February 6, 2011

Order of Worship

Lord’s Day Morning, February 6, 2011

call to worship

Welcome.  I’d like to invite you to lift up your eyes and see the one from whom your help comes - The lord, who made the heavens and the earth.

Please stand and hear the Word of God from Psalm 86:8-10

There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
nor are there any works like yours.
 All the nations you have made shall come
and worship before you, O Lord,
and shall glorify your name.
 For you are great and do wondrous things;
you alone are God.

Prayer of praise

Heavenly father, redeemer, and Lord, You are God alone.  There is none like you neither are there any works like yours.  You are great and do wondrous things.  You formed us from the womb.  You stretched out the heavens and spread out the earth.  You alone are worthy to be praised.  Lord, give us eyes to see you this morning for who you are.  Give us eyes to see ourselves for who we are.  Give us hearts to praise you for all that your are and fill our hearts with thanksgiving for all that you have done in extending salvation to us through the finished work of your son, Jesus Christ, and conform us day by day, more and more, into his Holy image.  Lord, enable us by your Holy Spirit to worship you rightly this morning.  We ask this in Jesus name, amen.

Intro to: How Great Thou Art

How Great Thou Art!

Song 1: How Great Thou Art

INTRO TO: I Will Glory in My Redeemer

Jesus Christ, for the glory of God the Father, gave himself for us to redeem us from our sin.

I Will Glory in My Redeemer!

Song 2: I Will Glory in My Redeemer

congregational reading (I Peter 18-19; Isaiah 53:4-5)

As he who has called you is holy, be holy.  Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.  Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
 yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
 But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.

Intro to: Jesus Paid it All (I Cor. 6:19-20)

Know ye, that you are not your own, for you were bought with a price.

Jesus Paid it All!

Song 3: Jesus Paid it All

INTRO TO: Great is Thy Faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-23)

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning;


Great is Thy Faithfulness!

Song 4: Great is Thy Faithfulness

SCRIPTURE READING BEFORE THE OFFERING (James 1:17)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Prayer for offering

Heavenly father, we want to praise you because you are great and you are faithful.  And we acknowledge that everything that we have your hand has provided.  And we confess that by nature we are poor and needy and you give us life and breath and everything.  Lord, thank you for all of the good things that you have given us.  Please help us to faithfully use them to bring glory to your name.  As we worship you by giving this morning we pray that you would use this offering for the spread of the gospel and the edification of your people.  We ask for your continued blessing, in Jesus name, amen.

Offering (Offertory: When I Think About The Lord)

Intro to: The Old Rugged Cross (Phil 2:8)

Jesus humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

The Old Rugged Cross.

Song 5: The Old Rugged Cross

Song 6: The Wonderful Cross

The Wonderful Cross.

scripture reading (Acts 4:31-37)

Prayer of illumination

Sermon:

prayer of intercession

Song before Lord’s supper: By His Wounds/Nothing but the Blood

Lord’s supper sermonet

In I Corinthians 11:23-29, we have the words of institution of the Lord’s Supper delivered to us by the apostle Paul.  Here the word of the Lord,

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “this is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”  In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”  For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the lord's death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.  Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.  For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.  That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.  But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.  But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

In order for us to celebrate the Lord’s Supper properly we must first examine ourselves.

This examination consists of three parts:

First, each of us must consider how serious our sin is to God.  Our biggest problem is not that we do various kinds of sins in great number all the time but that we are sinful by nature.  God hates sin and because he is just he must and he will punish all those who remain in sin.  But, God is equally loving and gracious and merciful.  No greater display of his love and his wrath have ever been seen than when he sent his only son, Jesus to bare the punishment for the sins of all those who would believe, by dying on the cross and shedding his blood to satisfy the wrath of God.  Do you understand how serious your sin is to God?  Examine yourself.

Secondly, each of us must consider whether or not we believe that God has forgiven all of our sins, past, present, and future through the blood of Jesus Christ.  Do you believe that all of your sins were imputed to Christ on the cross and that all of his righteousness has been imputed to you by God’s grace alone through faith alone?  Examine yourself.

