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October 27, 2024
Resources and content for this Sunday.
*Call to Worship | Matthew 22:37-39 | Rev. Blake Arnoult
God invites and calls us into his presence to worship him.
37 Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
*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 | The Apostles’ Creed
With the church in history we confess a basic statement of what Christians believe.
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell.1 The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic2 church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
1: The phrase "descended into hell" refers to the torments Christ suffered before his death on the cross.
2: The term “catholic” means “universal”, throughout all ages and generations.
*Song of Confession | Man Of Sorrows (What A Name)
Psalms, hymns, spiritual songs are simply prayers that are sung. We respond in repentance and praise for God’s redemptive work in Christ.
Man of sorrows what a name
For the Son of God, who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned he stood,
Sealed my pardon with his blood
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Guilty, vile, and helpless we;
Spotless Lamb of God was he,
Sacrificed to set us free
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Lifted up was he to die;
"It is finished" was his cry;
Now in heaven exalted high
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
When he comes, our glorious King,
All his ransomed home to bring,
Then anew this song we'll sing
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Music and Lyrics: Peter Hawley, Philip Paul Bliss
Confession of Sin | Psalm 34:12-16
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.
12 What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
16 The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
Assurance of Pardon | Psalm 34:17-18 | 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.
17 When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
*Song of Response | I Love You Lord
We respond in repentance and praise for God’s redemptive work in Christ.
I love you, Lord
And I lift my voice.
To Worship You
Oh my soul, rejoice!
Take joy my King
In what You hear.
May it be a sweet, sweet sound
In Your ear.
Music and Lyrics: Laurie B. Klein
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 | Thy Mercy My God
As we offer our prayers so we also offer up our thanks in song.
Thy mercy, my God, is the theme of my song,
The joy of my heart and the boast of my tongue;
Thy free grace alone, from the first to the last,
Hath won my affections, and bound my soul fast.
Without Thy sweet mercy I could not live here;
Sin would reduce me to utter despair;
But, through Thy free goodness, my spirits revive,
And He that first made me still keeps me alive.
Thy mercy is more than a match for my heart,
Which wonders to feel its own hardness depart;
Dissolved by Thy goodness, I fall to the ground,
And weep to the praise of the mercy I’ve found.
Great Father of mercies, Thy goodness I own,
And the covenant love of Thy crucified Son;
All praise to the Spirit, Whose whisper divine
Seals mercy, and pardon, and righteousness mine.
Music and Lyrics: John Stocker
Prayer for Christ’s Church
We lift up our requests to God knowing that he hears us when we pray.
*Reading of Scripture | 1 Peter 3:8-22 | Rev. Blake Arnoult
God reveals himself and his work and speaks to us his people through his Word.
8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. 10 For
“Whoever desires to love life
and see good days,
let him keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from speaking deceit;
11 let him turn away from evil and do good;
let him seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.
Pastor: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God
The Preaching of the Word | Rev. Blake Arnoult
“The Church and the Questioning, Persecuting World”
1 Peter: Homesick and Hopeful
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 | When I Survey The Wondrous Cross
We celebrate our communion in faith and song.
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.
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.
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?
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were an offering far too small:
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
Music and Lyrics: Isaac Watts
Departing Song | The Church's One Foundation
We begin to end in faith and song.
The church’s one foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord,
She is His new creation
By water and the Word.
From heaven He came and sought her
To be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her,
And for her life He died.
Elect from every nation,
Yet one over all the earth;
Her charter of salvation,
One Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy Name she blesses,
Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses,
With every grace endued.
Mid toil and tribulation,
And tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation
Of peace forevermore;
’Til, with the vision glorious,
Her longing eyes are blessed,
And the great church victorious
Shall be the church at rest.
Yet she on earth hath union
With God the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
With those whose rest is won.
O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we
Like them, the meek and lowly,
On high may dwell with Thee.
Music and Lyrics: Samuel John Stone, Samuel Sebastian Wesley
*Benediction | 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 | 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.
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.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Kids’ Sunday School
Sunday, November 3, 9am
Cornerstone Kids’ Sunday School continues on Sunday, November 3 for the 8th lesson of our 10-week series on Justification!
Youth Bible Study
Sunday, November 3, 9am
Cornerstone Youth Bible Study continues on Sunday, November 3 for the 8th lesson of our 10-week series on Justification!
Bible Studies
Women’s Morning Study: Wednesday, October 30
Our weekly women’s study on Prayer meets each Wednesday this fall. Join us at 10am at the home of Marion Wade!
Men’s Morning Study: Friday, November 1
Our men’s study on Prayer will meet on Friday, October 4 at 7am at Bean and Bottle! 9655 Katy Freeway Suite 100.
Women’s Evening Study: Thursday, November 7
Our women’s evening study on Prayer will meet on Thursday, October 3! Join us at the home of Susan Arnoult at 7pm.
Christmas at Cornerstone
Adult Christmas Party
Friday, December 6, 7pm at the Erwin Home
Kids and Youth Christmas Party
Sunday, December 8, 11:30am at the Donovan Home
Christmas Eve Breakfast
Tuesday, December 24, 9am at A.D. Players
Christmas Eve Service
Tuesday, December 24, 10am at A.D. Players