Download: Readings and Song Lyrics for March 2, 2025
Pre-service Song
How Firm a Foundation
How firm a foundation, you saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He has said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
“Fear not, I am with you; O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, I will still give you aid;
I’ll strengthen you, help you, and cause you to stand,
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.”
“When through fiery trials your pathway shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be your supply;
The flame shall not hurt you; I only design
Your dross to consume, and your gold to refine.”
“The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake!”
Words by John Rippon, Music by Joseph Funk
©Public Domain
Call To Worship
We confess the supremacy of God in Christ through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Call to Worship
Revelation 7:10, 12; 15:3-4 (ESV)
Salvation belongs to our God
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb!
Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and might
be to our God forever and ever!
Great and amazing are your deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
O King of the nations!
Who will not fear, O Lord,
and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come and worship you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.
Our Sung Call to Worship
Revelation Song
Worthy is the Lamb Who was slain
Holy, holy is He.
Sing a new song to Him Who sits on
Heaven’s mercy seat. (Repeat)
Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is and is to come.
With all creation I sing, praise to the King of kings,
You are my ev’rything and I will adore You.
Clothed in rainbows, of living color,
Flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder,
Blessing and honor, strength and glory and power be
To You the only wise King.
Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is and is to come.
With all creation I sing, praise to the King of kings,
You are my ev’rything and I will adore You.
Filled with wonder, awestruck wonder
At the mention of Your name.
Jesus, Your name is power, breath and living water
Such a marv’lous mystery.
Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is and is to come.
With all creation I sing, praise to the King of kings,
You are my ev’rything and I will adore You. (Repeat)
By Jennie Lee Riddle
© 2004 Gateway Create Publishing
Confession
We confess our need for mercy through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Confession
Psalm 25:6-8, 11, 16-18 (ESV)
Remember your mercy, O LORD,
and your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for the sake of your goodness, O LORD!
Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
For your name’s sake, O LORD,
pardon my guilt, for it is great.
Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
bring me out of my distresses.
Consider my affliction and my trouble,
and forgive all my sins.
Time of silent confession.
Our Sung Confession
Lord I Need You
Lord, I come, I confess,
Bowing here I find my rest,
And without You, I fall apart.
You’re the one that guides my heart.
Chorus
Lord, I need You! Oh, I need You!
Ev’ry hour I need You!
My one defense, my righteousness—
Oh, God, how I need You.
Where sin runs deep, Your grace is more.
Where grace is found is where You are.
And where You are, Lord, I am free;
Holiness is Christ in me. (Chorus)
So teach my song to rise to You
When temptation comes my way.
And when I cannot stand I’ll fall on You.
Jesus, You’re my hope and stay. (Repeat, then Chorus)
You’re my one defense, my righteousness—
Oh, God, how I need You.
By Jesse Reeves, Matt Maher, Christy Nockels and Daniel Carson
© 2011 sixsteps Music; Sweater Weather Music; Thankyou Music; Valley Of Songs Music; worshiptogether.com songs
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 (ESV)
Remember the Gospel!
For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient,
led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures,
passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others
and hating one another.
But when the goodness and loving kindness
of God our Savior appeared, he saved us,
not because of works done by us in righteousness,
but according to his own mercy,
by the washing of regeneration
and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
whom he poured out on us richly
through Jesus Christ our Savior,
so that being justified by his grace
we might become heirs
according to the hope of eternal life.
Our Sung Profession of Assurance
Yet Not I But Through Christ in Me
What gift of grace is Jesus my Redeemer
There is no more for heaven now to give
He is my joy, my righteousness and freedom
My steadfast love, my deep and boundless peace.
To this I hold: my hope is only Jesus
For my life is wholly bound to his.
Oh, how strange and divine, I can sing: all is mine!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me.
The night is dark but I am not forsaken
For by my side, the Savior he will stay.
I labor on in weakness and rejoicing
For in my need, his power is displayed.
To this I hold: my Shepherd will defend me;
Through the deepest valley he will lead.
Oh the night has been won, and I shall overcome!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me.
No fate I dread, I know I am forgiven;
The future sure, the price it has been paid
For Jesus bled and suffered for my pardon
And he was raised to overthrow the grave.
To this I hold: my sin has been defeated
Jesus now and ever is my plea
Oh the chains are released, I can sing I am free!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me.
With every breath I long to follow Jesus
For he has said that he will bring me home.
And day by day I know he will renew me
Until I stand with joy before the throne.
To this I hold: my hope is only Jesus!
All the glory evermore to him!
When the race is complete,
still my lips shall repeat:
Yet not I, but through Christ in me.
When the race is complete,
still my lips shall repeat:
Yet not I, but through Christ in me.
Yet not I, but through Christ in me.
By Jenny Robinson, Rich Thompson and Michael Farren
© 2018 CityAlight Music; Farren Love And War Publishing; Integrity’s Alleluia! 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.
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 26:31-35, 69-75
31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will
strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 33 Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” 34 Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” 35 Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.
69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” 71 And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72 And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” 73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” 74 Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.
This is the word of the Lord.
The grass withers and the flower falls
but the word of the Lord endures forever.
Sermon
Matthew 26:31-35, 69-75 – Jesus: Denied and Abandoned – 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?
Child Dedication
God has established a testimony in Jesus Christ, our Savior.
He has commanded us to teach our children to love Christ,
that the next generation might know Him
and arise and speak of Him to their children,
so that they should set their hope in Jesus Christ
and not forget the works of God,
but love Him with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength.
—Questions for Parents—
Parents, do you commit
to trust God’s promises made to you and your children in His Word,
to seek God and gospel change in the way you live and parent your children,
to teach God’s Word to them and live life in light of the gospel in your home,
to pray for them and teach them to pray,
and to partner with our church by seeking their help and accountability
and leading your children to do the same?
—Parents’ Response—
With God’s help, we will
impress on our children what we have heard and known,
teach them to love God with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength, and
tell of the glorious deeds of the Lord Jesus—
of His perfect life, His death on the cross and of His resurrection from the dead.
—Charge to the Church—
Church, will you commit
to seek God and seek gospel change in the way you live before these children,
to pray for these children to love Jesus and trust in Him,
to teach them the gospel through both your words and your example,
to partner with these parents through both correction and encouragement,
to pray for these parents, and
to walk with them through the joys and trials of parenting?
—Church’s Response—
We, as Christ’s church,
with joy and thanksgiving,
and by God’s help
promise to love, encourage and support you,
as you follow Christ and train your children in the word of God.
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.
Blessing
Romans 15:13 (ESV)
May the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace in believing,
so that by the power of the Holy Spirit
you may abound in hope.
Amen.
Scripture text for next Sunday: Matthew 27:1-10