March 15, John MacArthur. Welcome to the Lord s day worship service at Grace Church. Vol. 19 No. 11

Transcription

1 Vol. 19 No. 11 March 15, 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 Bill Brandenstein, Director Praise to the Lord, the Almighty Bach Stephen Sturz, Organist Hymn 87 May Jesus Christ Be Praised Congregation Hymn 88 Fairest Lord Jesus Hymn 89 Our Great Savior O God, Our Help in Ages Past Croft/Kirkland Worship Choir Hymn 50 The Lord s My Shepherd, I ll Not Want Congregation Power of the Cross Johnson/Rice David Costanzo MESSAGE: DEFIANCE AND DELIVERANCE Austin Duncan Jonah 1:1 2:10 Communion Orchestral Suite I (excerpt) Bach Organ Postlude 6:00 pm No Other Plea Gretry/Mason Instrumental Prelude Anthem 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 still may we dwell secure. Sufficient is Thine arm alone and our defense is sure. Before the hills in order stood or earth received her frame, From everlasting Thou art God, to endless years the same. A thousand ages in Thy sight is like an evening gone, Short as the watch that ends the night before the rising sun. O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, Be Thou our guide while life shall last and our eternal home. O God, our help! Our hope! Amen! Lyrics by Isaac Watts (based on Palm 90), 1719; music by William Croft, 1708 Songs of Praise Congregation The Power of the Cross Getty Offertory MESSAGE: BEHOLDING THE GLORY OF CHRIST Paul Twiss 2 Corinthians 3:18 4:6 Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah Hughes/Sturz Organ Postlude * 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. Today s Membership Class 103 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 Spanish Ministries (by the Chapel) The following lesson was taught today in Sunday School (Preschool through Juniors) MESSAGE Jesus Enters Jerusalem as King PASSAGE Matthew 21 23; Zechariah 9:9 PRINCIPLE Jesus is the promised Messiah. HYMN OF THE MONTH A Mighty Fortress Is Our God ASK YOUR CHILD How did the crowds treat Jesus as the promised King? APPLY By obeying Jesus as King. THIS WEEK As a family, read Matthew 21 23; Zechariah 9:9. NEXT WEEK Matthew 26:1 19, Bookstore The Bookstore is open after each service and during the week. It is located on the south side of the Worship Center. HIGHLIGHT NEW! MACARTHUR NEW TESTAMENT COMMENTARIES MARK 1 8 & MARK 9 16 Available today for 25% off retail price Also available the complete MNTC set (33 volumes) available today for 40% off retail price! EXPRESS CHECK-OUT on GraceWalk Grace to You RADIO gty.org/radio The People Who Can t See Christ Bible Questions and Answers 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 Slaves for Christ 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 EXERCISING OPPORTUNITIES FOR EVANGELISM LOCAL OUTREACH MINISTRIES FEATURE Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded. Matthew 28:19 believing in the Lord Jesus, churches growing and being strengthened, and pastors and leaders being trained to rightly divide the Word of Truth. God s Word is doing its work, and our mission is being fulfilled. One of the wonderful things that characterizes Grace Church is how seriously we take the Great Commission. It is always such an encouragement to thumb through our missionary calendar or walk by the east wall of the Worship Center and see the pictures of these faithful servants who are spread across the globe. We love hearing the reports from the field of sinners repenting and But not everyone has to cross oceans to obey the Great Commission. In fact, for many of us, we don t even have to cross the street. Here in Los Angeles, the Lord has truly brought the nations to us. People in our own neighborhood need to hear the gospel, and God has granted us the privilege of bringing it to them. One of the ways Grace Church does that is through sports outreach ministries. Every

