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STEWARDSHIP IN LIGHT OF ETERNITY

02 . 01 . 15

As we begin a new sermon series on stewardship, we do so with our eyes and hearts set on FAST FORWARD... considering how our time, talents and treasures can be used by God for eternal purposes.

WELCOME!­

He has called us, redeemed us, and set us free to use our life to His glory.

The following prayer may be used as you prepare for worship: GOD OVER ALL, give me: a pure heart that I may see you; a humble heart that I may hear you; a heart of love that I may serve you;

a giving heart that I may show you to others a heart of faith that I may live in you; a reverent heart that I may worship you; a hungry heart that I may walk with you... day after day after day... as long as you give me breath. Amen.

Sanctuary Services THE CHURCH IN CORPORATE WORSHIP

FEBRUARY 1, 2015

REFLECTION



“My flesh is tired of seeking God, But on my knees I’ll stay. I want to be a pleasing child, Until that final day. My mind is full of many thoughts That clutter and confuse. But standing firm, I will prevail, In faith that I’ll be used. Amen! I’m asking once again. Won’t you help me my friend, Lord Jesus. Holy Lord Spirit, set us free, From chains we cannot see, Come release us. I wrestle not with flesh and blood, My fight is with the one, Who lost the keys of hell and death, To God’s most precious Son. One sleepless night of anguished prayer, I triumphed over sin. One battle in the Holy war, God’s promised me to win. My flesh is tired of seeking God, But on my knees I’ll stay. I want to be a pleasing child, Until that final day.” -- Keith Green

The Prelude • ECBC Handbells • In the Garden As the ECBC Handbells lead us, please read and meditate on the following Scripture: ROMANS 12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Equipping people to pursue Jesus Christ passionately as they impact the culture. eastcooperbaptist.com

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.



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Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

SACRIFICE OF PRAISE Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.” The terms “sacrifice” and “praise” might seem to be opposites. We think of sacrifice as offering something at great cost to ourselves. Praise, on the other hand, sounds joyful as it bubbles from a grateful heart. We praise our dogs for fetching the ball and people for a job well done. Praise is often our response to some action that directly benefits us, and we feel generous because we extend it. We often find it easy to praise God from the same motivation. When He has blessed us, helped us, and protected us, we feel generous toward Him. We can sing, worship, and talk about how good He is because we can see it. That kind of praise, although worthwhile, does not cost us anything. It is not a sacrifice. Then there are those times when God did not come through the way we thought He would. The medical test comes back positive. The spouse wants a divorce. A child is wayward. The mortgage company calls in the loan. God seems very far away, and praise is the last thing to bubble up from our hearts. We can’t see His goodness, and circumstances scream that He has forgotten us. To praise God in those times requires personal sacrifice. It takes an act of the will to lay our all on the altar before a God we don’t understand. When we bring a “sacrifice of praise,” we choose to believe that, even though life is not going as we think it should, God is still good and can be trusted (Psalm 135:2; Nahum 1:7). When we choose to praise God in spite of the storms, He is honored, and our faith grows deeper (Malachi 3:13-17; Job 13:15).

COME THOU FOUNT, COME THOU KING 2011 Hillsong Music

Come, Thou Fount of every 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 Thy redeeming love I was lost in utter darkness ‘til You came and rescued me I was bound by all my sin when Your love came and set me free Now my soul can sing a new song, now my heart has found a home Now Your grace is always with me And I’ll never be alone Come, Thou Fount, come, Thou King; Come, Thou precious Prince of Peace Hear Your bride, to You we sing, come, Thou Fount of our blessing Come, Thou Fount, come, Thou King; Come, Thou precious Prince of Peace Hear Your bride, to You we sing, come, Thou Fount of our blessing O, to grace, how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love Here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it Seal it for Thy courts above

AMAZING GRACE / MY CHAINS ARE GONE JOHN NEWTON, 1779, ARR. CHRIS TOMLIN

Amazing grace How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me I once was lost, but now I’m found Was blind, but now I see ‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear And grace my fears relieved How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed My chains are gone I’ve been set free My God, my Savior has ransomed me And like a flood His mercy reigns Unending love, Amazing grace The Lord has promised good to me His Word my hope secures He will my shield and portion be As long as life endures When we’ve been there ten thousand years Bright shining as the sun We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we first begun As long as life endures Was blind, but now I see

