03-22-2015 Sunday Evening Bulletin.pub


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

Welcome and Announcements Prelude

Heavenly Father, you won’t let us get away from thinking about your grace for even one minute, will you? And let me hasten to say, thank you… thank you… thank you! I praise you for the day you finally convinced the legalist and leper in me that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone. That was the first day I could really sing, “My hope is built on nothing less (and nothing more and nothing other) than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. On Christ the solid Rock I stand… all other ground is sinking sand.” I’m still singing. I also praise you for the ongoing schooling in the sufficiency of your grace for all the broken things in my life… broken relationships… broken health… broken promises… broken church… broken me. I’ve finished the 1st grade, I think. And now I praise you for a command that demands setting my hope on yet-to-be-received grace—the unleashed fullness… the unfettered wonder… the undiminished glory of your contra-conditional love for us in Jesus. There is no God like you. There is no God so immeasurably generous with such illdeserving people, like me. Father, help me to believe the command to set my hope on future grace is just as much a command to be obeyed as, “Do not lie, do not steal, and do not covet.” You are serious about where we set our hope. You’re so wise and caring. You know if we don’t intentionally and fully set our hope on your grace, we’ll set it somewhere else. On saviors that cannot save… on people who are not God… on gospels that are not gospels… on idols that will ultimately utterly fail us. Lord Jesus, I’ve never so looked forward to the Day when you will be fully revealed—when the firstfruits of grace will give way to the full harvest of grace—when your gathered Bride will be perfect and the present world made new. Until that Day keep us engaged in your story of redemption and restoration. Where are we to work tirelessly with you for justice? Where are we to show your limitless and lavish mercy? How shall we walk humbly with our God… and one another? So very Amen, we ask and pray, in your trustworthy name.

Call to Worship ..................................................................1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Invocation ......................................................... Dr. Sean Michael Lucas Hymn 521 ............................................. My Hope is Built on Nothing Less Cherokee Mission Trip Reflections Corporate Prayer of Response Father, we clearly see the need for prayer for this work of ministry and evangelism. We know that prayer fuels mission and that we must pray for the Holy Spirit to open doors and hearts. So tonight we pray for gospel fruit – that the Gospel would advance and that people would be converted to Christ. We thank you for these who have labored and pray for continued opportunities, faithfulness, and boldness for them, and for Your blessing on their lives. We pray this through our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Prayer of Illumination Scripture Reading.................................................... Nehemiah 12:27-47 Sermon ............................................................Dr. David Hatten Jussely “Celebrating in the Joy of the Lord” Hymn 401 ..................................... All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night Benediction Postlude

From James Montgomery Boice There is a fourfold repetition of the words joy and rejoice. But notice that it is not merely said that the people felt joyful or were enjoying themselves but that this was “because God had given them great joy.” Their joy was spiritual and not just a hedonistic thing. It was exactly what Paul was to speak of later in writing o the Philippians: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4, italics added). J. G. McConville says:

If the joy of Nehemiah’s Jerusalem seems alien and Paul’s unnatural, it is simply a measure of the difficulty experienced… in finding well-being in godliness itself. What Nehemiah and Paul knew – in direct contrast to the modern doctrine that he who acquires most and succeeds best is happiest – is that joy, like love, peace, self-control, etc. (Cf. Gal. 5:22) is spiritual.

Sermon Notes “Celebrating in the Joy of the Lord” Nehemiah 12:27-47

The Preparation for Worship (12:27-30) General Levites (27) Singing Levites (28-29) Priestly Levites (30)

March 22, 2015 6:00 p.m.

The Processions in the Worship (12:31-37) Southern Procession (31-37) Northern Procession (38-42) The Climax (43) [Notice the emphasis on King David (vs 36, 37, 45, 46); Asaph (vs 35, 46); Zerubbabel (v47)]

Presbyterian Church in America Hattiesburg, Mississippi