5 Monday evening, we open our gymnasium to the community. At 5:30 the gym is set up for volleyball, and young men and women come to use the court. At 8:00 the set-up changes, and men come to play basketball. After playing for about an hour or so, each group takes a break to hear a clear presentation of the gospel. After this break for physical rest and spiritual nourishment, play resumes for another hour or so. SPORTS OUTREACH Mondays in the Gymnasium For many of these visitors from the community, that gospel presentation is the only exposure to Christ that they will have in any given week. Many of them hear the gospel preached clearly for the first time in the gym. The ministry also gives us the opportunity to model Christ s patience and love by competing in a way that honors Him. And while waiting between games, members of our church family are able to personally engage these new friends, building relationships that hopefully lead to more gospel opportunities. 5:30 p.m. Volleyball (Men & Women) 8 p.m. Basketball (Men) There are many ways for you to be involved in sports outreach. The first and most important way is to pray. Grace Church doesn t advertise that we have an open gym on Monday nights. The Lord has sovereignly brought these dear people to our doorstep through relationships and word-of-mouth. Please continue to pray that He would bring the right people, and that He would be pleased to call people to Himself through the preaching of His gospel. Second, you can join us on a Monday evening. We would love to have more members of our church family come and demonstrate Christ s love both on and off the court. Finally, you can invite your unsaved friends to join you for some fun and exercise, confident that they will hear the gospel faithfully preached. It can certainly provide a good topic of conversation for the ride home. Sports outreach is a great opportunity to exercise both your body and your spiritual gifts. And who knows? Perhaps the Lord will use a friendly pick-up game as a tool to equip you to continue fulfilling our Great Commission. For more information about sports outreach, visit gracechurch.org/local or call FEATURE

6 HIGHLIGHT Thank You We want to thank you for your ministry and labor of love during this year s Shepherds Conference. As profound an impact as the sessions have been in the lives of our guests, our greatest influence as a church flows from the example all of you set as we worship the Lord and serve one another. We are more grateful than ever for this wonderful church and its servant-driven philosophy. Your love for the Lord and His Word and your selfless service was a benediction to our guests; thank you for going the extra mile! The Elders and the Conference Staff Trust in the LORD forever, For in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock. Isaiah 26:4 Grace Around the World The James Family Joel & Ruty, Rebeqah, Daniel Serving in South Africa Since 1995 Prayer / Praise Pray for the branch campus of Christ Seminary that we hope to open in 2016 to train expository preachers in the Pretoria and Johannesburg area. Praise God for a full building and for active, enthusiastic members at our church, Grace Fellowship. Faith Promise Last week you generously gave $8,440. Thank you for your ongoing support of our missionary families. Local Outreach Spotlight Retirement Home Ministry Sundays, 1:00 3:00 p.m. On Sunday afternoons teams of volunteers visit two assisted-living facilities in Northridge. They provide a worship service with songs, Scripture reading, exhortation, and a short sermon. This is a wonderful opportunity to build relationships and minister to the fainthearted. For more information call

7 Glorifying the Risen Savior Good Friday Communion Service April 3 7:30 p.m. Special music by the worship choir, orchestra, and vocalists. Nursery care (birth five years) will be available. Resurrection Sunday Worship Services April 5 7:00, 8:30 & 10:30 a.m. Nursery care (birth five years) will be available for all services; Sunday School will meet at the regular times. There will be no Sunday evening service on April 5. The Master s College 31st Annual Forest Lawn Concert: Mozart s Requiem Thursday, April 2 7:30 p.m. Hall of Liberty, Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills For complimentary tickets, visit masters.edu/music or call Hope Bible Study Mondays, 7:00 p.m. T270s Hope Bible Study is a transitional ministry that labors to encourage those who have been beset by life-dominating sin, such as drugs and alcohol, with the hope of Christ, the changing power of His Word, and the fellowship of His Church. If you or someone you know could benefit from this ministry, please hopegcc@gmail.com or call for more information. Elders Meeting Thursday, March 19 7 p.m. T262 Open to our church family One with Christ Monday, March 16 9:30 a.m. CC130 Bible study primarily for women who have lost their husbands through death or divorce. Open Arms Pregnancy Clinic Annual Fundraising Banquet Friday, March 27 6:00 9:00 p.m. West Valley Christian Church For more information or to purchase tickets, visit withopenarms.org. Hands for Hope For information about adoption and orphan care, visit the Hands for Hope page at gracechurch.org. With the Lord Frederick Bennett and Byron Weston recently went to be with the Lord. Please remember their families in your prayers. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones. Psalm 116:15 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 (Young families & singles) 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.