Month: October 2015

ORDER OF WORSHIP
November 1, 2015

Call to Worship: Revelation 5:11-13

Prayer of Adoration:

Confession of Faith: The Westminster Confession of Faith, 8.1

God was pleased, in his eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, his only begotten Son, to be the mediator between God and man. As the mediator, he is the prophet, priest, and king, the Head and Savior of the church, the heir of all things, and the judge of the world. God gave to him, from all eternity, a people to be his seed and to be by him, in time, redeemed, called, justified, sanctified, and glorified.

Old Testament Lesson: Isaiah 25:6-9

Song: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God Hymn No. 92, v.1-4

Song: Spirit of the Living God Hymn No. 726

New Testament Lesson: Revelation 21:1-6

Silent Prayer and Confession:

Assurance of Pardon: Psalm 103:10-12

Song: Abide With Me CCLI# 43190

Abide with me: fast falls the eventide; the darkness deepens, Lord with me abide
When other helpers fail and comforts flee, help of the helpless, abide with me.

Thou on my head in early youth didst smile; And though rebellious, and perverse meanwhile
Thou hast not left me, though I oft left thee, On to the close, Lord, abide with me.

I need Thy presence every passing hour; what but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s pow’r?
Who like Thyself my guide and stay can be? Through cloud and sunshine, abide with me.

I fear no foe with Thee at hand to bless; ills have no weight, tears lose their bitterness
Where is thy sting death? Where grave thy victory? I triumph still, abide with me

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes; shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies
Heav’n’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee; in life in death, abide with me.

Scripture Reading and Prayer for the Church:
Dr. Michael Calvert, Teaching Elder Matthew 7:1-29

Preaching of the Word: Dr. Michael Calvert, Teaching Elder
“The Eighth Commandment: You Shall Not Steal” Exodus 20:15;

Communion*:

Song: How Deep CCLI# 4803944

You were broken that I might be healed
You were cast off that I might draw near
You were thirsty that I might come drink
Cried out in anguish that I might sing

CHORUS: How deep is Your love, how high and how wide is your mercy
How deep is Your grace, our hearts overflow with praise to you

You knew darkness that I might know light
Wept great tears that mine might be dried
Stripped of glory that I might be clothed
Crushed by Your Father to call me Your own

Benediction:

*Professing and baptized members in good standing of a Church in which Jesus Christ is proclaimed as Lord and Savior are warmly invited to join us in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Guests: Welcome to Christ Presbyterian Church. We want to thank you for joining us for worship! If this is your first time visiting our church, please fill out a visitor card and place it in the offerings box at the back of the sanctuary. We’d like to send you some info about our church and our ministries. Also, if you have any needs or would like additional information, please see one of the elders or deacons, or send an email to christprespca@gmail.com.

Flower Guild: The flower guild will host an Organizational/Christmas Planning meeting on Saturday, November 14th here at the church. We will meet from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. We welcome anyone interested in serving with the flower guild. Please sign up in the Narthex at the information table. Contact Donna Henry or Virdia Jastrebski for more information.

Church Officer Nominations: Today is the last day for nominating candidates for the offices of Ruling Elder and Deacon. Nomination forms are in the Narthex. Members are invited to nominate qualified men by filling out the form and placing it in the offering boxes at the rear of the sanctuary.

Operation Christmas Child: The Christ Presbyterian Children’s Sunday school classes are participating in Operation Christmas Child through Samaritan’s Purse. Each Sunday school class will collect items for two boxes, one for a girl and one for a boy, each appropriate for the ages in the class (either 2-4 years old, 5-9 years old, or 10-14 years old). The classes will assemble the boxes, pray for the recipient, and include a letter of encouragement. Collection dates are November 8 and 15. Please contact Denise Brown if you would like more information.

Calendar/Other Announcements: As always, check the website www.christpreshamptoncove.org for additional news and upcoming events.

PRAYER REQUESTS

Healing: Please pray for the health of the following individuals: Elizabeth Holton, Janet Chou, Ramona Edwards, Katie Brown, Suzanne Nimon, and Billy Cranford.

Expecting/adopting parents: Please pray for the Johnson family as they prepare to expand.

Ministries: Please pray for the following missionaries and ministries: Seth and Jessica Lewis (Ireland); Steve and Rita Williams (New Zealand); Reid and Kelli Jones (RUF UAH); Roy and Emily Hubbard (RUF Alabama A&M); Ken and Angie Burnett (FCA); Franky Garcia (seminary student)

Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

Without question, our Lord Jesus said some things that are very difficult to read. In fact, these demanding teachings have often been called the ‘hard sayings of Jesus.’ On everyone’s list of such sayings you’ll find the words of Matthew 5:29-30–If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell [ESV].

