November 18, 2018

We’re in our eleventh week in the book of Ephesians. As our society continues its trend toward self-centered and superficial worldviews, many have adopted a watered-down view of God that that leads us away from the glory we were made to enjoy. Ephesians shatters this diluted view of God by putting the weight of His glory in our faces in a way that is overwhelming and life-transforming.

Here’s how you can prepare for Sunday:

1. Read through our text, Ephesians 5:22–33.

Paul continues to connect the life-transforming implications of the love of Christ to a few specific relationships in the Christian household. First, he talks about how the relationship between husbands and wives is designed by God to show something of Jesus’ relationship with His church. A Christian Husband is responsible for representing the love of Jesus by sacrificing his own interests and prioritizing His wife’s well-being above his own. A Christian wife is called to represent the church’s submission to and respect for Jesus by allowing her husband to take the responsibility of sacrificial leadership and to respect him as the one who will give an account for how he handled that responsibility. When husbands and wives live into this design, they put on display the beauty of Jesus’ sacrificial love for His Bride, the Church.

2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:

CALL TO WORSHIP: Based on Psalm 150, 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!

All Creatures Of Our God And King (William Henry Draper, St. Francis of Assisi)
God Is So Good (You Are Worthy) (Pat Barrett, Daniel Bashta, Ben Smith)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From Every Season Prayers by Scotty Smith:

Dear heavenly Father, we come into Your presence this morning only because Your mercies are new every morning. We stand before You in this place only because we stand firmly in Your grace. We dare call You Abba Father only because You have made us Your beloved sons and daughters. We freely confess our sins to You only because You fully gave Jesus for us. For the ways we loved poorly this past week—in our families, at our vocations, and among our neighbors, forgive us.From the foolish idols to which we cling, the broken cisterns from which we drink, and the false lovers to which we turn, free us. For not believing Jesus is enough and Your grace is sufficient, and for not trusting You to be really sovereign and really good, have mercy on us. Our hope rests alone in Jesus’ finished work and Your steadfast love. Amen.

Jesus We Love You (Kalley Heiligenthal, Hannah McClure, Paul McClure)

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Colossians 1:18–22

Hallelujah, What A Savior (Bliss, Carter, Ivey, Suh arr. Austin Stone)

GREETING, SERMON, & COMMUNION
RESPONSE: Song & Prayer

Ever Be (Strand, Greely, Wilson, Heiligenthal)
O Praise The Name (Anástasis) (Benjamin Hastings, Marty Sampson, Dean Ussher)

BENEDICTION

in Preparing for Sunday

November 11, 2018

It’s week 10 of Ephesians: As our society continues its trend toward self-centered and superficial worldviews, many have adopted a watered-down view of God that that leads us away from the glory we were made to enjoy. Ephesians shatters this diluted view of God by putting the weight of His glory in our faces in a way that is overwhelming and life-transforming.

Here’s how you can prepare for Sunday:

1. Read through our text, Ephesians 5:1–21.

Continuing where chapeter 4 left off, Paul connects his call to represent Christ in the world to our identity as beloved children of God. Christians are to reflect the sacrificial love that we have seen and experienced in Jesus. This sort of life is to be characterized by purity and thankfulness. The Church is to shine the life-giving light of God’s love into a world that is filled with a darkness that leads people toward shame and destruction. The way to this sort of life is an increasing dependence upon the power and influence of the Holy Spirit. As a Christian increasingly experiences the power of the Holy Spirit, it leads to expressions of thankfulness and a willing deference to one another. All of this is rooted in and empowered by one’s experience of the sacrificial love of Jesus.

2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:

CALL TO WORSHIP: Based on Isaiah 60:1–3, 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!

Fall Afresh (Jeremy Riddle)
God Is So Good (You Are Worthy) (Pat Barrett, Daniel Bashta, Ben Smith)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From The Worship Sourcebook:

Our Father in heaven, we thank You
that You have led us into the light.
We thank You for sending the Savior to call us from death to life.
We confess that we were dead in sin before we heard His call,
but when we heard Him, like Lazarus, we arose.
But, O Father, the grave clothes bind us still.
Old habits that we cannot throw off,
old customs that are so much a part of our lives
that we are helpless to live the new life that Christ calls us to live.
Give us strength, O Father, to break the bonds;
give us courage to live a new life in You;
give us faith to believe that with Your help we cannot fail.
All this we ask in the name of the Savior
who has taught us to come to You. Amen.

