March 23, 2025

Order Of Worship

March 23, 2025

‍

*Call to Worship | Hebrews 12:18-24 | Rev. Blake Arnoult

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

‍

¹⁸ For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest ¹⁹ and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. ²⁰ For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” ²¹ Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” ²² But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, ²³ and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, ²⁴ and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

‍

*Song of Adoration | Arise O God

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

‍

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

‍

Put forth Thy glorious power, that everyone may see

And earth present her store in converts born to Thee

God, our own God, His church will 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 breathe, on every coast,

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

‍

Music and Lyrics: William Hurn, Chris Miner

*Confession of Faith | Westminster Confession of Faith | Ch.25.2 | Of the Church

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

‍

The visible church, which is also catholic or universal under the gospel (not confined to one nation, as before under the law), consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion; and of their children: and is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God, out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation.

‍

*Song of Confession | Come Ye Sinners

Psalms, hymns, and 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, Brooks Ritter

Confession of Sin | Isaiah 53:3-8

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.

‍

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.

⁴ Surely he has borne our griefs

   and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

   smitten by God, and afflicted.

⁵ 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.

⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray;

   we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

   the iniquity of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

   yet he opened not his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

   and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,

   so he opened not his mouth.

⁸ By oppression and judgment he was taken away;

   and as for his generation, who considered

that he was cut off out of the land of the living,

   stricken for the transgression of my people?

‍

Assurance of Pardon | Isaiah 53:12  | 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.

‍

¹² Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,

   and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,

because he poured out his soul to death

   and was numbered with the transgressors;

yet he bore the sin of many,

   and makes intercession for the transgressors.

*Song of Response | Nothing but the Blood

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

‍

What can wash away my sin?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

What can make me whole again?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

‍

Oh! precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow;

No other fount I know,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

‍

For my pardon, this I see,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

For my cleansing this my plea,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

‍

Oh! precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow;

No other fount I know,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

‍

Nothing can for sin atone,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

Naught of good that I have done,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

‍

Oh! precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow;

No other fount I know,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

‍

This is all my hope and peace,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

This is all my righteousness,

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

‍

Chorus

‍

Music and Lyrics: Robert Lowry

‍

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 | My Faith Has Found a Resting Place

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

‍

My faith has found a resting place,

Not in device or creed;

I trust the ever living One,

His wounds for me shall plead.

‍

I need no other argument,

I need no other plea,

It is enough that Jesus died,

And that He died for me.

‍

Enough for me that Jesus saves,

This ends my fear and doubt;

A sinful soul I come to Him,

He’ll never cast me out.

‍

Chorus

‍

My heart is leaning on the Word,

The living Word of God,

Salvation by my Savior’s Name,

Salvation through His blood.

‍

Chorus

‍

Music and Lyrics: Lidie Hornsby Edmunds

‍

Prayer for Christ’s Church

We lift up our requests to God knowing that he hears us when we pray.

‍

*Reading of Scripture | Ephesians 2:11-22  | Rev. Blake Arnoult

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

‍

¹¹ Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— ¹² remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

¹⁴ For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility ¹⁵ by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, ¹⁶ and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. ¹⁷ And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. ¹⁹ So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, ²¹ in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. ²² In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

‍

Pastor: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

‍

The Preaching of the Word | Rev. Blake Arnoult

‍

“A Cornerstone Church”

Ephesians: The Gospel of the Church

‍

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 | All Must Be Well

We begin to end in faith and song.

‍

Through the love of God our Savior, All will be well

Free and changeless is His favor, All is well

Precious is the blood that healed us

Perfect is the grace that sealed us

Strong the hand stretched forth to shield us

All must be well

‍

Though we pass through tribulation, All will be well

Ours is such a full salvation, All is well

Happy still in God confiding

Fruitful if in Christ abiding

Steadfast through the Spirit's guiding

All must be well

‍

We expect a bright tomorrow; All will be well

Faith can sing through days of sorrow, All is well

On our Father's love relying

Jesus every need supplying

Yes in living or in dying

All must be well

‍

On our Father's love relying

Jesus every need supplying

Yes in living or in dying

All must be well

‍

Music and Lyrics: Mary Bowly Peters, Matthew S. Smith

‍

*Benediction | Jude 20, 21 | 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.

‍

²⁰ But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

‍