The Lord’s Day

April 15, 2007

  Prelude

  Apostolic Greeting

*Call to Worship                                                 Psalm 146:8-10

Minister: The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; the Lord raises up those who are bowed down;

Congregation: The Lord loves the righteous; the Lord protects the strangers;

Minister: He supports the fatherless and the widow,

Congregation: But He thwarts the way of the wicked.

Minister: The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations.

Congregation: Praise the Lord!

*Gloria Patri                                                                      No. 734

*Prayer of Invocation

*Hymns        Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah, O My Soul     No. 57

Holy, Holy, Holy!                     No. 100

  Public Confession

We come before You, O God, bearing the burden of our sins. We come to You because You alone are able to forgive our transgressions and give us peace again.

Forgive, therefore, those sins we well remember as we consider our walk this past week. In our speech and conduct, we know we did not always keep Your Word. Make us eager to confess our transgressions so that we might continue living for Your glory.

And forgive those sins we committed in ignorance because we have failed to study Your Word as we should. In our neglect and apathy, we know we sometimes broke Your commandments. Cause us never to be at ease with sin of any kind.

  Words of Assurance                                                  Titus 3:3-7

We also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

  Response                         Amazing Grace   (inside front cover)

  Prayer for the Tithe and Offerings

  Collection of the Tithe and Offerings

*Doxology                                                                          No. 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.

*Declaring Our Faith                    Westminster Confession (The Last Judgment)

What does the Scripture teach concerning a last judgment?

The Scripture teaches that God has appointed a day wherein He will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ, to whom all power and judgment is given of the Father.

Who is subject to the last judgment?

On that day, not only the apostate angels shall be judged, but likewise all persons that have lived upon earth shall appear before the tribunal of Christ to give an account of their thoughts, words, and deeds; and to receive according to what they have done in the body, whether good or evil.

What is the purpose of the last judgment?

The end of God’s appointing this day is for the manifestation of the glory of His mercy, in the eternal salvation of the elect; and of His justice, in the damnation of the reprobate, who are wicked and disobedient.

  Pastoral Prayer

*Responsive Reading                                      Proverbs 4:13-27

Take hold of instruction; do not let go.

Guard her, for she is your life.

Do not enter the path of the wicked and do not proceed in the way of evil men.

Avoid it, do not pass by it; turn away from it and pass on.

For they cannot sleep unless they do evil;

And they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.

For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day.

The way of the wicked is like darkness;

They do not know over what they stumble.

My son, give attention to my words;

Incline your ear to my sayings.

Do not let them depart from your sight; keep them in the midst of your heart.

For they are life to those who find them and health to all their body.

Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.

Put away from you a deceitful mouth and put devious speech far from you.

Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.

Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established.

Do not turn to the right nor to the left;

Turn your foot from evil.

*Hymn         Teach Me, O Lord, Your Way of Truth  No. 149

*Public Reading of the Word                                    Romans 13

*Prayer for the Ministry of the Word

  Sermon                                                                                          

  Hymn                     Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me              No. 500

  Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper⁺

*Hymn                    Faithful to All Generations (see facing page)

*Benediction

*Threefold Amen                                                               No. 740

* Congregation will please stand

⁺ Visitors: please see the note on the back of this bulletin