The context of these strange and disturbing words is discovered in verses 27-28 where Jesus sets forth His interpretation and application of the Seventh Commandment of the Decalogue–“You shall not commit adultery.” As we examine and attempt to digest what our Lord declared we immediately see how very different His attitude toward sexual sin is in stark contrast to modern opinions. What we often trivialize and even joke about Jesus lifts to a level of maximum importance and deadly seriousness. Far from viewing the Seventh Commandment as an outmoded piece of Old Testament legislation once etched in stone and applicable only to the ancient Jews, Jesus declares the abiding relevance of this Word for all people of every age and place. And then, most strikingly, He links the mental sin of “lust” with the physical act of “adultery.”

But what are we to make of His command to “tear out” the “eye” and “cut off” the “hand”? And what do these very odd orders have to do with marriage and sexual integrity? On Sunday we will look very closely at this passage from Matthew 5. And our aim will be to learn how the Seventh Commandment functions in our lives as members of the New Covenant.

Special Announcement for All Men

Our October Men’s Study comes to a conclusion this weekend. We’ve enjoyed a tremendous time of fellowship and Bible Study for the last three weeks, and we look forward to the events that will wrap up our season of special emphasis. Tonight is our Men’s BBQ Dinner and Fellowship. Then on Saturday morning is our Men’s Breakfast. All men of the Church and visitors are invited (whether or not you’ve been able to attend the previous meetings). The details are below:

Tonight–

When: Gather at 5:45pm; for those bringing food please be present by 5:30pm.

Where: The Church House

Parking: Please park at the Church leaving the parking around the house for those that need to park closer for health reasons and for the food crew.

What to bring: Study material and lawn chairs. Please encourage other men to join us even if they have missed the previous sessions.

Food: Meal is planned at 6:00pm. Water and tea will be provided.

Saturday Morning–

When: Gather at 8:00am; for those bringing food please be present by 7:45am.

Where: The Church House

Parking: Please park at the Church leaving the parking around the house for those that need to park closer for health reasons and for the food crew.

What to bring: Study material and lawn chairs. Please encourage other men to join us even if they have missed the previous sessions.

Food: Meal is planned shortly after 8:00am. Water and coffee will be provided.

Sunday Night–

Final Bible Study: 5:00 to 6:30pm at the Church.

Nominations for Ruling Elder and Deacon Begin This Sunday

Nomination Forms will be available this Sunday and November 1 for the Offices of Ruling Elder and Deacon. You may place your completed and signed Nomination Form in one of the Offering Boxes on either of these two Sundays. All Communing Members of the Church are invited to participate

I love you all and can’t wait to see you on Sunday morning!

Mike

Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

WWJD. Most of us immediately recognize this acronym. Of course, it stands for ‘What Would Jesus Do?’ and this (along with the bracelets) was nothing short of a cultural phenomenon several years back. But I’ve got a better one for us to consider: WDJS. ‘What Did Jesus Say?’

That question certainly comes into play as we consider the Ten Commandments and their application to us today in light of our Lord’s life, death, and resurrection. Jesus had much to say about the Decalogue in general and certain of the Ten Commandments in particular. We have already considered what He said about the Sixth Commandment regarding murder, and we found His words to be both devastating and convicting. But in that same episode recorded in Matthew 5, He also addressed the Seventh Commandment forbidding adultery. Amazingly, He declared that, “everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (v. 8). As Dr. Kent Hughes once commented, if this is true then “we are all adulterers by this standard” (The Sermon On the Mount, 107).

On Sunday we will look very carefully at what Jesus said about adultery, and how this ancient Commandment from the Decalogue still resonates with divine authority and summons each of us to a life of purity and holiness. Take a moment to prayerfully read our Lord’s words in Matthew 5:27-30, and let’s pray that the Spirit of God will empower and richly bless the proclamation of the Scriptures.

New Sunday School Class for Adults Beginning This Sunday

Don’t forget that our new semester in Adult Sunday School starts this Sunday. Our topic for the next ten weeks will be the book by Dr. R. C. Sproul entitled Pleasing God: Discovering the Meaning and Importance of Sanctification (2nd Edition, David C. Cook, 2012). We will meet each week in the Worship Center at 9:15 AM.

Officer Nominations Begin on Sunday October 25th

Beginning on Sunday October 25 we will be receiving your nominations for the Church Offices of Deacon and Ruling Elder. Nomination forms will be available on the 25th and we will receive them that Sunday and again on November 1st. All Communing Members of our Church are entitled to participate in this nomination process. As you prayerfully consider whom you might nominate to these Offices please take some time to become acquainted with the Scriptural qualifications for each Office holder:

For Deacons:

Acts 6: 1-6 [ESV]: Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.

