Here is the worship guide for Sunday, September 24, 2023.
PDF version of the worship guide to download or print.
The livestream will begin at 10:30 a.m. on our Facebook page or YouTube page.
Welcome and Announcements
Opening Prayer
Hymn: “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing”
Words: Charles Wesley. Music: Carl G. Glaser
O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise,
the glories of my God and King, the triumphs of His grace!
Jesus! the name that charms our fears, that bids our sorrows cease;
’tis music in the sinner’s ears, ’tis life, and health, and peace.
He breaks the power of canceled sin, He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean, His blood availed for me.
Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb, your loosened tongues employ;
ye blind, behold your Savior come, and leap, ye lame, for joy.
My gracious Master and my God, assist me to proclaim,
to spread through all the earth abroad the honors of Thy name.
Hymn: “Across the Lands”
Words and music: Keith Getty and Stuart Townend
You’re the Word of God the Father from before the world began.
Ev’ry star and ev’ry planet has been fashioned by Your hand.
All creation holds together by the power of Your voice.
Let the skies declare Your glory; let the land and seas rejoice!
You’re the Author of creation; You’re the Lord of ev’ry man;
and Your cry of love rings out across the lands.
Yet You left the gaze of angels, came to seek and save the lost,
and exchanged the joy of heaven for the anguish of a cross.
With a prayer You fed the hungry; with a word You calmed the sea;
Yet how silently You suffered that the guilty may go free!
You’re the Author of creation; You’re the Lord of ev’ry man;
and Your cry of love rings out across the lands.
With a shout You rose victorious, wresting vict’ry from the grave,
And ascended into heaven, leading captives in Your way.
Now You stand before the Father, interceding for Your own;
From each tribe and tongue and nation, You are leading sinners home!
You’re the Author of creation; You’re the Lord of ev’ry man;
and Your cry of love rings out across the lands.
Hymn: “And Can It Be?”
Words: Charles Wesley. Music: Thomas Campbell.
And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain? For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! how can it be that Thou, my God, should die for me?
Amazing love! how can it be that Thou, my God, should die for me!
He left His Father’s throne above, so free, so infinite His grace;
emptied Himself to show His love, and bled for Adam’s helpless race.
’Tis mercy all, immense and free; for, O my God, it found out me.
Amazing love! how can it be that Thou, my God, should die for me!
Long my imprisoned spirit lay fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray, I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free; I rose, went forth and followed Thee.
Amazing love! how can it be that Thou, my God, should die for me!
No condemnation now I dread; Jesus, and all in Him is mine!
Alive in Him, my living Head, and clothed in righteousness divine;
bold I approach the eternal throne, and claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Amazing love! how can it be that Thou, my God, should die for me!
Time of Prayer
Sermon: “In Every Way Christ Is Proclaimed”
Philippians 1:2–18 (ESV)
12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
Hymn: “Facing a Task Unfinished”
Original words by Frank Houghton. Original music by Samuel Wesley.
New words and music by Keith Getty, Ed Cash, and Fionán de Barra.
Facing a task unfinished, that drives us to our knees,
a need that, undiminished, rebukes our slothful ease.
We, who rejoice to know Thee, renew before Thy throne
the solemn pledge we owe Thee to go and make Thee known.
Where other lords beside Thee hold their unhindered sway;
where forces that defied Thee defy Thee still today.
With none to heed their crying for life, and love, and light,
unnumbered souls are dying and pass into the night.
We go to all the world, with kingdom hope unfurled.
No other name has power to save But Jesus Christ, the Lord.
We bear the torch that, flaming, fell from the hands of those
who gave their lives proclaiming That Jesus died and rose.
Ours is the same commission, the same glad message ours;
fired by the same ambition, to Thee we yield our powers.
We go to all the world, with kingdom hope unfurled.
No other name has power to save But Jesus Christ, the Lord.
O Father who sustained them, O Spirit who inspired,
Savior, whose love constrained them to toil with zeal untired,
from cowardice defend us, from lethargy awake!
Forth on Thine errands send us to labor for Thy sake.
We go to all the world, with kingdom hope unfurled.
No other name has power to save but Jesus Christ, the Lord.
We go to all the world, His kingdom hope unfurled.
No other name has power to save but Jesus Christ. the Lord.
Benediction
Galatians 6:18 (ESV)
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.