The Lord’s Day ~ March 15, 2020
The Preparation for Worship
For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:36)
Prelude and Silent Prayer
Welcome and Announcements
The Adoration of God
Call to Worship – Psalm 111:1-2
*Psalm of Praise – Psalm 111A, ARP Psalter, vv. 1-3
Speaker: The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
All: To all who call upon Him in truth. (Ps. 145:18)
*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 94, vv. 1-4
(How Firm a Foundation)
The Responsive Reading – Psalm 111, p. 826
*The Response of Praise (All Hail King Jesus, 2x)
All hail King Jesus, all hail Emmanuel,
King of kings, Lord of lords, Bright Morning Star;
And throughout eternity I’ll sing his praises
And I’ll reign with him throughout eternity.
The Confession of Sin
The Call to Repentance - Proverbs 4:4-9
Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote you; she will bring you honor, when you embrace her.
The Prayer of Confession (a moment of silent confession)
Merciful Father, we have become corrupt in our ways and have forgotten the LORD our God. We are guilty of backsliding and have turned away from You. We lie down in our shame, and our reproach covers us. For we have sinned against the LORD our God, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God. We return to You, O LORD, and repent of our sins. We acknowledge our iniquity, that we have transgressed against You. Have mercy on us and pardon all our sins. Through Christ our LORD, Amen. (Jeremiah 3)
The Assurance of Pardon – Acts 3:19 "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord."
*The Hymn of Gratitude – Hymn 529
(Love Divine, All Loves Excelling)
The Means of Grace
The Pastoral Prayer
The Worship of Giving
*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 – John 11:28-45
The Sermon – The Compassion and Power of Christ
The Response and Blessing
*The Hymn of Consecration – Hymn 521
(My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less)
*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 or speak with you about your salvation. Children are encouraged to stay in the sanctuary for worship. A nursery is provided if needed.
A new Bible study for widows and single women will begin on March 17th @ 10:00 a.m. at the home of Rosa Lee Taylor. Elder Brion Holzberger will lead the study on the book of Ephesians. It will meet on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday mornings of the month.
Join us for Prayer Meeting on Wednesday night @ 7:00. Our families need prayer, our church needs prayer, our nation needs prayer. We all need to seek God in humble, believing prayer.
Jesus Wept
We learn, from this passage, what a depth of tender sympathy there is in Christ’s heart towards His people. We read that when our Lord saw Mary weeping, and the Jews also weeping with her, "He groaned in the spirit and was troubled." We read even more than this. He gave outward expression to His feelings — He "wept." He knew perfectly well that the sorrow of the family of Bethany would soon be turned into joy, and that Lazarus in a few minutes would be restored to his sisters. But though he knew all this, he "wept."
This weeping of Christ is deeply instructive. It shows us that it is not sinful to sorrow. Weeping and mourning are sadly trying to flesh and blood, and make us feel the weakness of our mortal nature. But they are not in themselves wrong. Even the Son of God wept. It shows us that deep feeling is not a thing of which we need be ashamed. To be cold and stoical and unmoved in the sight of sorrow is no sign of grace. There is nothing unworthy of a child of God in tears. Even the Son of God could weep. It shows us, above all, that the Savior in whom believers trust is a most tender and feeling Savior. He is one who can be touched with sympathy for our infirmities. When we turn to Him in the hour of trouble, and pour out our hearts before Him, He knows what we go through and can pity. And He is One who never changes. Though He now sits at God’s right hand in heaven, His heart is still the same that it was upon earth. We have an Advocate with the Father, who, when He was upon earth, could weep.
Let us remember these things in daily life, and never be ashamed of walking in our Master’s footsteps. Let us strive to be men and women of a tender heart and a sympathizing spirit. Let us never be ashamed to weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice. Well would it be for the Church and the world if there were more Christians of this stamp and character! The Church would be far more beautiful, and the world be far more happy.
