CALL TO WORSHIP
- Choruses
- Opening Prayer
OPENING SONGS
Psalm 95:1-3
Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving.
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
3 For the Lord is the great God,
And the great King above all gods.
1. THIS IS YOUR HOUSE … Don Moen et al …
2. ARISE … Don Moen et al …
3. THANK YOU, LORD … Don Moen et al …
FIRST READING
Psalm 121
I will lift up my eyes to the hills — from whence comes my help? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot to be moved (slip); He who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord is your keeper (protector); The Lord is your shade at your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord shall [c]preserve (keep) you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. 8 The Lord shall preserve (keep) your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.
The theme for this week is the eyes of faith.
The passages we plan to look at are Psalm 121 … Genesis 12:1-4a … Romans 4:1-5,13-17 and John 3:1-17.
But, first … our Speaking of Life video …
SERMONETTE (video)
- Title: BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING
- Presenter: Michelle Fleming, GCI Elder
- features Genesis 12:1-3 and Galatians 3:14
SECOND READING
Genesis 12:1-4
Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family, and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you and I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
4 So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
SHARING TIME
THIRD READING
What then shall we say that Abraham our father (forefather) has found according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted (counted … imputed, credited, reckoned) to him for righteousness.”4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. 5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS … Don Moen et al …
SERMON (interactive)
That The World Be Saved
John 3:1-17
There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”
10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Manwho is in heaven.14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
What does the text mean?
John 3:1-17
There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again (from above), he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of waterand (the) Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”
10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Manwho is in heaven.14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, butthat the world through Him might be saved.
Why did Jesus come into the world? Did He come to save us … or did He come to make it possible for us to be saved?
The use of the word “might” in the KJV and the NKJV or John 3:17 could give the impression that He came to make it possible for people to be saved … but many other translations/versions don’t do that Notice the NIV and the NLT, for instance …
Notice, too, the following passages …
John 6:37-40,38,39 … 2 Peter 3:8-10
From biblehub.com … re: “willing” in 2 Peter 3:9 …
- Cognate: 1014 boúlomai – to plan with full resolve (determination). See 1012 (boulē).
- 1014 /boúlomai (“resolutely plan”) is a strong term that underlines the predetermined (and determined) intention driving the planning (wishing, resolving). In contrast, 2309 (thélō) focuses on the desire (“wishfulness”) behind making an offer (cf. TDNT, 1, 629).
- [While God’s “thelō-offers” can be rejected (see 2309 /thélō), His 1014 /boúlomai (“planning”) always works out His purpose, especially in conjunction with presetting the physical scenes of history.]
1 Timothy 1:15
1 Timothy 2:3-4
Luke 19:5,9-10
John 12:32
SONG OF RESPONSE
THRONE OF PRAISE … Don Moen et al …
COMMUNION
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
Blessing of emblems
Partaking of emblems
CLOSING SONG / OFFERTORY SONG
WONDERFUL, MAGNIFICENT GOD … Don Meon et al
BENEDICTION