Welcome
Call to Worship
O Israel, hope in the Lord;
For with the Lord there is mercy,
And with Him is abundant redemption.
And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Psalm 130:7–8 (NKJV)
Hymn # 97 We Praise You, O God, Our Redeemer, Creator
1 We praise you, O God, our Redeemer, Creator, in grateful devotion our tribute we bring. We lay it before you, we kneel and adore you; we bless your holy name, glad praises we sing. 2 We worship you, God of our fathers, we bless you; through life's storm and tempest our Guide you have been. When perils o'ertake us, escape you will make us, and with your help, O Lord, our battles we win. 3 With voices united our praises we offer, to you, great Jehovah, glad anthems we raise. Your strong arm will guide us, our God is beside us, to you, our great Redeemer, forever be praise.
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 Lessons:
Titus 1:5–9 (NKJV):
5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you—
6 if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination.
7 For a bishop (overseer) must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money,
8 but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled,
9 holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.
Sermon
Hymn # 338 Spirit of God, Descend upon My Heart
1 Spirit of God, descend upon my heart; wean it from earth, through all its pulses move; stoop to my weakness, mighty as thou art, and make me love thee as I ought to love.
2 I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies, no sudden rending of the veil of clay, no angel visitant, no op'ning skies; but take the dimness of my soul away.
3 Hast thou not bid us love thee, God and King? All, all thine own, soul, heart, and strength and mind. I see thy cross– there teach my heart to cling: O let me seek thee, and O let me find.
4 Teach me to feel that thou art always nigh; teach me the struggles of the soul to bear, to check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh; teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.
5 Teach me to love thee as thine angels love, one holy passion filling all my frame: the baptism of the heav'n-descended Dove, my heart an altar, and thy love the flame.
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.”
Nicene Creed (Trinity Hymnal p. 846)
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried; and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father; and he shall come again, with glory, to judge both the living and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets; and we believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church; we acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Hymn # 305 Arise, My Soul, Arise (1 and 3)
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.
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!"
The Lord's Supper
Hymn # 305 Arise, My Soul, Arise (2 and 4)
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.
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.
Benediction