Nothing But The Blood (Robert Lowry, arr. Charlie Hall)

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: 1 Peter 1:3–5

Living Hope (Brian Johnson, Phil Wickham)

GREETING, SERMON, & COMMUNION
RESPONSE: Song & Prayer

Christ Is Risen (Mia Fieldes, Matt Maher)
Take My Life And Let It Be (Frances Ridley Havergal, Henri Abraham Cesar Malan, arr. Norton Hall Band)

BENEDICTION

in Preparing for Sunday

November 4, 2018

This is our ninth week in the book of Ephesians at Park Church. As our society continues its trend toward self-centered and superficial worldviews, many have adopted a watered-down view of God that that leads us away from the glory we were made to enjoy. Ephesians shatters this diluted view of God by putting the weight of His glory in our faces in a way that is overwhelming and life-transforming.

Here’s how you can prepare for Sunday:

1. Read through our text, Ephesians 4:17–32.

Paul carries the imagery of the Christian family as the body of Christ into the next section where he explains that Christians exist in the world as a representation of the love of Jesus. Before experiencing the life and love of Jesus, people are darkened in their minds and bent in their desires. But those who have been made alive with Christ are being renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit to represent the image of Christ in the world as a new humanity. He compares the old way of life to an old set of clothes that need to be taken off and replaced by the new clothes of a new life. The love of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit must move Christians to take off destructive desires and actions that mark the old way of life—lying, anger, theft, hurtful words, bitterness, promiscuity, and drunkenness. These are to be displaced by a spirit-empowered love for others that is marked by honesty, peace, faithful work, generosity, encouragement, forgiveness, self-control, and a sensitivity to God’s Spirit.

2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:

CALL TO WORSHIP: Based on Ephesians 3:18–19, Welcome (From Immanuel Nashville):

O God, by Your power may we, with all the saints, comprehend the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that we may be filled with your fullness. Amen.
—
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!

Grace Alone (Dustin Kensrue)
Come Thou Fount (Robert Robinson, John Wyeth)

CONFESSION OF SIN: Based on the Heidelberg Catechism, Questions 88–90:

Genuine repentance involves two things:
the dying-away of the old self and the coming-to-life of the new. The dying-away of the old self is to be genuinely sorry for sin, to hate it more and more, and to run away from it. The coming-to-life of the new self is wholehearted joy in God through Christ and a delight to do every kind of good as God wants us to. Together, as Christ’s body, we now confess our sin and express our longing to live in joyful obedience to God.

In Tenderness (Garvey, Gordon, Walton arr. Brian Eichelberger)
Jesus Is Better (Aaron Ivey, Brett Land)

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: 2 Corinthians 5:17–19

GREETING, SERMON, & COMMUNION
RESPONSE: Song & Prayer

Honest Work (James Craig Hartz Jr.)
Give Us Clean Hands (Charlie Hall)

BENEDICTION

in Preparing for Sunday

October 28, 2018

This is week eight of Ephesians at Park Church. As our society continues its trend toward self-centered and superficial worldviews, many have adopted a watered-down view of God that that leads us away from the glory we were made to enjoy. Ephesians shatters this diluted view of God by putting the weight of His glory in our faces in a way that is overwhelming and life-transforming.

Here’s how you can prepare for Sunday:

1. Read through our text, Ephesians 4:1–16.

Paul urges the church to live their lives in a way that is consistent with the love and grace that they have received from God. This means that they should pursue unity as the one family of God through humility and love for one another. The unity of God’s family, however, should not suppress the beautiful diversity that God has designed for His family. He has given all of His children differing gifts of grace through the one Spirit. Church leaders are given to equip and empower all of God’s people to serve one another according to their own gifts in order that the church would be built up like a new temple where God’s Spirit lives in and works among His people. When each member of the church family is engaged in loving one another and pointing one another to Jesus, then the whole church grows into something like a healthy body where people function with different gifts, but all with a unified mind to serve and glorify Jesus as the head of the body.

