You are currently browsing the monthly archive for March 2023.
PRELUDE –
“Worthy” by All Beautiful Eulogy
CALL TO WORSHIP – Psalm 99:1-3:
“The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
The Lord is great in Zion;
he is exalted over all the peoples.
Let them praise your great and awesome name!
Holy is he!”
Let’s stand and worship the holy Lord our God!
(congregation stands)
SONG –
“Holy, Holy, Holy” by John Bacchus Dykes and Reginald Heber
CONFESSION OF SIN – Psalm 24:1-4
The Psalmist declares in Psalm 24:
“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein,
for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.”
God’s holiness demands that his people worship him in holiness and integrity.
Let’s take a moment now in our service to quietly pray in our hearts,
Asking God to once again forgive us of our sins and cleanse us of all impure motives!
(moment of silence)
ASSURANCE OF PARDON – From Romans 4:5-8 and Psalm 32:1-2
“And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered;
blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.””
Let’s continue to sing for Jesus Christ has made a way for sinners to stand righteous before God!
SONG –
“I Will Glory in My Redeemer” by Steve and Vikki Cook
PRAYER
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH – Apostle’s Creed
Let’s stand and affirm aloud our common faith together using the words of the Apostle’s Creed.
(everyone says aloud)
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 into hell*
and on the third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated 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 saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.
* hell meaning “place of the dead”
** catholic meaning “universal”
KIDS’ CORNER
Available for children ages 0-5
SONG –
“Be Unto Your Name” by Gary Sadler and Lynn DeShazo
SCRIPTURE READING – Matthew 21:12-17
SERMON – “Guest Rules for God’s House”
(congregation sits)
SONGS –
“The Love of God” by Frederick Martin Lehman and Meir Ben Isaac Nehorai
“Christ Our Hope in Life and Death” by Jordan Kauflin, Keith Getty, Matt Boswell, Matt Papa, and Matthew Merker
LORD’S TABLE
OFFERING
(congregation stands)
SONG –
“Now Why This Fear?” by Augustus Toplady and Doug Plank
BENEDICTION & ANNOUNCEMENTS
POSTLUDE –
“Jerusalem” by CityAlight
PRELUDE –
“Rest In You” by All Sons & Daughters
CALL TO WORSHIP – Psalm 117:1-2:
“Praise the Lord, all nations!
Extol him, all peoples!
For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!”
Let’s stand and celebrate the Lord’s steadfast love for his people!
(congregation stands)
SONG –
“Your Grace Is Enough” by Matt Maher
CONFESSION OF SIN – John Calvin
Having just sung about God’s abundant mercy and grace, let’s now take this time in our service to confess our sins to the Lord by praying aloud together this corporate confession of sin written by John Calvin:
(everyone read aloud)
Lord God, eternal and Almighty Father,
we confess and acknowledge without pretense before your holy Majesty,
that we are poor sinners, conceived and born in iniquity and corruption;
prone to do what is evil, incapable of any good;
and that in our depravity, we endlessly transgress your holy commandments.
And so, in your just judgment, we deserve ruin and damnation.
But Lord, we are displeased with ourselves for having offended you,
and we condemn ourselves and our vices with true repentance,
longing for your grace to relieve our distress.
May you, therefore, have mercy upon us, most gentle and merciful God and Father,
in the name of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
And as you blot out our vices and blemishes,
extend and increase the graces of your Holy Spirit to us day by day,
so that as we acknowledge our unrighteousness with all our heart,
we might feel the sorrow that gives birth to true penitence,
which as we mortify our sins may produce fruits of righteousness and innocence pleasing to you, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON – John 6:37-40
Jesus himself assures all those who turn to him for salvation
“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
Let’s continue to sing, for God has willed to save his people!
SONG –
“Your Will Be Done” by Jonny Robinson and Rich Thompson
PRAYER
KIDS’ CORNER
Available for children ages 0-5
SONG –
“And Can It Be?” by Charles Wesley
SCRIPTURE READING – 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 Please announce the page number (P. 988) in the pew Bibles in the back. Instruct the congregation to stand. End with “This is the Word of the Lord.”
SERMON
(congregation sits)
SONGS –
“He Will Hold Me Fast” by Ada Ruth Habershon and Matthew Merker
“We Will Feast in the House of Zion” by Joshua Moore and Sandra McCracken
LORD’S TABLE
OFFERING
(congregation stands)
SONG –
“Jesus Messiah” by Chris Tomlin, Daniel Carson, Ed Cash, and Jesse Reeves
BENEDICTION & ANNOUNCEMENTS
POSTLUDE –
“We Do Not Labor In Vain” by Taylor Leonhardt
PRELUDE –
“Let This Heart Not Wander” by Young Oceans
CALL TO WORSHIP – Hebrews 3:7-13:
“As the Holy Spirit says,
‘Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
on the day of testing in the wilderness,
where your fathers put me to the test
and saw my works for forty years.
Therefore I was provoked with that generation,
and said, “They always go astray in their heart;
they have not known my ways.”
As I swore in my wrath,
“They shall not enter my rest.”’
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”
One of the ways we continue to exhort one another is by singing to one another the great truths of the Christian faith. Let’s stand and sing and remind one another of the greatness of our Lord and the free grace of his gospel!
(congregation stands)
SONG –
“Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder” by John Newton and Laura Taylor
CONFESSION OF SIN – Matthew 24:42-44
“Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Because no one knows at what time the Lord will return in glory,
Jesus warns his followers to stay awake and constantly be looking for his return.
One of the ways believers prepare themselves for his return is by regularly confessing our sins to God and daily seeking for his forgiveness and grace. In light of this, let’s use this moment of silence in our service now to pray, asking God once again to forgive us for our sins and to prepare our hearts for the day of his coming.
