Sunday LinkUp – 29January2023

CALL TO WORSHIP

• Opening Choruses
• Opening Prayer

OPENING COMMENTS

• WELCOME … and THANKS for joining us.  (Any special welcome?)
• Today, according to the Christian Worship Calendar, is the fourth Sunday after Epiphany.
• The theme this week is the Kingdom of Heaven.
• The selected readings for this week are … Psalm 15:1-5, Micah 6:1-8, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 and Matthew 5:1-12.

OPENING SONGS …

1.   DID YOU STOP TO PRAY THIS MORNING? … Sandra Brooks …

2.   I FOUND THE ANSWER (DOWN ON MY KNEES) … Sandra Brooks …

3.   I CAN’T EVEN WALK (Without You Holding My Hand) … The Grace Thrillers …

FIRST READING

The call to worship Psalm reflects on what is required to be in the presence of God.

Psalm 15:1-5   Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle?  Who may dwell in Your holy hill?  ² He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart;  ³ He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; ⁴ In whose eyes a vile person is despised,  But he honors those who fear the Lord; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change; ⁵ He who does not put out his money at usury, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.  He who does these things shall never be moved.  

SPEAKING OF LIFE

• Title:  THE WHO QUESTION
• Presenter:  Heber Ticas, GCI Pastor

SECOND READING

The Old Testament reading from Micah speaks of doing God’s will that involves justice, mercy, and humility.

Micah 6:1-8   Hear now what the Lord says: “Arise, plead your case before the mountains, And let the hills hear your voice.  ² Hear, O you mountains, the Lord’s complaint, and you strong foundations of the earth; For the Lord has a complaint against His people, and He will contend with Israel. 

³ “O My people, what have I done to you?  And how have I wearied you?  Testify against Me.  ⁴ For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,  I redeemed you from the house of bondage, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.  ⁵ O My people, remember now What Balak king of Moab counseled, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, from Acacia Grove to Gilgal, that you may know the righteousness of the Lord.”  ⁶ With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the High God?  Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings?  With calves a year old?  ⁷ Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams?  Ten thousand rivers of oil?  Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 

⁸ He has shown you, O man, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?  

SHARING TIME

• Prayer Requests …
• Blessings …
• Intercessory Prayer …

THIRD READING

The text in Corinthians records Paul’s statement of the cross where God’s foolishness conquers man’s wisdom.

1 Corinthians 1:18-31  For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹ For it is written:  “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”  

²⁰ Where is the wise?  Where is the scribe?  Where is the disputer of this age?  Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?  ²¹ For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.  ²² For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; ²³ but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, ²⁴ but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  ²⁵ Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.    

²⁶ For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.  ²⁷ But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; ²⁸ and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, ²⁹ that no flesh should glory in His presence. 

³⁰ But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us  wisdom from God — and righteousness and sanctification and redemption — ³¹ that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”

SPECIAL MUSIC

• IN CHRIST ALONE … Adrienne Liesching …

SERMON

BLESSED ARE WE

Matthew 5:1-7,8-12

And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. ² Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:  

That’s what the passage said …

• Is there anything that jumps out at you?  What is the message for us?
• Let’s see what message(s) we can glean from the passage …

What does the passage mean?   

• Matthew 5:1-12   And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:  

  3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  
  4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  
  5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.  
  6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.  
  7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.  
  8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  
  9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.  
  10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

  11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.   

How does the passage apply to us? 

• What can we take away?  
• What would you say is the MAIN takeaway for you?

SONG OF RESPONSE …

• COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS …

OFFERTORY SONG

• TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS …

CLOSING PRAYER

BENEDICTION