Download: Readings and Song Lyrics for February 25, 2024
Pre-service Song
Psalm 51 (Have Mercy)
Have mercy on me, O God.
Have mercy on me, O God.
I am calling on Your kindness
in accordance with Your love.
Have mercy on me, O God.
I know, God that I have sinned.
It’s You I have sinned against.
Would You blot out my transgressions?
Would You come now and forgive?
I know, God that I have sinned.
Oh, a broken, contrite heart
You will not turn away.
Oh, Lord, open up my lips
that I might sing Your praise.
God wash me as white as snow,
and carry Your lost child home.
Come create in me a clean heart,
come and break this heart of stone.
God, wash me as white as snow.
Oh, a broken, contrite heart
You will not turn away.
Oh, Lord open up my lips
that I might sing Your praise.
Restore to me the joy of my salvation,
renew in me a willing heart,
and I will sing in praise of Your redemption,
and I will sing Your mercy, God. (Repeat)
Have mercy on me, O God.
Have mercy on me, O God.
I am calling on Your kindness
in accordance with Your love.
Have mercy on me, O God.
By Caroline Cob Smith
© 2023 Sing the Story 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 (ESV)
Lift up your heads, O gates!
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
The Lord, mighty in battle!
Lift up your heads, O gates!
And lift them up, O ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
He is the King of glory!
Our Sung Call to Worship
Rejoice the Lord is King
Rejoice, the Lord is King!
Your Lord and King adore;
Rejoice, give thanks and sing,
And triumph evermore;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice,
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
Jesus, the Savior, reigns,
The God of Truth and love;
When He had purged our stains
He took His seat above;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice,
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
His kingdom cannot fail,
He rules o’er earth and heav’n,
The keys of death and hell
Are to our Jesus giv’n;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice,
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
Rejoice in glorious hope!
Our Lord the Judge shall come,
And take His servants up,
To their eternal home.
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice,
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
Words by Charles Wesley Music by John Darwall
©Public Domain
Confession
We confess our need for mercy through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Confession
Psalm 51:1-4, 7-9 (CSB)
Be gracious to me, God,
according to your faithful love;
according to your abundant compassion,
blot out my rebellion.
Completely wash away my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I am conscious of my rebellion,
and my sin is always before me.
Against you—you alone—I have sinned
and done this evil in your sight.
So you are right when you pass sentence;
you are blameless when you judge.
Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Turn your face away from my sins
and blot out all my guilt.
This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ,
our crucified and risen Lord. 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
Psalm 51 (Have Mercy) (Distribution Song)
Have mercy on me, O God.
Have mercy on me, O God.
I am calling on Your kindness
in accordance with Your love.
Have mercy on me, O God.
I know, God that I have sinned.
It’s You I have sinned against.
Would You blot out my transgressions?
Would You come now and forgive?
I know, God that I have sinned.
Oh, a broken, contrite heart
You will not turn away.
Oh, Lord, open up my lips
that I might sing Your praise.
God wash me as white as snow,
and carry Your lost child home.
Come create in me a clean heart,
come and break this heart of stone.
God, wash me as white as snow.
Oh, a broken, contrite heart
You will not turn away.
Oh, Lord open up my lips
that I might sing Your praise.
Restore to me the joy of my salvation,
renew in me a willing heart,
and I will sing in praise of Your redemption,
and I will sing Your mercy, God. (Repeat)
Have mercy on me, O God.
Have mercy on me, O God.
I am calling on Your kindness
in accordance with Your love.
Have mercy on me, O God.
By Caroline Cob Smith
© 2023 Sing the Story Music
Celebration of the Lord’s Supper
Low in the Grave He Lay
Low in the grave He lay
Jesus, my Saviour!
Waiting the coming day
Jesus, my Lord!
Chorus
Up from the grave He arose,
with a mighty triumph o’er His foes.
He arose a victor from the dark domain,
and He lives forever with His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!
Vainly they watch His bed
Jesus, my Saviour!
Vainly they seal the dead
Jesus, my Lord! (Chorus)
Death cannot keep his prey
Jesus, my Saviour!
He tore the bars away
Jesus, my Lord! (Chorus)
By Robert Lowry
©Public Domain
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 13:1-23 (CSB)
1 On that day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, while the whole crowd stood on the shore.
3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying,
“Consider the sower who went out to sow. 4 As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly since the soil wasn’t deep. 6 But when the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it. 8 Still other seed fell on good ground and produced fruit: some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times what was sown. 9 Let anyone who has ears listen.”
10 Then the disciples came up and asked him, “Why are you speaking to them in parables?”
11 He answered, “Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know, but it has
not been given to them. 12 For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have more than enough; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
13 That is why I speak to them in parables, because looking they do not see, and hearing they do not listen or understand. 14 Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:
You will listen and listen,
but never understand;
you will look and look,
but never perceive.
15 For this people’s heart has grown callous;
their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes;
otherwise they might see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears, and
understand with their hearts,
and turn back—
and I would heal them.
16 “Blessed are your eyes because they do see, and your ears because they do hear. 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see the things you see but didn’t see them, to hear the things you hear but didn’t hear them.
18 “So listen to the parable of the sower:
19 When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one sown along the path. 20 And the one sown on rocky ground—this is one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. 21 But he has no root and is short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 Now the one sown among the thorns—this is one who hears the word, but the worries of this age and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 But the one sown on the good ground—this is one who hears and understands the word, who does produce fruit and yields: some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty times what was sown.”
This is the word of the Lord.
The grass withers and the flower falls
but the word of the Lord endures forever.
Sermon
Matthew 13:1-23 (ESV) – The Parable of the Sower – 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
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
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)
Glorious day. Oh, glorious day!
By Michael Bleecker, J. Wilbur Chapman, and Mark Hall
© 2009 Curb Songs; Be Essential Songs; My Refuge Music
Blessing
Ephesians 6:23-24 (NASB)
Peace be to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith,
from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ
with incorruptible love.
Scripture text for next Sunday: Matthew 13:24-43