Download: Readings and Song Lyrics for August 16, 2026
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 your 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
Psalm 113 (ESV)
Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord!
Blessed be the name of the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore!
From the rising of the sun to its setting,
the name of the Lord is to be praised!
The Lord is high above all nations,
and his glory above the heavens!
Who is like the Lord our God,
who is seated on high,
who looks far down
on the heavens and the earth?
He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes,
with the princes of his people.
He gives the barren woman a home,
making her the joyous mother of children.
Praise the Lord!
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 each 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!
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
1 John 1:8-9, 2:1-2
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous one.
He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only
but also for the sins of the whole world.
Time of silent confession.
Our Sung Confession
Be Still My Soul
Be still, my soul! The Lord is on thy side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In ev’ry change He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul! Thy best, thy heav’nly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Be still, my soul! Thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul! The waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.
Be still, my soul! When dearest friends depart
And all is darkened in the vale of tears.
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart
Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still, my soul! Thy Jesus can repay;
From His own fullness all He takes away.
Be still, my soul! The hour is hast’ning on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul! When change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.
Words by Katharina von Schlegel, Music by Jean Sibelius
©Public Domain
Assurance and Peace
We profess our assurance of salvation and peace in Christ through both responsive reading and song.
Remember the Gospel
New City Catechism Q 22-24
Remember the Gospel!
Why must the Redeemer be truly human?
That in human nature he might on our behalf
perfectly obey the whole law
And suffer the punishment for human sin;
And also that he might sympathize with our weaknesses.
Why must the Redeemer be truly God?
That because of his divine nature his obedience
And suffering would be perfect and effective;
And also that he would be able to bear
The righteous anger of God against sin
And yet overcome death.
Why was it necessary for Christ, the Redeemer, to die?
Since death is the punishment for sin,
Christ died willingly in our place
To deliver us from the power and penalty of sin
And to bring us back to God.
By his substitutionary atoning death,
He alone redeems us from hell
And gains for us forgiveness of sin,
Righteousness, and everlasting life.
Our Sung Profession of Assurance
The Lord is My Salvation
The grace of God has reached for me,
And pulled me from the raging sea.
And I am safe on this solid ground:
The Lord is my salvation.
I will not fear when darkness falls,
His strength will help me scale these walls.
I’ll see the dawn of the rising sun:
The Lord is my salvation.
Chorus:
Who is like the Lord our God?
Strong to save, faithful in love.
My debt is paid and the vict’ry won:
The Lord is my salvation.
My hope is hidden in the Lord,
He flow’rs each promise of His Word.
When winter fades, I know spring will come:
The Lord is my salvation.
In times of waiting, times of need,
When I know loss, when I am weak.
I know His grace will renew these days:
The Lord is my salvation. (Chorus)
And when I reach the final day,
He will not leave me in the grave.
But I will rise, He will call me home:
The Lord is my salvation. (Chorus)
Glory be to God, the Father,
Glory be to God, the Son,
Glory be to God, the Spirit;
The Lord is our salvation. (Repeat)
The Lord is our salvation, the Lord is our salvation.
By Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty, Nathan Nockels and Jonas Myrin
© 2016 Capitol CMG Paragon; Getty Music Publishing; Son of the Lion; Sweater Weather Music
Come Thou Fount
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise:
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above;
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I’m come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home:
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy grace, Lord, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
Words by Robert Robinson Music: Wyeth’s Repository of Sacred Music
©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.
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 46 (ESV)
To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song.
1God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. 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 46 – A Mighty Fortress – 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
A Mighty Fortress is Our God
A mighty fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and pow’r are great,
And, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not His equal.
Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His name.
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.
And though this world with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
That word above all earthly pow’rs,
No thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours
Through Him who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also;
The body they may kill:
God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.
By Martin Luther, Translation by Frederick Hedge
©Public Domain
Blessing
Psalm 67:1-3 (ESV)
May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us,
that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
Scripture text for next Sunday: Psalm 47