February 3, 2019 Preaching: Bill Douglas

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "February 3, 2019 Preaching: Bill Douglas"

Louise Hopkins
5 years ago
Views:

2 The Gospel is Good News but it begins with bad news. The beginning point is that all people are alienated from God and the distance is so great that we can never hope to gain access to him. Without an understanding of this fact the story of the gospel does not make sense. Pastor and author Tim Keller says, Without a knowledge of our extreme sin, the payment of the cross seems trivial and does not electrify or transform. But without a knowledge of Christ's completely satisfying life and death, the knowledge of sin would crush us or move us to deny and repress it. Take away either the knowledge of sin or the knowledge of grace and people's lives are not changed. So we have to allow the Holy Spirit to show us how great our need is greater than we fear -- and then to show us how great the love of God and the offer of the gospel is for us greater than we would ever hope. Corporate worship builds into the rhythm of our lives a cycle of seeing our need and seeing our Savior. Bill Douglas, Pastor WELCOME VISITORS We are glad to have you as our guest! As we seek to bring glory to our Father together, we welcome you to join any or all of the events and ministry activities at St. Andrews. We invite you to worship God with us, to find us as a place for encouragement and fellowship, and to become a part of this church. We invite you to tell us who you are and let us get to know you, as you get to know and become more familiar with us. God has moved you to come to worship him. We are honored that you are here.

3 February 3, 2019 Preaching: Bill Douglas Songs of Ascent Speak, O Lord Speak, O Lord, as we come to You to receive the food of Your Holy Word. Take Your truth, plant it deep in us; shape and fashion us in Your likeness, That the light of Christ might be seen today in our acts of love and our deeds of faith. Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us all Your purposes for Your glory. Teach us, Lord, full obedience, holy reverence, true humility; Test our thoughts and our attitudes in the radiance of Your purity. Cause our faith to rise; cause our eyes to see Your majestic love and authority. Words of pow r that can never fail let their truth prevail over unbelief. Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds; help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us Truths unchanged from the dawn of time that will echo down through eternity. And by grace we ll stand on Your promises, and by faith we ll walk as You walk with us. Speak, O Lord, till Your church is built and the earth is filled with Your glory. Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing 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 now, 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, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above. Oh that day when, freed from sinning, I shall see Thy lovely face; Clothèd then in blood-washed linen how I ll sing Thy sovereign grace. Come my Lord, no longer tarry; take my ransomed soul away, Send Thine angels now to carry me to realms of endless day.

4 Jesus, Lover of My Soul Jesus, lover of my soul, let me to Thy bosom fly, While the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high. Hide me, O my Savior, hide, till the storm of life is past; Safe into the haven guide; O receive my soul at last. Other refuge have I none, hangs my helpless soul on Thee; Leave, oh, leave me not alone, still support and comfort me. All my trust on Thee is stayed, all my help from Thee I bring; Cover my defenseless head with the shadow of Thy wing. Thou, O Christ, art all I want, more than all in Thee I find; Raise the fallen, cheer the faint, heal the sick, and lead the blind. Just and holy is Thy Name, I am all unrighteousness; False and full of sin I am; Thou art full of truth and grace. Plenteous grace with Thee is found, grace to cover all my sin; Let the healing streams abound; make and keep me pure within. Thou of life the fountain art, freely let me take of Thee; Spring Thou up within my heart; rise to all eternity. Call to Worship from David s Song of Dedication in I Chronicles 16 Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what He has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, For a thousand generations, sing to the LORD, all the earth; Proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; Let them say among the nations, The LORD reigns! Let the sea resound, and all that is in it; Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them! Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Cry out, Save us, God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, That we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise. Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.

5 All Must Be Well Through the love of God our Savior, all will be well. Free and changeless is His favor, all is well. Precious is the blood that healed us, perfect is the grace that sealed us, Strong the hand stretched forth to shield us, All must be well. Though we pass through tribulation, all will be well. Ours is such a full salvation, all is well. Happy, still in God confiding, fruitful, if in Christ abiding, Steadfast through the Spirit's guiding, All must be well. We expect a bright tomorrow, all will be well. Faith can sing through days of sorrow, All is well. On our Father's love relying, Jesus every need supplying, Yes in living or in dying, All must be well. (repeat) The Lord be with you. And also with you. Prayers of Invocation O Most High, blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all names that are named and all the nations on the earth. You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all that has breath, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. According to your limitless mercy you have fulfilled your ancient promise and have sent your own Son to be our Savior. He who has purchased us by his own blood now calls us here. We pray that his name will rest on us in this place today and give us gladness because of the great salvation that has come to us out of Zion. Give us hearts ready to hear your word, faith to believe your great promises, and give us lives of new obedience as we wait for your day. We pray in the name of Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Amen.

