Download: Readings and Song Lyrics for December 31, 2023
Pre-service Song
By Faith
By faith we see the hand of God
In the light of creation’s grand design,
In the lives of those who prove His faithfulness,
Who walk by faith and not by sight.
By faith our fathers roamed the earth
With the pow’r of His promise in their hearts,
Of a holy city built by God’s own hand,
A place where peace and justice reign.
Chorus
We will stand as children of the promise;
We will fix our eyes on Him, our soul’s reward.
‘Til the race is finished and the work is done,
We’ll walk by faith and not by sight.
By faith the prophets saw a day
When the longed for Messiah would appear
With the pow’r to break the chains of sin and death
And rise triumphant from the grave.
By faith the church was called to go
In the pow’r of the Spirit to the lost,
To deliver captives and to preach good news
In ev’ry corner of the earth. (Chorus)
By faith this mountain shall be moved,
And the pow’r of the gospel shall prevail,
For we know in Christ all things are possible,
To all who call upon His name. (Chorus 2 X’s)
We’ll walk by faith and not by sight.
We’ll walk by faith and not by sight.
By Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty and Stuart Townend
© 2009 Getty Music Publishing; Thankyou 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
All Glory Be To Christ
Should nothing of our efforts stand,
No legacy survive
Unless the Lord does raise the house,
In vain its builders strive.
To you who boast tomorrow’s gain,
Tell me what is your life
A mist that vanishes at dawn,
All glory be to Christ!
Chorus
All glory be to Christ our king!
All glory be to Christ!
His rule and reign we’ll ever sing,
All glory be to Christ!
His will be done, His kingdom come,
On earth as is above
Who is Himself our daily bread,
Praise Him the Lord of love.
Let living water satisfy
The thirsty without price
We’ll take a cup of kindness yet
All glory be to Christ! (Chorus)
When on the day the great I Am,
The faithful and the true
The Lamb who was for sinners slain,
Is making all things new,
Behold our God shall live with us
And be our steadfast light
And we shall e’re his people be,
All glory be to Christ! (Chorus 2 X’s)
Words by Dustin Kensure, Music by Kings Kaleidoscope
© 2012 We Are Younger We Are Faster Music
Confession
We confess our need for mercy through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Confession
Psalm 25:6-8, 11, 16-18 (CSB)
Remember, Lord, your compassion
and your faithful love,
for they have existed from antiquity.
Do not remember the sins of my youth
or my acts of rebellion;
in keeping with your faithful love, remember me
because of your goodness, Lord.
The Lord is good and upright;
therefore he shows sinners the way.
Lord, for the sake of your name,
forgive my iniquity, for it is immense.
Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am alone and afflicted.
The distresses of my heart increase;
bring me out of my sufferings.
Consider my affliction and trouble,
and forgive all my sins.
Time of silent confession.
Our Sung Confession
Be Thou My Vision
Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art:
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord:
Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son,
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High king of heaven, my treasure thou art.
High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heav’n’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall
Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall
Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.
Words by Mary E. Byrne & Eleanor H. Hull
Music: Traditional Irish Melody
©Public Domain
Assurance and Peace
We profess our assurance of salvation and peace in Christ through both responsive reading and song.
Remember the Gospel
Galatians 3:10-13, 2:20, 6:14 (CSB)
Remember the Gospel!
All who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written, “Everyone who does
not do everything written in the book of the law is cursed.” Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because “the righteous will live by faith.” But the law is not based on faith; instead,
“the one who does these things will live by them.”
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law
by becoming a curse for us,
because it is written,
“Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
I have been crucified with Christ,
and I no longer live,
but Christ lives in me.
The life I now live in the body,
I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave himself for me.
I will never boast about anything
except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our Sung Profession of Assurance
Behold the Lamb (Distribution Song)
Behold the Lamb who bears our sins away, slain for us:
And we remember
the promise made that all who come in faith
find forgiveness at the cross.
So, we share in this Bread of Life,
and we drink of His sacrifice, as a sign
of our bonds of peace
around the table of the King.
