November 12, 2023

*Call to Worship | Matthew 5:6, 7, 9 | Blake Arnoult

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

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6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

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7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

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9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

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*Song of Adoration | Great Are You Lord

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

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You give life, You are love

You bring light to the darkness

You give hope, You restore

Every heart that is broken

Great are You, Lord

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It's Your breath in our lungs

So we pour out our praise, We pour out our praise

It's Your breath in our lungs

So we pour out our praise to You only

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All the earth will shout Your praise

Our hearts will cry, these bones will sing

Great are You, Lord

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Chorus

Music and Lyrics: David Leonard, Leslie Jordan

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*Confession of Faith | Kyrie Eleison

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

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Lord, have mercy on us. 

Christ, have mercy on us. 

Lord, have mercy on us.

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*Song of Confession | From the Depths of Woe

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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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?)

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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)

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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)

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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, Richard Massie

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Confession of Sin | James 4:1-5

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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1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”?

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Assurance of Pardon | James 4:6-7 | 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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6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

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*Song of Response | Afflicted Saint To Christ Draw Near

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

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Afflicted saint, to Christ draw near,

Your Savior’s gracious promise hear;

His faithful Word you can believe:

That as your days your strength shall be.

Your faith is weak, your foes are strong,

And if the conflict should be long,

The Lord will make the tempter flee

That as your days your strength shall be.

So, sing with joy, afflicted one;

The battle’s fierce, but the victory’s won!

God shall supply all that you need;

Yes, as your days your strength shall be.

Should persecution rage and flame,

Still trust in your Redeemer’s name.

In fiery trials you shall see

That as your days your strength shall be.

Chorus

When called to bear your weighty cross

Or sore affliction, pain, or loss,

Or deep distress or poverty,

Still as your days your strength shall be.

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Chorus

Music and Lyrics: Constance Dever

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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 | He Will Hold Me Fast

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

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When I fear my faith will fail, Christ will hold me fast.

When the tempter would prevail, He will hold me fast.

I could never keep my hold through life’s fearful path;

For my love is often cold, He must hold me fast.

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He will hold me fast; He will hold me fast!

For my Savior loves me so, He will hold me fast!

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Those He saves are His delight; Christ will hold me fast.

Precious in His holy sight; He will hold me fast.

He’ll not let my soul be lost, His promises shall last;

Bought by Him at such a cost, He will hold me fast.

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Chorus

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For my life He bled and died; Christ will hold me fast.

Justice has been satisfied; He will hold me fast.

Raised with Him to endless life, He will hold me fast;

‘Till our faith is turned to sight, when He comes at last!

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/Chorus/

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He began a work in us…

He’ll complete His work in us…

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He will hold us fast; He will hold us fast!

For our Savior loves us so, He will hold us fast!

Music and Lyrics: Ada Habershon; Matt Merker

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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 7:1-6 | Rev. Blake Arnoult

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

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1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

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6 “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

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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 Judging”

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 | Grace Greater Than Our Sin

We celebrate our communion in faith and 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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Departing Song | O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

We begin to end in faith and song.

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O Love that will not let me go, 

I rest my weary soul in thee; 

I give thee back the life I owe, 

That in thine ocean depths its flow 

May richer, fuller be. 

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O light that followest all my way, 

I yield my flickering torch to thee; 

My heart restores its borrowed ray, 

That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day 

May brighter, fairer be. 

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O Joy that seekest me through pain, 

I cannot close my heart to thee;

I trace the rainbow through the rain, 

And feel the promise is not vain, 

That morn shall tearless be. 

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O Cross that liftest up my head, 

I dare not ask to fly from thee; 

I lay in dust life’s glory dead, 

And from the ground there blossoms red 

Life that shall endless be.

Music and Lyrics: Albert Lister Peace, George Matheson, Robbie Seay, Taylor Johnson

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*Benediction | 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 | 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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12 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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Youth Gathering - Today!

Sunday, November 12, 11:30am - 1:30pm 

5-12th graders are gathering at the Byrd home directly after the service for lunch and games!  

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Nursery Unavailable

November 19

Our nursery will be unavailable next week because we will be worshipping in the lobby.

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Bible Studies

Women’s Morning Study: Weekly on Wednesdays at 9:30am from August 23 - November 15 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: November’s study will take place on November 16th at 7pm at the home of Susan and Jeff Arnoult.

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Adult Christmas Party

Sunday, December 3 at 6pm! 

Save the date for our adult Christmas party taking place on December 3 at the Plank home!

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Children’s and Youth Christmas Party

Sunday, December 10 at 11:30am!

Save the date for our children’s and youth Christmas Party taking place on December 10 at the Donovan home!