(moment of silence)
ASSURANCE OF PARDON – John 3:36
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
To all who repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
We can know that he has taken the wrath for our sin on the cross,
And that we have eternal life in him.
Let’s continue to sing for God has been faithful to his people!
SONG –
“Great Is Thy Faithfulness” by Thomas Obediah Chisholm and William Marion Runyan
PRAYER
KIDS’ CORNER
Available for children ages 0-5
SONG –
“Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” by John Wyeth and Robert Robinson
SCRIPTURE READING – 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Please announce the page number (P. 987) in the pew Bibles in the back. Instruct the congregation to stand. End with “This is the Word of the Lord.”
SERMON – “Building One Another Up”
(congregation sits)
SONGS –
“In Christ Alone” by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend
LORD’S TABLE
OFFERING
(congregation stands)
SONG –
“Jesus, Thank You” by Pat Sczebel
BENEDICTION & ANNOUNCEMENTS
POSTLUDE –
“Grace Alone” by Kings Kaleidoscope
PRELUDE –
“Fortress” by Colorvault
CALL TO WORSHIP – Psalm 100:1-3:
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”
Let’s stand and make a joyful noise to the Lord our God and king!
(congregation stands)
SONG –
“Only a Holy God” by Dustin Smith, Jonny Robinson, Michael Farren, and Rich Thompson
CONFESSION OF SIN
Although we all know that God is glorious and worthy of our praise and obedience, you and I never really ascribe to God the glory that he is truly due. Because of our sin, because of our failure to glorify God in our hearts and lives, every week we need to confess our sins before him and ask him once again to forgive us and renew us by his forgiveness and grace. Let’s take some time in our service now to seek God’s forgiveness by praying aloud this corporate confession of sin.
(Everyone Aloud)
Lord, though you should guide us, we inform ourselves;
though you should rule us, we control ourselves;
though you should fulfill us, we console ourselves.
We think your truth too high, your will too hard,
your power too remote, your love too free. But they are not!
And without them, we are of all people most miserable.
Now heal our confused minds with your word,
heal our divided wills with your law,
heal our troubled consciences with your love,
heal our anxious hearts with your presence,
all for the sake of your Son,
who loved us and gave himself for us.
Amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON – Isaiah 53:4-5
As Isaiah speaks of the coming servant of the Lord,
He prophecies in Isaiah 53:4-5 stating:
“Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.”
Let’s continue to sing, for on the cross,
Jesus Christ has taken the penalty for our sins and has healed his people with his blood!
SONG –
“To The Cross I Cling” by Isaac Wimberley, Matt Boswell, and Michael Bleecker
(congregation sits)
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH – From The Baptist Faith And Message 2000 VII. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
“Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord’s Supper.”
BAPTISM
PRAYER
KIDS’ CORNER
Available for children ages 0-5
SONG –
“A Mighty Fortress” by Martin Luther
SCRIPTURE READING – Joshua 24:1-33 Please announce the page number (P. 198) in the pew Bibles in the back. Instruct the congregation to stand. End with “This is the Word of the Lord.”
SERMON – “The Choice of a Lifetime”
(congregation sits)
SONGS –
“Grace Alone” by Dustin Kensrue
“Nothing But the Blood” by Robert Lowry
LORD’S TABLE
OFFERING
(congregation stands)
SONG –
“I Will Glory in My Redeemer” by Steve and Vikki Cook
BENEDICTION & ANNOUNCEMENTS
POSTLUDE –
“Talk To The Lord” by Natalie Bergman
PRELUDE –
“Great Are You Lord” by All Sons And Daughters
CALL TO WORSHIP – Psalm 66:1-4:
“Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
sing the glory of his name;
give to him glorious praise!
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
All the earth worships you
and sings praises to you;
they sing praises to your name.””
Let’s stand and declare the greatness of our God,
for he has done great things among us!
SONG –
“How Great Thou Art” by Stuart K. Hine
CONFESSION OF SIN – From Deuteronomy 30:1-6
In times of trouble, when Israel fell under his just condemnation because of their sin,
God himself gave his people a promise in Deuteronomy 30:
“And when all these things come upon you,
the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you,
and you call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you,
and return to the Lord your God, you and your children,
and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you,
and he will gather you again from all the peoples
where the Lord your God has scattered you.
Although many of us may still be feeling the shame and weight of lingering sins residing in our lives, we can rest assured knowing that no matter how far we’ve wandered away from the Lord this week, God himself promises to gather all those who humbly repent of their sins and return to him in faith. Let’s use this time in our service to pray and humbly turn again to God as we seek his mercy and grace this morning.
(moment of silence)
ASSURANCE OF PARDON – Ezekiel 36:25-27
And now let’s hear God’s word of assurance
to every sinner who turns to seek his face this morning:
“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.”
Let’s continue to sing, for through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, God has cleansed his people from sin!
SONG –
“His Mercy Is More” by Matt Boswell and Matt Papa
PRAYER
KIDS’ CORNER
Available for children ages 0-5
SONG –
“How Firm a Foundation” by Unknown
SCRIPTURE READING – Joshua 23:1-16 Please announce the page number (P. 197) in the pew Bibles in the back. Instruct the congregation to stand. End with “This is the Word of the Lord.”
SERMON – “Keep Clinging To The Lord”
SONGS –
“Rock of Ages” by Augustus Toplady
“Promises” by Aaron Moses, Dante Bowe, Joe L. Barnes, Keila Alvarado, Lemuel Marin, and Phillip Carrington Gaines
LORD’S TABLE
OFFERING
SONG –
“When I Think About the Lord” by James Huey
BENEDICTION & ANNOUNCEMENTS
POSTLUDE –
“Jesus You Come” by Tenielle Neda
Immanuel Blog 