The Worship of God January 3, 2010

Welcome in the name of the Lord Jesus! If you are a guest with us, please be sure to sign our Registry when it is passed during the service. Children are welcome in our worship. We have a nursery available for children 3 and under. Children 4 to 6 years of age may be dismissed to Godly Play prior to the sermon. Thank you for joining us today and may the Lord richly bless you. Song of Assembly1 Your Love is Better than Life Hampton

O Lord, You are my Lord, Your ways are higher than mine. I’ve seen the broken restored; Your love is better than life.

We thirst in a dry weary land, we hunger for Thee.

Lord, rain down as we lift up our hands, your love is better than life.

O God, I stand amazed, how high, how deep, how wide. My lips offer You praise, “Your love is better than life.”

I stand in the shade of Your wing, my soul clings to Thee.

In the joy of the Lord, will I sing, “Your love is better than life. Lord, Your love is better than life.”

O Lord, You are my Lord, Your ways are higher than mine. I’ve seen the broken restored; Your love is better than life,

Your love is better than life. Lord, Your love is better than life. Welcome and Preparation for Worship “I've heard a lot of sermons in the past ten years or so that made me want to get up and walk out. They're secular, psychological, self-help sermons. Friendly, but of no use. They didn't make you straighten up. They didn't give you anything hard.... At some point and in some way, a sermon has to direct people toward the death of Christ and the campaign that God has waged over the centuries to get our attention.” - Garrison Keillor “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel.” - The Apostle Paul, 2 Timothy 2:8 Call to Worship2 Psalm 47:6-8 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. Prayer of Adoration & Praise Hymn of Praise #2 O Worship the King Grant

O worship the King all glorious above, O gratefully sing His pow'r and His love;

Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days, Pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.

1 All songs used by permission or covered under CCLI license # 391165. 2 We believe that God always initiates with sinners, so we begin worship with his invitation and command to us to gather in His name.

O tell of His might, O sing of His grace, Whose robe is the light, whose canopy space.

His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form, And dark is His path on the wings of the storm.

Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail. In You do we trust, nor find You to fail;

Your mercies how tender, how firm to the end, Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend!

O measureless Might! Ineffable Love!

While angels delight to hymn You above, The humbler creation, though feeble their lays With true adoration shall lisp to Your praise.

Confession of Faith Hebrews 7:25-8:2 Leader: Christians, What do you believe? PEOPLE: (Christ) is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Such a High Priest meets our need—One who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when He offered Himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever. The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a High Priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man. In Christ Alone Townend

In Christ Alone my hope is found, He is my light, my strength, my song; This Cornerstone, this solid ground,

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of love, what depths of peace When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!

My Comforter, my All in All, Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! Who took on flesh,

Fullness of God in helpless babe! This gift of love and righteousness,

Scorned by the ones He came to save. Till on that cross, as Jesus died, The wrath of God was satisfied, For every sin on Him was laid;

Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay, Light of the world by darkness slain: Then bursting forth in glorious day Up from the grave He rose again!

And as He stands in victory Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,

For I am His and He is mine, Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death, This is the power of Christ in me; From life’s first cry to final breath,

Jesus commands my destiny. No power of hell, no scheme of man, Can ever pluck me from His hand; Till He returns or calls me home,

Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand! Call to Confession of Sin John 13:34-35 A new command I give to you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. Corporate Confession of Sin based on Galatians 5:16-23 Leader: Jesus said that a tree would be known by its fruit: People: But we confess that we have not always walked by the Spirit, preventing its fruit from bearing in our lives. Leader: The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, and peace: People: But we have not shown love for God or man; we have not relied upon the joy of the Lord for our strength; we have not rested in the peace of our reconciliation with God. Leader: The fruit of the Spirit is patience, kindness, and goodness: People: But we have not even tolerated one another in love; we have not shown others the grace that has been shown to us through Christ; we have pursued others with malice in our heart. Leader: The fruit of the Spirit is faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control: People: But we have broken our promises; we have boasted in our triumphs; we have indulged sinful passions. Gracious Savior, please forgive our obedience to the desires of the flesh; cultivate in us a craving to live by the Spirit, to produce fruit that is good, to yield forth abundantly from the plentiful treasure of the Spirit. Assurance of Pardon in Christ Ephesians 1:7-8 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight. Worship with Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs #468 My Faith Has Found a Resting Place Edmunds

My faith has found a resting place from guilt my soul is freed I trust the Everliving One, His wounds for me shall plead.

I need no other argument I need no other plea,

It is enough that Jesus died, and that He died for me.

Enough, for me that Jesus saves, this ends my fear and doubt, A sinful soul I come to Him, He'll never cast me out.

My heart is leaning on the Word, the written Word of God, Salvation by my Savior's name, salvation through His blood.

My great Physician heals the sick, the lost He came to save; For me His precious blood he shed, for me His life he gave.

We Fall Down Tomlin

We fall down, we lay our crowns at the feet of Jesus, The greatness of mercy and love at the feet of Jesus.

And we cry holy, holy, holy

We cry holy, holy, holy We cry holy, holy, holy is the Lamb.

#650 I Will Sing of My Redeemer Ortega

I will sing of my Redeemer, and His wondrous love to me: On the cruel cross He suffered, from the curse to set me free.

Sing, O sing of my Redeemer! With His blood He purchased me,

On the cross He sealed my pardon, paid the debt and made me free.

I will tell the wondrous story, how my lost estate to save, In His boundless love and mercy, He the ransom freely gave.

I will praise my dear Redeemer, His triumphant power I’ll tell,

How the victory He giveth over sin and death and hell. Prayers of Thanksgiving & Petition Offering Sermon3 Pastor Tommy Lee Series: “Come to me… and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28) XXXIX. What’s the Deal with All These Parables? Matthew 13:1-9 (& 13:10-17) The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper A Word About Communion - The bread and juice you see on the Communion table may not look like much to the casual observer. In fact, it is merely bread and juice. What makes this meal special is that the Lord Jesus Christ is spiritually present in a unique way. This sacrament is not something to be taken lightly but neither is it a time to be somber; rather, we should be filled with thankfulness and joy. Our Savior, out of His great mercy, bids His people to come to this meal. If you are a member of a church who embraces the Gospel of Jesus Christ and are at peace with your fellow Christians, we welcome you to this table. Come and consider with us our Lord’s body and shed blood symbolized in the bread and juice. Rejoice with us in our union with Him and with each other as His Covenant people. 3 4, 5, & 6 year-old children may be dismissed before the sermon to Godly Play in room 173.

Search Me, Know Me Rainey/Scott

Search me, know me, try me and see Every worthless affection hidden in me.

All I’m asking for Is that You’d cleanse me, Lord.

Create in me a heart that’s clean,

Conquer the power of secret shame, Come wash away the guilty stain

Of all my sin.

Clothe me in robes of righteousness, Cover my nakedness with grace All of my life before You now

I humbly bring. Benediction4 Isaiah 61:6; Ephesians 1:18 Hear the word of the Lord: In favor I will show you compassion, so that men may bring you the wealth of nations; In favor I will enlighten the eyes of your heart, that you might fully understand the hope to which he called you, even the glorious inheritance of the saints. Doxology Old 100th

Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above ye heavenly host,

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.

4 Just as God called us into His presence at the beginning, so now He commands His blessing upon us as we depart. We look up and extend our hands in a posture of thanksgiving as we receive this great gift. Our final response to God’s assurance of His peace and presence upon those who are in Christ is a chorus of joyful song.