241020 – Worship Bulletin
Why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. (Psalm 1:1-2)
Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
The Voluntary for Silent Prayer
*Call to Worship: Deuteronomy 6:4-6, 13
Minister: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
People: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Minister: And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart….
People: It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve.”
Unison: Come, let us sing and praise our God!
*Hymn of Adoration: “Stand Up and Bless the Lord” (No. 15, Tune: “Festal Song”)
1 Stand up and bless the Lord,
you people of his choice;
stand up and bless the Lord your God
with heart and soul and voice.
2 Though high above all praise,
above all blessing high,
who would not fear God's holy name,
and laud and magnify?
3 O for the living flame
from his own altar brought,
to touch our lips, our minds inspire,
and wing to heav'n our thought!
4 God is our strength and song,
and his salvation ours;
then be his love in Christ proclaimed
with all our ransomed pow'rs.
5 Stand up and bless the Lord,
the Lord your God adore;
stand up and bless his glorious name
henceforth forevermore.
(CCLI 3036374)
*Prayer of Adoration and Congregational Invocation
Unison: Lord of immortality, before whom angels bow and archangels veil their faces: stir up your power, and with great might, come among us. You who are Spirit and require truth in the inward parts, help us to worship you in spirit and in truth. You who are righteous, let us not harbor sin in our hearts, or indulge a worldly appetite, or seek satisfaction in things that perish. Grant us grace that we might taste and see that you are supremely good; through Jesus Christ our Lord, in whom are found all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Amen.
*Confession of Faith: Westminster Confession of Faith, 6.6, 8.5
Minister: What do you believe concerning sin?
People: Every sin—both original and actual—is a transgression of the righteous law of God and contrary to it. Therefore, every sin in its own nature brings guilt upon the sinner, on account of which he is bound over to the holy wrath of God and the curse of the law. Consequently, he is subject to death, with all miseries—spiritual, temporal, and eternal.
Minister: What do you believe concerning Christ, the Mediator?
People: The Lord Jesus, by his perfect obedience and sacrifice of himself—which he through the eternal Spirit once offered up to God—has fully satisfied the justice of his Father. He purchased not only reconciliation but also an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven for all those whom the Father has given to him.
All: Thanks be to God!
*Gloria (Tune: “Lauda Anima”)
Glory be to him who loved us,
washed us from each spot and stain;
glory be to him who bought us,
made us kings with him to reign!
Glory, blessing, praise eternal
to the Lamb that once was slain!
Psalter Reading: Psalm 19
Minister: The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
People: Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.
Minister: There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.
People: Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.
Minister: In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
People: It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.
Minister: The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.
People: The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
Minister: The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.
People: The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
Minister: The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.
People: The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous.
Minister: They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
People: They are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.
Minister: By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
People: Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.
Minister: Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.
People: Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
Minister: May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Hymn of Thanksgiving: “God, All Nature Sings Thy Glory” (No. 122)
1 God, all nature sings thy glory,
and thy works proclaim thy might;
ordered vastness in the heavens,
ordered course of day and night;
beauty in the changing seasons,
beauty in the storming sea;
all the changing moods of nature
praise the changeless Trinity,
2 Clearer still we see thy hand
in man whom thou hast made for thee;
ruler of creation's glory,
image of thy majesty.
Music, art, the fruitful garden,
all the labor of his days,
are the calling of his Maker
to the harvest feast of praise.
3 But our sins have spoiled thine image,
nature, conscience only serve
as unceasing, grim reminders
of the wrath which we deserve.
Yet thy grace and saving mercy
in thy Word of truth revealed
claim the praise of all who know thee,
in the blood of Jesus sealed.
4 God of glory, power, mercy,
all creation praises thee;
we, thy creatures, would adore thee
now and through eternity.
Saved to magnify thy goodness,
grant us strength to do thy will;
with our acts as with our voices
thy commandments to fulfill.
CCLI 3036374
The Prayers of Intercession
Unison: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in 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, for ever. Amen.
Minister: Father, we pray for your people throughout the world; for our denomination; for this church; and for all ministers and missionaries. We pray especially for the Mahands in England, the Lees with RUF, and the Mugaris in Zimbabwe, and Mike Osborne with Standing Stone.
People: We pray for the leaders of our nation and all who hold authority, that they would govern according to your truth, and especially that they would resolve to protect the lives of the unborn and defenseless.
Minister: We pray for the world, especially that you would bring peace and justice and deliverance to nations and peoples oppressed by war, by disaster, by tyranny, and by evil. We pray for our brothers and sisters in these places as they offer the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ amid great danger and opposition.
People: We pray for our children and future generations which will be born to them. May the knowledge of you, Lord, fill the earth through them.
