Download: Readings and Lyrics for July 31, 2022
Reflection
“The great truth that Isaiah affirms again and again is that God is behind the process, directing it to a glorious end. If that end seems distant to us and we cannot see how God is at work in contemporary events, that is simply because we are not God. He has shown us enough of his character and ways, however, to provide a firm basis for our wholehearted trust and obedience. We shall not achieve a better end or get there more quickly by rejecting God’s wisdom and living by our own, as the leaders of Judah in Isaiah’s day did.”
Barry Webb, The Message of Isaiah: On Eagles’ Wings
Call To Worship
We confess the supremacy of God in Christ through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Call to Worship
Psalm 67
God be merciful to us and bless us,
And cause Your face to shine upon us,
That Your way may be known on earth,
Your salvation among all nations.
Let the peoples praise You, O God;
Let all the peoples praise You.
Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy!
For You shall judge the people righteously,
And govern the nations on earth.
Let the peoples praise You, O God;
Let all the peoples praise You.
Then the earth shall yield her increase.
God, our own God, shall bless us.
God shall bless us,
And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.
Our Sung Call to Worship
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
Verse 1
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O, my soul, praise Him for He is thy health and salvation.
All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near.
Praise Him in glad adoration.
Verse 2
Praise to the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth
Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth;.
Hast thou not seen, how thy desires ever have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?
Verse 3
Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee.
Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee.
Ponder anew, what the Almighty can do,
If with His love He befriend thee.
Verse 4
Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him.
Let the Amen, sound from His people again;
Gladly for aye we adore Him.
Tag
Let the Amen, sound from His people again;
Gladly for aye we adore Him.
Words by Joachim Neander, translated by Catherine Winkworth, Music: Stralsund Gesanguch
©Public Domain
Confession
We confess our need for mercy through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Confession
Adapted from the writings of Thomas Brooks
We never come to see our sins,
nor to loathe our sins,
nor to condemn our sins
until we become filled with the Holy Spirit.
Holy Spirit, speak to us.
Give us eyes to see our most cherished sins
and put them far from us.
Utterly expose our pride, carnality, worldliness,
sensuality, greed, covetousness,
and desire for security apart from You.
Forgive us, Lord, for we have sinned against You.
You and You alone can rescue us.
Silent confession and repentance.
Our Sung Confession
Man of Sorrows
Verse 1
“Man of sorrows!” what a name
For the Son of God who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim!
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Verse 2
Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned He stood,
Sealed my pardon with His blood;
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Verse 3
Guilty, vile, and helpless we,
Spotless Lamb of God was He;
Full atonement! can it be?
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Verse 4
Lifted up was He to die,
“It is finished, “ was His cry
Now in heaven exalted high,
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Verse 5
When He comes, our glorious King,
All his ransomed home to bring,
Then anew this song we’ll sing,
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Words and music by Philip P. Bliss
©Public Domain
Assurance and Peace
We profess our assurance of salvation and peace in Christ through both responsive reading and song.
Remember the Gospel
Adapted from the writings of Thomas Brooks
To make a man holy is a greater task than to create the entire world!
It is the mighty work of the Holy Spirit to shape and form holiness
in all the vessels set apart for God’s glory.
Holy Spirit, move us to desire and press after holiness.
Give us power to cast away our sins, turn to God,
and embrace Christ’s death, burial,
and resurrection on our behalf.
Help us to heed Your warnings,
hope in Your promises,
and live by the power of the cross.
Our Sung Profession of Assurance
The Power of the Cross
Verse 1
Oh to see the dawn of the darkest day:
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men, torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood. (Chorus 1)
Chorus 1
This the pow’r of the cross;
Christ became sin for us.
Took the blame, bore the wrath
We stand forgiven at the cross.
Verse 2
Oh to see the pain written on Your face,
Bearing the awesome weight of sin.
Ev’ry bitter thought, ev’ry evil deed
Crowning Your bloodstained brow. (Chorus 1)
Verse 3
Now the daylight flees, now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two, dead are raised to life
‘Finished!’ the vict’ry cry. (Chorus 1)
Verse 4
Oh to see my name written in the wounds,
For through Your suff’ring I am free.
Death is crushed to death, life is mine to live
Won through Your selfless love! (Chorus 2)
Chorus 2
This the pow’r of the cross
Son of God slain for us.
What a love, what a cost
We stand forgiven at the cross.
Words and Music by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend
©2005 Thankyou Music
Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)
Verse 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.
Verse 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! (Chorus)
Chorus
My chains are gone, I’ve been set free.
My God, my Savior has ransomed me.
And like a flood His mercy reigns,
Unending love, amazing grace.
Verse 3
The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures. (Chorus)
Verse 4
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, Who called me here below,
Will be forever mine,
Will be forever mine.
