Author Archives: Kevin Greene

Oct 27 Worship Guide :: Dead or Alive

:::  Download the 10.27.2013 Worship Study Guide & Sermon Notes

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:::  Listen to the 10.27.2013 Sermon Audio

Yellow Band, Mark Rothko (1956, American)

image :: Yellow Band, Mark Rothko (1956, American)

Preparation for Worship  :::  Dead or Alive

“By the new creation, or new birth, we re-exist.” (Jonathan Edwards)

”You shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people.” (Ezekiel 37:13)

:: Glory Be To God The Father (Horatius Bonar, 1866) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=2800896556 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 t=12]

::  Psalm 130 (Martin Luther, 1523) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=2800896556 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 t=1]

:: Upon Life I Did Not Live (Horatius Bonar, 1881) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=2800896556 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 t=4]

:: Jesus, I Come (William Sleeper, c.1840-1920) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=3957404521 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 t=1]

:: Thy Mercy, My God (John Stocker, 1776) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=637168784 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 t=1]

Call to Worship  :::  Psalm 63:1-4

O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; My soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and Your glory. Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands.

Old Testament Reading  ::: Ezekiel 37:1-14

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”

Sermon  :::  Ephesians 2:1-10

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the bodyand the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 ButGod, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

We Confess Our Sin Together ::: Heidelberg Catechism, Q & A 3-8

How do you come to know your misery? The law of God tells me.

What does God’s law require of us? Christ teaches us this in summary in Matthew 22, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Can you live up to all this perfectly? No. I have a natural tendency to hate God and my neighbor.

Did God create people so wicked and perverse? No. God created them good and in His own image, that is, in true righteousness and holiness, so that they might truly know God their Creator, love Him with all their heart, and live with Him in eternal happiness for His praise and glory.

Then where does this corrupt human nature come from? From the fall and disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve, in Paradise. This fall has so poisoned our nature that we are born sinners– corrupt from conception on.

But are we so corrupt that we are totally unable to do any good and inclined toward all evil? Yes, unless we are born again, by the Spirit of God.

Words of Encouragement  ::: John 5:24

Jesus said “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”

Benediction

Oct 20 2013 Worship Guide :: Head Over All

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bird-on-foot

image :: Bird on Foot, Walter Battiss (20th century, South African)

Preparation for Worship  :::  Head Over All

“Every call to worship is a call into the Real World… I encounter such constant and widespread lying about reality each day and meet with such skilled and systematic distortion of the truth that I’m always in danger of losing my grip on reality. The reality, of course, is that God is sovereign and Christ is Savior.” (Eugene Peterson)

“You have put all things under his feet.”  (Psalm 8:6)

:: Behold Our God (Baird & Altrogge, 2011) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=427149551 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 t=12]

:: Crown Him With Many Crowns (Matthew Bridges 1851) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=430611362 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 t=4]

:: O God Our Help in Ages Past (Isaac Watts, 1719) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=220393897 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 t=6]

:: The Power of the Cross (Townend & Getty, 2005) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=2885207056 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 t=11]

:: Rejoice the Lord Is King (Charles  Wesley, 1744)

:: What Wondrous Love Is This (Traditional American) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=637168784 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 t=10]

Call to Worship  :::  Psalm 95:1-3,6

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

Old Testament Reading  :::  Daniel 6:26

He is the living God,
enduring forever;
His Kingdom shall never be destroyed,
and His dominion shall be to the end.

Sermon  :::  Ephesians 1:19-23

19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

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 brought to an end and that we, too, might live a new life. Yet we often chosen death over life. In our thoughts, words, and deeds we have rebelled against You and Your intentions for us. We have broken our fellowship with 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 invited Your wrath, who were created to reflect Your glory. Father, forgive us our sin for Jesus’ sake. And grant that the same Spirit that raised Christ might convict and renew us, that we might walk in Your ways, to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.

Words of Encouragement  ::: Colossians 3:1,3-4

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Benediction

Oct 13 2013 Worship Guide :: Eyes

:::  Download the 10:13.2013 Worship Study Guide & Sermon Notes

:::  Download the 10.13.2013 Bulletin

::: Download the 10.13.2013 Parent Bulletin

:::  Listen to the 10.13.2013 Sermon Audio

Untitled, Tara Donovan (2012)

image :: Untitled, Tara Donovan (2012, American)

Preparation for Worship  ::: Eyes

“I am a great writer because when I was a little girl and walked into the room where my father was sitting, his eyes would light up. That is why I am a great writer. That is why. There isn’t any other reason.”  (Toni Morrison)

“My job is not to solve people’s problems or make them happy, but to help them to see the grace that is operating in their lives. It’s hard to do, because our whole culture is going the other direction, saying that if you’re smart enough and get the right kind of help, you can solve all your problems.”  (Eugene Peterson)

:: Be Thou My Vision (8th century Irish Hymn) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=3401631397 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 t=5]

:: Rejoice the Lord is King (Charles Wesley, 1744) 

::  Father Long Before Creation (Chinese Hymn, c.1952) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=2817376614 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 t=1]

:: On Jordan’s Stormy Banks (Samuel Stennett, 1787) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=637168784 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 t=14]

:: Enough (Chris Tomlin, 2002)

::  What Wondrous Love Is This (American Folk Hymn) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=637168784 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 t=10]

:: In Christ Alone (Getty & Townend, 2001) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=1060200358 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 t=12]

Call to Worship  :::  from Psalm 146

Praise the Lord!  Praise the Lord, O my soul!  I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.  Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God.  The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.  The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations.  Praise the Lord!

Old Testament Reading  :::  Isaiah 11:2-6,9

The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
and a little child shall lead them…
They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

Sermon  :::  Ephesians 1:15-23

15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

We Confess Our Sin Together

Father of glory, our hearts cannot be hidden from Your sight. Our blind self-pity, self-serving and self-justifying are laid bare before Your eyes. Have mercy upon us, most merciful God. Grant us the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Christ, so that the eyes of our hearts might be enlightened. Help us to know the hope to which Jesus called us, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Words of Encouragement  ::: Hebrews 12:2

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the Cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Benediction