Welcome
Call to Worship
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
Praise Him in the heights!
Psalm 148:1 (NKJV)
Hymn # 110 Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah
1 Hallelujah, praise Jehovah, from the heavens praise his name; praise Jehovah in the highest, all his angels, praise proclaim. All his hosts, together praise him, sun and moon and stars on high; praise him, O you heavens of heav’ns, and you floods above the sky.
Refrain: Let them praises give Jehovah, for his name alone is high, and his glory is exalted, and his glory is exalted, and his glory is exalted, far above the earth and sky.
2 Let them praises give Jehovah, they were made at his command; them forever he established, his decree shall ever stand. From the earth, O praise Jehovah, all you seas, you monsters all, fire and hail and snow and vapors, stormy winds that hear his call. [Refrain]
3 All you fruitful trees and cedars, all you hills and mountains high; creeping things and beasts and cattle, birds that in the heavens fly, kings of earth, and all you people, princes great, earth's judges all; praise his name, young men and maidens, aged men, and children small. [Refrain]
Call To Confession
And God spoke all these words, saying:
2“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 You shall not make for yourself a carved image...5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.
7 You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
12 Honor your father and your mother.
13 You shall not murder.
14 You shall not commit adultery.
15 You shall not steal.
16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 You shall not desire...anything that is your neighbor’s.
I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.
For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You
In a time when You may be found.
Psalm 32:5–6 (NKJV)
Confession of Sins
Let us, therefore, confess our sin, saying together:
“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me... Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities” through Jesus your Son. Amen.
Word of Assurance
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
Psalm 103:11–13 (NKJV)
Song of Renewal
Gracious God my heart renew,
Make my spirit right and true;
Cast me not away from thee,
Let thy Spirit dwell in me;
Thy salvation's joy impart.
Steadfast make my willing heart.
#486, stanza 5 (Ps 51:10-11)
Scripture Lesson and Sermon:
Luke 21:5–34 (NKJV, mod. JDK)
The Temple will be Destroyed
5 Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations, He said, 6 “These things which you see—the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down.” 7 So they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?”
Precursors to the End of the Temple
8 And He said: “Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time has drawn near.’ Therefore do not go after them. 9 But when you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but not immediately the end.”
10 Then He said to them, “People will rise against people, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 And there will be great shakings in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. 12 But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake. 13 But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. 14 Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.
16 You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. 17 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. 18 But not a hair of your head shall be lost. 19 By your steadfastness hold on to your lives!
The End of the Temple and City
20 But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. 22 For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
23 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. 24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all peoples. And Jerusalem will be trampled by the peoples until the times of the peoples are fulfilled.
Seeing the Son of Man Coming
25 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the land anguish of peoples, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the civilized world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”
In that Generation
29 Then He spoke to them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. 31 So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.32 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
Hymn # 368 The Ends of All the Earth Shall Hear
1 The ends of all the earth shall hear and turn unto the Lord in fear; all kindreds of the earth shall own and worship him as God alone.
Refrain: All earth to him her homage brings, the Lord of lords, the King of kings.
2 For his the kingdom, his of right, he rules the nations by his might; all earth to him her homage brings, the Lord of lords, the King of kings. [Refrain]
3 Both rich and poor, both bond and free, shall worship him on bended knee, and children's children shall proclaim the glorious honor of his name. [Refrain]
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 # 642 Be Thou My Vision
1 Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart; naught be all else to me, save that thou art - thou my best thought, by day or by night, waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
2 Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word; I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord; thou my great Father, I thy true son; thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.
3 Be thou my battle shield, sword for my fight; be thou my dignity, thou my delight, thou my soul's shelter, thou my high tow'r; raise thou me heav'n-ward, O Pow'r of my pow'r.
4 Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise, thou mine inheritance, now and always: thou and thou only, first in my heart, High King of Heaven, my treasure thou art.
5 High King of heaven, my victory won, may I reach heaven's joys, O bright heav'n's Sun! Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, still be my vision, O Ruler of all.
Benediction
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