February 12, 2023

*Call to Worship | Romans 1:16 | Blake Arnoult

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

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16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

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*Song of Adoration | Free Grace

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

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You children of God, by faith in His Son

Redeemed by His blood, and with Him made one

This union with wonder and rapture be seen

Which nothing shall sunder, without or within

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This pardon, this peace which none can destroy

This treasure of grace and heavenly joy

The worthless may crave it, it always comes free

The vilest may have it, it was given to me

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Free grace has paid for all my sin

Free grace, though it cost so much to Him

Free grace has freed even my will

Free grace to the end sustains me still

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It's not for good deeds, good tempers nor frames

From grace it proceeds, and all is the Lamb's

No goodness, no fitness expects He from us

This I can well witness, for none could be worse

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Chorus

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Sick sinner, expect no balm but Christ's blood

Your own works reject, the bad and the good

None ever regret it that on Him rely

Though guilty as Saul or Jonah or I

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Chorus

Music and Lyrics: Matthew S. Smith, Joseph Hart

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*Confession of Faith | Heidelberg Catechism, Q.1

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

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What is your only comfort in life and death?      

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That I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with His precious blood, and has set me free from all the power of the devil. He also preserves me in such a way that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, all things must work together for my salvation. Therefore, by His Holy Spirit He also assures me of eternal life and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for Him.

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*Song of Confession | Let Us Love And Sing And Wonder

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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Let us love and sing and wonder

Let us praise the Savior’s name

He has hushed the law’s loud thunder

He has quenched Mount Sinai’s flame

He has washed us with His blood (x3)

He has brought us nigh to God

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Let us love the Lord Who bought us

Pitied us when enemies

Called us by His grace and taught us

Gave us ears and gave us eyes

He has washed us with His blood (x3)

He presents our souls to God

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Let us sing though fierce temptation

Threatens hard to bear us down

For the Lord, our strong salvation,

Holds in view the conqu’ror’s crown

He, Who washed us with His blood, (x3)

Soon will bring us home to God

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Let us wonder grace and justice

Join and point to mercy’s store

When through grace in Christ our trust is

Justice smiles and asks no more

He Who washed us with His blood (x3)

Has secured our way to God.

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Let us praise and join the chorus

Of the saints enthroned on high

Here they trusted Him before us

Now their praises fill the sky

Thou hast washed us with Thy blood (x3)

Thou art worthy Lamb of God

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Yes, we praise Thee, gracious Saviour

Wonder, love, and bless Thy Name.

Pardon, Lord our poor endeavor

Pity for Thou knowest our frame

Wash our souls and songs with blood (x3)

For by Thee, we come to God

Music and Lyrics: John Newton, Laura Taylor

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Confession of Sin | Psalm 88:10-12

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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10 Do you work wonders for the dead?

Do the departed rise up to praise you?

11 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,

or your faithfulness in Abaddon? 

12 Are your wonders known in the darkness,

or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

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Assurance of Pardon | Psalm 88:1 | 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 O LORD, God of my salvation,

I cry out day and night before you.

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*Song of Response | Knowing You

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

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All I once held dear, built my life upon,

All this world reveres, and wars to own,

All I once thought gain I have counted loss,

Spent and worthless now, compared to this

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Knowing you, Jesus,

Knowing you, there is no greater thing!

You're my all, you're the best,

You're my joy, my righteousness,

And, I love you, Lord!

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Now my heart's desire is to know you more,

To be found in you and known as yours,

To possess by faith what I could not earn,

All-surpassing gift of righteousness.

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Chorus

Oh, to know the power of your risen life,

And to know You in Your sufferings,

To become like you in your death, my Lord,

So with you to live and never die.

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Chorus

Music and Lyrics: Graham Kendrick

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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 | Enough

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

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All of You is more than enough for all of me,

for every thirst and every need. 

You satisfy me with Your love,

and all I have in You is more than enough.

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You are my supply, my breath of life;

still more awesome than I know.

You are my reward, worth living for;

still more awesome than I know.

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Chorus

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You’re my sacrifice of greatest price;

still more awesome than I know.

You’re my coming King, You are everything;

still more awesome than I know.

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Chorus

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More than all I want, more than all I need,

You are more than enough for me.

More than all I know, more than all I can see,

You are more than enough.

Music and Lyrics: Chris Tomlin, Louie Giglio

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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 5:1-11 | Rev. Blake Arnoult

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

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1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

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6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 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. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

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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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“Assurance in Christ”

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 | Great Is Thy Faithfulness

We celebrate our communion in faith and song.

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Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father

There is no shadow of turning with Thee

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not

As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be

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Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness

Morning by morning new mercies I see

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

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I could not love Thee, so blind and unfeeling;

Covenant promises fell not to me.

Then without warning, desire, or deserving,

I found my Treasure, my pleasure, in Thee.

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Chorus

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I have no merit to woo or delight Thee,

I have no wisdom or pow’rs to employ;

Yet in thy mercy, how pleasing thou find’st me,

This is Thy pleasure: that Thou art my joy.

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Chorus

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Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside.

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Chorus

Music and Lyrics: William M. Runyan, Thomas O. Chisholm, John Piper

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Departing Song | I Stand Amazed

We begin to end in faith and song.

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I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene,

And wonder how He could love me, a sinner condemned, unclean.

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How marvelous! How wonderful! And my song shall ever be:

How marvelous! How wonderful! Is my Savior’s love for me!

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For me it was in the garden, He prayed: “Not my will, but Thine.”

He had no tears for His own griefs, but sweat-drops of blood for mine.

Chorus

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He took my sins and my sorrows, He made them His very own;

He bore the burden to Calvary, and suffered, and died alone.

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Chorus

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When with the ransomed in glory His face I at last shall see,

’Twill be my joy through the ages to sing of His love for me.

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/ Chorus /

Music and Lyrics: Charles Hutchison Gabriel

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*Benediction | 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 | 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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16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

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Sunday School Has Begun!

February 12, 9:15-9:45am

Sunday school for all children through 12th grade began this morning! Join us next week at 9:15am!

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Supper Clubs Underway!

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 second teaching session on February 23 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!

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