Waging War Against Strongholds

The Word of God is the only weapon which is effective to free the sinner from the darkness of the prison which Satan keeps him bound in.

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Call to Worship

Sunday School

The Holy War
John Bunyan biography

Sunday Service

Pastoral Reading

Psalm 30

I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up
    and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
    and you have healed me.
O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;
    you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,
    and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment,
    and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
    but joy comes with the morning.

As for me, I said in my prosperity,
    “I shall never be moved.”
By your favor, O Lord,
    you made my mountain stand strong;
you hid your face;
    I was dismayed.

To you, O Lord, I cry,
    and to the Lord I plead for mercy:
“What profit is there in my death,
    if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
    Will it tell of your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me!
    O Lord, be my helper!”

11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
    you have loosed my sackcloth
    and clothed me with gladness,
12 that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
    O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

Opening Song

Praise Him! Praise Him! (TH #173)

1 Praise him! praise him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Sing, O earth, his wonderful love proclaim!
Hail him! hail him! highest archangels in glory;
strength and honor give to his holy name!
Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard his children,
in his arms he carries them all day long:

Refrain
Praise him! praise him!
tell of his excellent greatness;
praise him! praise Him!
ever in joyful song!

2 Praise him! praise him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
For our sins he suffered and bled and died;
he our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation,
hail him! hail him! Jesus the Crucified.
Sound his praises! Jesus who bore our sorrows,
love unbounded, wonderful, deep, and strong: [Refrain]

3 Praise him! praise him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Heav’nly portals loud with hosannas ring!
Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever and ever;
crown him! crown him! Prophet and Priest and King!
Christ is coming! over the world victorious,
pow’r and glory unto the Lord belong: [Refrain]

Prayer

Focus this week:  Mike and Tyna Audette, Canaa

Song

By Faith (CRC #4)

Verse 1
By faith we see the hand of God
In the light of creation’s grand design
In the lives of those who prove His faithfulness
Who walk by faith and not by sight

Verse 2
By faith our fathers roamed the earth
With the pow’r of His promise in their hearts
Of a holy city built by God’s own hand
A place where peace and justice reign

Chorus
We will stand as children of the promise
We will fix our eyes on Him our soul’s reward
Till the race is finished and the work is done
We’ll walk by faith and not by sight

Verse 3
By faith the prophets saw a day
When the longed-for Messiah would appear
With the pow’r to break the chains of sin and death
And rise triumphant from the grave

Verse 4
By faith the church was called to go
In the pow’r of the Spirit to the lost
To deliver captives and to preach good news
In ev’ry corner of the earth

Verse 5
By faith the mountain shall be moved
And the pow’r of the gospel shall prevail
For we know in Christ all things are possible
For all who call upon His name

Keith Getty | Kristyn Getty | Stuart Townend
© 2009 Thankyou Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)
Getty Music Publishing (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)
For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com
CCLI License # 108183, CCLI Song # 5469291

Song

My Life is an Offering (CRC #23)

Verse 1
This life is an altar
Where I want to offer
My soul and my mind and strength
Cleansed by Your mercy to live a life worthy
Of the One Who called my name

Chorus
Jesus be glorified
Jesus be magnified
Let me be a pleasing sacrifice
Jesus be glorified
Jesus be magnified
Here at the altar
My life is an offering

Verse 2
How could I not love You
You authored my rescue
Raised me up from death to life
Your Spirit is in me revealing Your glory
Oh what joy as I give my life

Bridge
I choose to lose my life Lord
And find it in You
I choose to lose my life Lord
And find it in You

CCLI Song # 6565620, CCLI License # 108183
Joel Sczebel | Pat Sczebel
© 2013 Sovereign Grace Worship (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing (Integrity Music, David C Cook))
For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com

Song

Rock of Ages (CRC #39)

Verse 1
Rock of Ages cleft for me Let me hide myself in thee
Let the water and the blood From thy wounded side which flowed
Be of sin the double cure Save from wrath and make me pure
Rock of Ages cleft for me Let me hide myself in thee

Verse 2  
Not the labors of my hands Can fulfill thy law’s demands
Could my zeal no respite know Could my tears forever flow
All for sin could not atone Thou must save and thou alone
Rock of Ages cleft for me Let me hide myself in thee

Verse 3
Nothing in my hand I bring Simply to the cross I cling
Naked come to thee for dress Helpless look to thee for grace
Foul I to the fountain fly Wash me Savior or I die
Rock of Ages cleft for me Let me hide myself in thee

Verse 4
While I draw this fleeting breath When mine eyes shall close in death
When I soar to worlds unknown See thee on thy judgment throne
With Thy righteousness am dressed, Brought into immortal rest
Rock of Ages cleft for me Let me hide myself in thee

CCLI Song #40588, Words: Augustus Montague Toplady/Thomas Hasings
Public Domain CCLI License #108183

The Lord’s Table

Christ Our Righteousness

Scripture Reading

2 Corinthians 10

I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

Look at what is before your eyes. If anyone is confident that he is Christ’s, let him remind himself that just as he is Christ’s, so also are we. For even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be ashamed. I do not want to appear to be frightening you with my letters. 10 For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account.” 11 Let such a person understand that what we say by letter when absent, we do when present. 12 Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.

13 But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you.14 For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you. For we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. 15 We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, 16 so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another’s area of influence. 17 “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

Preaching the Word

Waging War Against Strongholds

2 Cor 10:1-6

 I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

Closing Song

Great God of Wonders (CRC #77)

Great God of won­ders! All Thy ways
Are match­less, god­like and di­vine;
But the fair glo­ries of Thy grace
More god­like and un­ri­valed shine,
More god­like and un­ri­valed shine.

Crimes of such hor­ror to for­give,
Such guil­ty, dar­ing worms to spare;
This is Thy grand pre­ro­ga­tive,
And none shall in the hon­or share,
And none shall in the hon­or share.

Angels and men, re­sign your claim
To pi­ty, mer­cy, love and grace:
These glo­ries crown Je­ho­vah’s name
With an in­com­pa­ra­ble glaze
With an in­com­pa­ra­ble glaze.

In won­der lost, with trem­bling joy,
We take the par­don of our God:
Pardon for crimes of deep­est dye,
A par­don bought with Je­sus’ blood,
A par­don bought with Je­sus’ blood.

O may this strange, this match­less grace,
This god­like mir­acle of love,
Fill the whole earth with grate­ful praise,
And all th’an­gel­ic choirs above,
And all th’an­gel­ic choirs above.

Chorus
Who is a par­don­ing God like Thee?
Or who has grace so rich and free?
Or who has grace so rich and free?