Thirdly, each of us must examine our own conscience to see if we are truly grateful for all that God has done for us and is doing in us and through in Jesus Christ through the work of his Holy Spirit.  Are you making war against the flesh?  Are you striving to walk uprightly with your whole life?  Are you in a right relationship (walking in love and peace) with God and your neighbor?  Examine yourself.

All those who understand their sinfulness and who are trusting in the finished work of Jesus Christ alone by grace through faith and who have properly examined themselves for evidences of repentance and faith may confidently participate in the Lord’s Supper this morning but I urge you, if you do not feel this testimony to be true in your heart, not to partake of the Lord’s Supper lest you eat and drink judgment to yourself.

This is not to suggest that any one of us is perfect (sinless) or worthy in and of ourselves to fellowship with the Lord at his table.  None of us are worthy by our own merit but only those who are living by faith in the Son of God, walking by the Spirit, and serving in the strength that God supplies may partake.  The faithful of God, who live in an imperfect world, in imperfect bodies but who are striving for holiness pressing on toward the mark of the high calling of God on their life in Christ Jesus with humble confidence and expectation that they will stand before God one day and hear well done thy good and faithful servant enter into thy rest.

The Bible says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

So, at this time, I’d like us to pause for a moment of silent reflection and self-examination.  I encourage you to use this time to confess sin, to praise God for his gracious plan of redemption, to remember the broken body and the shed blood of Jesus, to thank him for all the benefits of his saving work and the privilege of communing with Him at His table.  Will you bow with me?

Heavenly Father, we admit to you this morning that we are utterly sinful and unworthy of your favor.  We want to thank you for your grace and your mercy and love for us in that while we were yet sinners you sent your only begotten son Jesus Christ to this earth to save us from our sinful condition.  It was your plan before the foundation of the world.  Thank you Jesus for living a perfect life, for dying on the cross and shedding your blood for our sins, for defeating death and sin and satisfying the Father’s wrath that was aimed at us.  Father, thank you for the assurance of knowing that all those who trust Jesus Christ will one day spend eternity with you because on the third day Jesus rose again and ascended to your mighty right hand where he is today.  Enable us day by day to live by faith in the Son of God, to walk by the Spirit, and serve in the strength that you supply until that day when we will see you face to face and eat with you at your heavenly table.  Come quickly Lord Jesus. 

Let’s continue to pray the Lord’s Prayer together and then recite the Apostles Creed.

Lord’s Prayer (Mat. 6:9-13)

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

COnfession (Apostles Creed)

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Maker of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary,
 suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried

The third day He arose again from the dead;

He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy universal church;
the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting.

Amen.

Lord’s supper service

Men, if you would come forward to receive the elements.

Hold up the bread

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”  (I Cor. 11:23-24)

Hold up the cup

In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”  For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.  (I Cor. 11:25-26)

Prayer

Father, we come to this table as your guests, resting only in the worthiness of you Son.  As we look upon the emblems of our Savior’s death, may we remember why He died – to cleanse and to heal; to satisfy your righteousness and justice.  We remember His eternal love and boundless grace.  May we receive the assurance of forgiveness, eternal life, and the hope of glory.  As the bread and cup nourish our body, so may your indwelling Holy Spirit strengthen our soul, until the day of Christ’s appearing when we will hunger and thirst no more, and sit with him at his heavenly table.  Amen

Men, if you would pass out the bread.

The body of our Lord, Jesus Christ, which was given for us.  Let us eat together.

Men, if you would pass out the cup.

The blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ, through which we have the forgiveness of sins.  Let us drink together.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all.  Amen (I Cor. 13:14)

Intro to: When I Think About the Lord

In response to all that Lord has done for us, let’s sing his praises with thanksgiving and joy in our hearts.

Song of benediction: When I Think About the Lord

BLESSING (Num. 6:24-26)

May the Lord bless you and keep you;
 

May the Lord make his face to shine upon you

and be gracious to you;


May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

dismiss

You are dismissed