PROVIDENCE CHURCH

JANUARY 22, 2023

Welcome

Passing of the Peace: Though we are separated by distance our hearts are one in Christ. The peace of Christ be with you!  And also with you!

 

Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,

Praise him all creatures here below,

Praise him above, ye heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Amen

 

 

 

Call to Worship:   Psalm 34 select verses

Leader:    I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.

 

Congregation:   Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.

 

Leader:  This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.

 

Congregation:  Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!  Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

 

Leader:   The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

 

All:   Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

 

 

Songs of Praise:

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing (Robert Robinson, 1758; tune Asahel Nettleton, 1825)

Come, thou fount of ev’ry blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace;

Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above;

Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it, mount of God’s unchanging love.

 

Here I raise my Ebenezer, hither by thy help I’m come;

And I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger, wand’ring from the fold of God:

He, to rescue me from danger, bought me with his precious blood.

 

O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be;

Let that grace now, like a fetter, bind my wand’ring heart to thee.

Prone to wander—Lord, I feel it—prone to leave the God I love:

Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above.

Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above.

 

Waiting Here for You (Chris Tomlin, Jesse Reeves, Martin Smith, 2011  CCLI #5925663)

If faith can move the mountains, let the mountains move.

We come with expectation, waiting here for you. (2X)

 

Chorus: Waiting here for you, with our hands lifted high in praise.

And it’s you, we adore, singing Al-le-lu-ia.

 

You’re the Lord of all Creation, and still you know my heart.

You’re the Author of salvation, you’ve loved us from the start. (Chorus)

 

You are everything you’ve promised, your faithfulness is true.

We’re desperate for your presence; all we need is you. (Chorus X2)

 

As the Deer (Martin Nystrom, 1984  CCLI #1431)

As the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth after you.

You alone are my heart’s desire, and I long to worship you.

 

Chorus:  You alone are my strength, my shield.

To you alone may my spirit yield.

You alone are my heart’s desire and I long to worship you.

 

You’re my friend and you are my brother, even though you are a king.

I love you more than any other, so much more than anything. (Chorus)

 

I want you more than gold or silver; only you can satisfy.

You alone are the real joy giver and the apple of my eye. (Chorus)

 

Confession/Assurance    

 

 

Respond in Praise: 

 

Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross (Fanny Crosby, 1869; tune William Doane, 1869)

Jesus, keep me near the cross; there a precious fountain,

Free to all—a healing stream—flows from Calv’ry’s mountain.

 

Chorus:

In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever;

Till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river.

 

Near the cross, a trembling soul, love and mercy found me;

There the Bright and Morning Star shed its beams around me. (Chorus)

 

Near the cross! O Lamb of God, bring its scenes before me;

Help me walk from day to day with its shadow o’er me. (Chorus)

 

Near the cross I’ll watch and wait, hoping, trusting ever,

Till I reach the golden strand just beyond the river. (Chorus)

 

Scripture Genesis 2:5,15, 17,   Colossians 1:19-20, Revelation 21:1-4    

Genesis

5 When no bush of the field[a] was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground,

 

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

 

17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat[a] of it you shall surely die.”

 

Colossians

19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

 

Revelations

The New Heaven and the New Earth

21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.  4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

 

 

 

The Scroll and the Lamb

Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals.   And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”   And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.  And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.   And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.   And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.   And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
  and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

 

This is the Word of the Lord.   Thanks be to God!

 

Sermon “God’s big four chapter story”                                        

 

Hymn of Dedication

One Pure and Holy Passion (Mark Altrogge, 1988 CCLI Song #270224)

Give me one pure and holy passion,

And give me one magnificent obsession;

Give me one glorious ambition for my life:

To know and follow hard after you.

(Repeat)

 

Chorus:

To know and follow hard after you, to grow as your disciple in the truth.

This world is empty, pale and poor, compared to knowing you my Lord;

Lead me on and I will run after you,

Lead me on and I will run after you.

 

Give me one pure and holy passion,

And give me one magnificent obsession;

Give me one glorious ambition for my life:

To know and follow hard after you.

Chorus:

To know and follow hard after you, to grow as your disciple in your truth.

This world is empty, pale and poor, compared to knowing you my Lord;

Lead me on and I will run after you,

Lead me on and I will run after you (Repeat Chorus)

Tag: Lead me on and I will run after you.

 

Lord’s Prayer:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil:

for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory.  Amen

 

Hymn of Thanksgiving

Lord, With Glowing Heart I’d Praise Thee (Francis Scott Key, 1817; tune Gregorian chant)

Lord, with glowing heart I’d praise thee for the bliss thy love bestows,

for the pard’ning grace that saves me, and the peace that from it flows.

Help, O God, my weak endeavor; this dull soul to rapture raise;

Thou must light the flame, or never can my love be warmed to praise.

Praise, my soul, the God that sought thee, wretched wand’rer far astray;

found thee lost, and kindly brought thee from the paths of death away.

Praise, with love’s devoutest feeling, him who saw thy guilt-born fear,

and, the light of hope revealing, bade the blood-stained cross appear.

Praise thy Savior God that drew thee to that cross, new life to give,

held a blood sealed pardon to thee, bade thee look to him and live.

Praise the grace whose threats alarmed thee, roused thee from thy fatal ease;

praise the grace whose promise warmed thee, praise the grace that whispered peace.

Lord, this bosom’s ardent feeling vainly would my lips express:

low before thy footstool kneeling, deign thy suppliant’s prayer to bless.

Let thy love, my soul’s chief treasure, love’s pure flame within me raise;

and, since words can never measure, let my life show forth thy praise. (repeat line)

 

Benediction 

 

KNOW

Welcome to Providence Church! We are glad that you are here, joining us in person or via Zoom!.

Sunday School:   Adult and Youth Sunday School is at 11:15. Paula Rhodarmer will be teaching.   Will/Christina are leading a study in Exodus.  Children’s Sunday School – K-3 downstairs and 4-6 upstairs at the end of the hall.

Children of all ages are invited to participate in the entire service of worship.  Childcare for children up to 6 years of age, in our downstairs Christian Ed wing (on the left) at the end of the hallway.

 Church wide Baby Shower Pot Luck–   Join us Feb. 12th following Sunday School for a Church wide Potluck Luncheon to celebrate the upcoming arrival of baby Taylor Roberts. Please note that Taylor’s gender is still a surprise even to Mom and Dad!

Dessert and Beverages will be provided so bring a main dish, fruit/veggie, salad, etc. to share as we fellowship together. Christina and Will Roberts are registered at

babylist ( https://www.babylist.com/utyfcanyh) and

Buy Buy Baby ( https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/giftregistry/viewregistryguest/551733141).

 

 

 

GROW

Women’s Prayer Group – 10:15am Tuesday mornings, contact Linda Roberts,  828) 506-3101

Men’s Prayer Group – 6:45am Thursday mornings, contact Sam Mitchell,        (828) 734-1392

 

GO

Prayer Requests   Please pray for Pastor Edward as he travels to Indonesia leaving on January 16 for a mission trip with our Presbytery.

For Mercy and Grace:  Bill Silverthorne, Robbie Hargrove