September 15, 2019
Before We Worship
Do you ever wonder what the point of worship service is? Some of us, no doubt, know this very well. Others of us, perhaps, have forgotten. Truth be told, we all need regular reminders. And we turn to John 5:22–24 to be led on to the true path once again.
“For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father.” The purpose of worship is to honor the Father, and to honor the Son just as we honor the Father. Did you notice, however, what a startling statement that is? We honor the Father as the Creator, as the Lord, as the omnipotent and omniscience sovereign of the universe. And we are to honor the Son “just as” we honor the Father, ascribing to the Son all the glories and the excellencies of the only living God. Indeed, this is what sets apart the true Christian from the deluded so-called Christians. True Christians honor the Son “just as” we honor the Father, as the only God with whom we have to do. It is quite pointless to say that Jesus was a great teacher or an excellent fellow and an inspiration. Anything short of acknowledging Jesus as the living God, and giving him the honor that the only living God deserves, is in fact to dishonor him.
But note also that Jesus continues: “Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.” When our worship service strays from honoring Christ, then we also stray from honoring the Father. For the Father sent Jesus for the explicit purpose and the aim that unmatched honor might be given to his beloved son, Jesus. That is, we should never judge the quality of a worship service on the basis of our emotional experience. Rather, the only pertinent question is whether we have honored Jesus with the honor he deserves.
How shall we do this? Note that Jesus is honored especially as the one whom the Father sent. That is, we honor Jesus when we call on him in his capacity as the Mediator between God and Man. So we honor Jesus when we call upon him to help us in our temptations, extend mercy in our weakness, and grant us forgiveness. We often feel that we dishonor Jesus when we bring our stained selves and our pitiful prayers. Surely he deserves better than to hear again our filth, we think. Nothing could be further from the truth. We honor Jesus as the one that Father sent to be our mediator when we bring our sin, guilt, and shame. And Jesus will truly pity us, not with a dismissive scorn as we fear, but he will give us pity that is the gift of a loving and kind heart.
Let us honor Jesus. Let us call upon him as our God. Let us call upon him as our merciful Redeemer. Let us worship God well.
Call to Worship
‡ John 5:22–24 (p. 890)
‡ Trinity Hymnal #295 “Crown Him with Many Crowns”
‡ Trinity Hymnal #731 “Doxology”
Prayer of Invocation
The Reading and Exposition of the Law
Exodus 20:17 (p. 61)
The Shorter Catechism Qs. 79–81
Prayer of Confession
The Proclamation of the Gospel
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16–17 ESV)
Trinity Hymnal #507 “Approach, My Soul, the Mercy Seat”
Presentation of Gifts and Offering
Pastoral Prayer
The Proclamation of God’s Word
Matthew 5:43–48 (p. 811)
God Is Good
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 #56 “When All Your Mercies, O My God” stanzas 1–3, and stanzas 4–6 during the distribution of the cup.
Trinity Hymnal #87 “The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want”
Benediction
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Growth Resources
Family Devotion for the Week
The September 8, 2019 sermon, Romans 3:26. “The God of Justice” is available on our church website. You can also catch up on older sermons from our Sermon page and subscribe to sermon podcast here.
Upcoming Events and Notices
Join us for “12 for 19” as we read 12 great books in the year 2019. In September we are reading Winston Smith’s “Marriage Matters: Extraordinary Change Through Ordinary Moments”
We are looking for volunteers to lead children’s catechism lessons. The children’s catechism lessons meet for about 10–15 minutes after the worship service. If you are interested, or if you would like to learn more, please see pastor Ken.
September 14 (Saturday 10:30 AM): All men are invited to the men's brunch at the Jones home. Please see the emails that went out earlier this week for address and directions.
September 15 (Lord’s Day): Please join us for Shorter Catechism lesson after the worship service.
September 29 (Lord’s Day): Please join us as we discuss Winston Smith’s “Marriage Matters: Extraordinary Change Through Ordinary Moments.”
Nursery Volunteers
September 15: Michelle Kay
September 22: Yoori Han