The First Baptist Evangel

Transcription

1 The First Baptist Evangel April 9, 2017 Palm Sunday First Baptist Church of West Point is seeking to be a caring community of faith under the leadership of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Celebrating the presence and love of God in Worship, Nourishing persons in faith and discipleship, and Reaching Out to the community with Christ s unconditional Love.

2 Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001, 2006 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. (Unless otherwise stated.) CCLI #

3 Welcome We welcome you to worship at First Baptist this morning. Please help us be more faithful in our ministry to you, and get to know you better, by taking the time to put your name on the attendance pad found on your pew. Visitors, please feel free to leave as little or as much of the information requested on the pad. We promise to only contact you if you ask us to, and to only send information as you request. Members, if you have had a change to your mailing address, , or telephone number please let us know by supplying that information on the pad. Please Especially Note for Today Sign up sheets for Easter Sunday are located in the Café, Gold Room, and Adult Sunday School class. The following are areas where volunteers will be needed: volunteers to bring breakfast foods, volunteers to be on hand in the Café after worship to assist visitors, people to assist with parking and directions, and door greeters. Joyful Noise and Adult Handbells practice this afternoon. Joyful Noise will practice at 4:00 PM and Adult Handbells at 4:30 PM. A time of prayer for our Easter service will be held in the sanctuary Wednesday night at 7:00. Mark your calendars for our annual Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services. Each service will start at 6:00 PM at FBC on Thursday and West Point Presbyterian on Friday. Sonrise Celebration will be this Saturday at 9:00 AM in the Gold Room. Come and enjoy breakfast, the Easter story and an egg hunt. The $5 Challenge has been given to us by the Finance Committee and Deacons. This is a great opportunity to revisit our individual levels of giving and strive to increase our monthly contributions. Can you give $5 more? Can you give $10 more?

4 Ministry Leaders Weekly Schedule of Activities Nursery Workers Today: Ann Adams Next Sunday: Karen Hill April 23: Dianne Hester PEW Ministry Leaders Today: Lisa Tucker & Faith Graben Next Sunday: Phoebe Graben & Susanne Bryan April 23: Susan Groover & Linda Combs Offertory Prayer Leader Today: Linda Combs Next Sunday: Ann Adams April 23: Debra Downs Sunday, April 9 th 9:30 Worship 10:45 Sunday School 11:30 Deacons Meeting 4:00 Joyful Noise practice 4:45 Adult Handbells practice Wednesday, April 12 th 10:00 Prayer at the Scannell s home 5:30 Prayer in the Gold Room Choir Practice 6:15 Family Night Supper Menu: Turkey and Dressing 6:45 TeamKID & Youth 4/12 7:00 Prayer in the Sanctuary Thursday, April 13 th 6:00 Maundy Thursday service at FBC Ann Adams is responsible for the opening and closing of the church during the month of April followed by George Hester in May. Friday, April 14 th 7:00 Morning prayer in the Gold Room 6:00 Good Friday Service at WPPC Saturday, April 14 th 9:00 Sonrise Celebration Sunday, April 16 th 9:30 Easter Worship 2

5 To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. Revelation 2:7 3

6 Celebrating the Presence and Love of God in Worship April 9, 2017 Palm Sunday 9:30 AM PRELUDE THE CHIMING OF THE HOUR RANDALL SMITH HANDBELLS PREPARING FOR WORSHIP For your meditation: Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil. Hebrews 2:14 ENTERING INTO GOD S PRESENCE PROCLAMATION OF CHRIST S ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM TOM TUCKER Matthew 21: Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, The Lord needs them, and he will send them at once. 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden. 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, Who is this? 11 And the crowds said, This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee. CALL TO WORSHIP Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey s colt! Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! 4

7 Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. John 12:15, Zechariah 9:9 SONG OF PRAISE Jesus Messiah He became sin, who knew no sin That we might become His righteousness He humbled himself and carried the cross Love so amazing, love so amazing Chorus: Jesus Messiah, name above all names Blessed redeemer, Emmanuel The rescue for sinners, the ransom from Heaven Jesus Messiah, Lord of all His body the bread, his blood the wine Broken and poured out all for love The whole earth trembled, and the veil was torn Love so amazing, love so amazing, Chorus All our hope is in You, all our hope is in You All the glory to You, God, the light of the world Chorus INVOCATION TOMLIN TOM TUCKER GREETING THE ASSEMBLY OF THE SAINTS Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Galatians 1:3 5 The Lord be with you. And also with you. 5

8 HYMN OF PRAISE (#126) PSALM All Glory, Laud, and Honor ST. THEODULPH DANTZ FRAZER Psalm 31: Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also. 10 For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away. 11 Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach, especially to my neighbors, and an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me. 12 I have been forgotten like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel. 13 For I hear the whispering of many terror on every side! as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life. 14 But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, You are my God. 15 My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! 16 Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love! This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. PRAYER OF CONFESSION TOM TUCKER ASSURANCE OF PARDON TOM TUCKER For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8 9 6

