March 26, 2023
Praise the Lord Ye Heavens
Young Oceans, Harvest.
Praise the Lord Ye heavens adore him
Praise him angels in the height
Sun and moon, rejoice before him
Praise him, all ye stars of light
Praise the Lord for he hath spoken
Worlds his mighty voice obeyed
Laws which never shall be broken
For their guidance he hath made
CHORUS: All creation join the song of praise
Let every tongue declare His mighty ways
And we will sing of Your goodness and mercy all of our days
Praise the Lord for he is glorious
Never shall his promise fail
God hath made his saints victorious
Sin and death shall not prevail (CHORUS)
Glory! Glory! All glory to You Lord!
Praise the God of our salvation
Hosts on high, his power proclaim
Heaven and earth, and all creation
Laud and magnify his Name (CHORUS)
Call to Worship
Psalm 148:1-5
Leader: Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights!
All: Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts!
Leader: Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars!
All: Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
Leader: Let them praise the name of the LORD! For he commanded and they were created.
Is He Worthy?
Andrew Peterson
Do you feel the world is broken? (We do)
Do you feel the shadows deepen? (We do)
But do you know that all the dark
won’t stop the light from getting through? (We do)
Do you wish that you could see it all made new? (We do)
Is all creation groaning? (It is)
Is a new creation coming? (It is)
Is the glory of the Lord to be the light within our midst? (It is)
Is it good that we remind ourselves of this? (It is)
Is anyone worthy? Is anyone whole?
Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?
The Lion of Judah who conquered the grave
He is David's root and the Lamb who died to ransom the slave
Is He worthy? Is He worthy?
Of all blessing and honor and glory
Is He worthy of this? He is
Does the Father truly love us? (He does)
Does the Spirit move among us? (He does)
And does Jesus, our Messiah, hold forever those He loves? (He does)
Does our God intend to dwell again with us? (He does)
Is anyone worthy? Is anyone whole?
Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?
The Lion of Judah who conquered the grave
He is David's root and the Lamb who died to ransom the slave
From every people and tribe, and every nation and tongue
He has made us a kingdom and priests to God to reign with the Son
Is He worthy? Is He worthy? Of all blessing and honor and glory
Is He worthy? Is He worthy? Is He worthy of this?
He is! He is! He is! He is!
He is worthy! He is worthy!
Of all blessing and honor and glory
He is worthy of this. He is
Prayer of Confession
Galatians 5:13-23
Leader: For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
All: But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
Leader: But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
All: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Silent Prayers
God’s Assurance of Forgiveness
Galatians 4:4-7
Leader: But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
Words Helen Howarth Lemmel (1922). Tune: LEMMEL (Lemmel).
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
Turn your eyes to the hillside
Where justice and mercy embraced
There the Son of God gave His life for us
And our measureless debt was erased
CHORUS: Jesus, to You we lift our eyes
Jesus, our glory and our prize
We adore You, behold You, our Savior ever true
Oh Jesus, we turn our eyes to You
Turn your eyes to the morning
And see Christ the Lion awake
What a glorious dawn, fear of death is gone
For we carry His life in our veins (Chorus)
Turn your eyes to the heavens
Our King will return for His own
Every knee will bow, every tongue will shout
“All glory to Jesus alone!” (Chorus)
Family Life
† During a brief intermission, children can go with their teachers for a lesson.
The musicians will call us back with a song reprised.
Sermon Passage
Genesis 21:1-21
1 The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised. 2 And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. 3 Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac. 4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 And Sarah said, "God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me." 7 And she said, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age."
8 And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9 But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing. 10 So she said to Abraham, "Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac." 11 And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on account of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, "Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named. 13 And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring." 14 So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the child under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, "Let me not look on the death of the child." And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, "What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18 Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation." 19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. 20 And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. 21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
Pastor: The grass withers and the flower fades...
All: ...but the word of our God will stand forever. (Isaiah 40:8)
Sermon
"Son or Slave?"
