Download: Readings and Song Lyrics for March 26, 2023
Pre-service Song
It Was Finished Upon That Cross
How I love the voice of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary.
He declares His work is finished, He has spoken this hope to me.
Though the sun had ceased its shining, though the war appeared as lost.
Christ has triumphed over evil, it was finished upon that cross.
Now the curse, it has been broken, Jesus paid the price for me.
Full, the pardon he has offered. Great, the welcome that I receive.
Boldly I approach my Father, clothed in Jesus’ righteousness.
There is no more guilt to carry, it was finished upon that cross.
Death was once my great opponent, fear once had a hold on me.
But the Son who died to save us rose that we would be free indeed!
Death was once my great opponent, fear once had a hold on me.
But the Son who died to save us rose that we would be free indeed!
Yes, He rose that we would be free indeed!
Free from ev’ry plan of darkness, free to live and free to love.
Death is dead and Christ is risen, it was finished upon that Cross.
Onward to eternal glory, to my Savior and my God.
I rejoice in Jesus’ victory, it was finished upon that Cross.
It was finished upon that Cross.
It was finished upon that Cross.
Words and Music by Jonny Robinson, Rich Thompson & Nigel Hendroff
©2021 SHOUT! Music Publishing Australia, CityAlight Music
Call To Worship
We confess the supremacy of God in Christ through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Call to Worship
Psalm 24:7-10 (CSB)
Lift up your heads, you gates!
Rise up, ancient doors!
Then the King of glory will come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, you gates!
Rise up, ancient doors!
Then the King of glory will come in.
Who is he, this King of glory?
The Lord of Armies,
he is the King of glory.
Our Sung Call to Worship
King of Kings
In the darkness we were waiting
Without hope, without light,
Till from heaven You came running,
There was mercy in Your eyes.
To fulfill the law and prophets,
To a virgin came the Word,
From a throne of endless glory,
To a cradle in the dirt. (Chorus)
Chorus
Praise the Father,
Praise the Son,
Praise the Spirit, three in one.
God of Glory, Majesty,
Praise forever to the King of Kings
To reveal the kingdom coming
And to reconcile the lost,
To redeem the whole creation,
You did not despise the cross.
For even in Your suffering,
You saw to the other side.
Knowing this was our salvation,
Jesus, for our sake You died. (Chorus)
And the morning that You rose,
All of heaven held its breath,
Till that stone was moved for good,
For the Lamb had conquered death.
And the dead rose from their tombs,
And the angels stood in awe,
For the souls of all who’d come,
To the Father are restored.
And the Church of Christ was born,
Then the Spirit lit the flame.
Now this Gospel truth of old,
Shall not kneel, shall not faint.
By his blood and in His name,
In His freedom I am free
For the love of Jesus Christ,
Who has resurrected me. (Chorus 2X’s)
Words and music by Brooke Ligertwood, Jason Ingram, and Scott Ligertwood
© 2019 Hillsong Music Publishing Australia, Fellow Ships Music, So Essential Tunes
Confession
We confess our need for mercy through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Confession
2 Corinthians 6:16b–7:1 (CSB)
Hear the word of the Lord:
“What agreement does the temple of God have with idols?
For we are the temple of the living God, as God said:
I will dwell and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
Therefore, come out from among them
and be separate, says the Lord;
do not touch any unclean thing,
and I will welcome you.
And I will be a Father to you,
and you will be sons and daughters to me,
says the Lord Almighty.
So then, dear friends, since we have these promises,
let us cleanse ourselves from every impurity of the flesh and spirit,
bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.”
Forgive our sins, Father, for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ,
and cleanse us from every impurity of the flesh and spirit
so that we may delight in your will
and walk in your ways
to the glory of your holy name.
Amen.
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
Titus 3:3-7 (CSB)
Remember the Gospel!
For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived,
enslaved by various passions and pleasures,
living in malice and envy,
hateful, detesting one another.
But when the kindness of God our Savior
and his love for mankind appeared, he saved us—
not by works of righteousness that we had done,
but according to his mercy—
through the washing of regeneration
and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
He poured out his Spirit on us abundantly
through Jesus Christ our Savior so that,
having been justified by his grace,
we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life.
