Monthly Archives: September 2021

Sermon Manuscript for Lord’s Day 9/26/2021

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Order of Worship—John 17.20-26

Prelude

Welcome and Announcements

Call to Worship

(Ps. 67:1-7) May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah  2 that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.  3 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!  4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah  5 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!  6 The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us.  7 God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!

Hymn No. 149 Praise Him! Praise Him!

Pastoral Prayer

O Father, Son, Holy Spirit you are worthy of our praise! May our praise of you fuel our desire to make your name known to all peoples.

As we prayed Wednesday night, we ask again for the Pashtun people of Afghanistan to be reached with the gospel. O Lord, so few people there know you. Make yourself known in that dark land and may your people fill that land with praise.

We also pray again for the suffering of Rama and Joseph who were recently married but had to flee their family and home because they follow Christ. Please, Lord, strengthen them by your grace to endure under trial for your glory. Give them wisdom in every move that they might find a place to resettle and live out their faith.

 We are also excited about the new church plant in eastern Berlin. Please help them begin with a healthy start and grow that community as they seek to make your name known in that vast city for your glory.

O, Father, we ask along with many others that you would raise up labors for the harvest. Send help to us here that we might reach our neighbors and friends. Lord use us to make your name known here. To the praise of your glorious grace! Be honor and domain and praise forevermore! In Christ’s name, amen.

Hymn No. 40 All People That on Earth Do Dwell

(Tit. 3:5)  5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy

Hymn No. 162 Wonderful, Merciful Savior

Sermon

Hymn No. 346 The Church’s One Foundation

Benediction

(2 Cor. 5:18-21)  18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;  19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.  20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Next Week’s Text: Roman 1:18-23


Stopped in my tracks!

Invisible?

How do you draw “invisible?” Well, it seems the best way is to make use of darkness as the Genesis account does. God created light out of darkness…out of nothing. So, I attempted to take a picture of darkness above.

I was almost finished reading my daily Bible reading plan when all of a sudden Hebrews 11:3 stopped me in my tracks. I had flown by this verse as I anticipated the great stories ahead of me. But not today.

Hebrews 11:3

[3] By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

First, what have you thought about this verse? It initially caught my attention because it sounds like it’s saying something different than Genesis 1 account where we conclude that God created the universe out of nothing.

I grabbed Peter O’Brien off the shelf after a quick look at the ESV study Bible note. He said this:

“‘What cannot be seen’ is parallel to ‘the word of God’ in the first half of the verse and regard the two halves as forming a chiasmus.”

  1. Was formed……………………1’ Came into being
  2. The universe…………………..2’ What is seen
  3. By the word of God………….3’ by what cannot be seen

His conclusion is really good: “God’s word is an invisible power that produces visible results.”

Amazing! I needed to hear this as I prep to preach His word on Sunday. And in particular, this makes one of the verses even more powerful.

John 17:20

[20] “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word

The sharing of the gospel will result in more people believing. It’s not the disciples who cause them to believe, it’s that same conclusion stated above. Sow the word and God will cause some of it to sprout. That is, those who are His.

I had not connected this post to the name of this blog! Indeed, God’s word cannot be imprisoned!


Sermon Manuscript for Lord’s Day 9/19/2021

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Order of Worship—John 17.6-19

Prelude

Welcome and Announcements

Call to Worship

(Ps. 5:11-12)  11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.  12 For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield.

Hymn No. 55 Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken

Pastoral Prayer

Hymn No. 90 God will Take Care of You

(Rom. 12:1-2) I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Hymn No. 587 Take Time to be Holy

Sermon—John 17.6-19

Hymn No. 104 Amazing Grace

Benediction

(Ps. 9:10) And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Next Week’s Text 17:20-26


What is Yom Kippur?

Image result for yom kippur

My family and I (Gentiles) were allowed to sit in on a Yom Kippur celebration several years ago. What struck me was the deadness of the event. This event happens once a year and yet there was no celebration. The picture above is not from the holy day that we visited but that’s all there was…dull reading to dull hearts. Now, I don’t know their hearts but I watch people closely as the promises of God were read. The people were non-responsive…just another day. Well, I understand why. So, let me point you to this article in hopes that God might use it break open your heart.

Look here

I would love to chat with you if you have any questions. Comment below and we will find a way to talk. Blessings!


Sermon Manuscript for Lord’s Day 9/12/2021

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Order of Worship—John 17.1-5

Prelude

Welcome and Announcements

Call to Worship

(Ps. 145:1-13) I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.  2 Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.  3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.  4 One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.  5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.  6 They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness.  7 They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.  8 The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  9 The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.  10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your saints shall bless you!  11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power,  12 to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.  13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

Hymn No. 28 To God be the Glory

Pastoral Prayer

Indeed, Lord, you have done great things! We ask, please pull back the veil of familiarity that we might behold your glory afresh, today. May we have eyes to see and ears to hear. May the thought of your amazing grace move us to genuine worship as we sing of your glory…as we hear your word…stir our hearts to praise.

Lord we also want to remember those who lost their lives 20 years ago. Please, Father, have mercy on the families and friends of those who lost loved ones. Help them through this tragedy. May they know the perfect peace that is only found in you. Woo them to the greatest act of love in all of history in the sacrifice and resurrection of your beloved Son. There will be tragedy and death in this life, but what we do with Jesus is the most important thing in our lives. Make yourself, known Lord!

For truly, you are holy, as we are about to sing. You are God and there is no other. No one is like. You are set apart from all other things. You are transcendent…above all things! You are perfect in all your ways. You are light and in you there is no darkness. May we have fellowship with you through the perfect work of your son.

Give us faith! We cannot please you any other way! We love, you Lord. Make much of your Son today in this service. Do with us as you please. We are yours. Glorify your name!

Hymn No. 68 Holy, Holy, Holy

(Heb. 9:22-28)  22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.  23 Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.  24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.  25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own,  26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.  27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,  28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Hymn No. 252 Down at the Cross

Sermon—John 17:1-5

Hymn No. 438 Jesus, I my Cross Have Taken

Benediction

(Num. 6:24-26) 24 The LORD bless you and keep you;  25 the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;  26 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Next Week’s text: John 17:6-19


What is Rosh Hashanah?

Take a look at this article from Jews for Jesus. It is excellent!

https://jewsforjesus.org/blog/ram-or-lamb


Sermon Manuscript for Lord’s Day 9/5/2021

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Here is the link to download the manuscript if you are interested:

Order of Worship—John 16.16-33

Prelude

Announcements and Welcome

Call to Worship

(Ps. 107:1-9) Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!  2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble  3 and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.  4 Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in;  5 hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.  6 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.  7 He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in.  8 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!  9 For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

(Ps. 107:32-37) 32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.  33 He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground,  34 a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the evil of its inhabitants.  35 He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.  36 And there he lets the hungry dwell, and they establish a city to live in;  37 they sow fields and plant vineyards and get a fruitful yield.

Hymn No. 136 O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing

Pastoral Prayer

Hymn No. 499 Victory in Jesus

(Jn. 16:26-27) 26 In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf;  27 for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.

Hymn No. 555 I Love You, Lord

Sermon—John 16:16-33

Lord’s Supper

Hymn No. 143 You are My All in All

Benediction

(Jn. 16:33) 33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have [conquered] the world.”

To his Kingdom, there will be no end! It is an abiding victory and his victory is our victory by faith!

Next Week’s text: John 17:1-26 Part 1