The Lord’s Day ~ May 19, 2024
The Preparation for Worship
“He is not here; for He is risen, as He said." (Matthew 28:6)
Prelude and Silent Prayer
Welcome and Announcements
The Adoration of God
Call to Worship – Psalm 130:7
*Psalm of Praise – Psalm 128, ARP Psalter, vv. 1-3
Speaker: The LORD is in His holy temple,
All: Let all the earth keep silence before Him. (Habakkuk 2:20)
*The Invocation and Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
*The Hymn of Exaltation – Hymn 2, vv. 1-4
(O Worship the King)
The Responsive Reading – Psalm 2, p. 785
*The Response of Praise (How Firm a Foundation)
How firm a foundation, you saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in his excellent Word!
What more can he say than to you he has said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
The Confession of Sin
The Call to Repentance – Philippians 3:12-14
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
The Prayer of Confession (after silent confession)
Almighty God, the message we have heard is that You are light and in You there is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with You and yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as You are in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we say we have not sinned, we make You a liar and Your word is not in us. Therefore, we confess our sins to You and ask You to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. In Jesus name. Amen. (1John 1:5-10)
The Assurance of Pardon – Isaiah 55:7 "Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon."
*The Hymn of Gratitude – Hymn 170
(Fairest Lord Jesus)
The Means of Grace
The Pastoral Prayer
The Worship of Giving (An offering plate is in the back of the church)
*The Doxology Praise God from whom all blessings flow; praise Him all creatures here below; praise Him above, ye heavenly host: praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
*The Prayer of Dedication
The Scripture – Genesis 3:1-7
The Sermon – The Ways of the Devil
Response and Blessing
*The Hymn of Consecration – Hymn 691
(It Is Well with My Soul)
*The Benediction
*Congregation Standing
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Announcements
We welcome all who are visiting with us today. The Pastor and elders are available after the service to pray with you and speak with you. Children are encouraged to remain in the worship service. A nursery is available if needed.
Join us for prayer meeting on Wednesday night @ 7:00 at the church.
Our Men's and Women's Bible studies meet today after worship.
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Who Is Satan? In Scripture, the term Satan means “adversary.” We know him as the devil. He is a high angelic creature who, before the creation of the human race, rebelled against God and has since battled with human beings and God. He is called the prince of darkness, the father of lies, the accuser, and the beguiling serpent. The real portrait is nothing like the horned, trident-bearing, comedic adversary to which we have become accustomed. That image, at least in part, arose out of the medieval church. The silly picture of Satan was intentionally created by the church in order to poke fun at him. The church was convinced that an effective ploy to withstand Satan was to insult him. His most vulnerable part was seen as his pride. To attack his pride was seen as an effective way to repel him. The biblical view of Satan is far more sophisticated. He appears as an “angel of light.” That image points to Satan’s clever ability to manifest himself under the appearance of good. Satan is subtle, beguiling, and crafty. He speaks with eloquence; his appearance is stunning. The prince of darkness wears a cloak of light. Scripture also speaks of Satan as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Christ is also referred to as a lion, the Lion of Judah. He is a redeemer, the anti-lion and devourer. Both images speak of strength.
How, then, should the believer react to Satan? On the one hand Satan is indeed fearsome. In 1 Peter 5:8 we are told that “your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” The believer is not to respond, however, in sheer terror. Satan may be stronger than we are, but Christ is stronger than Satan. The Bible declares, “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Satan is, after all, a creature. He is finite and limited. He is limited in space and time. He cannot be in more than one place at a time. He is never to be regarded in any way as an equal with God. Satan is a fallen angel. He is not divine. He has more power than earthly creatures but infinitely less power than almighty God. (ligonier.org)
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If you want people to know that you’re incredibly unsophisticated, tell them you believe in the existence of the devil. Most people in the West do not believe that Satan is a real, living being. Only a minority of professing Christians believe that the devil actually exists. Author C.S. Lewis observed: “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.” (ligonier.org)
The Preparation for Worship
“He is not here; for He is risen, as He said." (Matthew 28:6)
Prelude and Silent Prayer
Welcome and Announcements
The Adoration of God
Call to Worship – Psalm 130:7
*Psalm of Praise – Psalm 128, ARP Psalter, vv. 1-3
Speaker: The LORD is in His holy temple,
All: Let all the earth keep silence before Him. (Habakkuk 2:20)
*The Invocation and Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
*The Hymn of Exaltation – Hymn 2, vv. 1-4
(O Worship the King)
The Responsive Reading – Psalm 2, p. 785
*The Response of Praise (How Firm a Foundation)
How firm a foundation, you saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in his excellent Word!
