February 5, 2023

*Call to Worship | Revelation 7:9-10 | Blake Arnoult

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

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9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

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*Song of Adoration | He Is Exalted

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

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/He is exalted, the King is exalted on high And I will praise Him

He is exalted, forever exalted and I will praise His Name

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For He is the Lord; forever His truth shall reign.

Heaven and earth rejoice in His holy Name.

He is exalted, the King is exalted on high./

Music and Lyrics: Twila Paris

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*Confession of Faith | Westminster Confession of Faith, Q.33

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

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What is justification?

Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in His sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.

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*Song of Confession | I Asked The Lord

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

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I asked the Lord that I might grow

In faith and love and every grace

Might more of His salvation know

And seek more earnestly His face

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Twas He who taught me thus to pray

And He I trust has answered prayer

But it has been in such a way

As almost drove me to despair

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I hoped that in some favored hour

At once He'd answer my request

And by His love's constraining power

Subdue my sins and give me rest

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Instead of this He made me feel

The hidden evils of my heart

And let the angry powers of Hell

Assault my soul in every part 

Yea more with His own hand He seemed

Intent to aggravate my woe

Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,

Cast out my feelings, laid me low 

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Lord why is this, I trembling cried

Wilt Thou pursue thy worm to death?

"Tis in this way" The Lord replied

"I answer prayer for grace and faith"

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“These inward trials I employ

From self and pride to set thee free

And break thy schemes of earthly joy

/That thou mayest seek thy all in me”/

Music and Lyrics: John Newton, Laura Taylor

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Confession of Sin | Isaiah 59:12-14

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.

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12 Our transgressions are multiplied before you,

and our sins testify against us;

for our transgressions are with us,

and we know our iniquities:

13 transgressing, and denying the LORD,

and turning back from following our God,

speaking oppression and revolt,

conceiving and uttering from the heart lying words.

14 Justice is turned back,

and righteousness stands far away.

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Assurance of Pardon | Psalm 32:1,2 | 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.

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1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,

whose sin is covered.

2 Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity,

and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

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*Song of Response | Blessed Assurance

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

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Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

O what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God,

Born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.

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This is my story, this is my song, 

Praising my Savior all the day long;

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Savior all the day long.

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Perfect submission, perfect delight,

Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;

Angels descending bring from above,

Echoes of mercy, whispers of love. 

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Chorus

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Perfect submission, all is at rest;

I in my Savior am happy and blessed, 

Watching and waiting, looking above, 

Filled with his goodness, lost in his love. 

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Chorus

Music and Lyrics: Fanny Crosby

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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 | For All The Saints

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

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For all the saints, who from their labors rest, 

To Thee by faith before the world confessed, 

Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed. 

Alleluia, Allelu… 

Thou wast their rock, their fortress and their might; 

Thou, Lord, their captain in the well fought fight; 

Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light. 

Alleluia, Allelu… 

O may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold, 

Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old, 

And win with them the victor’s crown of gold. 

Alleluia, Allelu… 

But lo! There breaks a yet more glorious day; 

The saints triumphant rise in bright array; 

The King of glory passes on his way, 

Alleluia, Allelu... 

From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast, 

Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host, 

Singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, 

Alleluia, Alleluia! 

Music and Lyrics: William How, Christopher Miner

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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 4:1-8, 13-14, 23-25 | Rev. Blake Arnoult

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

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1 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,

and whose sins are covered;

8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

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13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void.

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23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

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Pastor: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

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The Preaching of the Word | Blake Arnoult

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“Justification by Grace in the Old and New”

Romans: The Power of God for Salvation

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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

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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 | Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken

We celebrate our communion in faith and song.

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Jesus, I my cross have taken,

All to leave and follow Thee.

Destitute, despised, forsaken,

Thou from hence my all shall be. 

Perish every fond ambition,

All I’ve sought or hoped or known. 

Yet how rich is my condition!

God and heaven are still my own. 

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Let the world despise and leave me,

They have left my Savior, too. 

Human hearts and looks deceive me;

Thou art not, like them, untrue. 

O while Thou dost smile upon me,

God of wisdom, love, and might, 

Foes may hate and friends disown me, 

Show Thy face and all is bright.  

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Soul, then know thy full salvation

Rise o’er sin and fear and care 

Joy to find in every station,

Something still to do or bear. 

Think what Spirit dwells within thee,

Think what Father’s smiles are thine, 

Think that Jesus died to win thee, 

Child of heaven, canst thou repine. 

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Haste thee on from grace to glory,

Armed by faith, and winged by prayer. 

Heaven’s eternal days before thee,

God’s own hand shall guide us there. 

Soon shall close thy earthly mission,

Soon shall pass thy pilgrim days, 

Hope shall change to glad fruition, 

Faith to sight, and prayer to praise.

Music and Lyrics: Henry Lyte, Bill Moore

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Departing Song | On Jordan’s Stormy Banks I Stand

We begin to end in faith and song.

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On Jordan’s stormy banks I stand,

And cast a wishful eye

To Canaan’s fair and happy land,

Where my possessions lie. 

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All o’er those wide extended plains,

Shines one eternal day;

There God the Son forever reigns,

And scatters night away.

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I am bound (I am bound) I am bound (I am bound)

I am bound for the promised land

I am bound (I am bound) I am bound (I am bound)

I am bound for the promised land. 

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No chilling winds nor poisonous breath

Can reach that healthful shore;

Sickness, sorrow, pain and death,

Are felt and feared no more. 

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Chorus 

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When shall I reach that happy place,

And be forever blessed?

When shall I see my Father’s face,

And in His bosom rest?

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Chorus 

Music and Lyrics: Christopher Miner, Samuel Stennett

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*Benediction | Revelation 1:5-6 | 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.

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5 To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

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Sunday School Begins Next Week!

February 12, 9:15-9:45am

Sunday school for all children through 12th grade begins on February 12! 

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Supper Clubs Underway!

January, February and March 2023

Spring supper clubs are underway! If you need assistance connecting to your supper club, contact Emily McEwin. 

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Bible Studies

Men’s and Women’s spring Bible studies have begun! 

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Women’s Morning Bible Study: 

Wednesday mornings, 9:30am at the Wade home

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Women’s Evening Bible Study: 

Thursday evenings, 7pm at the McEwin home

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Men’s Bible Study: 

Friday mornings, 7am - Buffalo Grille at Voss and Woodway

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Adult Teaching Series

Thursday, February 23, 7pm

This spring adults will be meeting on Thursday evenings at the Wade home! Join us for our first teaching session on January 26 to hear about The Faith We Believe, Share, and Defend!

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Youth Teaching Series

Sunday, February 26, 11:30am

All 5th-12th graders are invited to join us at the Willson home on February 26 for our second session in our youth teaching series!