1 Timothy 3:8-13 [ESV]: Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 11 Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. 13 For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

For Ruling Elders:

Acts 20:28 [ESV]: 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.

1 Timothy 3:1-7 [ESV]: The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

Titus 1:5-8 [ESV]: This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—6 if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. 7 For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.

A Word From Ken Burnett About the Movie ‘Woodlawn’

Ken sent me the following note about this new movie that opens today:

“This movie is OUTSTANDING! I highly encourage and ask / challenge ALL of the Christ Presbyterian Family to go and support it by seeing it. We had over 30 Football Players profess Christ at a pre-screening of the movie a few weeks ago. So, go to the movie but for everyone who goes – by a ticket for someone else. You can send that donation to FCA and we will make sure it is used to bless a kid, or they can just take friends to see it — ESPECIALLY LOST FRIENDS / COWORKERS / FAMILY MEMBERS and etc. And please pray as we will show over 1200 students this movie next week (opening week).”

May our Lord bless each of you and I’ll see you Sunday morning!

In His grace,

Mike

Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

This coming Lord’s Day we will continue our series of messages on the Ten Commandments. These sermons are part of the larger series on the ‘Great Events In the History of Redemption’ that we started some time ago. The Seventh Commandment will be our subject this week, and it is recorded in Exodus 20:14–“You shall not commit adultery.”

It is universally recognized that adultery is a very bad thing indeed, even among those with no commitment to the God of Scripture. This point is illustrated for us in Genesis 20 where the patriarch Abraham told Abimelech, the king of ancient Gerar, that Sarah (Abraham’s wife) was his sister (20:2). While the king did not become intimate with Sarah, just the thought of committing such an act deeply unnerved him. When the king discovered the truth by means of a dream (20:3), he confronted Abraham with his deception: Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done” (20:9).

That’s a powerful commentary on the violation (even potential violation!) of the marriage union, and it represents the general view of adultery held by most people even today, some four thousand years later.

But why did God expressly forbid sexual relations outside of the marriage bond? And why did the Law specify the death penalty for this sin in the same way that a murderer was to be punished? What is it about adultery that is so devastatingly bad that the participants in such a forbidden union must die according to the Mosaic Law? And then, we want to know how the New Covenant views this sin, what Jesus thought of it and how He defined it, and how all of this relates to our lives as His followers. On Sunday we will begin answering these and other questions.

But before we begin our exploration of this Commandment and its many implications, I want to say just a word to you about this subject. As you know, the Word of the Lord exposes our hearts, and it speaks with ultimate clarity and authority on all matters addressed within it. This is especially true with regard to the subject of human sexuality. As we probe the Bible’s message on this vital topic we will all be convicted, for each of us has been touched in one way or another by sexual sin. The weight of God’s Law will fall upon everyone, without exception. God’s Word will speak most powerfully. It will show us our sin and drive us to our knees in repentance. But, it will also heal us and lift our burdens. The very Word that convicts, and even condemns, also promises mercy and forgiveness to all who seek it through Christ our Lord. The beauty of the Gospel is that Christ Jesus died for all sins, including all sexual sins. The Savior who meets us on the pages of Scripture, the same One who first met us here in time and space in Bethlehem’s manger, will never break a “bruised reed,” and “a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish” (Isaiah 42:3). To all who are broken by their sins, the gentle Savior bids them to come and drink from His eternal well of mercy and grace. So let us pray and trust that the Lord’s Word, in all of its fury and healing power, will bear its blessed fruit in our lives for His glory alone.

Our New Semester of Sunday School Starts on October 18th

This week is the final Sunday in the first of our two fall semesters of Sunday School for Adults. Beginning on October 18th, we will have one class for Adults that will meet in the Worship Center. We will be studying the book Pleasing God, by Dr. R. C. Sproul.

The back cover provides a good introduction to our subject:

Sanctification is not an everyday word. In fact, it’s an idea that has little value in our me-focused, instant-gratification world. Yet regardless of trends, culture, or opinion, being sanctified—being set apart from the world—remains a vital part of our journey with Christ. But what does this process look like? How do we begin? And is it even possible to live a life pleasing to God? Renowned theologian and teacher Dr. R.C. Sproul believes it’s not only possible, it’s our calling. Pleasing God delivers an in-depth look at God’s plan and pathway for spiritual maturity. Clearing away the confusion of religion and dogma, Dr. Sproul reveals how every believer can experience authentic, lasting life-change through their relationship with God. Built on sound doctrine and rich in Biblical insights, Pleasing God offers a practical guide for anyone longing to live a life that honors their Savior.

If you’d like to read along with us, you may purchase the book from Amazon. Just use the following link:

I love you all and can’t wait to see you on Sunday!

Mike