Pastor Mike McBride
Jesus, Your Mercy
Songwriter(s): Bob Kauflin, Jordan Kauflin, Nathan Stiff
Jesus, Your mercy is all my plea
I have no defense, my guilt runs too deep
The best of my works pierced Your hands and Your feet
Jesus, Your mercy is all my plea
Jesus, Your mercy is all my boast
The goodness I claim, the grounds of my hope
Whatever I lack it’s still what I need most
Jesus, Your mercy is all my boast
Chorus:Praise the King who bore my sin
Took my place when I stood condemned
Oh how good You’ve always been to me
I will sing of Your mercy
Jesus, Your mercy is all my rest
When fears weigh me down and enemies press
A comfort I cling to in life and in death
Jesus Your mercy is all my rest
Jesus, your mercy is all my joy
Forever I’ll lift my heart and my voice
To sing of a treasure no pow’r can destroy
Jesus, your mercy is all my joy
The Lord’s Supper
† Receive bread and juice from one of our section hosts near you. Gluten free wafers are available at the front table.
The Apostle's Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and Earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended into hell.* The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church,** the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
* Latin Hades, which means the place of the dead.
** Holy catholic church refers to the church universal
God is For Us
By CityAlight.
We won't fear the battle, we won’t fear the night
We will walk the valley with You by our side
You will go before us, You will lead the way
We have found a refuge, only You can save
[Chorus]
Sing with joy now: our God is for us
The Father's love is a strong and mighty fortress
Raise your voice now, no love is greater
Who can stand against us if our God is for us
Even when I stumble, even when I fall
Even when I turn back, still Your love is sure
You will not abandon, You will not forsake
You will cheer me onward with never-ending grace [Chorus]
[Bridge]
Neither height nor depth can separate us
Hell and death will not defeat us
He who gave His son to free us
Holds me in His love
Neither height nor depth can separate us
Hell and death will not defeat us
He who gave His son to free us
Holds me in His love [Chorus]
Benediction
† We invite you to stretch out your hands as you receive the Lord’s blessing.
Young Oceans, Harvest.
Praise the Lord Ye heavens adore him
Praise him angels in the height
Sun and moon, rejoice before him
Praise him, all ye stars of light
Praise the Lord for he hath spoken
Worlds his mighty voice obeyed
Laws which never shall be broken
For their guidance he hath made
CHORUS: All creation join the song of praise
Let every tongue declare His mighty ways
And we will sing of Your goodness and mercy all of our days
Praise the Lord for he is glorious
Never shall his promise fail
God hath made his saints victorious
Sin and death shall not prevail (CHORUS)
Glory! Glory! All glory to You Lord!
Praise the God of our salvation
Hosts on high, his power proclaim
Heaven and earth, and all creation
Laud and magnify his Name (CHORUS)
Call to Worship
Psalm 148:1-5
Leader: Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights!
All: Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts!
Leader: Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars!
All: Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
Leader: Let them praise the name of the LORD! For he commanded and they were created.
Is He Worthy?
Andrew Peterson
Do you feel the world is broken? (We do)
Do you feel the shadows deepen? (We do)
But do you know that all the dark
won’t stop the light from getting through? (We do)
Do you wish that you could see it all made new? (We do)
Is all creation groaning? (It is)
Is a new creation coming? (It is)
Is the glory of the Lord to be the light within our midst? (It is)
Is it good that we remind ourselves of this? (It is)
Is anyone worthy? Is anyone whole?
Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?
The Lion of Judah who conquered the grave
He is David's root and the Lamb who died to ransom the slave
Is He worthy? Is He worthy?
Of all blessing and honor and glory
Is He worthy of this? He is
Does the Father truly love us? (He does)
Does the Spirit move among us? (He does)
And does Jesus, our Messiah, hold forever those He loves? (He does)
Does our God intend to dwell again with us? (He does)
Is anyone worthy? Is anyone whole?
Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?
