The Lord’s Day

March 7, 2010

 

Sing to God, sing praises to His name; lift up a song for Him who rides through the deserts,

Whose name is the Lord, and exult before Him.

(Psalm 68:4)

 

Prelude

 

Apostolic Greeting

 

*Call to Worship Psalm 146:1, 2

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

I will praise the Lord while I live;

I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

 

*Gloria Patri         No. 734

 

*Prayer of Invocation

 

*Hymn   Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah   No. 110

 

  Public Confession

The knowledge of Your forgiveness fills our hearts with peace, O God. Forgive us, therefore, for our destructive words. Forgive us for being selfish, rather than rejoicing in Your mercy. In Christ, You have given us the gift of faith, yet we sometimes doubt Your promises; forgive us, Father, for such offenses. Help us to walk righteously through all our days.

 

Words of Assurance      Hebrews 4:14-16

Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

 

Response    Searcher of Hearts   (facing page)

 

Prayer for the Tithe and Offerings

 

Collection of the Tithe and Offerings

 

*Doxology No. 731

 

*Declaring Our Faith[†]  The Catechism of the Church in Geneva

How should we define saving faith?

Saving faith is a sure and steadfast knowledge of the paternal goodwill of God toward us, as He declares in the gospel that for the sake of Christ He will be our Father and Savior.

Do we conceive faith of ourselves, or do we receive it from God?

Scripture teaches that faith is the special gift of God, and our experience confirms this teaching.

 

  Pastoral Prayer

 

*Responsive Reading     The Law of God

Then God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me.”

For us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him. (1 Corinthians 8:6)

“You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”

Little children, guard yourselves from idols. (1 John 5:21)

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.”

“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.’” (Matthew 6:9)

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.”

There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. (Hebrews 4:9, 10)

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.”

Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord. (Colossians 3:20)

 

 

“You shall not murder.”

Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Romans 13:8, 9)

“You shall not commit adultery.”

Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge. (Hebrews 13:4)

“You shall not steal.”

Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need. (Ephesians 4:28)

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. (Ephesians 4:25)

“You shall not covet.”

Do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you, as is proper among saints. (Ephesians 5:3)

 

*Hymn   Let Children Hear the Mighty Deeds   No. 364

 

*Public Reading of the Word       The Gospel of John 15:1–15

 

*Prayer for the Ministry of the Word

 

Sermon   Covenant Theology:

        The Covenant of Grace (part 2)

      Genesis 12, 15, 17

 

Hymn    Thou Who Wast Rich beyond All Splendor No. 230

 

Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper

 

Hymn   The God of Abraham Praise   No. 34

 

*Benediction

 

*Threefold Amen       No. 740

 

 

* Congregation will please stand

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



[†] Some modifications have been made to the original text for use in this bulletin.