~ J. C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels
The Preparation for Worship
For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:36)
Prelude and Silent Prayer
Welcome and Announcements
The Adoration of God
Call to Worship – Psalm 111:1-2
*Psalm of Praise – Psalm 111A, ARP Psalter, vv. 1-3
Speaker: The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
All: To all who call upon Him in truth. (Ps. 145:18)
*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 94, vv. 1-4
(How Firm a Foundation)
The Responsive Reading – Psalm 111, p. 826
*The Response of Praise (All Hail King Jesus, 2x)
All hail King Jesus, all hail Emmanuel,
King of kings, Lord of lords, Bright Morning Star;
And throughout eternity I’ll sing his praises
And I’ll reign with him throughout eternity.
The Confession of Sin
The Call to Repentance - Proverbs 4:4-9
Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote you; she will bring you honor, when you embrace her.
The Prayer of Confession (a moment of silent confession)
Merciful Father, we have become corrupt in our ways and have forgotten the LORD our God. We are guilty of backsliding and have turned away from You. We lie down in our shame, and our reproach covers us. For we have sinned against the LORD our God, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God. We return to You, O LORD, and repent of our sins. We acknowledge our iniquity, that we have transgressed against You. Have mercy on us and pardon all our sins. Through Christ our LORD, Amen. (Jeremiah 3)
The Assurance of Pardon – Acts 3:19 "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord."
*The Hymn of Gratitude – Hymn 529
(Love Divine, All Loves Excelling)
The Means of Grace
The Pastoral Prayer
The Worship of Giving
*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 – John 11:28-45
The Sermon – The Compassion and Power of Christ
The Response and Blessing
*The Hymn of Consecration – Hymn 521
(My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less)
*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 or speak with you about your salvation. Children are encouraged to stay in the sanctuary for worship. A nursery is provided if needed.
A new Bible study for widows and single women will begin on March 17th @ 10:00 a.m. at the home of Rosa Lee Taylor. Elder Brion Holzberger will lead the study on the book of Ephesians. It will meet on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday mornings of the month.
Join us for Prayer Meeting on Wednesday night @ 7:00. Our families need prayer, our church needs prayer, our nation needs prayer. We all need to seek God in humble, believing prayer.
Jesus Wept
We learn, from this passage, what a depth of tender sympathy there is in Christ’s heart towards His people. We read that when our Lord saw Mary weeping, and the Jews also weeping with her, "He groaned in the spirit and was troubled." We read even more than this. He gave outward expression to His feelings — He "wept." He knew perfectly well that the sorrow of the family of Bethany would soon be turned into joy, and that Lazarus in a few minutes would be restored to his sisters. But though he knew all this, he "wept."
This weeping of Christ is deeply instructive. It shows us that it is not sinful to sorrow. Weeping and mourning are sadly trying to flesh and blood, and make us feel the weakness of our mortal nature. But they are not in themselves wrong. Even the Son of God wept. It shows us that deep feeling is not a thing of which we need be ashamed. To be cold and stoical and unmoved in the sight of sorrow is no sign of grace. There is nothing unworthy of a child of God in tears. Even the Son of God could weep. It shows us, above all, that the Savior in whom believers trust is a most tender and feeling Savior. He is one who can be touched with sympathy for our infirmities. When we turn to Him in the hour of trouble, and pour out our hearts before Him, He knows what we go through and can pity. And He is One who never changes. Though He now sits at God’s right hand in heaven, His heart is still the same that it was upon earth. We have an Advocate with the Father, who, when He was upon earth, could weep.
Let us remember these things in daily life, and never be ashamed of walking in our Master’s footsteps. Let us strive to be men and women of a tender heart and a sympathizing spirit. Let us never be ashamed to weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice. Well would it be for the Church and the world if there were more Christians of this stamp and character! The Church would be far more beautiful, and the world be far more happy.
~ J. C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels
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.