2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:

CALL TO WORSHIP: Isaiah 6:1–3, 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!

Holy, Holy, Holy (Reginald Heber, John Bacchus Dykes)
Build My Life (Barrett, Kable, Martin, Redman, Younker)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From Every Season Prayers by Scotty Smith:

Dear heavenly Father, for calling us to life in Christ, sealing us forever by Your Spirit, and making us Your beloved sons and daughters, we love and adore You. Our standing in grace is irreversible, the riches of our inheritance are incomparable, and the glories of our future are inconceivable. How can we not bow in humility, gratitude, and repentance before You? Forgive the many expressions of our selfishness and pettiness—have mercy on us, Lord. For the ease with which we complain and grumble, whine and resent—have mercy on us, Lord. For our overspending and under-sharing—have mercy on us, Lord. For being generous with criticism and miserly with forgiveness—have mercy on us, Lord. Please, Lord, have mercy on us and have mercy on me. In Jesus’ name and for His glory, we pray. Amen.

Psalm 32:6–7 (Mark Wilkins)

Nothing But The Blood (Robert Lowry, arr. Charlie Hall)

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Ephesians 2:13–18

GREETING, SERMON, & COMMUNION
RESPONSE: Song & Prayer

Jesus What A Savior (Kirby Kaple)
Take My Life And Let It Be (Frances Ridley Havergal, Henri Abraham Cesar Malan)

BENEDICTION

in Preparing for Sunday

October 21, 2018

We’re in our seventh week of our fall series in Ephesians. As our society continues its trend toward self-centered and superficial worldviews, many have adopted a watered-down view of God that that leads us away from the glory we were made to enjoy. Ephesians shatters this diluted view of God by putting the weight of His glory in our faces in a way that is overwhelming and life-transforming.

Here’s how you can prepare for Sunday:

1. Read through our text, Ephesians 3:14–21.

At the close of his beautiful exposition of God’s grace, Paul turns again to prayer. He humbly pleads with God, the Father of all nations, to give his Ephesian friends strength to experience in their hearts—not merely their minds—the incomprehensible love of Christ. He doesn’t want them to know about the love of God just intellectually, he wants them to experience rich communion with Jesus and to sink their roots down deep into the riches of the boundless love of Christ. Paul prays with confidence knowing that God has the power to do far more than we could ever imagine. As he closes this celebration of God’s love and grace, it’s as if he can’t contain himself—he bursts into doxology, praising the God who is worth of all glory from all generations for all time.

2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 36:5, 7–9, 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!

Come Thou Fount (Above All Else) (Shane Barnard, Robert Robinson, John Wyeth)
Here Is Love (William Edwards, Robert S. Lowry, William Rees)

CONFESSION OF SIN: Psalm 51:1–4a

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Romans 5:6–8

Reckless Love (Cory Asbury, Caleb Culver, Ran Jackson)

CHILD DEDICATIONS

GREETING, SERMON, & COMMUNION
RESPONSE: Song & Prayer

Good Good Father (Anthony Brown, Pat Barrett)
I Stand Amazed (How Marvelous) (Charles H. Gabriel, Chris Tomlin)

BENEDICTION

in Preparing for Sunday

October 14, 2018

It’s Ephesians week six at Park: As our society continues its trend toward self-centered and superficial worldviews, many have adopted a watered-down view of God that that leads us away from the glory we were made to enjoy. Ephesians shatters this diluted view of God by putting the weight of His glory in our faces in a way that is overwhelming and life-transforming.

Here’s how you can prepare for Sunday:

1. Read through our text, Ephesians 3:1–13.

After his message of grace in chapter 2, Paul adds a personal note, marveling at the particular role that God gave him—to preach this Gospel of grace to the nations (including the Ephesians). Even though Paul is writing this letter from prison because of his faithfulness to the Gospel, he doesn’t see his suffering as a reason for anyone to be discouraged. Rather, he sees his role in God’s eternal plan as a gracious gift from God. God’s grace has so captivated Paul that he feels free to personally sacrifice his own comfort and life if it will mean that more people will hear about and experience the unsearchable riches of Christ.

