The Lord’s Day ~ March 26, 2023
The Preparation for Worship
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Prelude and Silent Prayer
Welcome and Announcements
The Adoration of God
Call to Worship – Psalm 7:17
*Psalm of Praise – Psalm 7B, ARP Psalter
Speaker: The LORD is in His holy temple,
All: Let all the earth keep silence before Him. (Habakkuk 2:20)
*The Invocation and 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.
*The Hymn of Exaltation – Hymn 164, vv. 1-4
(O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing)
The Responsive Reading – Psalm 73, p. 811
*The Response of Praise (Soldiers of Christ, Arise)
Soldiers of Christ, arise, and put your armor on,
Strong in the strength that God supplies, through his eternal Son.
Strong in the Lord of Hosts, and in his mighty pow'r,
Who in the strength of Jesus trusts is more than conqueror.
The Confession of Sin
The Call to Repentance – Romans 6:1-4
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
The Prayer of Confession (a moment of silent confession)
Heavenly Father, your word reveals to us the greatness of your majesty. You are enthroned over all the earth. You are worshiped by the angels, and You are holy, holy, holy. Woe to us, O Lord, for we are undone. We have sinned against your majesty. Instead of praising You and speaking the truth about You, our lips have uttered unclean things. We are indeed a people of unclean lips. Because of our sins, we deserve death. Forgive us, O Lord, according to your great compassion. Cleanse us of our sins by your atoning work we pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen. (Isaiah 6)
The Assurance of Pardon – Colossians 2:13,14 “And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”
*The Hymn of Gratitude – Hymn 521
(My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less)
The Means of GraceThe Pastoral Prayer
The Worship of Giving (The offering plate is in the back of the sanctuary)
*The Doxology 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.
*The Prayer of Dedication
The Scripture – 2 Timothy 4:16-22
The Sermon – The Lord Stood with Me
The Response and Blessing
*The Hymn of Consecration – Hymn 605
(All the Way My Savior Leads Me)
*The Benediction
*Congregation Standing
Announcements
We welcome all who are visiting with us today. The Pastor and elders are available after the service to pray with you, to speak with you about salvation or church membership. Parents are encouraged to keep children in the worship service. A nursery is available if needed.
Our prayer meeting is held on Wednesday @ 7:00 at the church.
-------------------------------
Westminster Confession of Faith - The Perseverance of the Saints
I. They, whom God hath accepted in His Beloved, effectually called, and sanctified by His Spirit, can neither totally, nor finally, fall away from the state of grace: but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved.
II. This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father; upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ; the abiding of the Spirit, and of the seed of God within them; and the nature of the covenant of grace: from all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility thereof.
III. Nevertheless, they may, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, the prevalence of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means of their preservation, fall into grievous sins; and, for a time, continue therein: whereby they incur God’s displeasure, and grieve His Holy Spirit, come to be deprived of some measure of their graces and comforts, have their hearts hardened, and their consciences wounded, hurt and scandalize others and bring temporal judgments upon themselves.
---------------------
"And the Lord will preserve me for his heavenly kingdom."
He means that this alone is true salvation, when the Lord, either by life or by death, conducts us into his kingdom. This is a remarkable passage for maintaining the uninterrupted communication of the grace of God, in opposition to the Papists. After having confessed that the beginning of salvation is from God, they ascribe the continuation of it to freewill; so that in this way perseverance is not a heavenly gift, but a virtue of man. And Paul, by ascribing to God this work of "preserving us to his kingdom," openly affirms that we are guided by his hand during the whole course of our life, till, having discharged the whole of our warfare, we obtain the victory. (John Calvin)
The Preparation for Worship
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Prelude and Silent Prayer
Welcome and Announcements
The Adoration of God
Call to Worship – Psalm 7:17
*Psalm of Praise – Psalm 7B, ARP Psalter
Speaker: The LORD is in His holy temple,
All: Let all the earth keep silence before Him. (Habakkuk 2:20)
*The Invocation and 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.
*The Hymn of Exaltation – Hymn 164, vv. 1-4
(O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing)
The Responsive Reading – Psalm 73, p. 811
*The Response of Praise (Soldiers of Christ, Arise)
Soldiers of Christ, arise, and put your armor on,
Strong in the strength that God supplies, through his eternal Son.
Strong in the Lord of Hosts, and in his mighty pow'r,
Who in the strength of Jesus trusts is more than conqueror.
The Confession of Sin
The Call to Repentance – Romans 6:1-4
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
The Prayer of Confession (a moment of silent confession)
Heavenly Father, your word reveals to us the greatness of your majesty. You are enthroned over all the earth. You are worshiped by the angels, and You are holy, holy, holy. Woe to us, O Lord, for we are undone. We have sinned against your majesty. Instead of praising You and speaking the truth about You, our lips have uttered unclean things. We are indeed a people of unclean lips. Because of our sins, we deserve death. Forgive us, O Lord, according to your great compassion. Cleanse us of our sins by your atoning work we pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen. (Isaiah 6)
The Assurance of Pardon – Colossians 2:13,14 “And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”
*The Hymn of Gratitude – Hymn 521
(My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less)
The Means of GraceThe Pastoral Prayer
The Worship of Giving (The offering plate is in the back of the sanctuary)
*The Doxology 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.
*The Prayer of Dedication
The Scripture – 2 Timothy 4:16-22
The Sermon – The Lord Stood with Me
The Response and Blessing
*The Hymn of Consecration – Hymn 605
(All the Way My Savior Leads Me)
*The Benediction
*Congregation Standing
Announcements
We welcome all who are visiting with us today. The Pastor and elders are available after the service to pray with you, to speak with you about salvation or church membership. Parents are encouraged to keep children in the worship service. A nursery is available if needed.
Our prayer meeting is held on Wednesday @ 7:00 at the church.
-------------------------------
Westminster Confession of Faith - The Perseverance of the Saints
I. They, whom God hath accepted in His Beloved, effectually called, and sanctified by His Spirit, can neither totally, nor finally, fall away from the state of grace: but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved.
II. This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father; upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ; the abiding of the Spirit, and of the seed of God within them; and the nature of the covenant of grace: from all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility thereof.
III. Nevertheless, they may, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, the prevalence of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means of their preservation, fall into grievous sins; and, for a time, continue therein: whereby they incur God’s displeasure, and grieve His Holy Spirit, come to be deprived of some measure of their graces and comforts, have their hearts hardened, and their consciences wounded, hurt and scandalize others and bring temporal judgments upon themselves.
---------------------
"And the Lord will preserve me for his heavenly kingdom."
He means that this alone is true salvation, when the Lord, either by life or by death, conducts us into his kingdom. This is a remarkable passage for maintaining the uninterrupted communication of the grace of God, in opposition to the Papists. After having confessed that the beginning of salvation is from God, they ascribe the continuation of it to freewill; so that in this way perseverance is not a heavenly gift, but a virtue of man. And Paul, by ascribing to God this work of "preserving us to his kingdom," openly affirms that we are guided by his hand during the whole course of our life, till, having discharged the whole of our warfare, we obtain the victory. (John Calvin)
The ARP Church has published a Psalter in conjunction with Crown and Covenant Publications. Read here about the Preface and History of Psalm singing in the ARPC.