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH Philippians 2:6-11 LEADER: Whom do we worship as our Lord and King? PEOPLE: We worship Jesus as our Lord and King, “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

REJOICE THE LORD IS KING

CHARLES WESLEY, 1744 [DARWALL]

REJOICE ALWAYS If life be long, I will be glad, That I may long obey; If short, yet why should I be sad To welcome endless day? Christ leads me through no darker rooms Than He went through before; He that unto God’s kingdom comes Must enter by this door. Come, Lord, when grace hath made me meet Thy blessed face to see; For if Thy work on earth be sweet What will Thy glory be! Then I shall end my sad complaints And weary sinful days, And join with the triumphant saints That sing my Savior’s praise. My knowledge of that life is small, The eye of faith is dim; But ’tis enough that Christ knows all, And I shall be with Him. -- Richard Baxter (1615 - 1691)

ALL PRAISE TO THEE SINE NOMINE



All praise to thee, for thou, O King divine, didst yield the glory that of right was thine, that in our darkened hearts thy grace might shine. Alleluia! Alleluia! Thou cam’st to us in lowliness of thought; by thee the outcast and the poor were sought; and by thy death was God’s salvation wrought. Alleluia! Alleluia! Let this mind be in us which was in thee, who wast a servant that we might be free, humbling thyself to death on Calvary. Alleluia! Alleluia! Wherefore, by God’s eternal purpose, thou art high exalted o’er all creatures now, and given the Name to which all knees shall bow. Alleluia! Alleluia! Let every tongue confess with one accord in heaven and earth that Jesus Christ is Lord; and God the Father be by all adored. Alleluia! Alleluia!

CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER TIME Spend 30 seconds giving your silent praise and thanks to God for His greatness.

REDEEMED

Offertory Anthem

GOD OVER ALL

2006 SOVEREIGN GRACE MUSIC

Seems like all I can see was the struggle Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past Bound up in shackles of all my failures Wondering how long is this gonna last

God over all Giver of life and health and breath I want to sing of Your love Came as a man Humble, You died the sinner’s death I want to sing of Your love Your love has saved me By Your grace I now draw near, and Your love has set me Free to glorify Your name And I, I want to sing of Your love

Then You look at this prisoner and say to me “son stop fighting a fight that’s already been won”

I’ll never forget That You have bought me with Your blood I want to sing of Your love In all I do May Your great love be shining through I want to sing of Your love

I am redeemed, You set me free So I’ll shake off theses heavy chains Wipe away every stain now I’m not who I used to be I am redeemed

I don’t have to be the old man inside of me Cause his day is long dead and gone I’ve got a new name, a new life I’m not the same And a hope that will carry me home

OFFERTORY PRAYER • Matt Manning, Deacon of the Day OFFERTORY • ECBC Choir & Orchestra, Robin Harris, solo • Redeemed Please see text printed left side of this page.

CONGREGATIONAL GREETINGS MORNING ANNOUNCEMENTS THE MORNING SERMON



All my life I have been called unworthy Named by the voice of my shame and regret But when I hear You whisper, “Child lift up your head” I remember oh God, You’re not done with me yet

And on that day When You come back to claim Your own Yes, we will sing of Your love Then we’ll bow down Praise You forever at Your throne Yes, we will sing of Your love

BENEDICTION POSTLUDE

MORNING MESSAGE Babies & Toddlers

The Spoken Word

CD’s of today’s sermon ($3 each) may be special ordered through the church office during the week. The messages may also be heard online at the church website.

Responding to the Word

As we sit under the reading and teaching of Scripture, it calls for a response as we ask ourselves “what will we do with the truth presented today?” The Christian life is marked by the offering of one’s self to God to be shaped, empowered, directed and changed by God and His Word. In worship, God presents us with the costly self-offering of Jesus Christ. We are calmed by Christ and set free. In response to God’s love in Jesus Christ we offer our lives, our gifts, our time, our abilities and our material goods for God’s service, His glory, and our ultimate good.

