Call to Worship
Sunday School
Series in the Sermon on the Mount
by Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Sunday Service
Pastoral Scripture Reading
Opening Song
Let All Things Now Living (TH #125)
1 Let all things now living a song of thanksgiving
To God the Creator triumphantly raise,
Who fashioned and made us, protected and stayed us,
Who guideth us on to the end of our days.
His banners are o’er us,
His light goes before us,
A pillar of fire shining forth in the night,
‘Til shadows have vanished and darkness is banished,
as forward we travel from light into light.
2 His law He enforces: the stars in their courses,
The sun in His orbit, obediently shine;
The hills and the mountains, the rivers and fountains,
The deeps of the ocean proclaim Him divine,
We too should be voicing our love and rejoicing,
With glad adoration a song let us raise,
‘Til all things now living unite in thanksgiving
To God in the highest, hosanna and praise.
Prayer
Focus this week: Jane Brooks, Washington State
Song
O How Good It Is (CRC #26)
Verse 1
Oh how good it is
When the family of God
Dwells together in spirit
In faith and unity
Where the bonds of peace
Of acceptance and love
Are the fruit of His presence here among us
Chorus
So with one voice we’ll sing to the Lord
And with one heart we’ll live out His word
Till the whole earth sees the Redeemer has come
For He dwells in the presence of His people
Verse 2
Oh how good it is on this journey we share to rejoice with the happy
And weep with those who mourn
For the weak find strength, the afflicted find grace
When we offer the blessing of belonging
Verse 3
Oh how good it is to embrace His command
To prefer one another forgive as He forgives
When we live as one we all share in the love
Of the Son with the Father and the Spirit
CCLI Song # 6399212, CCLI License # 108183
Keith Getty | Kristyn Getty | Ross Holmes | Stuart Townend
© 2012 Getty Music Publishing (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)
Parakeet Boots Music (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)
Townend Songs (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)
For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com
Song
God of Every Grace (CRC #78)
Verse 1
God of grace, amazing wonder, irresistible and free;
oh, the miracle of mercy, Jesus reaches down to me.
God of grace, I stand in wonder, as my God restores my soul.
His own blood has paid my ransom; awesome cost to make me whole
Verse 2
God of grace, who loved and knew me long before the world began;
sent my Savior down from heaven perfect God and perfect man.
God of grace, I trust in Jesus; I’m accepted as His own.
Every day His grace sustains me, as I lean on Him alone.
Verse 3
God of grace, I stand astounded, cleansed, forgiven, and secure.
All my fears are now confounded, and my hope is ever sure.
God of grace, now crowned in glory, where one day I’ll see Your face;
and forever I’ll adore You in Your everlasting grace.
Song
The Lord is My Salvation (CRC #21)
Verse 1
The grace of God has reached for me And pulled me from the raging sea
And I am safe on this solid ground, The Lord is my salvation.
Verse 2
I will not fear when darkness falls, His strength will help me scale these walls
I’ll see the dawn of the rising sun, The Lord is my salvation.
Chorus
Who is like the Lord our God
Strong to save faithful in love
My debt is paid and the victory won
The Lord is my salvation
Verse 3
My hope is hidden in the Lord, He flow’rs each promise of His Word
When winter fades I know spring will come, The Lord is my salvation
Verse 4
In times of waiting times of need, When I know loss when I am weak
I know His grace will renew these days, The Lord is my salvation.
Verse 5
And when I reach the final day, He will not leave me in the grave
But I will rise He will call me home, The Lord is my salvation.
Bridge
Glory be to God the Father
Glory be to God the Son
Glory be to God the Spirit
The Lord is our salvation
Ending
The Lord is our salvation, The Lord is our salvation
CCLI Song # 7063694, CCLI License # 108183
Jonas Myrin | Keith Getty | Kristyn Getty | Nathan Nockels
© 2016 Capitol CMG Paragon (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)
Son of the Lion (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)
Getty Music Publishing (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)
Sweater Weather Music (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)
For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com
Preaching the Word
1 Samuel 4-5
Chapter 4
And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.
Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek. 2 The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle. 3 And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that it[a] may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.” 4 So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
5 As soon as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded.6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, “What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” And when they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp, 7 the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. 8 Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. 9 Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight.”
10 So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell.11 And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
12 A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head.13 When he arrived, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told the news, all the city cried out. 14 When Eli heard the sound of the outcry, he said, “What is this uproar?” Then the man hurried and came and told Eli. 15 Now Eli was ninety-eight years old and his eyes were set so that he could not see. 16 And the man said to Eli, “I am he who has come from the battle; I fled from the battle today.” And he said, “How did it go, my son?” 17 He who brought the news answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great defeat among the people. Your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”18 As soon as he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years.
19 Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant, about to give birth. And when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed and gave birth, for her pains came upon her.20 And about the time of her death the women attending her said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you have borne a son.” But she did not answer or pay attention. 21 And she named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed[b] from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”
Chapter 5
When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon. 3 And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place.4 But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. 5 This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
6 The hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory. 7 And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his hand is hard against us and against Dagon our god.” 8 So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.” So they brought the ark of the God of Israel there. 9 But after they had brought it around, the hand of the Lord was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out on them. 10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But as soon as the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought around to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people.” 11 They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people.” For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. The hand of God was very heavy there. 12 The men who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
Closing Song
My Faith Looks Up to Thee (TH #528)
1 My faith looks up to thee,
thou Lamb of Calvary,
Savior divine;
now hear me while I pray,
take all my guilt away,
O let me from this day
be wholly thine.
2 May thy rich grace impart
strength to my fainting heart,
my zeal inspire;
as thou hast died for me,
O may my love to thee
pure, warm, and changeless be,
a living fire.
3 While life’s dark maze I tread,
and griefs around me spread,
be thou my guide;
bid darkness turn to day,
wipe sorrow’s tears away,
nor let me ever stray
from thee aside.
4 When ends life’s transient dream,
when death’s cold, sullen stream
shall o’er me roll,
blest Savior, then, in love,
fear and distrust remove;
O bear me safe above,
a ransomed soul.