Minister: May we have grace to glorify Christ in our own day.
Unison: Lord, hear our prayers.
Silent Prayer
Pastoral Prayer
Word of Encouragement
Minister: For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:33-34)
People: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all this is within me, bless his holy name!
*Hymn of Preparation: “Speak, O Lord” (SH No. 11)
1 Speak, O Lord, as we come to You
To receive the food of your holy word.
Take Your truth, plant it deep in us;
Shape and fashion us in Your likeness,
That the light of Christ might be seen today
In our acts of love and our deeds of faith.
Speak, O Lord, and fulfil in us
All Your purposes, for Your glory.
2 Teach us Lord full obedience,
Holy reverence, true humility.
Test our thoughts and our attitudes
In the radiance of Your purity.
Cause our faith to rise
Cause our eyes to see,
Your majestic love and authority.
Words of power that can never fail;
Let their truth prevail over unbelief.
3 Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds;
Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us.
Truths unchanged from the dawn of time,
That will echo down through eternity.
And by grace we’ll stand on Your promises;
And by faith we’ll walk as You walk with us.
Speak, O Lord, ’til your church is built
And the earth is filled with Your glory.
CCLI 3036374
Worship of God through Tithes and Offerings
*Doxology (Tune: “Lasst Uns Erfreuen”)
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below; Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host:
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost;
O Praise Him! O Praise Him! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
*Prayer of Thanksgiving and Dedication
Reading of The Holy Scriptures: Matthew 15:1-9
Minister: This is the Word of God.
Unison: Thanks be to God for his Word!
The Prayer for Illumination
Sermon: “The Commandments of God and of Men: Part One” (Rev. Seth Wallace)
*Hymn of Response: “Amazing Grace” (No.460)
1 Amazing grace!– how sweet the sound–
that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
was blind, but now I see.
2 'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
and grace my fears relieved;
how precious did that grace appear
the hour I first believed!
3 Thro' many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
'tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
and grace will lead me home.
4 The Lord has promised good to me,
his Word my hope secures;
he will my shield and portion be,
as long as life endures.
5 And when this flesh and heart shall fail,
and mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil
a life of joy and peace.
6 When we've been there ten thousand years,
bright shining as the sun,
we've no less days to sing God's praise
than when we've first begun.
*The Benediction
Postlude
*Denotes congregation standing, if able.
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. (Psalm 1:1-2)
Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
The Voluntary for Silent Prayer
*Call to Worship: Deuteronomy 6:4-6, 13
Minister: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
People: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Minister: And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart….
People: It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve.”
Unison: Come, let us sing and praise our God!
*Hymn of Adoration: “Stand Up and Bless the Lord” (No. 15, Tune: “Festal Song”)
1 Stand up and bless the Lord,
you people of his choice;
stand up and bless the Lord your God
with heart and soul and voice.
2 Though high above all praise,
above all blessing high,
who would not fear God's holy name,
and laud and magnify?
3 O for the living flame
from his own altar brought,
to touch our lips, our minds inspire,
and wing to heav'n our thought!
4 God is our strength and song,
and his salvation ours;
then be his love in Christ proclaimed
with all our ransomed pow'rs.
5 Stand up and bless the Lord,
the Lord your God adore;
stand up and bless his glorious name
henceforth forevermore.
(CCLI 3036374)
*Prayer of Adoration and Congregational Invocation
Unison: Lord of immortality, before whom angels bow and archangels veil their faces: stir up your power, and with great might, come among us. You who are Spirit and require truth in the inward parts, help us to worship you in spirit and in truth. You who are righteous, let us not harbor sin in our hearts, or indulge a worldly appetite, or seek satisfaction in things that perish. Grant us grace that we might taste and see that you are supremely good; through Jesus Christ our Lord, in whom are found all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Amen.
*Confession of Faith: Westminster Confession of Faith, 6.6, 8.5
Minister: What do you believe concerning sin?
People: Every sin—both original and actual—is a transgression of the righteous law of God and contrary to it. Therefore, every sin in its own nature brings guilt upon the sinner, on account of which he is bound over to the holy wrath of God and the curse of the law. Consequently, he is subject to death, with all miseries—spiritual, temporal, and eternal.
Minister: What do you believe concerning Christ, the Mediator?
People: The Lord Jesus, by his perfect obedience and sacrifice of himself—which he through the eternal Spirit once offered up to God—has fully satisfied the justice of his Father. He purchased not only reconciliation but also an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven for all those whom the Father has given to him.
All: Thanks be to God!
*Gloria (Tune: “Lauda Anima”)
Glory be to him who loved us,
washed us from each spot and stain;
glory be to him who bought us,
made us kings with him to reign!
