02-22-2015 Sunday Evening Bulletin.pub

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The Lord’s Day Evening February 22, 2015 Six O’clock

reverence, and gospel-driven obedience. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ triumphant and loving name. (Scotty Smith)

Call to Worship ........................................................ Jeremiah 32:38-41

Welcome and Announcements

Invocation ......................................................... Dr. Sean Michael Lucas

Prelude

Hymn 94 .......................................................... How Firm a Foundation

And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul. Jer. 32:38-41

Affirmation of Faith ..................... The Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 8

Dear heavenly Father, I know you don’t lie, but this portion of your Word exposes the folly of my unbelief. It also invites me to see that the gospel is so much bigger and better than I could ever hope or imagine. If—no, since you are this good, everything changes The first thing I notice is all the “I will’s ” connecting this extraordinary catalogue of promises. Father, you’ve promises you alone can keep. I praise you for your inviolate commitment to be such an outrageously, immeasurably generous God. I praise you for promising to never stop doing good to us, and for finding so much joy in doing so. Through Jesus, you’ve already “made good” on your promise to make an everlasting covenant with us, and this strengthens our faith to trust you for all things. Lord Jesus, you came and accomplished everything necessary to prove our Father wasn’t exaggerating; your life, death, and resurrection guarantee God really is good. Because of you, we’re fully forgiven and declared righteous in God’s sight. Because of you, one Day we’ll be made completely whole and the whole creation will be made new. On that Day our Father will plant us in the land of the new heaven and new earth. Hallelujah, many times over! Until that Day, Holy Spirit, continue your transforming and liberating work in our lives. Free us to love and serve our God with singleness of heart, affectionate

Q 24. How are these articles divided? A. Into three parts: God the Father and our creation; God the Son and our deliverance; and God the Holy Spirit and our sanctification. Q 25. Sinc e th er e is only one divin e b ei ng , w hy do yo u s p ea k of thr e e: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? A. Because that is how God has revealed himself in his Word: these three distinct persons are one, true, eternal God.

Songbook 39 ................................................................ In Christ Alone (Children will be dismissed to 4 Corners on last verse.) Prayer of Illumination Scripture Reading.................................................Nehemiah 9:38-10:29 Sermon ............................................................Dr. David Hatten Jussely “Are Our Promises Enough?” Hymn 654 .......................................................O Jesus, I Have Promised Benediction Postlude

From James Montgomery Boice …The third stage of this revival, recounted for us in Nehemiah 10, is so critical. The third stage is a formal commitment to change, expressed in a covenant. The text refers to it as “a binding agreement” (Neh. 9:38) to which the leaders, Levites, and priests formally affixed their seals, the equivalent of a signature… It was as one whole people that they took it upon themselves to keep God’s entire law. Who else would do it? It is the same for us in our response as Christians to the teachings of Jesus Christ. If we will not obey him, live holy lives, and be his witnesses in this world, it is certain that no one else will. The responsibility is ours alone. The very act of becoming a Christian is something of a covenant, for when we repent of our sin and turn in faith to Christ as our savior, we also promise to follow him and serve him as our Lord. When we are baptized we enter into a covenant. When we join a church we make a covenant. Why should other important spiritual steps be any different? Why should we not frequently determine to change for the better – and covenant to do so?

February 22, 2015 6:00 p.m. Presbyterian Church in America Hattiesburg, Mississippi