October 8, 2023

*Call to Worship | Isaiah 6:1-3 | Blake Arnoult

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

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1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: 

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    “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;

    the whole earth is full of his glory!”

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*Song of Adoration | O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing

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

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O for a thousand tongues to sing

My great Redeemer’s praise,

The glories of my God and King,

The triumphs of His grace!

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Jesus! the name that charms our fears,

That bids our sorrows cease;

‘Tis music in the sinner’s ears,

‘Tis life, and health, and peace.

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Sing your praise to the Lord all the earth!

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He breaks the power of reigning sin,

He sets the prisoner free;

His blood can make the foulest clean,

His blood availed for me.

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He speaks, and, listening to His voice,

New life the dead receive,

The mournful, broken hearts rejoice,

The humble poor believe.

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Sing your praise to the Lord all the earth!

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My gracious Master and my God,

Assist me to proclaim,

To spread through all the earth abroad

The honors of Thy name.

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Glory to God, and praise and Love

Be ever, ever given,

By saints below and saints above,

The church in earth and heaven.

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Sing your praise to the Lord all the earth!

Music and Lyrics: Charles Wesley

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*Confession of Faith | Romans 10:9

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

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9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

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*Song of Confession | Blessed Be Your Name

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 be Your name in the land that is plentiful

Where Your streams of abundance flow blessed be Your name

And blessed be Your name when I'm found in the desert place

Though I walk through the wilderness blessed be Your name

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Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise 

And when the darkness closes in, Lord Still I will say

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Blessed be the name of the Lord

Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name of the Lord

Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name when the sun's shining down on me

When the world's all as it should be Blessed be Your name

And blessed be Your name on the road marked with suffering 

Though there's pain in the offering blessed be Your name

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Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise 

And when the darkness closes in, Lord Still I will say

Chorus

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/ You give and take away, You give and take away

My heart will choose to say, Lord, blessed be Your name /

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Chorus

Music and Lyrics: Beth Redman, Matt Redman

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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.

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Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

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Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

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Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

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Assurance of Pardon | Romans 5:8 | 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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8 God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

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*Song of Response | I Love You Lord

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

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I love you, Lord

And I lift my voice.

To Worship You

Oh my soul, rejoice!

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Take joy my King

In what You hear.

May it be a sweet, sweet sound

In Your ear.

Music and Lyrics: Laurie B. Klein

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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 | How Sweet and Awful Is The Place

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

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How sweet and awful is the place

With Christ within the doors,

While everlasting love displays

The choicest of her stores!

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Here every kindness of our God

With soft compassion rolls;

Here peace and pardon bought with blood

Is food for dying souls.

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While all our hearts and all our songs

Join to admire the feast,

Each of us cry, with thankful tongues,

“Lord, why was I a guest?

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“Why was I made to hear Thy voice,

And enter while there’s room,

When thousands make a wretched choice,

And rather starve than come?”

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‘Twas the same love that spread the feast

That sweetly drew us in;

Else we had still refused to taste,

And perished in our sin.

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Pity the nations, O our God!

Constrain the earth to come;

Send Thy victorious Word abroad,

And bring the strangers home.

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We long to see Thy churches full,

That all the chosen race

May with one voice, and heart and soul,

Sing Thy redeeming grace.

Music and Lyrics: Isaac Watts

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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 5:38-48 | Rev. Blake Arnoult

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

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38 You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

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43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

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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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“On Hating and Loving Enemies”

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 | Come, Then Lord Jesus

We celebrate our communion in faith and song.

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The Church has waited long, her absent Lord to see.

And still in loneliness she waits, a friendless stranger, she.

Age after age has gone. Sun after sun has set.

And still, in weeds of widowhood, she weeps a mourner yet.

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The serpent's brood increase, the powers of hell grow bold,

The conflicts thicken, faith is low, and love is waxing cold.

How long, O Lord our God, Holy and true and good,

Wilt thou not judge Thy suffering Church, her sighs and tears and blood?

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Come then, Lord Jesus, come

Come then, Lord Jesus

Come then, Lord Jesus, come, come, come.

We long to hear thy voice, to see Thee face to face,

To share Thy crown and glory then, as now we share Thy grace.

Should not the loving bride, the absent Bridegroom mourn?

Should she not wear the weeds of grief, until her Lord return?

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Chorus

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The whole creation groans, and waits to hear that voice,

That shall restore her comeliness, and make her wastes rejoice.

Come, Lord, and wipe away, the curse, the sin, the stain;

And make this blighted world of ours, Thine own fair world again!

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/ Chorus /

Music and Lyrics: Katy Bowser, Kenny Hutson, Horatius Bonar

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Departing Song | Revive Us Again

We begin to end in faith and song.

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We praise Thee, O God!

For the Son of Thy love,

For Jesus Who died,

And is now gone above.

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We praise Thee, O God!

For Thy Spirit of light,

Who hath shown us our Savior,

And scattered our night.

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Hallelujah! Thine the glory.

Hallelujah! Amen.

Hallelujah! Thine the glory.

Revive us again.

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All glory and praise

To the Lamb that was slain,

Who hath borne all our sins,

And hath cleansed every stain.

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All glory and praise

To the God of all grace,

Who hast brought us, and sought us,

And guided our ways.

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Chorus

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/ Revive us again;

Fill each heart with Thy love;

May each soul be rekindled

With fire from above. /

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/ Chorus /

Music and Lyrics: W.P. Mackay

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*Benediction | 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 | 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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11 Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, 12 and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, 13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

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Bible Studies

Women’s Morning Study: Weekly on Wednesdays at 9:30am from August 23 - November 8 at the Wade home.

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

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

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Sunday School

Sunday mornings at 9am from October 15 - November 5!

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

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Women’s Retreat - Last day to sign up!

Saturday, October 21

Women are invited to join us from 8:30am - 5:30pm on Saturday, October 21 for a day trip to the Plank’s farm in New Ulm, TX. Please let us know you are coming by clicking the QR code or visiting our events page to sign up!

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Picnic at the Park!

Sunday, October 15, 11:30am-2pm

Parents and all kids through 4th grade are invited to join us for a lunch provided by Cornerstone at Memorial Park on October 15 directly after the service! North Picnic Area: 6502 Arnot St. 77007.

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