2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:

CALL TO WORSHIP: 1 Peter 1:3–4, 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!

Before The Throne (Charitie Lees Bancroft, arr. The Modern Post)
One Thing Remains (Christa Black, Brian Johnson, Jeremy Riddle)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From The Valley of Vision:

Lord Jesus, I have sinned times without number, and been guilty of pride and unbelief, and of neglect to seek You in my daily life. My sins and shortcomings present me with a list of accusations, but I thank You that they will not stand against me, for all have been laid on Christ. Deliver me from every evil habit, every interest of former sins, everything that dims the brightness of Your grace in me, everything that prevents me taking delight in you. Amen.

Jesus What A Savior (Kirby Kaple)

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Ephesians 2:19–22

I Will Exalt (Amanda Cook)

GREETING, SERMON, & COMMUNION
RESPONSE: Song & Prayer

Mystery (Charlie Hall)
In Christ Alone (Keith Getty, Stuart Townend)

BENEDICTION

in Preparing for Sunday

October 7, 2018

This is the fifth week of our Ephesians series at Park Church. As our society continues its trend toward self-centered and superficial worldviews, many have adopted a watered-down view of God that that leads us away from the glory we were made to enjoy. Ephesians shatters this diluted view of God by putting the weight of His glory in our faces in a way that is overwhelming and life-transforming.

Here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday:

1. Read through our text, Ephesians 2:11–22.

God has not only forgiven us and made us alive by grace, He has also brought us into His new, multi-ethnic family by this same grace. Jesus has not merely overcome the hostility that existed between God and humanity, He has also broken down the wall of hostility that has long divided diverse people groups. Jesus has opened the way to God’s grace to all people. And now, the promises that were made to the Jewish people have been extended to people from every ethnicity—to all who are united to Jesus through faith. Because of God’s grace, we have nothing to prove and no need to exalt ourselves over one another. We can have peace and communion with our Father and with one another as God’s united, multi-ethnic family that He is building by the power of the Holy Spirit.

2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:

CALL TO WORSHIP: 1 Peter 1:3–4, 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!

All Creatures Of Our God And King (William Henry Draper, St. Francis of Assisi)
Grace Alone (Dustin Kensrue)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From The Worship Sourcebook:

O God, our great shepherd,
you tenderly gather us as lambs,
carrying us with your all-embracing love.
Yet, like sheep, we wander from you:
following our own ways, ignoring your voice,
distrusting your provisions.
Forgive our stubborn rebellion, our hardened hearts, our lack of trust.
Refresh us once again by your quiet waters of mercy
and restore our souls by your redeeming love.
Guide our paths, that we might follow you more closely…

Through Jesus Christ, our good shepherd, we pray. Amen.

Come Ye Sinners (Joseph Hart, arr. Robbie Seay)

Living Hope (Brian Johnson, Phil Wickham)

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Ephesians 2:19–22

GREETING, SERMON, & COMMUNION
RESPONSE: Song & Prayer

By Grace (James Lepine)
O Holy Night (Adolphe Charles Adam, Placide Cappeau, John Sullivan Dwight)

BENEDICTION

in Preparing for Sunday

Worship & Prayer Night—Thursday, October 4, 2018

This Thursday night, from 6:30–8:30, we’ll gather downstairs at the Park Church Building for an evening with no agenda other than to enjoy the Lord together through worship and prayer. Below is a playlist of the songs that we may or may not do, depending on how we feel led by the Holy Spirit.

Even though there are songs here that we won’t have time for, it’s still a great idea to listen and pray through all of them to get your heart and mind prepared for our corporate time of worship!

