:::  Download the 8.25.2013 Bulletin

:::  Download the 8.25.2013 WepcKids Parent Bulletin

:::  Download the 8.25.2013 Sermon Notes

:::  Listen to the 8.25.2013 Sermon Audio

image :: Shepherding the Flock, Mykola Pymonenko (19th century Ukrainian)

:::  None Other Lamb (Christina Rossetti, 1892) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=1038326589 size=small bgcol=333333 linkcol=0f91ff t=1]

::: Song of Moses (Kendrick, Barrett, Smith, Keyes & Moerman, 2011) Song of Moses

:::  Beautiful Things (Michael & Lisa Gungor, 2009)

:::  The Valley (Ellie Holcomb, 2011) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=205563515 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 t=6]

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

::: Love’s Redeeming Work (Charles Wesley, 1739) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=2843828554 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 t=5]

Preparation for Worship  ::: Life Work

“We all long for Eden and are constantly glimpsing it: our whole nature is soaked with the sense of exile.” (J.R.R. Tolkien)

“The creative action of the Christian’s life is to prepare his death in Christ.” (Flannery O’Connor)

Call to Worship  :::  Romans 11:33-36

O, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor? Or who has given a gift to Him that he might be repaid? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.

Sermon  :::  Acts 20:17-38

¹⁷ Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. ¹⁸ And when they came to him, he said to them:

“You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, ¹⁹ serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; ²⁰ how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, ²¹ testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. ²² And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, ²³ except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. ²⁴ But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. ²⁵ And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. ²⁶ Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, ²⁷ for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. ²⁸ Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. ²⁹ I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; ³⁰ and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. ³¹ Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. ³² And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. ³³ I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. ³⁴ You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. ³⁵ In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

³⁶ And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. ³⁷ And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, ³⁸ being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.

We Confess Our Sin Together

Holy God, we are guilty of rejecting Your commands, of doubting Your promises, of proud self-reliance, of neglect to rest in You. Daily we fail to love You and our neighbor as we ought. Praise You for providing the Savior in Jesus, who takes our sin and gives us His righteousness! Lord, continue the work of salvation in us: Conquer our weakness with Your strength, blot out our self-centeredness with Your glory. Meet us in our suffering and disappointments, refine us as You see fit. Keep us from returning to sin’s bondage, brighten our hearts with Your grace. Redirect our desires so that we delight deeply in You. Amen.

Words of Encouragement  ::: Romans 5:6,8

At just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Gospel Reading  ::: John 12:24-26

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also.

Benediction

:::  Download the 8.18.2013 Bulletin

:::  Download the 8.18.2013 WepcKids Parent Bulletin

:::  Download the 8.18.2013 Sermon Notes

:::  Listen to the 8.18.2013 Sermon Audio 

image :: Riot in the Galeria, Umberto Boccioni, (1909, Italian)

Preparation for Worship  ::: The Disruptive God

“I am thankful that we worship a God who is both toughminded and tenderhearted…He is toughminded enough to transcend the world; He is tenderhearted enough to live in it. He does not leave us alone in our agonies and struggles.” (Martin Luther King, Jr.)

“No evil can resist grace forever.” (Brennan Manning)

:::  A Mighty Fortress (Martin Luther, 1529) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=3283416963 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 t=1]

:::  Your Great Name (Natalie Grant, 2009)

:::  Doxology (Thomas Ken, 1709) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=2351851484 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 t=10]

:::  Gather Them In (Peter La Grand 2009) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=2872026018 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 t=2]

:::  Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing (Robert Robinson, 1758) [bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=798104856 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 t=10]

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

Call to Worship :::  Psalm 68:4-6

Sing to God, sing praises to His name;
lift up a song to Him who rides through the deserts;
His name is the Lord;
exult before Him!
Father of the fatherless and protector of widows
is God in His holy habitation.
God settles the solitary in a home;
He leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

Sermon  :::  Acts 19:1-41

¹ And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. ² And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” ³ And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” ⁴ And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” ⁵ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. ⁷ There were about twelve men in all.

⁸ And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. ⁹ But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

¹¹ And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, ¹² so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. ¹³ Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” ¹⁴ Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. ¹⁵ But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” ¹⁶ And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. ¹⁷ And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. ¹⁸ Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. ¹⁹ And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. ²⁰ So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.

²¹ Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” ²² And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.

²³ About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. ²⁴ For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. ²⁵ These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. ²⁶ And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. ²⁷ And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.”

²⁸ When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” ²⁹ So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s companions in travel. ³⁰ But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him. ³¹ And even some of the Asiarchs, who were friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater. ³² Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. ³³ Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. ³⁴ But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

³⁵ And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky? ³⁶ Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. ³⁷ For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. ³⁸ If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. ³⁹ But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly. ⁴⁰ For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.” ⁴¹ And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.

We Confess Our Sin Together  ::: from the Book of Common Prayer

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in Your will, and walk in Your ways, to the glory of Your Name.  Amen.

Words of Encouragement  ::: Psalm 130:3-4

If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness; therefore You are feared.

Old Testament Reading  ::: Isaiah 44:9-11, 21-22

All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human… Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel, for you are my servant; I formed you; you are my servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me. I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.

Benediction

::: Download the 8.11.2013 Heart Prep Guide

::: Download the 8.11.2013 Bulletin

::: Download the 8.11.2013 WepcKids Parent Bulletin

::: Listen to the 8.11.2013 Sermon

image :: The Ten Commandments (Providence Lithograph Company, 1907)

Preparation for Worship ::: Malachi, I Will Draw Near

“From all the easy speeches that comfort cruel men; from sale and profanation of honor and the sword, from sleep and from damnation: Deliver us, good Lord.” (G.K. Chesterton)

Call to Worship ::: Deuteronomy 6:4-6

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.

Sermon ::: Malachi 3:1-18

¹ “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. ² But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. ³ He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. ⁴ Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.

⁵ “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

⁶ “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. ⁷ From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ ⁸ Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. ⁹ You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. ¹⁰ Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. ¹¹ I will rebuke the devourerfor you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. ¹² Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.

¹³ “Your words have been hard against me, says the Lord. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ ¹⁴ You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts? ¹⁵ And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’”

¹⁶ Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. ¹⁷ “They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. ¹⁸ Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.

We Confess Our Sin Together

Merciful God, You pardon all who truly repent and turn to You. We humbly confess our sins and ask Your mercy. We have not loved You with a pure heart, nor have we loved our neighbor as ourselves. We have not done justice, loved kindness, or walked humbly with You, our God. Have mercy on us, O God, in Your loving-kindness. In Your great compassion, cleanse us from our sin. Restore to us the joy of Your salvation and sustain us with Your bountiful Spirit through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Words of Encouragement ::: Acts 10:43

All the prophets testify about Jesus Christ: Everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.

New Testament Reading ::: Hebrews 12:24,28-29

You have come to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a Kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

Benediction