July 1, 2018
It’s week six of Christ in the Psalms, our annual summer series. We’re in Psalm 83.
The Psalms give us a vocabulary and a “hymnal” for relating to God through the full range of human experience and emotion, ultimately pointing us to Jesus. One of the ways we enjoy and study the psalms each year is by having different artists do a piece each week for the respective psalm we’re in. Our Psalm 83 artwork is an acrylic and charcoal piece by Jennie Pitts. Learn more about her artwork and all the preceding weekly artworks right here.
Here’s how you can prepare for this week’s service:
1. Read through our text, Psalm 83.
Psalm 83 addresses a truth we don’t much like: we have may have enemies in the form of other people. But, in light of the work of Jesus, how should we read psalms like this one that request judgement on people? Didn’t Jesus call us to love our enemies?
While Psalm 83 may seem full of fire and brimstone, in Christ it is full of the glory of Gospel of God. People who make themselves our enemies are not primarily our enemies. However it looks, if they are in sin against God they are primarily God’s enemies. What do we know of God’s enemies? He is merciful to them in Christ. And since He has been merciful to us in Christ, making sons and daughters out of we who were His enemies, we can now love our enemies and plead with them to be reconciled to God.
2. Read, pray and sing through the service:
CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 99:6–8a, Welcome (From Immanuel Nashville):
To all who are weary and need rest,
To all who mourn and long for comfort,
To all who feel worthless and wonder if God cares,
To all who fail and desire strength,
To all who sin and need a Savior,
This church opens wide her doors
with a welcome from Jesus Christ,
the Ally of His enemies, the Defender of the guilty,
the Justifier of the inexcusable, the Friend of sinners.
Welcome!
Praise To The Lord The Almighty (Joachim Neander, arr. Citizens)
10,000 Reasons (Jonas Myrin, Matt Redman)
CONFESSION OF SIN: From The Worship Sourcebook:
Lord, You come to us, but we do not recognize You;
You call, but we do not follow;
You command, but we do not obey,
You bless us, but we do not thank You.
Please forgive and help us.
Lord, You accept us, but we do not accept others;
You forgive us, but we do not forgive those who wrong us;
You love us, but we do not love our neighbors.
Please forgive and help us.
Lord, You showed us how to carry out Your mission,
but we still insist on our own;
You identified yourself with outcasts, the needy, and the poor,
but we do not bother to find out what is happening to them;
You suffered and died for the sake of all,
but we do not give up our comfortable lives.
Please forgive and help us,
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Come Behold The Wondrous Mystery (Michael Bleecker, Matt Boswell, Matt Papa)
ASSURANCE OF PARDON: 2 Corinthians 5:14, 15, 17
No Longer Slaves (Joel Case, Jonathan David Hesler, Brian Johnson)
GREETING, SERMON, & COMMUNION
RESPONSE: Song & Prayer
Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) (Matt Crocker, Joel Houston, Salomon Ligthelm)
Jesus Is Better (Aaron Ivey, Brett Land)