Pray and sing:

in Preparing for Sunday • Uncategorized

September 30, 2018

This Sunday will be week four of Ephesians at Park Church. As our society continues its trend toward self-centered and superficial worldviews, many have adopted a watered-down view of God that that leads us away from the glory we were made to enjoy. Ephesians shatters this diluted view of God by putting the weight of His glory in our faces in a way that is overwhelming and life-transforming.

Here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday:

1. Read through our text, Ephesians 2:1–10.

What have we done to deserve these overwhelming and glorious blessings from God—love, redemption, forgiveness, grace, adoption, hope, honor, and power? Paul’s answer is emphatic: nothing. Nothing at all. In fact, he says, we were all dead in trespasses and sin, walking away from God in disobedience, following God’s enemy toward destruction. That was our hopeless situation when God burst into our lives with His breathtaking love, mercy, and grace.

2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:

CALL TO WORSHIP: Ephesians 1:3, 7–8 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!

Yes And Amen (Anthony Brown, Chris McClarney, Nate Moore)
His Mercy Is More (Matt Boswell, Matt Papa)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From Prone To Wander:

Heavenly Father, We admit to you today that we often live as though we were still dead in our trespasses and sins. You have made us alive in Christ and given us your Holy Spirit, yet our slowly-maturing souls dwell in sinful bodies, and we continue to gratify the desires of our flesh in countless ways. We eat too much, drink too much, and indulge in sinful fantasy and practice, medicating ourselves to escape reality and entertaining ourselves to distract from pain. We follow the course of the world around us, giving in to pressure from our friends and our circumstances, instead of living with our eyes fixed on our heavenly home. We frantically fill ourselves up with pleasures, using your good gifts to us as a way to avoid our great need for you. Father, forgive us.

Rock Of Ages (Mary Elizabeth Byrne, Eleanor Henrietta Hull, arr. Charlie Hall)

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Ephesians 2:4–9

Break Every Chain (Will Reagan, arr. Tasha Cobbs)

GREETING, SERMON, & COMMUNION
RESPONSE: Song & Prayer

Living Hope (Brian Johnson, Phil Wickham)
All I Have is Christ (Jordan Kauflin)

BENEDICTION

in Preparing for Sunday

September 23, 2018

We’re in week three of Ephesians. As our society continues its trend toward self-centered and superficial worldviews, many have adopted a watered-down view of God that that leads us away from the glory we were made to enjoy. Ephesians shatters this diluted view of God by putting the weight of His glory in our faces in a way that is overwhelming and life-transforming.

Here’s how you can prepare for this Sunday:

1. Read through our text, Ephesians 1:15–23.

Paul gives us a window into his own daily prayer life as he expresses his continual plea for the Holy Spirit to empower the children of God to know—not merely in their heads, but in the depth of their hearts—the unshakable hope, supreme value, and immeasurable power that is available to those who are united to the resurrected Jesus through faith. The power that is available to those who are in Christ is the same power of God that raised Jesus from the dead and exalted Him as the ruler of the whole world.

2. Read, pray, and sing through the service:

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 63:1–5, 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!

Fall Afresh (Jeremy Riddle)
How Great Thou Art (Stuart K. Hine)

CONFESSION OF SIN: From The Worship Sourcebook:

Eternal and merciful God,
You have loved us with a love beyond our understanding,
and You have set us on paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake.
Yet we have strayed from Your way;
we have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed,
through what we have done and what we have left undone.
As we remember the lavish gift of Your grace
symbolized in baptism, O God,
we praise You and give You thanks that You forgive us yet again.
Grant us now, we pray, the grace to die daily to sin,
and to rise daily to new life in Christ,
who lives and reigns with You,
and in whose strong name we pray. Amen.

Be Thou My Vision (Mary Elizabeth Byrne, Eleanor Henrietta Hull, arr. Ascend The Hill)

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Ephesians 1:7–10

Broken Vessels (Amazing Grace) (Joel Houston, Jonas Myrin)

GREETING, SERMON, & COMMUNION
RESPONSE: Song & Prayer

The Love Of God (Frederick Martin Lehman, Meir Ben Isaac Nehorai, arr. Sara Groves)
Through And Through/Set A Fire (Will Reagan)

BENEDICTION

in Preparing for Sunday