September 19, 2010
11:30 am Worship
Prelude
Welcome
Call to Worship Psalm 146
Pastor: Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
All: I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to
my God while I have my being.
Pastor: Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
All: When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that
very day his plans perish.
Pastor: Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God.
All: The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all
generations. Praise the LORD!
Silent Prayer
*Hymn of Praise #57:1, 2, 4 Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah, O My Soul
*God’s Greeting
Our Need for a Savior II Peter 1:1-11
Prayer of Confession
Redemption in Christ Hebrews 4:14-16
Song of the Redeemed #693 Blessed Assurance
Congregational Prayer
Offering and Offertory
*Hymn of Preparation #141 God in the Gospel of His Son
Scripture Reading & Text Exodus 3:10-4:17
The Preaching of the Gospel:
“The Reluctant Moses”
Main Idea: God overcomes our reluctant response to His call.
1. The call of God
2. Our various excuses
3. God’s accommodation
Prayer of Application
*Hymn of Dedication #580 Lead On, O King Eternal
*God Sends Us:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus Christ. Therefore, let us go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that Jesus has commanded us. And behold, Jesus Christ is with us always, to the end of the age.”
*God’s Parting Blessing
*Doxology #733
*Please stand if you are able.
All hymns are found in the red Trinity Hymnal.
Welcome. We are glad you are here! We serve an amazing God! If you are new among us, please allow us to get to know you by talking with us after worship
Announcements
Today: Small groups will begin meeting today at 2pm, immediately following lunch. The group studying “A Praying Life” will meet in the fellowship hall; the group studying “The God Who Is There” will meet in the open space down the hall from the nursery. Books are provided.
Tuesday: 7:30pm, Session and Diaconate meetings
Wednesday: 6:30pm, Prayer Meeting; 7pm, Ladies Bible Study
Next Sunday: We welcome Pastor Andy Eppard to lead us in worship and Rev. Jon Appling to administer the Lord’s Supper.
Dear God, What Should I Do?
“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13)
In the corner of our hearts sneak curiosity, laziness, and doubt. Curiosity as to sin’s attraction—does sin provide the exorbitant pleasure it promises? Laziness as to putting off the old man—haven’t I come far enough? Doubt as to our reason for existence—does Christianity really have a soul-satisfying answer for meaning in life? It is this last intruder, doubt, upon which we focus, and especially our doubts concerning what we should be doing with our lives, while we yet live.
Maybe due to habit more than cognitive process, long-standing Christians pass fewer glances at doubt, but even them God shakes up with a monkey-wrench postmarked “The Throne Room”. Passing years which previously produced satisfaction in a life lived for God eventually come under the scrutiny of home-stretch questions like, “What have I done with my life?” And any saint still stretching out, warming up, or having run only a mile, knows the daunt and weight of life’s most essential question. For many, avoidance comforts, but only temporarily, and partially at best. Sooner or later the tidal wave of Providence rises to such speed and height that the most anchored are pummeled hardest and the rest are scattered, leaving each to re-examine life’s most basic question.
It may appear that persons not contemplating an answer are running away from the question, but make no mistake; their quest for an answer differs only in method, not in zeal. They learn better in the school of hard knocks; Solomon was such a one, or call him the Preacher if you like. He loved the question, “Dear God, what’s worth doing in this life?”, or, more pointedly, “What can I do with my life in order that my deathbed prompts the fewest regrets?” In fact, he loved it so much he made it his life’s aim to find an answer. I hope we pause long enough to consider what he found.
He found sorrow directly proportionate to knowledge (1:18), and memorializing oneself is a toilsome vanity (1:3-4). He discovered that the quest for popularity by means of wisdom leaves one suicidal (2:17), and neither the thoughtful person nor the fool remains long in the thoughts of succeeding generations (2:16). None of us are impressive; all men die alike; and we should consider ourselves nothing, for that is what we are. And since persistence was his virtue, the Preacher tried workaholism, sexaholism, and alcohol coupled with a jolly good time just in case these would satisfy, but emptiness (vanity) was all he found.
As in the days before, so during, and certainly afterward, each person tests the claims made in Ecclesiastes 12:13, and each finds them true. My fellow Christian, there is no greater joy than a clear conscience which comes from clinging to Jesus (fearing God) and striving after godliness (keeping his commandments); for these, there can be no regrets, and never will be.
Gospel
of
Grace
Church
For by grace you have been saved through faith.
And this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God, not a result of works,
so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9
Sunday School for Adults & Children
10:00 am Coffee and Fellowship
10:20 am Sunday School Classes
Sunday Worship
11:30 am
Fellowship Meal after Worship
1st Sunday of the month
Wednesday Prayer Meeting
6:30 pm in the fellowship hall
1001 N. National Ave.
Springfield, MO 65802
(417) 887-8944
www.gospelofgracechurch.com
**If you have pastoral needs or would like more information about us, please speak with someone from our congregation, or contact Zech Schiebout by phone @ (641) 780-8123 (cell), (417) 886-2129 (home) or by e-mail @ .**