February 22, John MacArthur. Welcome to the Lord s day worship service at Grace Church. Vol. 19 No. 8

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1 Vol. 19 No. 8 February 22, 2015 John MacArthur PASTOR-TEACHER Clayton Erb / Minister of Music Welcome to the Lord s day worship service at Grace Church. We are truly blessed to be here this morning as we open God s Word together, sing His praises, and enjoy a time of fellowship in His presence. Be sure to take advantage of the many fellowship and ministry opportunities available to our church family today and throughout the week.

2 TODAY 8:30 & 10:30* am Sonata I, 3rd movement Bach Stephen Sturz, Organist Hymn 76 O for a Thousand Tongues Congregation O Worship the King Haydn/Rice String Orchestra, Piano The Last Words of David Thompson Worship Choir Be Still Evans/Rice Kory Welch Hymn 494 Like a River Glorious Congregation MESSAGE: HOW GOD RESTRAINS EVIL IN SOCIETY John MacArthur Selected Scriptures Doxology Hymn Congregation If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee Bach Organ Postlude 6:00 pm Praise the Lord! Ye Heavens Adore Him Pritchard/Billingsley Instrumental Prelude Songs of Praise Congregation Baptism Chris Gee May the Mind of Christ, My Savior Barham-Gould/Brandenstein Offertory MESSAGE: THE ESSENTIALS OF HANDLING GOD S WORD, PART 3 John MacArthur Selected Scriptures Right Hand of Fellowship The Lord s Prayer Malotte/Sturz Organ Postlude Anthem The Last Words of David He that ruleth over men must be just, must be just, must be just, Ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be as the light of the morning, When the sun riseth, Even a morning without clouds; As the tender grass springing out of the earth By clear shining after rain, after rain, after rain. Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen. Lyrics adapted from 2 Samuel 23:3 4; music by Randall Thompson (1949) Doxology Hymn Hymn 52 O God, Our Help in Ages Past O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come, Our shelter from the stormy blast, And our eternal home! Under the shadow of Thy throne Thy saints have dwelt secure; Sufficient is Thine arm alone, And our defense is sure. * Interpreting for the deaf is provided during the 10:30 a.m. service. Arabic translation for the 10:30 a.m. service is available at gracechurch.org/live.

3 Campus Ministries THE WELCOME CENTER hosts a reception for visitors following each Sunday-morning service. Enjoy refreshments and find helpful people with answers to any questions you have about our church. You ll also receive one of Pastor MacArthur s books as a thank you for being with us today. THE MEMBER CENTER has information about membership and baptism. It is located on the north side of the Heritage Building, across from the Welcome Center. Elder Q&A 8:30 & 10:30 a.m. T66 (basement) THE PRAYER ROOM is staffed with counselors, ready to offer pastoral care. It is open after every service, and is adjacent to the Worship Center. On GraceWalk Fundamentals of the Faith Grace Books Express Local Outreach On the Patio Generations of Grace Children s Sunday School Law Enforcement Appreciation Day Shepherds Conference Spanish Ministries (by the Chapel) The following lesson was taught today in Sunday School (Preschool through Juniors) MESSAGE Review Sunday PASSAGE Genesis 37:1 36 PRINCIPLE God works everything for the salvation of His people. HYMN OF THE MONTH It Is Well with My Soul ASK YOUR CHILD How was God providentially at work in the story of Joseph? APPLY By trusting and honoring God no matter the circumstances. THIS WEEK As a family, read Genesis 37:1 36 and Romans 8: NEXT WEEK Exodus 1:1 2:25 Bookstore The Bookstore is open after each service and during the week. It is located on the south side of the Worship Center. HIGHLIGHT NOW AVAILABLE! WHY BELIEVE THE BIBLE? by John MacArthur This book will give you confidence in the power of God s Word to transform your life. It includes a reading plan, a new preface, and other helpful tools and resources for studying the Bible. EXPRESS CHECK-OUT on GraceWalk Grace to You RADIO gty.org/radio How to Study the Bible KKLA 99.5 FM LOS ANGELES M F 6:30 am & 7:30 pm KDAR 98.3 FM OXNARD VENTURA M F 2:00 & 10:00 am; Sun 2:00 am SiriusXM CHANNEL 131 M F 2:00 am & 8:00 pm TELEVISION gty.org/television Bible Questions & Answers NRB Network CHANNEL 378 ON DIRECTV Sunday 6:30 pm ONLINE gty.org Sunday sermons Audio archive: John MacArthur s pulpit ministry Resource library: books, study guides, videos, Q&As All audio is available for free listening or downloading. TODAY

