Call To Worship
We confess the supremacy of God in Christ through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Call to Worship
1In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
4And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5And I said:
“Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
6Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7And he touched my mouth and said:
“Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
8And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said,
“Here I am! Send me.”
From Isaiah 6:1-8
Our Sung Call to Worship
Behold Our God
Confession
We confess our need for mercy through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Confession
Father you have made known to us how great you are for us in Christ and yet we fail to recognize Christ’s preeminence.
We have continued to seek treasure in other places instead of Christ.
We have sought significance in our jobs, our families, in relationships, in money and in status.
We are not stunned by the incredible mystery that Christ is our hope of glory.
We have not desired to present everyone mature in Christ.
Father forgive us.
Father we confess we are often bored with what Christ has done to save sinners.
We have not warned sinners of coming judgment.
We have not taught others about the gospel.
We have not taught our families well.
We have not taught our friends.
We have not taught our co-workers.
We have not loved our neighbors enough to teach them about Jesus.
Father forgive us!
Amen!
Based on Colossians 1:27-29
Our Sung Confession
Did Christ Over Sinners Weep?
Assurance and Peace
We profess our assurance of salvation and peace in Christ through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Profession of Assurance
Remember the Gospel
Why was it necessary for Christ, the Redeemer, to die?
Since death is the punishment for sin, Christ died willingly in our place to deliver us from the power and penalty of sin and bring us back to God. By his substitutionary atoning death, he alone redeems us from hell and gains for us forgiveness of sin, righteousness, and everlasting life.
21“And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds 22he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.”
Based on The New City Catechism and Colossians 1:21-22
Our Sung Profession of Assurance
Forever
Thanksgiving and Petition
We Give Thanks in Prayer and Offer Petitions to God
We express our gratitude to God our Father for Christ’s work on the cross for us and bring our requests before him. In bringing our requests, we confess that we believe God truly is a good father, who cares about our needs and gives us what he knows is best.
We Give Thanks by Giving
We give financial offerings to support the work of the church because of our gratitude to God. By giving we confess we are trusting in God’s provision for us as well.
We Give Thanks in Song
How Firm a Foundation
Scripture Reading
We hear the scripture text of the sermon read.
Colossians 2:1-12
1For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, 3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 5For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. 6Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. 8See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.
Sermon
Colossians 2:9-12 – Spiritual Maturity: A Heart Raised With Christ
Celebration of the Lord’s Supper
This morning we will be celebrating the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper.
If you have trusted Christ as your Lord and Savior, have been baptized and are a member in good standing of a local church we invite you to share in this covenant meal with us.
If you are not able to receive the Lord’s Supper with us, please use this time to meditate on one of the following prayers.
PRAYER FOR THOSE SEARCHING FOR THE TRUTH
Lord Jesus, You claim to be the Way, the Truth and the Life. If what You claim is true, please guide me, teach me and open me to the reality of who You are. Grant that I might be undaunted in my pursuit of knowing You. Give me an understanding of You that is coherent and convincing, and that leads me to the life in You. Amen.
PRAYER OF BELIEF
Lord Jesus I admit that I am weaker and more sinful than I ever dared admit, but through You I am more loved and accepted than I ever dared hope. I thank You for paying my debt on the cross, taking what I deserve in order to purchase my complete forgiveness. Knowing that You have been raised form the dead, I turn form my sins and receive You as My Savior and Lord. Amen.
PRAYER OF COMMITMENT
Lord Jesus, You have called us to follow You in baptism and in a life of committed discipleship in Your church. Grant that I may take the necessary steps to be the one with Your people, and live in the fullness of Your Spirit a local community of Christ followers. Amen.
adapted from D. A. Carson, ed., Worship by the Book (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002)
Sending
Having heard and confessed the Gospel, we are sent into the world on mission in Christ, which we express in both song and spoken word.
Sending Song
Doxology
Benediction
May the LORD keep His everlasting covenant with you,
May He never stop doing good to you,
May He inspire you to fear Him,
May you never turn away from the LORD.
Amen.
Adapted from Jeremiah 32:40