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February 25, 2024
Resources and content for this Sunday.
*Call to Worship | Isaiah 53:1-3 | Rev. Blake Arnoult
God invites and calls us into his presence to worship him.
1 Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
*Song of Adoration | All Creatures of Our God and King
We begin by responding with praise to God for who he is and for what he does.
All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing
O praise Him, Alleluia
Thou burning sun with golden beams
Thou silver moon with softer gleam
Oh praise him, Oh praise him
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia
Thou rushing wind that art so strong
Ye clouds that sail in heav'n along
O praise Him, Alleluia
Thou rising morn, in praise rejoice
Ye lights of evening, find a voice
Chorus
Thou flowing water pure and clear
Make music for Thy Lord to hear
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou fire so masterful and bright
That givest man both warmth and light,
Chorus
Let all things their Creator bless
And worship Him in humbleness
Oh praise Him, Alleluia
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son
And praise the Spirit, Three in One
Chorus
Music and Lyrics: St. Francis of Assisi, William Henry Draper
*Confession of Faith | Psalm 131
With the church in history we confess a basic statement of what Christians believe.
1 O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, hope in the LORD.
*Song of Confession | Come Ye Sinners
Psalms, hymns, spiritual songs are simply prayers that are sung. We respond in repentance and praise for God’s redemptive work in Christ.
Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love and power
Come, ye thirsty, come, and welcome,
God’s free bounty glorify;
True belief and true repentance,
Every grace that brings you nigh
Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
Lost and ruined by the fall;
If you tarry ‘til you’re better,
You will never come at all.
You will never come at all
On the bloody Cross behold Him,
Sinner, will this not suffice,
Lo! the incarnate God ascended,
Pleads His perfect sacrifice
Chorus
Let not conscience make you linger,
Not of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requireth
Is to feel your need of Him
Chorus
Music and Lyrics: Joseph Hart and Brooks Ritter
Confession of Sin | Agnus Dei
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.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us your peace.
Assurance of Pardon | Ephesians 2:8-10 | 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.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
*Song of Response | From The Depths Of Woe (Psalm 130)
We respond in repentance and praise for God’s redemptive work in Christ.
From the depths of woe I raise to Thee the voice of lamentation;
Lord, turn a gracious ear to me and hear my supplication;
If Thou iniquities dost mark our secret sins and misdeeds dark,
O who shall stand before Thee? (Who shall stand before Thee?)
O who shall stand before Thee? (Who shall stand before Thee?)
To wash away the crimson stain, grace, grace alone availeth;
Our works, alas! Are all in vain; in much the best life faileth;
No man can glory in Thy sight, all must alike confess Thy might,
And live alone by mercy (Live alone by mercy)
And live alone by mercy (Live alone by mercy)
Therefore my trust is in the Lord, and not in mine own merit;
On Him my soul shall rest, His word upholds my fainting spirit;
His promised mercy is my fort, my comfort and my sweet support;
I wait for it with patience (Wait for it with patience)
I wait for it with patience (Wait for it with patience)
Though great our sins and sore our woes,
His grace much more aboundeth;
His helping love no limit knows, our upmost need it soundeth.
Our Shepherd good and true is He, who will at last His Israel free
From all their sin and sorrow (All their sin and sorrow)
From all their sin and sorrow (All their sin and sorrow)
Music and Lyrics: Martin Luther and Richard Massie
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 | Great Is Thy Faithfulness
As we offer our prayers so we also offer up our thanks in song.
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
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
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.
Chorus
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.
Chorus
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.
Chorus
Music and Lyrics: William M. Runyan, Thomas O. Chisholm, John Piper
Prayer for Christ’s Church
We lift up our requests to God knowing that he hears us when we pray.
*Reading of Scripture | 1 Samuel 17:1-37 selections | Rev. Blake Arnoult
God reveals himself and his work and speaks to us his people through his Word.
2 And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines. 3 And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. 4 And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. 7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. And his shield-bearer went before him. 8 He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” 10 And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.” 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
12 Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons…. 14 David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul, 15 but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem…
20 And David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took the provisions and went, as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the encampment as the host was going out to the battle line, shouting the war cry… 22 and went and greeted his brothers. 23 As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him.