9 GOD S WILL FOR OUR LIVES For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 OFFERTORY HYMN (#128) TRURO Lift Up Your Heads OFFERTORY PRAYER OFFERTORY What the Lord Had Done in Me LINDA COMBS FBC CHOIR OFFERTORY RESPONSE Doxology OLD 100 TH Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heav nly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. (Children ages 3-5 may leave for PEW Ministry during this hymn.) GOD S WORD PROCLAIMED PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION THE EPISTLE LESSON TOM TUCKER JOE DOWNS Revelation 12: Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. 12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short! 7

10 THE GOSPEL LESSON JOE DOWNS Matthew 27: Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, Are you the King of the Jews? Jesus said, You have said so. 12 But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate said to him, Do you not hear how many things they testify against you? 14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed. 15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ? 18 For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. 19 Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream. 20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor again said to them, Which of the two do you want me to release for you? And they said, Barabbas. 22 Pilate said to them, Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ? They all said, Let him be crucified! 23 And he said, Why, what evil has he done? But they shouted all the more, Let him be crucified! 24 So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, I am innocent of this man s blood; see to it yourselves. 25 And all the people answered, His blood be on us and on our children! 26 Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified. 27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him. 32 As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. 33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And 8

11 when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. 38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross. 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, I am the Son of God. 44 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way. 45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani? that is, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, This man is calling Elijah. 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him. 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. 51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, Truly this was the Son of God! SERMON The True Conquerors MEDITATION ON THE WORD PROCLAIMED Behold the Wood TOM TUCKER AFFIRMATION OF FAITH CONGREGATION During his whole life on earth, but especially at the end, Christ sustained in body and soul the anger of God against the sin of the whole human race. This he did in order that, by his suffering as the only atoning sacrifice, he might set us free, body and soul, 9

12 from eternal condemnation, and gain for us God s grace, righteousness, and eternal life. Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 37 HYMN OF RESPONSE (#144) HAMBURG When I Survey the Wondrous Cross DEPARTING TO SERVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR DISCIPLESHIP AND REACHING OUT Sign up sheets for Easter Sunday responsibilities are located around the church. Joyful Noise and Adult Handbells practice this afternoon. Prayer time for our Easter service will be held in the sanctuary Wednesday night at 7:00. This week our annual Maundy Thursday will be here at FBC at 6:00 PM and Good Friday services will be at West Point Presbyterian the following night. Sonrise Celebration will be this Saturday at 9:00 AM in the Gold Room. THE PRAYERS OF THE SAINTS CONGREGATION Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. THE CHARGE TOM TUCKER And he said to all, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. Luke 9:23 24 BENEDICTION TOM TUCKER The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. 2 Corinthians 13:14 POSTLUDE RANDALL SMITH The pastor is available after the service at the front of the sanctuary for anyone who would like to talk more about today s message, learn about faith in Christ, or for prayer. You may also make an appointment by calling the church office at or ing him directly at tucker@fbcwestpoint.com. 10

13 It is 1 week to Easter. Have you personally invited the people you have been praying for? Have you spoken with neighbors, friends, and co-workers inviting them? Where are you serving on Easter? Will you be a door greeter? Will you be outside greeting and helping with parking? Is our building ready for guests? Is the KIDS Corner clean, tidy and inviting? Is the Café prepared for receiving guests? Is the sanctuary ready? Are you praying? Be steadfast in prayer! For this to be successful we all must be contributing to the effort. This Easter is going to be the most important, transformative day in the life of someone in our community. We are going to be the conduit of that divine action. 11

14 Nourishing Persons in Faith and Discipleship Caring for One Another As you intercede for others this week please lift up these particular concerns from here in our own congregation. Mildred Shaver William & Margaret Breedlove Jessica Bolton Margaret Bartlett Pal & Lillian Barber Charles & Mary Clark Richard & Pat Kemp George Hester Justin Graben Roger Hales Wilmer Simpson Jackie Jones Vi Hudmon Paul Fiquette Gladys Hester Howard & Suzanne Bryan Johnie Johnson Jeri Smith Family of Beverly Boehm The Graben Family Prayer for the Week Heavenly Father, give us hospitality for this season of guests; give us strength to prepare our house of worship for this Easter; and give us endurance to see this mission to completion. Reaching Out with Christ s Unconditional Love It s not too late to get your Start Your New Beginning bumper stickers, yard signs, and invitation cards. They are still available in the Sunday School rooms, Café, and vestibule. Be sure to get some and put them to use right away. 12

15 , The Bulletin Board April Happenings April 13th Maundy Thursday at FBC April 14th Good Friday at WPPC April 15th Sonrise Celebration April 16th EASTER Summary of Operations through March: Received: $44, Disbursed: $47, April Birthdays 3 Brian Cowart 4 Leianne Cowart 8 Mildred Shaver 9 Joe Thompson 9 Rev. Byron McEachern Making the Dream a Reality: Lynn Smith: $ Food Closet: $ Hunter Cauthen 17 Lauren McLane 18 Justin Graben 20 Jane Abercrombie 21 Emily Downs Davis 22 Elliott Peek 23 Dale Frazer 13

16 Church Staff Dr. Thomas J. Tucker, Pastor Mr. Howard Bryan, Director of Music Mrs. Patti Scalf, Church Secretary Mrs. Jane Abercrombie, Financial Secretary Mr. Randall Smith, Church Accompanist P.O. Box E 8 th Street West Point, GA 31833