurance”

Song –

“Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” by Helen Lemme

LORD’S TABLE

Song –

“Your Grace Is Enough” by Matt Maher

BENEDICTION

ANNOUNCEMENTS

POSTLUDE

Liturgy (8/2)

PRELUDE – “Shadows” by David Crowder Band

 

WELCOME & CALL TO WORSHIP –  Psalm 68:5-6

Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts;
his name is the Lord;
exult before him!
 Father of the fatherless and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation.
God settles the solitary in a home;
he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

 

Song –

Ever Be” by Bobby Strand, Chris Greely, Gabriel Wilson, and Kalley Heiligenthal

 

CONFESSION OF SIN – James 2:8-10

 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture,

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself,”

you are doing well.

 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin

 and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.

 

Song–

“Kindness” by Chris Tomlin

ASSURANCE OF PARDON – Romans 5:6-8

For while we were still weak,

at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—

though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

 

Song –

“You Are My King (Amazing Love)” by Billy J. Foote

PRAYER

SCRIPTURE READING – 1 John 3:11-18

SERMON – “Love One Another”

Song –

“Make Us One”by Twila Paris

LORD’S TABLE

 Song –

“O Church Arise” by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend

 

BENEDICTION

ANNOUNCEMENTS

POSTLUDE – “Anchor” by Beautiful Eulogy

Midweek Devotional (7/29)

Remember your leaders,

those who spoke to you the word of God.

Consider the outcome of their way of life,

and imitate their faith.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Hebrews 13:7-8

The Scriptures inform us of the importance of the past and the people that God has used in previous generations to proclaim his never-changing Word. No one in history, except the Lord himself, is perfect. Every single figure has flaws and thus can only be justified by faith. But we are told to remember with reverence those who got the gospel of justification by faith right and passed it on to us. I am particularly grateful for the life and teaching of the now late J.I. Packer (b. July 22, 1926 – d. July 17, 2020) who had an indelible impact on me.

Packer was the commencement speaker at my college graduation. His message to us then was to stand on the shoulders of the spiritual giants who came before us. Specifically he pointed to the English Puritans, the major influence on his life. Yet Packer’s wise words now certainly apply also to himself. J.I. Packer was a monumental theologian of the latter half of the 20th century. And we need the view from his shoulders.

One of the characteristics I most appreciated about Packer was that he was not flashy. His popularity didn’t come from his larger-than-life personality, but rather his steady, principled, careful, faithful teaching of God’s Word. He was completely unassuming, constantly writing introductions and endorsements for other people’s books. A true servant.

I saw Packer in person a few times. He wasn’t impressive in physical stature. To be honest, he was a bit odd looking. I distinctly recall walking past him while he was sitting and talking to a student on campus on one of his visits, a baggy tan suit draped over a hunched skeleton. Since then his body became progressively even more frail (watch this trailer for his book on weakness) and he eventually lost his eyesight in his last years. Yet his mind saw clearly the glory of Christ. And Packer’s pen helped us to see such beauty too.

A better writer than a speaker, in my estimation, Packer could pack a sentence tight with perspicuous profundity (“Packer by name, packer by nature” he would say). Looking through my stack of his books, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for his careful thinking and mastery of the English language in service of our knowledge of God.

Knowing God (1973) was probably the first book of his that I read and his most influential. I cannot overstate the way this book fundamentally shaped me. The distinction between knowing about God and actually knowing God has stuck with me. It was meaty, coherent, non-fluff, yet personal, experiential, and devotional. He showed that “there can be no spiritual health without doctrinal knowledge,” while maintaining that “it is equally true that there can be no spiritual health with it, if it is sought for the wrong purpose.”

When I was wrestling with the nature and place of the Bible in the Christian life and confused by the untethered subjectivism I was raised in, I wrote to a professor with my questions. He told me to read Packer’s “Fundamentalism” and the Word of God (1958). I did. It cleared everything up! I still use this book every year with GOSPEL for Chicago apprentices because there is no better treatment of the authority of Scripture out there. It was cogent and potent. As Packer wrote there, “the antidote for bad reasoning is not no reasoning, but better reasoning.” He employed such reasoning to utterly dismantle all alternatives to Scriptural authority, showing convincingly that “anything short of unconditional submission to Scripture… is a kind of impenitence.”

