Call to Worship: Psalm 144, Trinity Hymnal p. 838.
[1] Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
who trains my hands for war,
and my fingers for battle;
[2] he is my steadfast love and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield and he in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples under me.
[3] O LORD, what is man that you regard him,
or the son of man that you think of him?
[4] Man is like a breath;
his days are like a passing shadow.
[5] Bow your heavens, O LORD, and come down!
Touch the mountains so that they smoke!
[6] Flash forth the lightning and scatter them;
send out your arrows and rout them!
[7] Stretch out your hand from on high;
rescue me and deliver me from the many waters,
from the hand of foreigners,
[8] whose mouths speak lies
and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
[9] I will sing a new song to you, O God;
upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
[10] who gives victory to kings,
who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.
[11] Rescue me and deliver me
from the hand of foreigners,
whose mouths speak lies
and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
[12] May our sons in their youth
be like plants full grown,
our daughters like corner pillars
cut for the structure of a palace;
[13] may our granaries be full,
providing all kinds of produce;
may our sheep bring forth thousands
and ten thousands in our fields;
[14] may our cattle be heavy with young,
suffering no mishap or failure in bearing;
may there be no cry of distress in our streets!
[15] Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!
Blessed are the people whose God is the LORD!
Prayer of Adoration:
Confession of Faith: The Heidelberg Catechism
Q 38. Why did Jesus suffer under Pontius Pilate as judge?
A. Though innocent, Christ was condemned by an earthly judge, and so He freed us from the severe judgment of God that was to fall on us.
Q 40. Why was it necessary for Christ to humble Himself even unto death?
A. Because of the justice and truth of God satisfaction for our sins could be made in no other way than by the death of the Son of God.
Special Music:
The Old Testament Lesson: Zechariah 9:9-10
Prayer of Confession and the Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: From Hosea 1:7
But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God.
The New Testament Lesson: Romans 7:18-25
Prayer for the Church: Fred Fohrell, Ruling Elder.
The Sermon: “The Call to Take Up Your Cross: Part Two.” Mark 8:34. Dr. Michael Calvert, Teaching Elder.
Special Music:
The Benediction: From 1 Corinthians 15:58
My beloved brothers and sisters, may you be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.