Our Sung Profession of Assurance
Go To Dark Gethsemane
Go to dark Gethsemane,
You who feel the tempter’s pow’r;
Your Redeemer’s conflict see;
Watch with Him one bitter hour;
Turn not from His griefs away;
Learn of Jesus Christ to pray.
Follow to the judgment hall;
View the Lord of life arraigned;
O the wormwood and the gall!
O the pangs His soul sustained!
Shun not suff’ring, shame, or loss;
Learn of Him to bear the cross.
Calv’ry’s mournful mountain climb;
There, adoring at His feet,
Mark that miracle of time,
God’s own sacrifice complete:
“It is finished!” Hear the cry;
Learn of Jesus Christ to die.
Early hasten to the tomb
Where they laid His breathless clay;
All is solitude and gloom;
Who hath taken Him away?
Christ is ris’n! He meets our eyes:
Savior, teach us so to rise.
Words by James Montgomery, Music by Richard Redhead
©Public Domain
It Was Finished Upon That Cross
How I love the voice of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary.
He declares His work is finished, He has spoken this hope to me.
Though the sun had ceased its shining, though the war appeared as lost.
Christ has triumphed over evil, it was finished upon that cross.
Now the curse, it has been broken, Jesus paid the price for me.
Full, the pardon he has offered. Great, the welcome that I receive.
Boldly I approach my Father, clothed in Jesus’ righteousness.
There is no more guilt to carry, it was finished upon that cross.
Death was once my great opponent, fear once had a hold on me.
But the Son who died to save us rose that we would be free indeed!
Death was once my great opponent, fear once had a hold on me.
But the Son who died to save us rose that we would be free indeed!
Yes, He rose that we would be free indeed!
Free from ev’ry plan of darkness, free to live and free to love.
Death is dead and Christ is risen, it was finished upon that Cross.
Onward to eternal glory, to my Savior and my God.
I rejoice in Jesus’ victory, it was finished upon that Cross.
It was finished upon that Cross.
It was finished upon that Cross.
Words and Music by Jonny Robinson, Rich Thompson & Nigel Hendroff
©2021 SHOUT! Music Publishing Australia, CityAlight Music
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 a Mission Moment to highlight the different missions giving
opportunities we have at Grand. Members are encouraged to give to GABC Missions to support these missions.
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
Matthew 3:1-12 (CSB)
1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!”
3 For he is the one spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, who said:
A voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
Prepare the way for the Lord;
make his paths straight!
4 Now John had a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then people from Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the vicinity of the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
7 When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance. 9 And don’t presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to remove his sandals. He himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn. But the chaff he will burn with fire that never goes out.”
This is the word of the Lord.
The grass withers, and the flower falls,
but the word of the Lord endures forever.
Sermon
Matthew 3:1-12 – Prepare the Way – Pastor Michael Felkins
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
Glorious Day
One day when Heaven was filled with His praises,
One day when sin was as black as could be,
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin,
Dwelt among men, my example is He.
The Word became flesh and the light shined among us,
His glory revealed. (Chorus)
Chorus
Living, He loved me, dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away.
Rising, He justified freely forever.
One day He’s coming,
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day.
One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain.
One day they nailed Him to die on a tree.
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected,
Bearing our sins my Redeemer is He.
The hands that healed nations stretched out on a tree
And took the nails for me. (Chorus)
One day the grave could conceal Him no longer,
One day the stone rolled away from the door.
Then He arose over death He had conquered.
Now is ascended, my Lord evermore
Death could not hold Him,
The grave could not keep Him from rising again. (Chorus)
One day the trumpet will sound for His coming,
One day the skies with His glories will shine.
Wonderful day my Beloved One bringing.
My Savior Jesus is mine. (Chorus)
O glorious day, glorious day.
O glorious day!
Words and Music by Michael Bleecker, J. Wilbur Chapman, and Mark Hall
© 2009 Curb Songs, Be Essential Songs, My Refuge Music
Blessing
Jude 1:24-25 (CSB)
Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling
and to make you stand in the presence of his glory,
without blemish and with great joy,
to the only God our Savior,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
be glory, majesty, power, and authority
before all time, now and forever.
Amen.
Scripture text for next Sunday: Matthew 3:13-17