Worship Next Sunday
September 11, 2011
Preaching: Pastor Magee
Sermon text: Acts 7:51-60
Sermon title: “The Horrible Moment”
Music:
Opening – 6 O Come, My Soul, Bless Thou the Lord
Preparation – 181 We Come, O Christ, to You
Response – 157 None Other Lamb, None Other Name
Closing – 345 Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken
Confession of Faith: Apostles Creed
OT Reading: Psalm 31:5 and Psalm 32
Preparation Guide
Sunday: Review morning sermon (evening service @ 5pm)
Monday: Acts 7
Tuesday: 2 Samuel 20:1-13
Wednesday: 2 Samuel 20:14-26
Thursday: Psalm 31:5 and Psalm 32
Friday: Exodus 20:16
Saturday: Acts 7
Suggested Bible Study and Prayers
(Passages that we will refer to in next Sunday's worship)
2 Samuel 20
Lord Almighty, as we seek the growth and holiness of Your kingdom, worthless men would work for disruption and trouble in Your house. Protect us from evil and self-seeking enemies. Give us holiness and love that are in Christ. Keep us from the deeds of men of intrigue who would kill and destroy in order to get revenge or eliminate dissent. Should such things be allowed to stand in Your church? Use all of Your men and women, high and low, to bring true peace and faithfulness to Your people. Help us to turn away from leaders who would only be haters of Christ. We return to You, O God, for You will build Your kingdom. Thank you for the opportunities that You grant to us for humble service as Your disciples.
Psalm 31 and Psalm 32
God of Providence, You are the only hope of the righteous. Be our Rock and our Fortress. We trust our souls and bodies to You. You know the depth of the affliction of Your servants. You see our tears, and You hear our sighs. Though our neighbors may hate or forget us, our times are in Your powerful hand. Save us in Your steadfast love. Your justice will come against Your enemies in the day of Your glory. When all hope seems lost, You remain the sure hope of Your people.
Father, You have counted the righteousness of Christ as our righteousness. His death was ours, and His life above is also for us. Our sin has been forgiven, for You have delivered our lives from Your wrath. You make us messengers of faith in Your Son. We will trust in Him forever, together with all who have been counted as upright in heart by Your grace.
Acts 7
Our Father, grant that we would rightly appreciate the privilege of suffering for the name of Jesus Christ. Without this true assessment of our trials, we will always shrink away from a forthright statement of Your Word in situations of danger. You have sent one Man who would truly keep Your perfect Law. Through His death and resurrection He became the cornerstone of a new spiritual temple, Your church throughout the world. All of the patriarchs and heroes of the faith in earlier days longed for this day of the Messiah. Now He has actually visited us. This Jesus did all things well. He has poured out Your Holy Spirit upon Your church. We love the Law of Christ. We rejoice in the Temple of the Holy Spirit. We long for the fulfillment of Your promise in the age to come, in the land of Resurrection. We love the Word of the Prophets which has now come in person in the great beauty of our Messiah. He is the perfect Son of David, and He has built a new house for His people in His own world-wide body. We will not resist the Holy Spirit. We will love and serve the Righteous One. Teach us the truth about our sin, that we might more fully and earnestly repent of it and be forgiven. Though men might work together to kill us, Your truth can never be stopped. Grant us such a beauty of holiness and love that we would be willing to forgive those who seek our destruction.
