July 27, 2025

You can find the order of worship and songs here.

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This world is in trouble.

That, of course, is the message we hear ad nauseam from every cable news show, from every podcast, and from every politician. And we all have our usual suspects we pin the blame on. If we could only get rid of those (i.e. not us) ignorant and immoral people, then everything will be alright! But is that really what it takes to fix this world?

The Sons of Korah wrote Psalm 85 because their world was in deep trouble. But why? They turned their back on the God of grace. "LORD, you were favorable to your land … You forgave the iniquity of your people … You withdrew all your wrath …" But now Israel finds herself once again the fitting object of God's wrath. So the Sons of Korah cry, "Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us! Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations? Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?" That is, the world was in trouble because it was out of sync with God. That being the case, the only hope for the world is God's grace. "Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation." This is not a prayer for God to deal with those (i.e. not us) people. We are all out of step with God. We are the problem. And we need to be rescued — "grant us your salvation."

Indeed, only grace can save us. "Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other." By grace earth and heaven will be in sync and there will be harmony. "Faithfulness springs up from the ground, and righteousness looks down from the sky." Perhaps something like this is what our Lord Jesus had in mind when he taught his disciples to pray, "your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Indeed, this world will never be fixed until it is in sync with God.

What is true of the world as a whole is true also of us individually. Are you walking in step with God? And there is only one way we can do that, through the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the mediator who brings God to us, and us to God. But for Jesus we would be in deep trouble. But in Jesus "Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other." So we bow before our King.

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Growth Resources

This year: Please see the full list of 2025 books as well as Bible reading plans on our church webpage.

In July we are reading “The Consequences of Ideas” by R.C. Sproul.

This week: We are reflecting upon Shorter Catechism Qs. 29–30.

Everyday: Noted pastor and theologian Sinclair Ferguson posts a short reflection every day, each around 5 minutes long. "Things Unseen" cover various aspects of the Christian life, worship, and theological topics in a very accessible and edifying way. We encourage you to incorporate this into your daily life. Please see this page for more information. There you will find links to various podcast platforms as well as YouTube page.

Upcoming Events and Notices

July 27 (Lord's Day): Please join us for Sunday School lesson from “Essential Truths of the Christian Faith” Ch. 54 “The Unforgivable Sin.”

Thank you for your continued support of Grace Fallbrook (PCA). Your loving support makes the proclamation of the gospel and the building up of the saints possible. Please visit gracefallbrook.church/give and click on "Give Online Now." You will be directed to the PCA Foundation where you can give towards Grace Fallbrook (PCA).