The Lion of Judah who conquered the grave
He is David's root and the Lamb who died to ransom the slave
From every people and tribe, and every nation and tongue
He has made us a kingdom and priests to God to reign with the Son
Is He worthy? Is He worthy? Of all blessing and honor and glory
Is He worthy? Is He worthy? Is He worthy of this?
He is! He is! He is! He is!
He is worthy! He is worthy!
Of all blessing and honor and glory
He is worthy of this. He is
Prayer of Confession
Galatians 5:13-23
Leader: For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
All: But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
Leader: But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
All: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Silent Prayers
God’s Assurance of Forgiveness
Galatians 4:4-7
Leader: But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
Words Helen Howarth Lemmel (1922). Tune: LEMMEL (Lemmel).
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
Turn your eyes to the hillside
Where justice and mercy embraced
There the Son of God gave His life for us
And our measureless debt was erased
CHORUS: Jesus, to You we lift our eyes
Jesus, our glory and our prize
We adore You, behold You, our Savior ever true
Oh Jesus, we turn our eyes to You
Turn your eyes to the morning
And see Christ the Lion awake
What a glorious dawn, fear of death is gone
For we carry His life in our veins (Chorus)
Turn your eyes to the heavens
Our King will return for His own
Every knee will bow, every tongue will shout
“All glory to Jesus alone!” (Chorus)
Family Life
† During a brief intermission, children can go with their teachers for a lesson.
The musicians will call us back with a song reprised.
Sermon Passage
Genesis 21:1-21
1 The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised. 2 And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. 3 Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac. 4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 And Sarah said, "God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me." 7 And she said, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age."
8 And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9 But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing. 10 So she said to Abraham, "Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac." 11 And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on account of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, "Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named. 13 And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring." 14 So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the child under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, "Let me not look on the death of the child." And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, "What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18 Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation." 19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. 20 And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. 21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
Pastor: The grass withers and the flower fades...
All: ...but the word of our God will stand forever. (Isaiah 40:8)
Sermon
"Son or Slave?"
Pastor Mike McBride
Jesus, Your Mercy
Songwriter(s): Bob Kauflin, Jordan Kauflin, Nathan Stiff
Jesus, Your mercy is all my plea
I have no defense, my guilt runs too deep
The best of my works pierced Your hands and Your feet
Jesus, Your mercy is all my plea
Jesus, Your mercy is all my boast
The goodness I claim, the grounds of my hope
Whatever I lack it’s still what I need most
Jesus, Your mercy is all my boast
Chorus:Praise the King who bore my sin
Took my place when I stood condemned
Oh how good You’ve always been to me
I will sing of Your mercy
Jesus, Your mercy is all my rest
When fears weigh me down and enemies press
A comfort I cling to in life and in death
Jesus Your mercy is all my rest
Jesus, your mercy is all my joy
Forever I’ll lift my heart and my voice
To sing of a treasure no pow’r can destroy
Jesus, your mercy is all my joy
The Lord’s Supper
† Receive bread and juice from one of our section hosts near you. Gluten free wafers are available at the front table.
The Apostle's Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and Earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended into hell.* The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church,** the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
* Latin Hades, which means the place of the dead.
** Holy catholic church refers to the church universal
God is For Us
By CityAlight.
We won't fear the battle, we won’t fear the night
We will walk the valley with You by our side
You will go before us, You will lead the way
We have found a refuge, only You can save
[Chorus]
Sing with joy now: our God is for us
The Father's love is a strong and mighty fortress
Raise your voice now, no love is greater
Who can stand against us if our God is for us
Even when I stumble, even when I fall
Even when I turn back, still Your love is sure
You will not abandon, You will not forsake
You will cheer me onward with never-ending grace [Chorus]
[Bridge]
Neither height nor depth can separate us
Hell and death will not defeat us
He who gave His son to free us
Holds me in His love
Neither height nor depth can separate us
Hell and death will not defeat us
He who gave His son to free us
Holds me in His love [Chorus]
Benediction
† We invite you to stretch out your hands as you receive the Lord’s blessing.
Posted in Worship Guide