Service for June 15, 2025

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Welcome

Call to Worship

Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.

To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Revelation 1:4b-6

Hymn # 172 Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder

1 Let us love and sing and wonder,

let us praise the Savior's name!

He has hushed the law's loud thunder,

he has quenched Mount Sinai's flame;

he has washed us with his blood,

he has brought us nigh to God.

2 Let us love the Lord who bought us,

pitied us when enemies,

called us by his grace, and taught us,

gave us ears and gave us eyes:

he has washed us with his blood,

he presents our souls to God.

3 Let us sing, though fierce temptation

threaten hard to bear us down!

For the Lord, our strong salvation,

holds in view the conqu'ror's crown;

he who washed us with his blood,

soon will bring us home to God.

4 Let us wonder; grace and justice

join, and point to mercy's store;

when through grace in Christ our trust is,

justice smiles, and asks no more:

he who washed us with his blood,

has secured our way to God.

5 Let us praise, and join the chorus

of the saints enthroned on high;

here they trusted him before us,

now their praises fill the sky:

"You have washed us with your blood;

You are worthy, Lamb of God!"

Call To Confession

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

Romans 12:9–14 (NKJV):

Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord;

Lord, hear my voice!

Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.

If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?

But there is forgiveness with You that You may be feared.

Psalm 130:1–4 (NKJV)

Confession of Sins

Let us, therefore, confess our sin, saying together:

Merciful Heavenly Father, pardon us our many sins; the sins we know and the sins hidden from our conscience. Cleanse us from wrong motives and forgive us for feeble obedience. By your Spirit renew our hearts to love you, our minds to know you, and our wills to obey you. For we ask this mercy in the name of your Son who shed his blood for us. Amen.

Word of Assurance

God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

Romans 5:8–9 (NKJV)

Song of Renewal

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

On Christ the solid rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.

Trinity Hymnal # 521, stanza 1

Scripture Lesson: Ephesians 4:7-16

7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore He says:

“When He ascended on high,

He led captivity captive,

And gave gifts to men.”

9 (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Sermon

Hymn – O Lord, Thou Hast Ascended (Trinity Psalter Hymnal)

1 O Lord, thou hast ascended on high in might to reign;

captivity thou leadest a captive in thy train.

Rich gifts to thee are offered by men who did rebel,

who pray that now Jehovah, their God, with them may dwell.

2 Blest be the Lord who daily our heavy burden bears,

the God of our salvation, who for his people cares.

Our God is near to help us, our God is strong to save;

the Lord alone is able to ransom from the grave.

3 Sing unto God, ye nations, ye kingdoms of the earth;

Sing unto God, all people, and praise his matchless worth.

He rides in royal triumph upon the heav'ns abroad;

he speaks, the mountains tremble before the voice of God.

4 All glory, might, and honor ascribe to God on high;

his arm protects his people who on his pow'r rely.

Forth from thy holy dwelling thine awful glories shine;

thou strengthenest thy people; unending praise be thine.

Prayer of the Church and the Lord’s Prayer

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on 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.”

Hymn # 455 And Can It Be That I Should Gain

1 And can it be that I should gain

an int'rest in the Savior's blood?

Died he for me, who caused his pain?

For me, who him to death pursued?

Amazing love! How can it be

that thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

Refrain:

Amazing love! How can it be

that thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

2 'Tis myst'ry all! Th'Immortal dies:

who can explore his strange design?

In vain the firstborn seraph tries

to sound the depths of love divine.

'Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,

let angel minds inquire no more. [Refrain]

3 He left his Father's throne above

(so free, so infinite his grace!),

humbled himself (so great his love!)

and bled for all his chosen race!

'Tis mercy all, immense and free,

for, O my God, it found out me! [Refrain]

4 Long my imprisoned spirit lay

fast bound in sin and nature's night;

thine eye diffused a quick'ning ray;

I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;

my chains fell off, my heart was free;

I rose, went forth, and followed thee. [Refrain]

5 No condemnation now I dread;

Jesus, and all in him, is mine!

Alive in him, my living Head,

and clothed in righteousness divine,

bold I approach th'eternal throne,

and claim the crown, through Christ, my own. [Refrain]

Benediction