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image  ::  No.9 (Dark over Light Earth), Mark Rothko (1954, American)

Preparation for Worship  ::  Partners

“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”  (C.S. Lewis)

“Desire is an ache for completion…We want heaven, and every desire is a puzzle piece that when put in place reveals the glory of God’s coming.” (Dan Allender)

“God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator.” (Romans 1:24-25)

Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs for May 18

::  Arise, O God, and Shine (Hum, 1813)  history  //  chart  //  audio
::  Dayspring (Wesley, 1740)  history  //  chart  //  audio
::  None Other Lamb (Rossetti, b.1830)   history  //  chart  // audio
::  Here O My Lord (Bonar, 1855)  history  //  chart  //  audio
::  Grace Upon Grace (McCracken, 2005)  history //  chart  //  audio
::  I Cry Out (Musseau, 1990)  history  //  chart
::  Immortal, Invisible (Smith, 1867)  history  //  chart  // audio

Call to Worship  :: Isaiah 51:1-3

Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him. For the Lord comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song.

Old Testament Reading  :: Psalm 98:1-3

Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him. The Lord has made His salvation known and revealed His righteousness to the nations. He has remembered His love and His faithfulness to Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Sermon  ::  Ephesians 5:1-21

¹ Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. ² And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

³ But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. ⁴ Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. ⁵ For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. ⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. ⁷ Therefore do not become partners with them; ⁸ for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), ¹⁰ and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. ¹¹ Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. ¹² For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. ¹³ But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, ¹⁴ for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

¹⁵ Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸ And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, ²⁰ giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

We Confess Our Sin Together

O Lord, we desperately need You and the forgiveness You offer.  You have called us to be Your people and to live for Your glory.  But we have sinned against You.  We have not believed we are Your holy people.  We have not trusted You as beloved children, marked by Your glory and purposes.  We have lived as if only we mattered, and all of our passions are out of order.  Mercifully forgive us all our sins for Jesus’ sake and renew us in Your redeeming love.  Amen.

Words of Encouragement  :: I John 4:9-10

This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Benediction

::  Download the 5.11.2014 Worship Study Guide & Sermon Notes 

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image  ::  The Mill, Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, c.1650)

Preparation for Worship  ::  Christ Will Shine

“The One on whom we wait is a dissatisfied Messiah. He will not relent, He will not quit, He will not rest until every promise He has made been fully delivered. He will not turn from his work until every one of his children has been totally transformed. He will continue to fight until the last enemy is under His feet. He will reign until His Kingdom has fully come. As long as sin exists, He will shower us with forgiving, empowering, and delivering grace.” (Paul David Tripp)

Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs for May 11

::  Let The Glory of the Lord Endure Forever (Chrysler, 1979)  chart
::  Help My Unbelief (Newton, 1791)  chart  //  audio
::  God, Be  Merciful To Me (Psalm 51, Scottish Psalter)  chart  //  audio
::  Narrow Little Road (Leverett, 1995)  chart  //  audio
::  Upon a Life I Did Not Live (Bonar, 1881) chart  //  audio
::  In Christ Alone (Getty, 2002)  chart  //  audio

Call to Worship  ::  Isaiah 9:2; 60:1-3; 2:5

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone… Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and His glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising… O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Old Testament Reading  ::  Psalm 139:1-12

O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

Sermon  ::  Ephesians 5:1-21

¹ Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. ² And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

³ But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. ⁴ Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. ⁵ For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. ⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. ⁷ Therefore do not become partners with them; ⁸ for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), ¹⁰ and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. ¹¹ Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. ¹² For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. ¹³ But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, ¹⁴ for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

¹⁵ Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸ And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, ²⁰ giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

We Confess Our Sin Together  ::  Adapted from The Belgic Confession, Article 14: “The Creation and Fall of Man” (1561)

Lord, You created man from the dust of the earth and made and formed him in Your image and likeness— good, just, and holy; we were able by our own will to conform in all things to Your perfect will. But when we were in honor we did not understand it, and we did not recognize our excellence. We subjected ourselves willingly to sin and consequently to death and the curse, listening to the word of the devil. For we transgressed the commandment of life, which we had received, and by our sin we separated ourselves from You, our true Life, and we corrupted our entire nature. So we made ourselves guilty and subject to physical and spiritual death, we became wicked, perverse, and corrupt in all our ways. We forfeited all the excellent gifts which we had received from Your hand, and we retained none of them except for small traces which are enough to make us inexcusable. Moreover, all the light in us is turned to darkness, as the Scripture teaches us: “The light shone in the darkness, and the darkness did not receive it.” Here John calls all of us “darkness.” Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us.