Glory, blessing, praise eternal
to the Lamb that once was slain!
Psalter Reading: Psalm 19
Minister: The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
People: Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.
Minister: There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.
People: Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.
Minister: In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
People: It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.
Minister: The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.
People: The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
Minister: The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.
People: The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
Minister: The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.
People: The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous.
Minister: They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
People: They are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.
Minister: By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
People: Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.
Minister: Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.
People: Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
Minister: May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Hymn of Thanksgiving: “God, All Nature Sings Thy Glory” (No. 122)
1 God, all nature sings thy glory,
and thy works proclaim thy might;
ordered vastness in the heavens,
ordered course of day and night;
beauty in the changing seasons,
beauty in the storming sea;
all the changing moods of nature
praise the changeless Trinity,
2 Clearer still we see thy hand
in man whom thou hast made for thee;
ruler of creation's glory,
image of thy majesty.
Music, art, the fruitful garden,
all the labor of his days,
are the calling of his Maker
to the harvest feast of praise.
3 But our sins have spoiled thine image,
nature, conscience only serve
as unceasing, grim reminders
of the wrath which we deserve.
Yet thy grace and saving mercy
in thy Word of truth revealed
claim the praise of all who know thee,
in the blood of Jesus sealed.
4 God of glory, power, mercy,
all creation praises thee;
we, thy creatures, would adore thee
now and through eternity.
Saved to magnify thy goodness,
grant us strength to do thy will;
with our acts as with our voices
thy commandments to fulfill.
CCLI 3036374
The Prayers of Intercession
Unison: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in 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, for ever. Amen.
Minister: Father, we pray for your people throughout the world; for our denomination; for this church; and for all ministers and missionaries. We pray especially for the Mahands in England, the Lees with RUF, and the Mugaris in Zimbabwe, and Mike Osborne with Standing Stone.
People: We pray for the leaders of our nation and all who hold authority, that they would govern according to your truth, and especially that they would resolve to protect the lives of the unborn and defenseless.
Minister: We pray for the world, especially that you would bring peace and justice and deliverance to nations and peoples oppressed by war, by disaster, by tyranny, and by evil. We pray for our brothers and sisters in these places as they offer the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ amid great danger and opposition.
People: We pray for our children and future generations which will be born to them. May the knowledge of you, Lord, fill the earth through them.
Minister: May we have grace to glorify Christ in our own day.
Unison: Lord, hear our prayers.
Silent Prayer
Pastoral Prayer
Word of Encouragement
Minister: For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:33-34)
People: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all this is within me, bless his holy name!
*Hymn of Preparation: “Speak, O Lord” (SH No. 11)
1 Speak, O Lord, as we come to You
To receive the food of your holy word.
Take Your truth, plant it deep in us;
Shape and fashion us in Your likeness,
That the light of Christ might be seen today
In our acts of love and our deeds of faith.
Speak, O Lord, and fulfil in us
All Your purposes, for Your glory.
2 Teach us Lord full obedience,
Holy reverence, true humility.
Test our thoughts and our attitudes
In the radiance of Your purity.
Cause our faith to rise
Cause our eyes to see,
Your majestic love and authority.
Words of power that can never fail;
Let their truth prevail over unbelief.
3 Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds;
Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us.
Truths unchanged from the dawn of time,
That will echo down through eternity.
And by grace we’ll stand on Your promises;
And by faith we’ll walk as You walk with us.
Speak, O Lord, ’til your church is built
And the earth is filled with Your glory.
CCLI 3036374
Worship of God through Tithes and Offerings
*Doxology (Tune: “Lasst Uns Erfreuen”)
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below; Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host:
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost;
O Praise Him! O Praise Him! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
*Prayer of Thanksgiving and Dedication
Reading of The Holy Scriptures: Matthew 15:1-9
Minister: This is the Word of God.
Unison: Thanks be to God for his Word!
The Prayer for Illumination
Sermon: “The Commandments of God and of Men: Part One” (Rev. Seth Wallace)
*Hymn of Response: “Amazing Grace” (No.460)
1 Amazing grace!– how sweet the sound–
that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
was blind, but now I see.
2 'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
and grace my fears relieved;
how precious did that grace appear
the hour I first believed!
3 Thro' many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
'tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
and grace will lead me home.
4 The Lord has promised good to me,
his Word my hope secures;
he will my shield and portion be,
as long as life endures.
5 And when this flesh and heart shall fail,
and mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil
a life of joy and peace.
6 When we've been there ten thousand years,
bright shining as the sun,
we've no less days to sing God's praise
than when we've first begun.
*The Benediction
Postlude
*Denotes congregation standing, if able.
October 19, 2024
