Service for March 30, 2025

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Welcome

Call to Worship

How lovely is Your tabernacle,

O LORD of hosts!

2 My soul longs, yes, even faints

For the courts of the LORD;

My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Psalm 84:1-2

Hymn # 345 Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken

1 Glorious things of thee are spoken,

Zion, city of our God;

he whose word cannot be broken

formed thee for his own abode:

on the Rock of Ages founded,

what can shake thy sure repose?

With salvation's walls surrounded,

thou may'st smile at all thy foes.

2 See, the streams of living waters,

springing from eternal love,

well supply thy sons and daughters,

and all fear of want remove;

who can faint, while such a river

ever flows their thirst t'assuage?–

grace which, like the Lord, the giver,

never fails from age to age.

3 Round each habitation hov'ring,

see the cloud and fire appear

for a glory and a cov'ring,

showing that the Lord is near:

thus deriving from their banner

light by night and shade by day,

safe they feed upon the manna

which he gives them when they pray.

4 Savior, if of Zion's city

I, through grace, a member am,

let the world deride or pity,

I will glory in thy name:

fading is the worldling's pleasure,

all his boasted pomp and show;

solid joys and lasting treasure

none but Zion's children know.

Call To Confession

Our Lord Jesus says, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ And also, ‘Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.’

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us... If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” Let us, therefore, confess ours sins to the Lord, saying together:

1 John 1:8 (NKJV)

Confession of Sins

Almighty and Gracious Father, we confess to you that we have sinned by not loving you with our whole heart and by not loving our neighbor as ourselves. Our faith is weak, and we easily give in to doubt. Forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness in thought, word and deed. For we ask this in the name of your Son, who is our sure Redeemer and our Savior. Amen.

Word of Assurance

Brothers and Sisters in Jesus, our Gracious Heavenly Father has forgiven us our sins according to His word that "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."

Colossians 1:13–14

Doxology # 731

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;

praise him, all creatures here below;

praise him above, ye heav'nly host;

praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Scripture Lesson: Ephesians 2:11-3:13

Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

3 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles— 2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: 6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, 7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.

8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; 10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. 13 Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

Sermon

Hymn # 305 Arise, My Soul, Arise

1 Arise, my soul, arise,

shake off your guilty fears:

the bleeding Sacrifice

in my behalf appears:

before the throne my Surety stands,

before the throne my Surety stands,

my name is written on his hands.

2 He ever lives above,

for me to intercede,

his all-redeeming love,

his precious blood to plead;

his blood atoned for ev'ry race,

his blood atoned for ev'ry race,

and sprinkles now the throne of grace.

3 Five bleeding wounds he bears,

received on Calvary;

they pour effectual prayers,

they strongly plead for me.

"Forgive him, O forgive," they cry,

"Forgive him, O forgive," they cry,

"nor let that ransomed sinner die!"

4 My God is reconciled;

his pard'ning voice I hear;

he owns me for his child,

I can no longer fear;

with confidence I now draw nigh,

with confidence I now draw nigh,

and "Father, Abba, Father!" cry.

Prayer of the Church with the Lord’s Prayer

Let us pray together as Jesus taught us:

“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 – In Christ Alone

1 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.

2 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.

3 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

4 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!

Benediction