4 Ministers of God FEATURE Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God for it is a minister of God to you for good (Romans 13:1 2, 4). The apostle Paul wrote these words to the church in Rome around AD 56, while they were under the authority of the emperor Nero, who is infamous for being one of the cruelest Roman emperors. Eight years later, as Nero was launching a citywide persecution of Christians, Peter was in Rome and echoed Paul s words when he wrote, Submit yourselves for the Lord s sake to every human institution (1 Peter 2:13). By God s grace we live in a different era, with freedoms previously unavailable to most generations, but we are called to the same level of submission to the government as the early Christians. The Bible identifies three major institutions

5 Appointed by God as authorities to restrain evil in the world today, police officers deserve our submission, respect, and gratitude. But, as we have all witnessed in the news over the past several months, it seems the focus has shifted far from submission and respect, and instead borders on abuse. we are to honor the family, the church, and the government. We respect these institutions because God established them, and we recognize their primary role in the very existence of civilization. Imagine a world where the law was not enforced. It would quickly become like the era of the Judges, when everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 17:6). Law enforcement officers are committed to our protection, but it is often a thankless job. For that reason Grace Community Church has set aside today as Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. It is our desire to honor the men and women who serve in law enforcement around Los Angeles for their commitment and assistance to our communities. If you are a law enforcement officer and you are visiting this morning, thank you for putting your life on the line daily in extremely challenging situations. We appreciate and honor your service. Law Enforcement Luncheon Immediately following the 10:30 a.m. service, all law enforcement personnel are invited to a special luncheon held in your honor. Please make your way to the third floor of the Tower Building. FEATURE

6 HIGHLIGHTS Faith Promise In October 2013, your Faith Promise giving helped make it possible for Chad and Kara Mia Dexter to move overseas and join the missionary team in the Philippines. Chad reports on the many ways God has shown Himself faithful this past year The Lord has allowed us to establish many great relationships here in the Philippines. Lord willing, some of these will lead to opportunities to train Filipino pastors. The Lord also answered our prayer to provide a home church for us here in Manila. In October, we welcomed another Dexter boy into our family. The devastation of Typhoon Yolanda just over a year ago opened a door for us to serve pastors on the island of Leyte. I have been able to travel there three times to conduct seminars for pastors and the response was tremendous. A hermeneutics course in Davao is just beginning. A number of other opportunities for new places of ministry are on the horizon for Please pray that the Lord will go before us as we endeavor to reach out into more areas. To learn more about Faith Promise or our ministry efforts in the Philippines, call Shepherds Conference Prayer Cards Prayer cards listing conference attendees are available on the patio this morning. Pick up a card and pray for our guests by name in the days leading up to the conference. Parking on March 1 If you park on the east side of the seminary building on Sunday, March 1, please move your car immediately after the second service in preparation for Shepherds Conference set up. Grace Around the World The Luciano Family Allan & Sandi, Jakob, Trevor, Noah Serving in Philippines Since 2014 Prayer / Praise Pray for our new classes for 2015 one in Manila and the other in Davao City. Praise the Lord that the church we ve been attending recently made the successful transition to biblical eldership. We ll be pursuing membership at this church soon. Faith Promise Last week you generously gave $13,051. Thank you for your ongoing support of our missionary families. Visitor Outreach Every Sunday, our church is honored to welcome first-time visitors. During the following week, our visitor outreach team connects with each visitor who submitted a registration card. They thank our guests for visiting, attempt to answer any questions they may have, and offer to help them get plugged into Grace Church. These calls can be a great opportunity to proclaim the gospel. Team members also invite the visitors back to church, offering to host them during the services, with the goal of building discipleship relationships with them. For more information call