6 Hymn # 520 Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness my beauty are, my glorious dress; 'Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed, with joy shall I lift up my head. Bold shall I stand in that great day, for who aught to my charge shall lay? Fully absolved through these I am, from sin and fear, from guilt and shame. When from the dust of death I rise to claim my mansion in the skies, Ev n then this shall be all my plea, Jesus hath lived, hath died, for me. Jesus, be endless praise to Thee, whose boundless mercy hath for me, For me a full atonement made, an everlasting ransom paid. O let the dead now hear Thy voice; now bid thy ransomed ones rejoice; Their beauty this, their glorious dress, Jesus, thy blood and righteousness. Prayers of Confession Heavenly Father, gracious and compassionate, abounding in lovingkindness and mercy, draw near and give to me forgiveness and comfort of soul. It is your grace toward me to afflict me for by these trials I see my sins and hidden faults. When Your son, Jesus, came into my soul instead of sin, He became more dear to me than sin had formerly been; His kindly rule replaced sin s tyranny. Teach me to believe that if ever I would have sin subdued I must invite Christ to abide in the place of it, and he must become to me more than vile lust had been; that His sweetness, power, life may be there. You have struck a heavy blow at my pride, at the false god of self, and I have seen my rebellious heart. Save me from the love of the world. Turn me from the way of the unrighteous. Give me true and deep repentance from the tyranny of a demanding spirit. I am often lukewarm and confess that unbelief mars my days. Cause the weeds that grow in my soul to be cut at their roots; grant me to know that I truly live only when I live to you, that all else is trifling. Your presence alone can make me holy, devout, strong and happy. Abide in me, gracious God. In your kindness you have shown me my sin. Show me now, by faith, my Saviour whose life was given for my sins and whose blood brings me present and ready help. It is in his virtues, his righteousness and his Name above all names that we pray. Amen.

7 Promise of Pardoning Grace Colossians 2 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Confession of Faith Westminster Shorter Catechism Q. 5. Are there more Gods than one? A. There is but one only, the living and true God. Q. 6. How many persons are there in the Godhead? A. There are three persons in the Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory. Q. 7. What are the decrees of God? A. The decrees of God are, his eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his own glory, he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass. Q. 8. How doth God execute his decrees? A. God executes his decrees in the works of creation and providence. Ministry Minute Youth Ministry Hymn # 37 All That I Am All that I am I owe to thee, thy wisdom, Lord, has fashioned me. I give my Maker thankful praise, whose wondrous works my soul amaze. Ere into being I was brought, thine eye did see, and in thy thought My life in all its perfect plan was ordered ere my days began. Thy thoughts, O God, how manifold, more precious unto me than gold! I muse on their infinity, awaking I am still with thee. The wicked thou wilt surely slay; from me let sinners turn away. They speak against the name divine; I count God's enemies as mine. Search me, O God, my heart discern; try me, my inmost thought to learn; And lead me, if in sin I stray, to choose the everlasting way.

8 Offering (At this time, the Pre K4 and Kindergarten children are invited to meet their leaders at the back of the sanctuary for Children s Church.) Scripture Lesson Ephesians 4: Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

9 Ephesians 4: For the purpose of filling all things with himself Jesus Christ has ransomed a people for his own possession, is gathering them into his church; leads, sustains, orders and grows them to maturity by giving them gifts for all the ministry he commands and faithfully keeps them until the great and final day. Building itself up -- by the efforts of every supporting part Connected to and involved with each other. 65 One-Anothers of the Bible Building itself up to fulness in Christ and by use of those powers that come from Christ. In Christ we have the gift of justifying grace that covers us. In Christ we have the gift sanctifying grace that is remaking us. In Christ we have the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit that empowers us. In Christ we have the gift of authority in spiritual conflict that frees us. Building itself up -- in love. That powerful and compelling thing: to be loved by God. The motive above all motives: because he loved us we love him. The enduring sweetness in all seasons and moments: that we love one another.

10 Sermon Hymn # 585 Take My Life and Let it Be Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee; Take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise, Let them flow in ceaseless praise. Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love; Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee, Swift and beautiful for Thee. Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King; Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee, Filled with messages from Thee. Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold; Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose, Every power as Thou shalt choose. Benediction Nunc Dimittis Hymn # 585 Take My Life and Let it Be Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine. Take my heart; it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne, It shall be Thy royal throne. Take my love; my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure-store. Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee, Ever, only, all for Thee.

11 A N N O U N C E M E N T S Thank you to Pilar Cobb, Chris Schuster, John Mitchell, and the entire Missions Committee for an amazing Mission s Conference! The church is very thankful for the time and effort that went in to creating such a wonderful weekend. Children's Ministry Thanks to the youth who helped out during the Missions Conference with the Children's Program- Rebekah Ruth Basie, Rachel Basie, Olivia Rhodes, and Will Maxey! Kids in 1st-6th Grade are invited to CLUBTIME which meets next Sunday, February 10 from 6:00-7:30 PM. Students should be working on Lesson 2, Psalm 1:1-2 in their devotional booklets. For more info contact Bess at kids.sapc@gmail.com Youth Super Bowl Party!! Where: Moseley House When: TONIGHT, 6pm till the end of the game or when needed to leave. What: Food, Fellowship, and Super Bowl bingo! Winners get prizes! Women s Ministry WOMEN S BIBLE STUDIES Tuesdays, 10-11:30a: The book of John, led by Margaret Sue Moseley at SAPC Childcare provided for children up to age 4. Fridays, 6:30-7:30a: Prayer by Tim Keller led by Amy Jaeger at Panera CONNECT Connect with us! You can now find SAPC Women s Ministry on Facebook (Women in the Church St Andrews Presbyterian) & Instagram (wicstandrews). Men s Ministry SAVE THE DATE For the MEN S SPRING RETREAT! April 25-29, 2019 in GATLINBURG, TENNESSEE Come for some or all of these days. You do not want to miss this!