A New Way of Seeing Conrad “Buster” Brown, Senior Pastor Matthew 6:19-24 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. 19

An ORGANIZING PRINCIPLE is a principle or law which is so fundamentally basic to the subject matter that it controls all thoughts and future inquiries within a given system. The organizing principle in the life of a believer is to be progressively conformed to a new way of seeing which involves being made like Christ in the way we love, care, and respond to people. It is a new way of seeing. “We can only do it for moments at first. But from those moments the new sort of life will be spreading through our system: because now we are letting Him work at the right part of us. It is the difference between paint, which is merely laid on the surface, and a dye or stain which soaks right through…The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, and to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose.” C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, pp. 170-171 “After the Holy Spirit enters a person’s life, there is a sense in which, theologically speaking, that Christians become schizophrenic. A tremendous conflict between wills ensues. The struggle is described in biblical terms as warfare between two factions. There is conflict between the natural inclination to sin that characterizes the old man and the desire to please God that characterizes the new man. There is a sense in which life is never so complicated as when a person becomes a believer. Well-meaning witnesses have dramatically proclaimed: “Come to Jesus, and all your troubles will be over.” That sounds appealing, but it is nonsense. When a person becomes a Christian, he or she knows both joy and peace unspeakable and also the agony of being thrust into a struggle of almost cosmic proportions. Life takes on new seriousness. Subtly the stakes are higher. The goal of perfection (completeness) is set before the Christian. We begin the struggle with the victory guaranteed, but the campaign is filled with failures and defeats. Like the apostle Paul, we do the very things we do not desire to do. (Romans 7)” R. C. Sproul, Renewing Your Mind, p. 176



In order to maintain a worshipful atmosphere and for the comfort of our little ones, we ask that parents exit the service with their crying babies and talkative toddlers. We would encourage parents to use our excellent nursery and trained staff to care for your children.

“Sanctification (becoming holy) is essentially an affirmation of life. The whole purpose of the Christian life is the recovery of the original image of God, in other words, the recovery of the kind of human experience which God intended Adam and Eve to have before the Fall (into sin). The Christian experience… (is one which) affirms life.” Macaulay and Barrs, Being Human, p. 16 “How do justification and sanctification differ? Although sanctification (being made holy in heart and conduct) is inseperately joined to justification (being declared whole and righteous in God’s sight by faith) yet they differ in that God and justifi-

cation imputes (to credit to a person the work/attributes of another) the righteousness of Christ while in sanctification his Spirit infuses (to gradually cause a quality to added or introduced into a person) grace, and enables the believer to walk in faith. In justification, sin is pardoned; in sanctification, it is subdued: justification equally frees all believer s from the wrath of God, and that is perfect in this life, so that they never fall into condemnation; while sanctification is neither equal in all, nor is ever in this life ever perfect; but we progress towards perfection.” Larger Catechism, Question 77 “This restoration (of the image of God) does not take place in one moment or one day or one year; but through continual and sometimes even slow advances God wipes out in his people the corruptions of the flesh, cleansing them of guilt, consecrates them to himself as temples, renewing all their minds to true purity, that they may practice repentance throughout their lives and know that this warfare will end only at death.” John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, III-iii-9 When world views collide: Naturalism: 1. Naturalism: matter exists eternally and is all there is. God does not exist or cannot be truly defined. 2. Creation exists as a uniformity of cause and effect in a closed system (i.e. cannot be reordered from the outside by “God”). 3. Human beings are complex “machines”. The (glorious) result of the impersonal + time + chance. 4. Death is merely the extinction of personality and individuality. “As far as we know, the total personality is a function of the biological organism transacting in a social and cultural context. There is no credible evidence that life survives the death of the body.” Humanist Manifesto, II “No fire, no heroism, no intensity of thought and feeling, can preserve an individual life beyond the grave.” Bertrand Russell, A Free Man’s Worship, Why I Am Not a Christian, p. 107 5. History is a linear stream of events linked by cause and effect but without an overarching purpose. “We affirm that moral values derive their source from human experience. Ethics is autonomous and situational, needing no theological or ideological sanction…Human life has meaning because we create and develop our future.” Human Manifesto, II

(The above five points come (in part) The Universe Next Door by Sire, Chapter 4, pp. 53-94)

Questions for Discussion: 1. What is the ORGANIZING PRINCIPLE of the Christian faith? 2. Assuming that sanctification is a process, how do we progressively grow as followers of Christ? 3. What is the key in sanctification (i.e. growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ)? How is sanctification an “affirmation of life”? 4. What are some of the basic elements of a naturalistic world and life view which seem to be most popular and prevalent in our culture? How is the understanding of this world and life view important as we consider Matthew 6:22-23?

