CALL TO WORSHIP

(Tune: “Immortal, Invisible,” – p. 34)
(Words by Pastor Jim Byrd)

Christ Jesus the Savior came down from above,
In covenant mercy and infinite love;
The Lord of creation a Servant became,
To save all His people from sin, guilt and shame.

Enthroned in His beauty and all glorious,
The God of creation was made like to us;
The Word was made flesh and laid glory aside,
What grace and affection for His chosen bride.

Our Prophet, High Priest and our eternal King,
Descended from heaven salvation to bring;
Em-man-u-el came, the Lord with us on earth,
Behold a great myst’ry – the dear Savior’s birth.

O what a Redeemer is Jesus our Lord,
He paid all our sin-debt, to God we’re restored;
Redeemed by His blood, He our ransom has paid,
And clothed in His beauty His saints are arrayed.

All praise to the Savior, our Refuge is He,
In Christ we are safe throughout eternity;
Come now and adore Him Who made us His choice,
Let all of His people in Jesus rejoice.

TODAY’S SERVICES – Messages by Pastor Bill Parker

BIBLE CLASS – 10:00 a.m. –

Seeking God’s Kingdom and Righteousness (1) – Matthew 6:24-34

MORNING WORSHIP – 11:00 a.m –
OPENING – Psalm 133
CALL TO WORSHIP (above)
HYMN – There Is A Fountain – p. 222
READING – 1 John 2:1-11
MESSAGE – The Test of Christian Love – 1 John 3:14-18
CLOSING HYMN – Break Thou the Bread of Life – p. 176
MID-WEEK BIBLE STUDY – WEDNESDAY – 6:30 P.M.

Birthdays: Harold Riggins – Jan. 17^th | Jerry Wages – Jan. 17^th
Javon Jones – Jan. 18^th | Richman Margeson – Jan. 20^th

We will conclude our worship services today by serving the Lord’s Supper. All believers are invited to partake with us in this blessed memorial supper in remembrance of our Savior’s great work of redemption to save us from our sins.

After our worship services, we serve lunch in our dining hall. All are invited eat with us and take some time to visit with one another.

The comfort of a believer's heart lies not in a mere "feeling" that "everything will be all right." It lies in the Spirit of God's application of truth to our hearts and minds. It is comfort based on the promises of God who cannot lie, die, change or fail in any way. Oh it does produce wonderful feelings. But these feelings are the product of the assurance of faith, faith based upon that which is given us by God's grace through the merits of Christ's righteous blood. –Pastor Gary Shepard

“BE YE RECONCILED TO GOD”

“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” (2 Cor. 5:2)

When God the Holy Spirit gives us a new heart to see our sinfulness and to flee by faith to Christ for all pardon and righteousness, we are truly then reconciled to God. But we must also realize what is stated in the following–

“Reconciliation in the New Testament sense is not something which we accomplish when we lay aside our enmity to God; it is something which God accomplished, when in the death of Christ, He put away everything that on His side meant estrangement.” (James Denney)

The ground of our reconciliation before God is NOT what we do but what Christ did as our Surety and Substitute on the cross – “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).

–Pastor Bill Parker

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Pet. 1:18-19).

THERE IS A FOUNTAIN

“In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.” (Zechariah 13:1)

This fountain of which the prophet spoke is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself as Surety, Substitute, and Redeemer of God’s chosen people identified here in prophecy as “the house of David” and “the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” This is the fountain of His blood which He shed to pay for all the sin and uncleanness of His people – the spiritual Israel of God (Rom. 2:28-29; Gal. 6:14-16). This fountain is the assurance and security of the whole salvation of all for whom Christ died – “For by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (Heb. 10:14). The Lord draws all for whom He lived, died, was buried, and arose to Himself as their one and only fountain of life – “For with Thee is the fountain of life: in Thy light shall we see light” (Psalm 36:9). In His light we see our own sinfulness, depravity, and inability and know that in ourselves we deserve nothing but eternal death. In His light we see God’s righteousness found only in Christ the Fountain of life by whom God justifies the ungodly. All who forsake this Fountain are described by the prophet Jeremiah as those who “have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water” (Jer. 2:13). But for God’s people there is no other fountain of living waters than the Lord Jesus Christ. As Mr. Cowper wrote in that great hymn –

“There is a Fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins.
And sinners plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stain.”