12 Monthly Calendar at St. Andrews FEBRUARY 3, Sun Sunday School (9:30a) Youth Super Bowl Party 4,Mon Moms in Prayer (9:00a) 5, Tues Women s Bible Study, with MSM, John (10:00a) 8, Fri NO Early Women s Study at Panera (6:30a) WOMENS RETREAT at Callaway Gardens 9, Sat Women s Retreat at Callaway Gardens 10, Sun Sunday School (9:30a) Middle School Small Groups Youth Group (5:30p) 11,Mon Moms in Prayer (9:00a) 12, Tues Women s Bible Study, with MSM, John (10:00a) High School Small Groups 15, Fri Early Women s Study at Panera (6:30a) -- 17, Sun Men s Study (8:00a) Sunday School (9:30a) Middle School Small Groups Youth Group (5:30p) 18,Mon Moms in Prayer (9:00a) 19, Tues Women s Bible Study, with MSM, John (10:00a) High School Small Groups 21, Thurs Invited (7:00p) 22, Fri Early Women s Study at Panera (6:30a) If you have questions regarding any event, please contact the church office

13 Calendar of the Month Ushers: Lois Cain, Brett Horne, Chris Schoonover, Rodney Milner Deacons: DR McNew, Bill Shirley Greeters: February 3: Greg & Susan Johnston February 10: Todd & Rachel Sheppard February 17: Chris & Betty Schuster Children s Church: February 3: Diane McGowan, Cordy Phillips, Bethany Adams February 10: Bess Kendrick-Holmes and Jennifer Stowe, Maggie Foster February 17: Brett & Jackie Horne, Jack Phillips COVENANT FAMILY NEEDS Nursery Volunteers: February 3: Jacque Leerssen February 10: Jolyn Morris February 17: Brooke Douglas Expectant Mothers Katie Edmonson, Molly Parker, Caitlin Ballard, Emily Ward Foster Care Families Matt & Katherine Maxey Families Adopting Mathes & Caitlin Ballard St. Andrews Missionaries MTW, Pete & Ruth Mitchell (France) St Andrews Ministries Worship Ministry Team Please pray for service members and families from our church family who are deployed or moving to new duty stations in the coming days and weeks. Please pray for Joy and Cliff Mullins as they mourn the loss of Joy's father, Curtis Pond. Please pray for those in our church family who are recovering from surgeries, accidents, cancer treatments, and other illnesses: Sam Killeffer Addie Jackson Bill Harrison Sara Brouwer Patricia Levine Frank Clements Susan Clickner

14 MISSIONARIES AND MINISTRIES SUPPORTED BY ST. ANDREWS Bethany Christian Services (Columbus, GA) International Friendship Ministries (Columbus, GA) InterVarsity Christian Fellowship Paul and Margaret Tokunaga Mission to North America (MNA) Chaplain Ministries Mission to the World (MTW) Gary and Tammy Elliott (Bulgaria) Pete & Ruth Mitchell (France) Terry & Alicia Newton (Medical) David and Erin Pervis (Greece) Johan and Stephanie van der Westhuizen (Chile) Pioneers Nazmi & Albana Berisha Jacob & Leah Carr Tom & Iris Lowder Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) Auburn University (Wes and Nancy Simmons) University of Georgia (Ben Coppedge ) University of South Alabama (Jacob and Leigh Zoller) Georgia Southern University (Joshua Keel) Mercer University (Marlin Harris) Truth Spring Academy (Columbus, GA) Valley Rescue Mission (Columbus, GA) Young Life Greater Columbus, GA (Lauren Johnson) Atlanta, (Slate and Lindsay Fluker) Deacons of St. Andrews 2019 DR McNew Josh Schuster Allen Whitley 2020 Morgan Kimball Bill Shirley Ben Wallace 2021 Luke Addison Mitch Jaeger Mike Willett Elders of St. Andrews 2019 Bill Brouwer Matt Maxey 2020 Chris Schuster Greg Johnston John Mitchell 2021 Steve Adams Clark Cobb Tim Dodds Ted Thorne

His called-out people: Who are called together to worship God, To

15 The Purpose of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church: We exist to glorify and enjoy God as His called-out people: Who are called together to worship God, To be instructed in the Scriptures, To be conformed to God s truth, To reach out into our world with the news of the gospel.

I Thessalonians 5: give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

I Thessalonians 5: give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians 5: 18.... give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Living with an attitude and the daily practice of giving thanks is not something that comes naturally.