:: Download the 1.15.2017 Worship Study Guide and Sermon Notes
:: Download the 1.15.2017 Bulletin
:: Download the 1.15.2017 Sermon Audio
image :: Girl in a Blue Apron, Egon Schiele (1912, Austrian)
Preparation for Worship on January 15, 2017 :: Not Empty
“The life that [God] imparts is a life from the dead…. The death and the life are inseparable. All of the grace which Jesus the Saving One gives is given only in the path of fellowship with Jesus the Crucified One. Christ came and took my place; I must put myself in His place and abide there. And there is but one place which is both His and mine– that place is the Cross. His in virtue of His free choice; mine by reason of the curse of sin. He came there to seek me; there alone I can find Him….When He found me there, it was a place of cursing; this He experienced…He made it a place of blessing; this I experienced, for Christ has delivered us from the curse, being made a curse for us….He took my cross for His own; I must take His Cross as my own; I must be crucified with Him. It is as I abide daily, deeply in Jesus the Crucified One, that I shall taste the sweetness of His love, the power of His life, the completeness of His salvation.” (Andrew Murray)
“He has filled the hungry with good things.” (Luke 1:53)
Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for January 15 include ::
:: All Must Be Well (Mary Bowley-Peters, 1847) CHART [bandcamp track=2424243148 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: We Will Feast In the House of Zion (Sandra McCracken, 2015) CHART [bandcamp track=3987551429 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Psalm 147, Praise the Lord, O Zion (Wendell Kimbrough, 2015) CHART [bandcamp track=2951980805 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Doxology (Thomas Ken, 1709) CHART [bandcamp track=2257784892 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Better Is One Day In Your Courts (Matt Redman,2005) CHART // AUDIO
:: Your Great Name (Natalie Grant, 2008) CHART
Call to Worship :: Matthew 11:25, 28-30
Jesus declared… “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Confession of Sin
Almighty God, together we confess that our attitudes and actions often do not reflect You. We strive for recognition and acclaim from others, growing bitter if we do not get it. We are preoccupied with our own concerns, ignoring others except when it serves our purposes. And our worship of You recedes when circumstances turn difficult. Together we repent from our sins and turn to You alone for forgiveness. Father, be glorified as You claim us as Your people. Jesus, be glorified as Your death has atoned for our sin. Spirit, be glorified as You conform us to the likeness of Christ. Amen.
Words of Encouragement :: Acts 10:43
All the prophets testify about Jesus Christ that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.
New Testament Reading :: I Corinthians 1:26-31
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Sermon :: Ruth 3:14-18
14 So she lay at his feet until the morning, but arose before one could recognize another. And he said, “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” 15 And he said, “Bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out.” So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. Then she went into the city. 16 And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “How did you fare, my daughter?” Then she told her all that the man had done for her, 17 saying, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said to me, ‘You must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’” 18 She replied, “Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.”