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ANNOUNCEMENTS 2014 Contribution Statements 2014 Year End Contributions Statements are ready for you to download and print. Instructions for printing your contribution statement are on our website under the “GIVE” button. Elder Nominations Nominations for the Office of Elder begin today. Please prayerfully consider men whom you believe would fit the qualifications for Elder and who would be willing to serve. NOMINATION REQUIREMENTS: 1) You must be a member of ECBC and at least 18 years of age to make nominations. 2) The man(men) you nominate must be 21 years of age or older and have been a member of ECBC at least a year. 3) All nomination forms must be signed. You may make nominations on today’s tear-off. SCRIPTURAL QUALIFICATIONS FOR ELDER: 1 Timothy 3:1-7; 1 Peter 1:3. Please contact your nominee to ensure he/they would be willing to serve if selected. NEW SEMESTER OF SUNDAY MORNING BIBLE CLASSES BEGINS today Class offerings can be found in the slat wall racks outside the Worship Center, Gym and Library. They are also listed online at eastcooperbaptist.com. Converge Junior/Senior Retreat All high school juniors and seniors are invited to attend Converge. The retreat is in Ridgecrest, NC, from February 6-8, 2015. Cost is $150. Register at www.eastcooperbaptist.com. Registration ends today at 11:55 pm. Contact Larkin at [email protected] with questions. Prime Time Adult Luncheon The next Prime Time Adult Luncheon will be noon on Saturday, February 7th in B217. We will enjoy a Chef Bob Crew catered lunch and a program provided by Dr. Jennifer Luiken and her CSU Students.

Hannah’s Heart

Please PRINT your name and contact info on the opposite side of this tear-off. Please pray for us as we deal with infertility. I would like more information on this group.

elder nomination

Please PRINT your name and contact info on the opposite side of this tear-off. ___Yes! I am a member of ECBC in good standing and, after prayerful consideration, would like to nominate the following men for the office of Elder. Unsigned or illegible nominations are not valid. I am a member of ECBC age 18+ Signed:_____________________________________________

Hannah’s Heart - February 8 Is the desire to be parents an important matter of prayer for you? If you are a couple dealing with infertility concerns and wish to meet with a like minded group for PRAYER, please join us at 8:45 am on the second Sunday of each month in the ECBC Prayer Room. Come pray with us, or fill out the tear-off and we will pray for you. Wild Game Banquet All men are invited to come on February 11th, 2015 for an evening of great food and fellowship. This year we will be hearing from Carey Cash, Deputy Command Chaplain at the United States Naval Academy. Go to eastcooperbaptist.com to purchase tickets. ReStart Workshop ReStart will be hosting a Networking and LinkedIn Workshop on February 14 at 7:30 am in the Annex. You can register by going to hhtp://restartsc.org/events/. Pass the link on to friends who could benefit like new grads, military vets, unemployed, underemployed, and transitioning job seekers. Global Partner Retreats We are looking for people to join our team for our Thailand (July 17-25) and/or Dubai (July 25-Aug 1) Global Partner Retreats. The team will be providing childcare and a VBS program for the children while Buster is ministering to the adults through preaching and our worship team leads them in music. This is a family-friendly trip. For more information go to www.eastcooperbaptist.com/go.

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ECBC Info

361 Egypt Road MP, SC 29464 ELDER NOMINATION(S) Main Office 856-3222 ______________________________________________________ Emergency Line ext. 7777 Fax 856-1136 eastcooperbaptist.com ______________________________________________________ Web

Elders

Harry Carter Elder Chairman Reg Christopher Missions Joe Diamond, Brad Williams, Ron Romagnoli Children Rick Ethredge Benevolence & Pastoral Care Mark Fitts High School John Graham , Daniel Dukes PCA Rick Gwinn Finance & Facilities David Jackson Equipping/SMBC Mark Leiendecker Worship Lee Lewis, David Kornegay Campus Outreach Robert McCants IV,, Van Hendry Contemporary Worship Brad Reed Community Groups & Shepherding Ned Rupp & Bobby Weaver Young Adults Claude Tackett Middle School Derek Walden Deacons & Local Missions Mike Weeks Men & Women Kenny Caldwell Young Married Mark Nelson Personnel