Download: Readings and Song Lyrics for August 31, 2025
Pre-service Song
I Love to Tell the Story
I love to tell the story of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love:
I love to tell the story because I know ‘tis true;
It satisfies my longings as nothing else can do.
Chorus
I love to tell the story, ‘twill be my theme in glory
To tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love.
I love to tell the story; ‘tis pleasant to repeat
What seems each time I tell it, more wonderfully sweet;
I love to tell the story, for some have never heard
The message of salvation from God’s own holy Word. (Chorus)
I love to tell the story; for those who know it best
Seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest:
And when, in scenes of glory, I sing the new, new song,
‘Twill be the old, old story That I have loved so long. (Chorus)
Words by Katherine Hankey, Music by William G. Fischer
©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 5:9-13 (ESV)
Come, let us worship the Lord Jesus Christ!
Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain,
and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language
and people and nation,
and you have made them a kingdom
and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth
and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!
To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might
forever and ever!
Our Sung Call to Worship
Crown Him With Many Crowns
Crown Him with many crowns,
The Lamb upon His throne;
Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns
All music but its own:
Awake, my soul, and sing
Of Him who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King
Through all eternity.
Crown Him the Lord of life,
Who triumphed o’er the grave,
And rose victorious in the strife
For those He came to save;
His glories now we sing
Who died, and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring
And lives that death may die.
Crown Him the Lord of love;
Behold His hands and side,
Rich wounds, yet visible above,
In beauty glorified.
No angel in the sky
Can fully bear that sight
But downward bends his burning eye
At mysteries so bright.
Crown Him the Lord of lords,
The Sovereign Lord of time,
Creator of the earth and heav’n,
Yet I can call Him mine!
All hail, Redeemer, hail!
For Thou hast died for me:
Thy praise and glory shall not fail
Throughout eternity!
Thy praise and glory shall not fail
Throughout eternity!
Words by Matthew Bridges, Alternate words by Eric Schumacher, Music by George Elvey
©Public Domain
Confession
We confess our need for mercy through both responsive reading and song.
Our Spoken Confession
Psalm 130 (ESV)
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!
O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleas for mercy!
If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared.
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the LORD!
For with the LORD there is steadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption.
And he will redeem Israel
from all his iniquities.
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
Colossians 1:13-14, 19-23 (ESV)
Remember the Gospel!
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness
and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
and through him to reconcile to himself all things,
whether on earth or in heaven,
making peace by the blood of his cross.
And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind,
doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh
by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless
and above reproach before him,
if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast,
not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard,
which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven.
Our Sung Profession of Assurance
Poor Sinner Dejected With Fear
Poor sinner, dejected with fear,
Unbosom thy mind to the Lamb;
No wrath on His brow He does wear,
Nor will He poor mourners condemn;
His arm of omnipotent grace
Is able and willing to save;
A sweet and a permanent peace
He’ll freely and faithfully give.
Come just as thou art, with thy woe,
Fall down at the feet of the Lamb;
He will not, He cannot say, “Go,”
But surely will take out thy stain;
A fountain is opened for sin,
And thousands its virtues have proved
He’ll take thee, and plunge thee therein,
And wash thee from filth in His blood.
The soul that on Jesus relies,
He’ll never, no never deceive;
He freely and faithfully gives
More blessings than we can conceive;
Yea, down to old age He will keep,
Nor will He forsake us at last;
He knows and is known by His sheep;
They’re His, and He will hold them fast.
Words by William Gadsby, Music by Katy Bowser and Matthew Perryman Jones
©2001 MPJ Music / Velveteen Songs.
All Gone
Sins against the Holy One,
Sins against his loving Son,
Sins against his law we’ve done.
Sins against both God and man,
Sins that we have boldly planned,
Sins outnumbering the sand—
What grace! No trace remains.
They’re all gone, all gone.
Far as the east is from the west,
Into the ocean they are cast.
They’re all gone, all gone.
He has removed our ev’ry debt,
Covered our shame and our regret,
They’re all gone.
All the justice we deserved,
All the punishment we earned,
Holy wrath without reserve,
Poured upon the righteous one,
Once for all the work is done,
Now the victory is won.
What grace! No trace remains.
They’re all gone, all gone.
Far as the east is from the west,
Into the ocean they are cast.
They’re all gone, all gone.
He has removed our ev’ry debt,
Covered our shame and our regret,
They’re all gone.
They’re all gone, all gone.
Far as the east is from the west,
Into the ocean they are cast.
They’re all gone, all gone.
He has removed our ev’ry debt,
Covered our shame and our regret,
They’re all gone.
By Eric Schumacher and David Ward
© 2018 Hymnicity
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
Psalm 9 (ESV)
To the choirmaster: according to Muth-labben. A Psalm of David.
1 I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
3 When my enemies turn back,
they stumble and perish before your presence.
4 For you have maintained my just cause;
you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.
5 You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;
you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;
their cities you rooted out;
the very memory of them has perished.
7 But the LORD sits enthroned forever;
he has established his throne for justice,
8 and he judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with uprightness.
9 The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.
11 Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion!
Tell among the peoples his deeds!
12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13 Be gracious to me, O LORD!
See my affliction from those who hate me,
O you who lift me up from the gates of death,
14 that I may recount all your praises,
that in the gates of the daughter of Zion
I may rejoice in your salvation.
15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;
in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.
16 The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment;
the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah
17 The wicked shall return to Sheol,
all the nations that forget God.
18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.
19 Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail;
let the nations be judged before you!
20 Put them in fear, O LORD!
Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah
This is the word of the Lord.
The grass withers and the flower falls
but the word of the Lord endures forever.
Sermon
Psalm 9 – Songs for Sojourners: Praise the LORD! – 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
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
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: Psalm 10