May 5, 2019
May 5 (Lord’s Day): Please note that the location and the time of our worship service will change to Zion Lutheran Church, 1405 E. Fallbrook Street, Fallbrook CA 92028 at 11 AM.
Before We Worship
Sometimes people say the Holy Spirit is absent in the Old Testament. When people say such things, it usually comes from one of two places. First, they might have a subversive agenda. By denying the reality and the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, they want to throw into doubt the doctrine of the Trinity.
More often, however, such a mistake comes from the ignorance of the Bible. To say that the Holy Spirit is not in the Old Testament is almost as brilliant as saying there were no roads before maps were drawn. Maps are always drawn after the fact, after roads have been well-established through much use. Maps, however, do not create roads. In the same way, the New Testament works like maps. The New Testament connects the landmarks and the sign posts in the Old Testament, and brings out their features clearly, making them easier to see. But the paths, sign posts, and landmarks were always there. In other words, the New Testament helps us to know the Holy Spirit more clearly, by connecting the “dots” of the Old Testament.
Ezekiel 36 is one very prominent Old Testament passage that teaches us about the Holy Spirit. In it the LORD commits himself to save his people. But his promise of salvation is not for the sake of Israel (36:22), but “for the sake of my holy name”. Simply put, the pitiful self-inflicted ruin of Israel profaned God’s holy name before the nations, because God had put his name on Israel. God therefore promises to act with a zeal for the glory of his name, and remove the reason that the nations speak ill of the LORD. But how will the LORD do this? The LORD says, “And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” Israel’s self-directed and internally fueled efforts at holiness had utterly failed. This speaks not so much to the evil of the Jewish people, but rather the universal human problem—sin is too deeply rooted in our hearts and no man is strong enough to overcome his depravity.
So our only hope is God. Namely, the LORD promised to give his Spirit to his people, whom, the New Testament teaches us, we have received through the death, resurrection, and the ascension of Christ. That is how the New Testament connects the dots of the Old Testament, and shows us how utterly dependent we are on the Gift, the presence, and the power of the Holy Spirit to be a people who please God.
How can we use this knowledge to prepare our worship? We turn to 1 Corinthians 1:26–31. God did not choose us because of our strength, wisdom, or power. Certainly not in our salvation. Nor in our sanctification. “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise…what is weak in the world to shame the strong…what is low and despised…so that no human being might boast in the presence of God…so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”” Indeed, we humble ourselves before God and give him glory. Soli Deo gloria. To God alone be the glory!
Call to Worship
‡ Ezekiel 36:22–27 (p. 724)
‡ Trinity Hymnal #101 “Come, Thou Almighty King”
‡ Trinity Hymnal #731 “Doxology”
Prayer of Invocation
The Shorter Catechism Qs. 31–32
The Reading and Exposition of the Law
1 Corinthians 1:26–31 (p. 951)
Prayer of Confession
The Proclamation of the Gospel
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26–27 ESV)
Trinity Hymnal #335 “Gracious Spirit, Dwell with Me”
Presentation of Gifts and Offering
Pastoral Prayer
The Proclamation of God’s Word
Luke 22:24–30 (p. 882)
Who Is the Least?
Rev. Ken Han
The Sacrament of The Lord’s Supper
We participate in the Lord’s Supper weekly. We welcome to the Lord’s Table all baptized believers who have sincere faith in Jesus Christ, and regularly worship in a Reformed or evangelical church.
The Lord’s Supper is a sign and a seal of the new covenant blessings. When we participate in the Lord’s Supper with faith, it strengthens our bond with our covenant Lord, Jesus Christ. Thus we participate properly when we come to our Savior with faith and repentance as we renew our resolve to forsake sin and live for his glory.
The Lord’s Supper also renews our bonds with God’s covenant community, the body of believers in the local church. As we receive the Lord’s Supper, we renew our pledge to give ourselves away in loving service.
During the distribution of the bread we will sing TH #246 “Man of Sorrows! What a Name” stanzas 1–3, and stanzas 4–5 during the distribution of the cup.
Trinity Hymnal #252 “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”
Benediction
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Growth Resources
Family Devotion for the Week
The April 28, 2019 sermon, Luke 22:1–23. “Given for You” is available on our church website. You can also catch up on older sermons from our Sermon page and subscribe to sermon podcast here.
The Shorter Catechism lesson of the week is posted here: Qs. 70–72.
Upcoming Events and Notices
Join us for “12 for 19” as we read 12 great books in the year 2019. For May we will read Edward Welch’s “Caring for One Another: 8 Ways to Cultivate Meaningful Relationships.”
May 5: Children’s catechism lesson (Qs 16–17) will meet.
May 5 (Lord’s Day): Join us as we discuss Paul Tripp’s “Parenting: The 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family.”
May 12 (Lord’s Day): Due to Mother’s Day, our monthly potluck lunch is postponed one week to May 19.
Nursery Volunteers
(Nursery meets in the Conference Room)
May 5: Yoori Han
May 12: Kelly Rogers