September 18, 2016 Sanctuary Service 9:30 and 11:00 a.m.
Order of Worship Prelude I Know That My Redeemer Lives David Stultz, organist arr. James Boeringer Welcome and greetings Scott Wells, RUF minister, Covenant College Introit I Know That My Redeemer Lives Glory Hallelujah! Chancel Choir words for meditation may be found at hymn 281 * Call to worship based on Revelation 5:9-10, 12 Leader: With his blood, Jesus Christ has ransomed men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. He has made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth. All: Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise! * Hymn of praise I Know That My Redeemer Lives I know that my Redeemer lives! What comfort this sweet sentence gives! He lives, he lives, who once was dead; he lives, my ever-living head! He lives to bless me with his love; he lives to plead for me above; he lives my hungry soul to feed; he lives to help in time of need. He lives, my kind, wise, heavenly friend; he lives and loves me to the end; he lives, and while he lives, I ll sing; he lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King! He lives, all glory to his name! He lives, my Jesus, still the same; Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives: I know that my Redeemer lives! DUKE STREET
* Prayer of adoration * Affirmation of faith The Heidelberg Catechism, question one What is your only comfort in life and in death? That I am not my own, but belong body and soul, in life and in death to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven: in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him. Call to confession Hebrews 4:14-16 Since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hymn of confession 486, vv. 1-2 God, Be Merciful to Me Silent prayers of confession Hymn of confession 486, vv. 5-6 God, Be Merciful to Me Assurance of God s pardoning grace based on 1 Timothy 1:15; 1 Peter 2:24-25 Here is a trustworthy statement that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds we have been healed. For once we were like sheep going astray, but now we have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. * Hymn of assurance 699 Like a River Glorious Worship in the giving of God s tithe and our offerings Offertory Take My Life and Let It Be Consecrated Chancel Choir text by Havergal, arr. Rouse Caroline Drexler, violinist * Doxology 731
* Prayer of dedication and thanksgiving * Scripture reading from Romans 12:9-21 Mary Kaufmann (9:30) p. 1764 in pew Bible and text printed below Jim Magnuson (11:00) Prayer of preparation for the study of God s Word Sermon God s Mercies Realign Our Lives to Be More Like Christ Joe Novenson, senior teaching pastor Congregational response Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee. Take my moments and my days; let them flow in creaseless praise, let them flow in ceaseless praise. Pastoral prayer * Closing hymn 559 Father, I Know That All My Life * Benediction * Congregational response Threefold Amen * Postlude Variation Animato on Duke Street James Boeringer * Congregation standing as you are able Romans 12:9-21 9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with God s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 It if is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God s wrath, for it is written: It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Sermon Notes God s Mercies Realign Our Lives to Be More Like Christ Romans 12:9-21 Because of God's mercies, we are becoming living sacrifices who are being realigned in... 1. our emotions and practices (vv. 9-13) Love becomes sincere and not superficial Hate is toward what is actually evil not what is merely bothersome Good is gripped and held fast Honor is given to others and not sought for self Zeal is focused on enduring, fervent service to God Joy is rooted in hope not circumstance Affliction is faced with patience Prayer becomes a faithful regularity Need in others becomes impetus for generosity in us Hospitality becomes a life habit 2. our relationships (vv. 15-16) Joy within others makes us joyous not jealous Mourning by others makes us move toward not away Harmony with others becomes our hallmark Pride and conceit become our enemies, so the little in the world become our friends 3. our reactions (vv. 14, 17-21) Blessing replaces cursing when we are persecuted Responding by doing what is right replaces returning evil for evil Peace is sought with those who want it and those who do not Revenge is left to our perfect Lord Disarming service is offered to those who arm themselves to harm us Evil meets its match in us, as we give white hot good in response to evil's onslaught
IN MEMORIAM Prudence Lincoln Simpson October 4, 1927 - September 10, 2016 Elders meet to pray in Pastor Novenson s office at 10:30 a.m. each Sunday morning. If you would like them to pray for you and your specific needs, they welcome you to join them. Devices to amplify sound during the Sunday morning worship services are available. If you would like one, please arrive a few minutes early and ask an usher to assist you. Children are welcome to participate in all worship services, no matter the age of the child. Worship sheets and crayons are available in the narthex and at the front of the sanctuary to help children interact with the sermon. Today at LMPC Sunday, September 18 Nursery 8:00, 9:30, 11:00 a.m. Morning worship (sanctuary) 8:10, 9:30, 11:00 a.m. Morning worship (fellowship hall) 9:30, 11:00 a.m. Sunday School for all ages (various locations) 9:30, 11:00 a.m. Evening worship with Communion (chapel) 6:00 p.m. For more events this week, visit lmpc.org/calendar or check the calendar in the hallway outside the sanctuary.
Weekly Announcements With your help, we collected 242 bags of food as part of our Build-A-Bag food drive benefitting the Chattanooga area Salvation Army. We exceeded our goal by 17 bags. Thank you to everyone who participated! All are invited to take part in the LMPC Day of Prayer this Wednesday, September 21. You can attend one or more of three prayer gatherings that day at LMPC, or you may pray in your own time. We ask that you commit to pray at some point during this day. Please take a commitment card from the welcome pads, fill it out and place it in the offering plate; or you can fill out a card later with your family or group and return it to the church office. You can also submit it online and view the schedule for Wednesday at lmpc.org/day-of-prayer. The LMPC Middle School Tacky Bowling Night is this Friday, September 23. Please sign up by emailing christie@lmpc.org by tomorrow. The $15 cost includes shoe rental, but plan to bring socks. We will meet at the JHYB at 7:00 p.m. Registration for the women's retreat is currently open via accesslmpc, and will close on Thursday, September 29. Spots are limited, so please plan to register early. You can also call Shannon at the church office for help with registration if using accesslmpc is a problem. The retreat will be November 4-6 at Guntersville State Park and Lodge in Guntersville, Alabama. Sharon Hersh, a professional counselor and adjunct professor at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, will be speaking on "Radically Redemptive Relationships." All adult women at LMPC are invited, and sign-ups with friends are welcomed. If you are in need of financial assistance, please email susie@lmpc.org. More information is available at lmpc.org/women. Men's Steak Night: Women have enjoyed their summer suppers, gathering and sharing food together. So good news for you, men: steak night is back. Thursday, September 29 will be a phenomenal night to build friendships, laugh hard, and eat meat. Don t miss this opportunity to hang out with 10 or so guys around a grill, as you sear your steak to medium rare perfection. Of course, your friends are invited, too. Just send an email to mountainmen@lmpc.org by this Wednesday, September 21 to sign up and to tell us who is coming with you. All men are invited to a Bible study each Tuesday morning at 6:30 a.m. The study meets in the Reception Room and is co-led by Glenn Breazeale and Sam McCahill. Coffee is available, so please join us! To find out more about happenings at LMPC, visit lmpc.org/news
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