August 27, 2023

*Call to Worship | based on 1 Peter 1:3-5 | Blake Arnoult

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

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Pastor: Alleluia! Christ is risen.

People: He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Pastor: Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

People: He has given us new life and hope. He has raised Jesus from the dead.

Pastor: God has claimed us as his own. 

People: He has brought us out of darkness. He has made us light to the world.

Pastor: Alleluia! Christ is risen.

People: He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

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*Song of Adoration | Praise To The Lord The Almighty

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

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Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!

O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!

All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near;

Praise Him in glad adoration.

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Praise to the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,

Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!

Hast thou not seen how thy desires e’er have been

Granted in what He ordaineth?

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Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee;

Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee;

Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,

If with His love He befriend thee.

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Praise to the Lord, who, when tempests their warfare are waging,

Who, when the elements madly around thee are raging,

Biddeth them cease, turneth their fury to peace,

Whirlwinds and waters assuaging.

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Praise to the Lord, who, when darkness of sin is abounding,

Who, when the godless do triumph, all virtue confounding,

Sheddeth His light, chaseth the horrors of night,

Saints with His mercy surrounding.

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Praise to the Lord, oh, let all that is in me adore Him!

All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him;

Let the Amen sound from His people again,

Gladly for aye we adore Him.

Music and Lyrics: Catherine Winkworth, Joachim Neander

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*Confession of Faith | Nicene Creed

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

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We believe in one God,

      the Father almighty,

      maker of heaven and earth,

      of all things visible and invisible.

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And in one Lord Jesus Christ,

      the only Son of God,

      begotten from the Father before all ages,

           God from God,

           Light from Light,

           true God from true God,

      begotten, not made;

      of the same essence as the Father.

      Through him all things were made.

      For us and for our salvation

           he came down from heaven;

           he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,

           and was made human.

           He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;

           he suffered and was buried.

           The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.

           He ascended to heaven

           and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

           He will come again with glory

           to judge the living and the dead.

           His kingdom will never end.

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And we believe in the Holy Spirit,

      the Lord, the giver of life.

      He proceeds from the Father and the Son,

      and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.

      He spoke through the prophets.

      We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.

      We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

      We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,

      and to life in the world to come. Amen.

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*Song of Confession | Blessed Assurance

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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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 blest

Watching and waiting looking above

Filled with His goodness lost in His love

Chorus

Music and Lyrics: Phoebe Palmer Knapp, Fanny Jane Crosby

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Confession of Sin | 1 John 1:5, 6, 8, 10

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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5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth….8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us….10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 

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Assurance of Pardon | 1 John 1:7, 9 | 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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7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin….9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

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*Song of Response | Jesus! What a Friend for Sinners

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

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Jesus! What a friend for sinners! Jesus! Lover of my soul;

Friends may fail me, foes assail me, He, my Savior, makes me whole.

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Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Hallelujah! What a friend!

Saving, helping, keeping, loving,

He is with me to the end.

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Jesus! What a strength in weakness! Let me hide myself in Him. 

Tempted, tried, and sometimes failing, He, my strength, my victory wins. 

Chorus

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Jesus! What a help in sorrow! While the billows o’er me roll, 

Even when my heart is breaking, He, my comfort, helps my soul. 

Chorus

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Jesus! I do now receive Him, more than all in Him I find. 

He hath granted me forgiveness, I am His, and He is mine. 

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Chorus

Music and Lyrics: John Wilbur Chapman, Rowland Prichard

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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 | Grace Greater Than Our Sin

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

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Marvelous grace of our loving Lord

Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt

Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured

There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled

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Grace, grace, God’s grace

Grace that will pardon and cleanse within

Grace, grace, God’s grace

Grace that is greater than all our sin

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Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold

Threaten the soul with infinite loss

Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold

Points to the refuge, the mighty cross

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Chorus

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Dark is the stain that we cannot hide

What can avail to wash it away?

Look, There is flowing a crimson tide

Brighter than snow you may be today

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Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace

Freely bestowed on all who believe!

You that are longing to see His face

Will you this moment His grace receive

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Chorus

Music and Lyrics: Julia Harriette Johnston, Daniel Brink Towner

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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 | Matthew 5:13-16 | Rev. Blake Arnoult

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

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13 You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

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14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

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Pastor: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

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The Preaching of the Word | Rev. Blake Arnoult

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“Salt and Light, The Church’s Persevering Witness”

Matthew: The Sermon on the Mount

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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 | When I Survey The Wondrous Cross

We celebrate our communion in faith and song.

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When I survey the wondrous cross

On which the Prince of glory died,

My richest gain I count but loss,

And pour contempt on all my pride.

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Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,

Save in the death of Christ my God;

All the vain things that charm me most,

I sacrifice them to His blood.

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See from His head, His hands, His feet,

Sorrow and love flow mingled down;

Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,

Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

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Were the whole realm of nature mine,

That were a present far too small:

Love so amazing, so divine,

Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Music and Lyrics: Isaac Watts

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Departing Song | There Is A Fountain

We begin to end in faith and song.

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There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;

And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.

Lose all their guilty stains, lose all their guilty stains;

And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.

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The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day;

And there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away.

Wash all my sins away, wash all my sins away;

And there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away.

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Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood shall never lose its power

Till all the ransomed church of God be saved, to sin no more.

Be saved, to sin no more, be saved, to sin no more;

Till all the ransomed church of God be saved, to sin no more.

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E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply,

Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.

And shall be till I die, and shall be till I die;

Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.

Music and Lyrics: William Cowper, Lowell Mason, Mark Willard

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*Benediction | John 8:12 | 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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12 Jesus spoke to his disciples, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

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Fall Kick-Off Pool Party - Today!

Sunday, August 27, directly after the worship service

Everyone is invited to join us at the Byrd home on August 27 for our annual fall gathering! This is a BYOB event. A burger and hot dog lunch will be provided (vegetarian and gluten free options will be available)!

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Bible Studies

Beginning August 23, September 1, and September 7

Bible studies for men and women are beginning soon!

Women’s Morning Study: Weekly on Wednesdays at 9:30am beginning August 23 at the Wade home.

Men’s Morning Study: Monthly on the first Friday of each month, beginning on September 1, 7am at Bean and Bottle. 9655 Katy Freeway Suite 100.

Women’s Evening Study: Monthly at 7pm on the first Thursday of each month, beginning on September 7 at the home of Susan and Jeff Arnoult.

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Sunday School

Beginning September 10 at 9am

Pre-K through 12th grades are invited to join us for Sunday school for an 8-week study in Eschatology! Children and youth will gather separately for age-appropriate lessons. 

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Cornerstone’s 5th Anniversary Celebration

Friday, September 15, 7-9pm

Cornerstone is celebrating it’s 5th year anniversary this September! Adults are invited to the home of Blake and Ryan Arnoult to celebrate 5 years of ministry and fellowship!

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Women’s Retreat - Save the Date!

Saturday, October 21

More information to come! 

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Cornerstone is updating it’s member directory! 

Members! Please email emily.mcewin@cornerstonehouston.com with a family photo for our member directory! Our goal is to complete the directory this summer! 

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Supper Club groups have been emailed!

If you signed up to participate in supper clubs your group has been emailed! The goal is to gather at least three times between September 1 - November 30. Each group decides when and where works best for them!

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Nursery Unavailable - September 3

Next week we will be worshipping in the lobby and our nursery will be unavailable.

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