7 Nursery Room Temporary Relocations March 1 8:30 & 10:30 a.m. Because of the upcoming Shepherds Conference, the following nursery rooms will be relocated to the second floor of the Tower building. 6 9 months... T months... T months; A L... T months; M Z... T275 All nurseries will return to their regular rooms on March 8. Job Opportunities Accounting Manager. The Grace Church Accounting Department has a full-time opening for an accounting manager. Candidates will manage dayto-day operations of a fast-paced team environment and oversee and review processes related to month-end close, audit, and year-end tax reporting. Position requires ability to research and document tax and accounting issues; excellent organizational, analytical, and multi-tasking skills; and experience with accounting software and Microsoft Office. Payroll experience preferred. Applicants for employment must be, if employed, biblically qualified as a deacon or deaconess and a member of Grace Church. For more information or to request an application, contact Human Resources at HR@gracechurch.org or Administrative Assistant. Grace to You has a full-time opening for an administrative assistant to the director of Gracia a Vosotros. Applicants must have strong secretarial skills, organizational abilities, a professional phone manner, fluency in English and Spanish, and a working knowledge of Microsoft Office programs. For more information, call Monica at Evening Service Schedule In order to give our conference team and the record numbers of volunteers who will be helping more time to set up for the Inerrancy Summit, the evening service on Sunday, March 1, has been canceled. The evening service on Sunday, March 8, has also been canceled to allow for a time of rest following the conference. Sojourners Women s Fellowship Thursday, March 12 9:30 11:30 a.m. T270s Speaker: Helen Varner All women are welcome. Call for more information. Hands for Hope For information about adoption and orphan care, visit the Hands for Hope page at gracechurch.org. One with Christ Monday, February 23 9:30 a.m. CC130 Bible study primarily for women who have lost their husbands through death or divorce. Baby Rose Reminder To have a rosebud placed in honor of your newborn baby, music@gracechurch.org or call Sharon at ANNOUNCEMENTS

8 8:30 a.m. 8:30 a.m. 10:30 10:30 a.m. a.m. 5:00 p.m. 12:30 p.m. Fridays 7:30 p.m. SUNDAY FELLOWSHIPS Children s Sunday School Visit the Welcome Center for room locations. Pastor: Matt White Cornerstone (All ages) T371 Pastors: Nathan Busenitz, Justin Harris, Mark Tatlock Doulos (20s & 30s) T361 Pastor: Carl Hargrove FaithBuilders (All ages) T261 Pastor: Bill Shannon GraceLife (All ages) Family Center Pastors: Phil Johnson, Mike Riccardi Junior High (Grades 7 8) T73 (Basement) Pastor: Andrew Curry Mentally Disabled CC130 (east) Pastor: Rick McLean Spanish Adult Sunday School H Teachers: Josiah Grauman, Heber Torres Spanish Worship Service Chapel Pastors: Henry Tolopilo, Michael Mahoney Children s Sunday School Visit the Welcome Center for room locations. Pastor: Matt White Crossroads (College & young adults) Family Center Pastor: Austin Duncan High School (Grades 9 12) T73 (Basement) Pastor: Josh Petras Joint Heirs (All ages) T261 Pastors: Tom Patton, John Street Mainstream (All ages) T361 Pastor: Rich Gregory Mentally Disabled CC130 (east) Pastor: Rick McLean Sojourners (All ages) T371 Pastor: William Varner Spanish Adult Sunday School H Teachers: Josiah Grauman, Ruben Pidal, Heber Torres Spanish Worship Service Chapel Pastors: Henry Tolopilo, Michael Mahoney Neighborhood Outreach T273 5:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. Sunday Night Prayer Group Grace Grill (next to the Children s Center) 6:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. Discovery (Grades 1 6) Family Center Discovery Kids (Ages 3 5) CC Visit our website at Administration Children Equipping Membership The Guild (Single adults) T361 Pastor: Don Carr MINISTRY DIRECTORY Men Outreach Pastoral Care & Counseling Prayer Mondays 9:00 a.m. Monday Morning Prayer Group Welcome Center Building Abbreviation Key T = Tower H = Heritage CC = Children s Center Spanish Special Ministries Student Women Roscoe Blvd. Sun Valley, CA Our mission is to glorify God and extend His kingdom by living and proclaiming His truth in the world. Grace Today is published weekly by Grace Community Church by Grace Community Church. Scripture, unless otherwise noted, is taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, Used by permission.