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Baptism of Lillian Nabwiire
Call To Worship
We confess the supremacy of God in Christ through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Call to Worship
Adapted from The Valley of Vision
O Lord God, who inhabits eternity,
The heavens declare Your glory,
The earth Your riches,
The universe is Your temple;
Your presence fills immensity,
Yet because of Your good pleasure,
You create life and communicate happiness.
You have made us what we are,
And given us what we have;
In You we live and move and have our being;
Your providence has set the bounds of our habitation,
And wisely administers all our affairs.
Enable us to see Jesus today.
Uncloud the revelation of Him in Your Word,
Show us His person, character, grace, glory,
Illuminate for us His humiliation, sufferings,
Death and resurrection.
We come to You in the all-prevailing name of Jesus,
Nothing of our own to plead,
No works, no worthiness, no promises.
Enable us to see Jesus today,
That we may serve and enjoy You forever and ever.
Our Sung Call to Worship
Compassion Hymn
Verse 1
There is an everlasting kindness
You lavished on us,
When the radiance of heaven
Came to rescue the lost.
You called the sheep without a shepherd
To leave their distress
For Your streams of forgiveness
And the shade of Your rest.
Verse 2
And with compassion for the hurting
You reached out your hand
As the lame ran to meet You
And the dead breathed again.
You saw behind the eyes of sorrow
And shared in our tears;
Heard the sigh of the weary,
Let the children draw near. (Chorus)
Chorus
What boundless love, what fathomless grace
You have shown us, O God of compassion.
Each day we live an offering of praise,
As we show to the world Your compassion.
Verse 3
We stood beneath the cross of Calv’ry
And gazed on Your face
At the thorns of oppression
And the wounds of disgrace;
For surely You have borne our suff’ring
And carried our grief,
As You pardoned the scoffer
And showed grace to the thief. (Chorus)
Verse 4
How beautiful the feet that carry
This gospel of peace
To the fields of injustice
And the valleys of need.
To be a voice of hope and healing,
To answer the cries
Of the hungry and helpless
With the mercy of Christ. (Chorus)
Words and Music by Keith & Kristyn Getty and Stuart Townend
©2008 Thankyou Music/Adm. by worshiptogether.com songs
Confession
We confess our need for mercy through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Confession
In Mark 7 Jesus tells the crowd,
“Listen to me, all of you and understand;
Nothing that goes into a person from outside
can defile him, but the things that come out of
a person are what defile him.
For from within, out of people’s hearts come:
Evil thoughts,
Sexual immoralities,
Thefts,
Murders, (whoever is angry with another, murders them in their heart)
Adulteries, (whoever looks at another with lust, has committed adultery in their heart)
Greed,
Evil actions,
Deceit,
Self-indulgence,
Envy,
Slander,
Pride and
Foolishness.
All these evils come from within and defile a person.
Time of silent confession.
Assurance and Peace
We profess our assurance of salvation and peace in Christ through both responsive reading and song.
Remember the Gospel
Adapted from Spiritual Depression by
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Paul says that he was not worthy to be called an apostle because he persecuted the Church of God, but he goes on to add: “But by the grace of God I am what I am. What does it matter what I was?”
Dearly beloved, do not be forever thinking about what you were. What matters is what you are now! According to God’s holy Word, if you have put your faith and hope in Jesus Christ, what are you now?
We are ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven.
We are children of God,
Adopted into God’s family,
Heirs together with Christ and
With Him forever in glory!
Let’s not forget the price that was paid for what we have become.
Our Sung Profession of Assurance
Man of Sorrows
Verse 1
Man of sorrows, Lamb of God,
By His own betrayed.
The sin of man and wrath of God
Has been on Jesus laid.
Verse 2
Silent as He stood accused,
Beaten mocked and scorned,
Bowing to the Father’s will,
He took a crown of thorns. (Chorus)
Chorus
Oh, that rugged cross, my salvation,
Where Your love poured out over me.
Now my soul cries out, hallelujah,
Praise and honor unto Thee.
Verse 3
Sent of heaven, God’s own Son
To purchase and redeem
And reconcile the very ones
Who nailed Him to that tree. (Chorus)
Bridge
Now my debt is paid, it is paid in full
By the precious blood that my Jesus spilled.
Now the curse of sin has no hold on me
Whom the Son sets free, Oh is free indeed. (Chorus)
Verse 4
See the stone is rolled away,
Behold the empty tomb.
Hallelujah, God be praised,
He’s risen from the grave. (Chorus)
Tag
Praise and honor unto Thee.
Words and Music by Matt Crocker and Brooke Ligertwood
©2012 Hillsong Music Publishing (APRA)
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.
On the first Sunday of each month we have two offerings—one for the general fund and a second one for the benevolence ministry of our church.
You may give electronically at gabcames.org/giving/ or place your offering in the boxes at the back of the sanctuary or send a check in the mail.
Scripture
1 Peter 2:13-25 (ESV)
13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!
Sermon
1 Peter 2:13-25 – The Witness of Holy Citizens – Pastor Michael Felkins
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
Before the Throne
Verse 1
Before the throne of God above,
I have a strong and perfect plea
A great High Priest whose name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands.
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in heav’n He stands,
No tongue can bid me thence depart,
No tongue can bid me thence depart.
Verse 2
When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there,
Who made an end to all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me,
To look on Him and pardon me.
Verse 3
Behold Him there, the risen Lamb!
My perfect, spotless righteousness.
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of Glory and of Grace.
One with Himself, I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood.
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, my Savior and my God,
With Christ, my Savior and my God.
Tag
One with Himself, I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood.
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, my Savior and my God,
With Christ, my Savior and my God.
Words and Music by Charitie Lees Bancroft and Vicki Cook
©1997 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP). Sovereign Grace Music, a division of Sovereign Grace Churches.
Blessing
May you feel the favor of God this week,
as you respond to whatever comes from His hand directly into you life.
May you endure it with grace as you have been called to, following Christ’s example, by whose stripes you have been healed.
Go in the grace of God.
Sending Prayer and Welcoming of New Member
Praying for Dean & Heather VanEvery as they move to Kansas City, Missouri, and Dean attends Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Extending a welcome to Lillian Nabwiire as she was baptized today and is a new member at Grand.