You are forever mine.
Words by John Newton, Louie Giglio, John P. Rees and Chris Tomlin, Music by Edwin O. Excell and Chris Tomlin
©2006 sixsteps Music, Vamos Publishing, worshiptogether.com songs
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.
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 Reading
Isaiah 29 (CSB)
1Woe to Ariel, Ariel, the city where David camped!
Continue year after year; let the festivals recur.
2 I will oppress Ariel, and there will be mourning and crying, and she will be to me like an Ariel.
3 I will camp in a circle around you; I will besiege you with earth ramps, and I will set up my siege towers against you.
4 You will be brought down; you will speak from the ground, and your words will come from low in the dust. Your voice will be like that of a spirit from the ground; your speech will whisper from the dust.
5 Your many foes will be like fine dust, and many of the ruthless, like blowing chaff. Then suddenly, in an instant, 6 you will be punished by the LORD of Armies with thunder, earthquake, and loud noise, storm, tempest, and a flame of consuming fire.
7 All the many nations going out to battle against Ariel—all the attackers, the siege works against her, and those who oppress her— will then be like a dream, a vision in the night.
8 It will be like a hungry one who dreams he is eating, then wakes and is still hungry; and like a thirsty one who dreams he is drinking, then wakes and is still thirsty, longing for water. So it will be for all the many nations who go to battle against Mount Zion.
9 Stop and be astonished; blind yourselves and be blind! They are drunk, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with beer.
10 For the LORD has poured out on you an overwhelming urge to sleep; he has shut your eyes (the prophets) and covered your heads (the seers).
11 For you the entire vision will be like the words of a sealed document. If it is given to one who can read and he is asked to read it, he will say, “I can’t read it, because it is sealed.” 12 And if the document is given to one who cannot read and he is asked to read it, he will say, “I can’t read.”
13 The Lord said: These people approach me with their speeches to honor me with lip-service, yet their hearts are far from me, and human rules direct their worship of me. 14 Therefore, I will again confound these people with wonder after wonder. The wisdom of their wise will vanish, and the perception of their perceptive will be hidden.
15 Woe to those who go to great lengths to hide their plans from the LORD. They do their works in the dark, and say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?”
16 You have turned things around, as if the potter were the same as the clay. How can what is made say about its maker, “He didn’t make me”? How can what is formed say about the one who formed it, “He doesn’t understand what he’s doing”?
17 Isn’t it true that in just a little while Lebanon will become an orchard, and the orchard will seem like a forest?
18 On that day the deaf will hear the words of a document, and out of a deep darkness the eyes of the blind will see.
19 The humble will have joy after joy in the LORD, and the poor people will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20 For the ruthless one will vanish, the scorner will disappear, and all those who lie in wait with evil intent will be killed— 21 those who, with their speech, accuse a person of wrongdoing, who set a trap for the one mediating at the city gate and without cause deprive the righteous of justice.
22 Therefore, the LORD who redeemed Abraham says this about the house of Jacob: Jacob will no longer be ashamed, and his face will no longer be pale.
23 For when he sees his children, the work of my hands within his nation, they will honor my name,
they will honor the Holy One of Jacob and stand in awe of the God of Israel. 24 Those who are confused will gain understanding, and those who grumble will accept instruction.
This is the word of the Lord.
The grass withers, and the flower falls,
but the word of the Lord endures forever.
Sermon
Isaiah 29 – Light After Darkness – Pastor Eric Schumacher
Sermon Discipleship Questions
1. What encouraged you?
2. What convicted you?
3. Is there anything in your life that needs to change?
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
All I Have is Christ
Verse 1
I once was lost in darkest night,
Yet thought I knew the way.
The sin that promised joy and life
Had led me to the grave.
I had no hope that You would own
A rebel to Your will.
And if You had not loved me first
I would refuse You still.
Verse 2
But as I ran my hell-bound race,
Indifferent to the cost.
You looked upon my helpless state
And led me to the cross.
And I beheld God’s love displayed,
You suffered in my place.
You bore the wrath reserved for me,
Now all I know is grace. (Chorus)
Chorus
Hallelujah! All I have is Christ.
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life.
Verse 3
Now Lord I would be Yours alone,
And live so all might see.
The strength to follow Your commands
Could never come from me.
O Father, use my ransomed life
In any way You choose,
And let my song forever be
My only boast is You. (Chorus 2 X’s)
Words and music by Jordan Kauflin
©2008 Sovereign Grace Praise
Blessing
Adapted from Isaiah 27:6
Go with faith in Christ and love for Him
to prevail over all the temptations
and be the fragrance of Christ for a hurting world.
We go out with hope and joy. Amen and amen.
Scripture text for next Sunday: Isaiah 30