The Lord’s Day
July 22, 2007
Prelude
Apostolic Greeting
*Call to Worship Psalm 71:16-19
Minister: I will come with the mighty deeds of the Lord God; I will make mention of Your righteousness, Yours alone.
Congregation: O God, You have taught me from my youth, and I still declare Your wondrous deeds.
Minister: And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come.
Congregation: For Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You?
*Gloria Patri No. 734
*Prayer of Invocation
*Hymn O Come, My Soul, Bless Thou the Lord No. 6
Public Confession
All: As Your people, heavenly Father, we know we are called to be holy as You are holy. We confess that we sometimes give way to sin and stray from the path of righteousness. We sometimes sin in our speech by using words in ways that tear down rather than edify.
We sometimes sin in our minds by giving room to immoral thoughts or thoughts of vengeance. In our hearts, we sometimes harbor uncharitable opinions of those for whom Christ died.
We sometimes sin through complacency. Instead of pursuing our duties with eagerness, we delay or pass our responsibilities to another. Sometimes we allow ourselves to indulge in self-pity, rather than give ourselves in service to others.
In all these matters, heavenly Father, we need Your help. We need the help of Your Spirit, who alone can change our disposition and give us desires for what is good, right, and edifying. Forgive us, therefore, for all our transgressions this past week. Help us to mourn for our sin and to rejoice in righteous living.
Children: Forgive us for not being thankful to You and to our parents. Forgive us for not obeying with a glad heart. Help us to please You in all things.
Words of Assurance Colossians 2:6-10
As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority.
Response Searcher of Hearts (inside front)
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 The Larger Catechism (33-35)
Was the covenant of grace always administered after one and the same manner?
The covenant of grace was not always administered after the same manner, but the administrations of it under the Old Testament were different from those under the New.
How was the covenant of grace administered under the Old Testament?
The covenant of grace was administered under the Old Testament by promises, prophecies, sacrifices, circumcision, the passover, and other types and ordinances, which did all foresignify Christ then to come, and were for that time sufficient to build up the elect in faith in the promised Messiah, by whom they then had full remission of sin, and eternal salvation.
How is the covenant of grace administered under the New Testament?
Under the New Testament, when Christ the substance was exhibited, the same covenant of grace was and still is to be administered in the preaching of the Word, and the administration of the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper; in which grace and salvation are held forth in more fullness, evidence, and efficacy, to all nations.
Pastoral Prayer
*Responsive Reading Proverbs 11:16-31
A gracious woman attains honor,
And ruthless men attain riches.
The merciful man does himself good,
But the cruel man does himself harm.
The wicked earns deceptive wages,
But he who sows righteousness gets a true reward.
He who is steadfast in righteousness will attain to life,
And he who pursues evil will bring about his own death.
The perverse in heart are an abomination to the Lord,
But the blameless in their walk are His delight.
Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished,
But the descendants of the righteous will be delivered.
As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout so is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.
The desire of the righteous is only good while the expectation of the wicked is wrath.
There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more,
And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want.
The generous man will be prosperous,
And he who waters will himself be watered.
He who withholds grain, the people will curse him,
But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.
He who diligently seeks good seeks favor,
But he who seeks evil, evil will come to him.
He who trusts in his riches will fall,
But the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.
He who troubles his own house will inherit wind,
And the foolish will be servant to the wise-hearted.
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life and he who is wise wins souls.
If the righteous will be rewarded in the earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner!
*Hymn Wondrous King, All-Glorious No. 166
*Public Reading of the Word 1 Corinthians 11
*Prayer for the Ministry of the Word
Sermon Matthew 9:14-26
Hymn Jesus! What a Friend for Sinners! No. 498
Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper+
*Hymn And Can It Be That I Should Gain No. 455
*Benediction
*Threefold Amen No. 740
* Congregation will please stand
+ Visitors: please see the note on the back of this bulletin