I devoured other Packer books in my formative years. God Has Spoken (1965) continued to solidify my understanding and confidence in Scripture as special revelation – God’s voice. “In other words, Holy Scripture should be thought of as God preaching – God preaching to me every time I read or hear any part of it – God the Father preaching God the Son in the power of God the Holy Spirit. God the Father is the giver of Holy Scripture; God the Son is the theme of Holy Scripture; and God the Spirit, as the Father’s appointed agent in witnessing to the Son, is the author, authenticator, and interpreter, of Holy Scripture.”

I read Knowing Christianity (1995) and Truth & Power (1996) over a Spring Break in college. Keep in Step with the Spirit (1984) I read after I was a pastor. It was characteristic Packer clarity and charity applied to the Charismatic movement. His explanation of the “floodlight ministry” of the Holy Spirit was… illuminating. Concise Theology (1993) is still my go-to for short explanations of doctrines (except for his chapter on baptism, ha!). As always, Packer wrote with the notion that “theology is for doxology and devotion – that is, the praise of God and the practice of godliness.”

Confession: I never actually read Packer’s probably second best known book – Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God (1961), but I’ve heard it’s good. And I never finished Praying (2006), but probably should (the book, that is; not the practice).

His introduction to J.C. Ryle (Faithfulness and Holiness, 2002) invited us to listen to a great teacher of the past. Again, Packer’s words about Ryle could now be applied to himself – “Ryle has guided many along [the true path of wisdom and of life]; he has been a guide to me; may he now lead you. And to God be all the glory.”

And Packer’s entryway into the Puritan vision of the Christian life – A Quest for Godliness (1990) – rocked my world, particularly (pun intended) chapter 8, which was a reprint of his introduction to the reprint of John Owen’s Death of Death in the Death of Christ. There you will find Packer at his feistiest, showing up the pathetic ‘gospel’ of Arminianism. About the Puritans, Packer wrote – “[They] have taught me to see and feel the transitoriness of this life, to think of it, with all its richness, as essentially the gymnasium and dressing-room where we are prepared for heaven, and to regard readiness to die as the first step in learning to live.”

J.I. Packer has finished his training and passed through death. I was blessed to have met him once in this life and tell him how much Knowing God was helpful to me. He signed my copy:

It’s mind-boggling to think about how he is currently experiencing in a deeper way the realities that he so wonderfully wrote of while he was here. May we follow his example and join him there around our Lord too someday.

Liturgy (7/26)

PRELUDE – “All the Poor and Powerless” by All Sons and Daughters

WELCOME & CALL TO WORSHIP  –  Isa. 12:4-6

Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done,
and proclaim that his name is exalted.
 Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;
let this be known to all the world.
 Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,
for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”

Song –

He is Yahweh by Dean Salyn

 

CONFESSION OF SIN – Joel 2:12-14

““Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
and he relents over disaster.
 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the Lord your God?

ASSURANCE OF PARDON – Matthew 11:25-30

All things have been handed over to me by my Father,

and no one knows the Son except the Father,

and no one knows the Father except the Son

and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden,

 and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me,

for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Song –

Yet Not I But Through Christ in Me by Jonny Robinson, Rich Thompson,

and Michael Farren

All Glory Be to Christ by Dustin Kensrue

 

PRAYER

SCRIPTURE READING – 1 John 3:4-10

SERMON – “A Line in the Sand”

Songs –

O Praise the Name by Benjamin Hastings, Dean Ussher, and Marty Sampson)

 LORD’S TABLE

 Songs —

King of Kings by Brooke Ligertwood, Scott Ligertwood, and Jason Ingram

BENEDICTION

ANNOUNCEMENTS

POSTLUDE – “Washed by the Water” by NeedToBreathe