The body of our Savior, Jesus Christ, torn for you:
Eat and remember
the wounds that heal, the death that brings us life,
paid the price to make us one.
So, we share in this Bread of Life,
and we drink of His sacrifice, as a sign
of our bonds of love
around the table of the King.
The blood that cleanses ev’ry stain of sin, shed for you:
Drink and remember
He drained death’s cup that all may enter in
to receive the life of God.
So, we share in this Bread of Life,
and we drink of His sacrifice, as a sign
of our bonds of grace
around the table of the King.
And so with thankfulness we rise, to respond
And to remember
our call to fellowship in the steps of Christ,
as His body here on earth.
As we share in His suffering,
we proclaim Christ will come again, and we join
in the feast of heaven
around the table of the King.
By Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty and Stuart Townend
© 2007 Thankyou Music
Celebration of the Lord’s Supper
Christ Our Hope in Life and Death
What is our hope in life and death?
Christ alone, Christ alone.
What is our only confidence?
That our souls to him belong.
Who holds our days within his hand?
What comes, apart from his command?
And what will keep us to the end?
The love of Christ, in which we stand.
Chorus
O sing hallelujah!
Our hope springs eternal;
O sing hallelujah!
Now and ever we confess
Christ our hope in life and death.
What truth can calm the troubled soul?
God is good, God is good.
Where is his grace and goodness known?
In our great Redeemer’s blood.
Who holds our faith when fears arise?
Who stands above the stormy trial?
Who sends the waves that bring us nigh
Unto the shore, the rock of Christ? (Chorus)
Unto the grave, what will we sing?
“Christ, he lives! Christ, he lives!”
And what reward will heaven bring?
Everlasting life with him.
There we will rise to meet the Lord,
Then sin and death will be destroyed,
And we will feast in endless joy,
When Christ is ours forevermore. (Chorus 2 X’s)
By Keith Getty, Jordan Kauflin, Matt Papa, Matt Boswell, and Matthew Merker
© 2020 Getty Music Hymns and Songs; Getty Music Publishing; Jordan Kauflin Music; Love Your Enemies Publishing; Matthew Merker Music; Messenger Hymns
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 9:27-34 (CSB)
27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
28 When he entered the house, the blind men approached him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.”
29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” 30 And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus warned them sternly, “Be sure that no one finds out.” 31 But they went out and spread the news about him throughout that whole area.
32 Just as they were going out, a demon-possessed man who was unable to speak was brought to him.
33 When the demon had been driven out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed, saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”
34 But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons.”
This is the word of the Lord.
The grass withers and the flower falls
but the word of the Lord endures forever.
Sermon
Matthew 9:27-34 (CSB) – Believing is Seeing! – 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
By Faith
By faith we see the hand of God
In the light of creation’s grand design,
In the lives of those who prove His faithfulness,
Who walk by faith and not by sight.
By faith our fathers roamed the earth
With the pow’r of His promise in their hearts,
Of a holy city built by God’s own hand,
A place where peace and justice reign.
Chorus
We will stand as children of the promise;
We will fix our eyes on Him, our soul’s reward.
‘Til the race is finished and the work is done,
We’ll walk by faith and not by sight.
By faith the prophets saw a day
When the longed for Messiah would appear
With the pow’r to break the chains of sin and death
And rise triumphant from the grave.
By faith the church was called to go
In the pow’r of the Spirit to the lost,
To deliver captives and to preach good news
In ev’ry corner of the earth. (Chorus)
By faith this mountain shall be moved,
And the pow’r of the gospel shall prevail,
For we know in Christ all things are possible,
To all who call upon His name. (Chorus 2 X’s)
We’ll walk by faith and not by sight.
We’ll walk by faith and not by sight.
By Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty and Stuart Townend
© 2009 Getty Music Publishing; Thankyou Music
Blessing
Ephesians 3:20-21 (ESV)
Now to him who is able to do far more
abundantly than all that we ask or think,
according to the power at work within us,
to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus
throughout all generations, forever and ever.
Amen.
Scripture text for next Sunday: Matthew 9:35-10:15