Words of Encouragement  ::  I John 1:5-7

This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Benediction

::  Download the 5.4.2014 Worship Study Guide & Sermon Notes

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image :: Michelangelo Buonarroti’s recording three meals sent to him by Bernardo Nicolini on 18 March 1518 while he was quarrying marble in Pietrasanta, Italy

Preparation for Worship and Communion  :: Idolatry & Thanksgiving

“The only way to dispossess the heart of an old affection is by the expulsive power of a new one.” (Thomas Chalmers)

“If we see that we are guilty, we will understand that for the Gospel to be effective it must clear us of our guilt; if we are alienated from God, we must be reconciled to Him; if we stand under His judicial wrath, that wrath must be propitiated; if the entire created order lies under the curse, the curse must be lifted and the created order transformed; if we are dead, we must be made alive; if the heart of our idolatry is abysmal self-focus and the de-godding of God, God must be restored in our vision and life to His rightful glory. In other words, we gain clarity regarding the Gospel when we discern…what it fixes.” (D.A. Carson)

Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs for May 4

::  You Created (Josh Moore, 2003)  chart  //  audio
::  The Church’s One Foundation  (Samuel Stone, 1866)  audio  //  chart 
:: Here, O My Lord (Horatius Bonar, 1855)  audio  //  chart
::  By Thy Mercy (James Cummins, 1839)  audio  //  chart
:: Crown Him With Many Crowns (Matthew Bridges, 1851) chart //  audio

Call to Worship  :: Psalm 50:1-4, 23

The Mighty One, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth. Our God comes; He does not keep silence; before Him is a devouring fire, around Him a mighty tempest. He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that He may judge His people. “The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies Me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!”

Old Testament Reading  :: Habakkuk 2:14, 18-20

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea… “Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it?  Or an image that teaches lies?  For he who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak.  Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’  Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’  Can it give guidance?  It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it.  But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.”

Sermon  ::  Ephesians 5:1-14

¹ Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. ² And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

³ But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. ⁴ Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. ⁵ For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. ⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. ⁷ Therefore do not become partners with them; ⁸ for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), ¹⁰ and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. ¹¹ Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. ¹² For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. ¹³ But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, ¹⁴ for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

We Confess Our Sin Together

O Lord, we want to see You face to face, awed by Your majesty, greatness and glory, humbled and encouraged by Your great love. Yet there is a coldness in our hearts, a hardness toward You, an unwillingness to admit our sin and need for You. As soon as a good thing comes from Your hand we make an idol of it. As soon as we feel our lack, we craft the same. Forgive us, for Jesus’ sake. Come near and strengthen us until Christ reigns supreme within us, in every thought, word, and deed. Give us a faith that purifies the heart, overcomes the world, works by love, fastens us to You, and always clings to the Cross. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Words of Encouragement  :: Ephesians 1:7

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us.

Benediction

::  Download the 4.27.2014 Worship Study Guide & Sermon Notes  

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image  ::  At the Mirror, Edgar Degas (c.1886, French)

Preparation for Worship  ::  Imitators

“Christ is our pattern…He conforms us in grace here and in glory hereafter, in body and soul, to our glorious Savior.”  (Richard Sibbes)

“Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy!”  (Isaiah 26:19)

Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs for April 27

::  King of Saints (Joseph Hart, 1712-1768; Gadsby #857)  chart  //  audio
::  Love’s Redeeming Work (Charles Wesley, 1739)   chart  //  audio
::  Arise (Ryan Long, 2010)  chart // audio
::  Come Ye Sinners (Joseph Hart, 1759)  chart  //  audio
:: Psalm 130 (Martin Luther, 1524)  chart  // audio
::  All The Way My Savior Leads Me (Fanny Crosby, 1875)  chart  //  audio

Call to Worship  ::  Psalm 16:1-2,11

Keep me safe, my God, for in You I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from You I have no good thing.” You make known to me the path of life. You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.

Old Testament Reading  ::  Isaiah 62:1-5,12        

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch. The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you…And they shall be called The Holy People, The Redeemed of the Lord.

Sermon  ::  Ephesians 5:1-14

¹ Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. ² And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

³ But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. ⁴ Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. ⁵ For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. ⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. ⁷ Therefore do not become partners with them; ⁸ for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), ¹⁰ and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. ¹¹ Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. ¹² For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. ¹³ But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, ¹⁴ for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

We Confess Our Sin Together

O Lord, we desperately need You and the forgiveness You offer.  You have called us to be Your people and to live for Your glory.  But we have sinned against You.  We have not believed we are Your holy people.  We have not trusted You as beloved children, marked by Your glory and purposes.  We have lived as if only we mattered, and all of our passions are out of order.  Mercifully forgive us all our sins for Jesus’ sake and renew us in Your redeeming love.  Amen.

Words of Encouragement  ::  Titus 3:3-5

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy.