24 All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. 25 And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.” 26 And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 27 And the people answered him in the same way, “So shall it be done to the man who kills him.”
28 Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, “Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” 29 And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?”…
31 When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. 32 And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!”
Pastor: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God
The Preaching of the Word | Rev. Blake Arnoult
“David and Goliath Pt 1: What We See”
1 and 2 Samuel: Give Us a King
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 | Grace Alone
We celebrate our communion in faith and song.
I was an orphan lost at the fall
Running away when I'd hear you call
But Father you worked your will
I had no righteousness of my own
I had no right to draw near your throne
But Father you loved me still
And in love before you laid the world's foundation
You predestined to adopt me as your own
You have raised me up so high above my station
I'm a child of God by grace and grace alone
You left your home to seek out the lost
You knew the great and terrible cost
But Jesus your face was set
I worked my fingers down to the bone
But nothing I did could ever atone
But Jesus you paid my debt
By Your blood I have redemption and salvation
Lord you died that I might reap what you have sown
And you rose that I might be a new creation
I am born again by grace and grace alone
I was in darkness all of my life
I never knew the day from the night
But Spirit you made me see
I swore I knew the way on my own
Head full of rocks a heart made of stone
But Spirit you moved in me
And at your touch my sleeping spirit was awakened
On my darkened heart the light of Christ has shone
Called into a kingdom that cannot be shaken
Heaven's citizen by grace and grace alone
So I'll stand in faith by grace and grace alone
I will run the race by grace and grace alone
I will slay my sin by grace and grace alone
I will reach the end by grace and grace alone
Music and Lyrics: Dustin Kensrue
Departing Song | Arise O God
We begin to end in faith and song.
Arise O God and shine
in all Thy saving might
And prosper each design
to spread Thy glorious light
Let healing streams of mercy flow
That all the earth Thy truth may know
Bring distant nations near
To sing Thy glorious praise
Let every people hear
and learn Thy holy ways
Reign mighty God assert Thy cause
And govern by Thy righteous laws
Send forth Thy glorious pow'r
That all the world all may see
And earth present her store
in converts born to Thee
God our own God Thy church O bless
And fill the world with righteousness
To God the only wise
the one immortal King
Let hallelujahs rise
from every living thing
Let all that breath on every coast
Praise Father Son and Holy Ghost
Music and Lyrics: William Hurn
*Benediction | Psalm 29:11 | 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.
11 May the LORD give strength to his people!
May the LORD bless his people with peace!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Youth Gathering - Today!
Sunday, February 25 11:30am
Cornerstone Youth are invited to join us for lunch and fellowship at Pepper Twins after the worship service on February 25! Friends welcome! 5161 San Felipe St. #300 Houston, TX 77056.
Kid’s Sunday School
Sundays, 9am, February 11 - March 3
Children up to 4th grade are invited to join us for Sunday school at 9am each Sunday to learn classic Bible stories and what they tell us about our Unique God!
Youth Sunday Bible Study
Sundays, 9am, February 11 - March 3
Youth 5th - 12th grade are invited to join us for Bible studyl at 9am each Sunday beginning on February 11 to learn what classic Bible stories have to tell us about our Unique God!
Cornerstone Kids Gathering - Next Week!
Sunday, March 3, 11:30am
All kids through 4th grade are invited to join us at Jumping World for fun and fellowship next Sunday, March 3! Toddlers are welcome, too! Parents stay while kids play. Pizza lunch will be provided!
Bible Studies
Women’s Weekly Study: Wednesday, February 28 at 10am
Our weekly women’s study of the Book of Hebrews takes place at 10am on Wednesdays at the home of Marion Wade.
Men’s Morning Study: Friday, March 1
Monthly on the first Friday of each month, 7am at Bean and Bottle. 9655 Katy Freeway Suite 100.
Women’s Evening Study: Thursday, March 7
Monthly on the first Thursday of each month at 7pm at the home of Susan and Jeff Arnoult.