What more can he say than to you he has said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
The Confession of Sin
The Call to Repentance – Philippians 3:12-14
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
The Prayer of Confession (after silent confession)
Almighty God, the message we have heard is that You are light and in You there is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with You and yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as You are in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we say we have not sinned, we make You a liar and Your word is not in us. Therefore, we confess our sins to You and ask You to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. In Jesus name. Amen. (1John 1:5-10)
The Assurance of Pardon – Isaiah 55:7 "Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon."
*The Hymn of Gratitude – Hymn 170
(Fairest Lord Jesus)
The Means of Grace
The Pastoral Prayer
The Worship of Giving (An offering plate is in the back of the church)
*The Doxology Praise God from whom all blessings flow; praise Him all creatures here below; praise Him above, ye heavenly host: praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
*The Prayer of Dedication
The Scripture – Genesis 3:1-7
The Sermon – The Ways of the Devil
Response and Blessing
*The Hymn of Consecration – Hymn 691
(It Is Well with My Soul)
*The Benediction
*Congregation Standing
-----------------------------------
Announcements
We welcome all who are visiting with us today. The Pastor and elders are available after the service to pray with you and speak with you. Children are encouraged to remain in the worship service. A nursery is available if needed.
Join us for prayer meeting on Wednesday night @ 7:00 at the church.
Our Men's and Women's Bible studies meet today after worship.
----------------------
Who Is Satan? In Scripture, the term Satan means “adversary.” We know him as the devil. He is a high angelic creature who, before the creation of the human race, rebelled against God and has since battled with human beings and God. He is called the prince of darkness, the father of lies, the accuser, and the beguiling serpent. The real portrait is nothing like the horned, trident-bearing, comedic adversary to which we have become accustomed. That image, at least in part, arose out of the medieval church. The silly picture of Satan was intentionally created by the church in order to poke fun at him. The church was convinced that an effective ploy to withstand Satan was to insult him. His most vulnerable part was seen as his pride. To attack his pride was seen as an effective way to repel him. The biblical view of Satan is far more sophisticated. He appears as an “angel of light.” That image points to Satan’s clever ability to manifest himself under the appearance of good. Satan is subtle, beguiling, and crafty. He speaks with eloquence; his appearance is stunning. The prince of darkness wears a cloak of light. Scripture also speaks of Satan as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Christ is also referred to as a lion, the Lion of Judah. He is a redeemer, the anti-lion and devourer. Both images speak of strength.
How, then, should the believer react to Satan? On the one hand Satan is indeed fearsome. In 1 Peter 5:8 we are told that “your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” The believer is not to respond, however, in sheer terror. Satan may be stronger than we are, but Christ is stronger than Satan. The Bible declares, “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Satan is, after all, a creature. He is finite and limited. He is limited in space and time. He cannot be in more than one place at a time. He is never to be regarded in any way as an equal with God. Satan is a fallen angel. He is not divine. He has more power than earthly creatures but infinitely less power than almighty God. (ligonier.org)
----------------------
If you want people to know that you’re incredibly unsophisticated, tell them you believe in the existence of the devil. Most people in the West do not believe that Satan is a real, living being. Only a minority of professing Christians believe that the devil actually exists. Author C.S. Lewis observed: “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.” (ligonier.org)
The ARP Church has published a Psalter in conjunction with Crown and Covenant Publications. Read here about the Preface and History of Psalm singing in the ARPC.