Benediction

::  Download the 4.20.2014 Worship Study Guide & Sermon Notes

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image  ::  Big Sur, Randy Scott Slavin (2012, American)

Preparation for Worship  ::  Resurrection

“It is the virgin birth, the Incarnation, the resurrection which are the true laws of the flesh and the physical. Death, decay, destruction are the suspension of these laws. I am always astonished at the emphasis the Church puts on the body. It is not the soul she says that will rise but the body, glorified.” (Flannery O’Connor)

“When Jesus Christ rose from the dead that first Easter Sunday, a new epoch in redemptive history dawned. The empty tomb was the first concrete sign that the new creation had begun.” (Kim Riddelbarger)

Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs for April 20

:: Rejoice the Lord is King (Charles Wesley, 1744)
:: He Is Lord (American Folk Hymn; Philippians 2:11)
:: Up From The Grave He Arose (Robert Lowrey, 1874)
:: I Know That My Redeemer Lives (Samuel Medley, 1775)
:: Christ the Lord is Risen Today (Charles Wesley, 1739)
:: Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee (Henry Van Dyke, 1907)

Call to Worship  :: The angel speaks to the women at the empty tomb, Matthew 28:5-6 

“Do not be afraid, as you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said.” Alleluia! Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed.  Alleluia!

Old Testament Reading  ::  Isaiah 65:17-25

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress. No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed. They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity, for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord, and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the Lord.

Sermon  ::  Matthew 21:33-42

³³ “Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. ³⁴ When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servantsto the tenants to get his fruit. ³⁵ And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. ³⁶ Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. ³⁷ Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ ³⁸ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ ³⁹ And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. ⁴⁰ When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” ⁴¹ They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

⁴² Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

We Confess Our Sin Together

Our gracious Father, You sent Your Son to die and rise to new life in order that death might be destroyed and that we might live. We confess that we have often chosen death over life and lived as if Jesus has not been raised. In our thoughts, words, and deeds we have rebelled against You.  We have fled from You, Whose love is better than life and Whom to know is Life itself. We have sinned against others, sometimes unintentionally and sometimes deliberately, and have diminished their lives. We have damaged ourselves who were created to reflect Your beauty. Father, forgive us our sin for Jesus’ sake. Give us grace to live as followers of our risen Lord, Jesus Christ. To the glory of Your holy name. Amen.

Words of Encouragement  ::  I Peter 1:3; II Corinthians 5:17

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Benediction

::  Download the 4.13.2014 Worship Study Guide & Sermon Notes 

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image  ::  Christ’s Entry Into Jerusalem, Stanley Spencer (1920, British)

Preparation for Worship  :: Behold Your King

“We cannot go to the Kingdom; it must come to us.”  (Adolph Saphir)

“How does Christ execute the office of a king?  Christ executes the office of a king, in subduing us to Himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all His and our enemies.”  (Westminster Shorter Catechism)

Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs for April 13

:: All Creatures of Our God and King (Francis of Assisi, 1225)  chart  //  audio
:: Majesty  (Jack Hayford, 1981)  chart  //  audio
:: King of Glory (Anderson, et al, 2000)  chart  //  audio
:: We Fall Down (Chris Tomlin 2001)  chart  //  audio
:: God of Wonders (Byrd & Hindalong, 2000) chart  //  audio
:: Psalm 73 (“Surely, God is Good”)   chart  //  audio

Call to Worship  ::  Zechariah 9:9-10,16-17

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! 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. His rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. On that day the LORD their God will save them, as the flock of His people; for like the jewels of a crown they shall shine on His land. For how great is His goodness, and how great His beauty!

Old Testament Reading  :: Isaiah  45:21-25

Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: “To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.” Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength; to him shall come and be ashamed all who were incensed against him. In the Lord all the offspring of Israel shall be justified and shall glory.

Sermon  ::  Matthew 21:1-17

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.”

¹² And Jesus entered the templeand drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. ¹³ He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

¹⁴ And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. ¹⁵ But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, ¹⁶ and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read,

“‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies
you have prepared praise’?”

¹⁷ And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.

We Confess Our Sin Together

King of Glory, You came to us as true Peace in the midst of our warfare, as true Freedom to release us from our bondage to sin, as true Refuge while we languished in a chaos of our own design. Though we know Jesus as Sovereign King, we have rebelled just as Israel did long ago, we have negotiated with the Enemy by our secret sins and proud skepticism, we have betrayed our Heavenly Father in our daily refusal of Peace, Freedom, and Refuge. For our treason, You died; For our restoration, You rose again. Draw us close to You in this week, that our eyes may catch the vision of Your tears, and our hearts, the wonder of Your grace.

Words of Encouragement  :: from Psalm 118

In my anguish I cried to the Lord; and He answered by setting me free. The Lord is with me. The Lord is my Strength and my Song; He has become my Salvation.

Benediction