Worship Service for July 18, 2021
WELCOME
Good morning, welcome and thanks for joining CrossPointe Community Church’s online worship presentation. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May they bless us this day as a result of our choosing to be here.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
I want to thank Jim, Lindsay, and Julianna Brandenburg for their tireless effort for the past 17 months in preparing music for our online worship services. I also wish to thank Lindsay for each week taking anywhere from 5 to 7 video segments Gail sends her way and integrating them with the music segments they provide and then uploading it all so that it can be seamlessly viewed by you.
We are grateful that we had the technology to do this during COVID; however; the time for providing this format has come to end. On August 1st, we will revert to what we were doing pre-COVID. We will record the live audio version of Sunday morning’s worship and make it available on our website for you to listen to. I will also continue to provide a written version of the sermon.
The benefits of this change are two-fold. First, you will no longer have to look at my ugly mug! And secondly, from my perspective, you will hear a much better sermon. It is not easy for me to preach to a camera lens. I can’t fully explain why, but I preach much better in the presence of the people of God. The downside of this change is obvious. You will not be able to access it until after the service. Lindsay will upload it from the church building after worship, so it should be ready by no later than noon, hopefully by 11:30 am.
Finally, as a reminder, we are having in-person worship at 10:00 am on Sundays. Vaccinated individuals are not required to wear a mask. If you are not vaccinated, we ask that you wear a mask and sit on the right side of the sanctuary where the chairs are spaced out further. If you wish to sit six feet apart from someone else, make sure that there is one chair between you and them.
Scripture and Prayer Service
Various Scriptures
Today’s worship service will focus on scriptures and songs that lend themselves to that most holy of all Christian disciplines: prayer.
On January 18, 1854, Charles Haddon Spurgeon preached his first sermon at New Park Street Chapel in London. He was 19 years old. The church was nearly empty, with about 40 members in attendance. After 38 years as their pastor, the number of new members was 14,460. Many believed his success was explained by his obvious giftedness. With one page of notes, he would preach 140 words a minute for 40 minutes, and yet his wording and language is considered some of the most beautiful and eloquent of all Christian literature. But it wasn’t preaching, or writing, or preparation, or study; he always insisted that the secret to the success of his ministry was fervent prayer. 1
Today, I’d like to follow the tried and true A.C.T.S. method of prayer. We begin as all prayers should; with A, for adoration of our God. And then in light of who our holy God is, what else can do than C, confess our sins. T stands for Thanksgiving for forgiveness of sin. And then S for supplication, that is, our prayer requests.
Shall we then begin with,
ADORATION
The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.
Lamentations 3:22b
Great is Thy Faithfulness
Chisholm, Thomas O./Runyan, William M.
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not;
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above;
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
©Public Domain
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.
CCLI License No. 1843349
Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, He has spoken to us through His Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son He created the universe. The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and He sustains everything by the mighty power of His command. When He had cleansed us from our sins, He sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.
Hebrews 1:1-3
Jesus Your Name
Chapman, Morris/Cloninger, Claire
Jesus, Your name is power.
Jesus, Your name is might.
Jesus, Your name will break ev’ry stronghold.
Jesus, Your name is life.Jesus, Your name is healing.
Jesus, Your name gives sight.
Jesus, Your name will free ev’ry captive.
Jesus, Your name is life.Jesus, Your name is holy.
©1990 Maranatha Praise, Inc./Word Music,Inc. (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.)
Jesus, Your name brings light.
Jesus, Your name above ev’ry other.
Jesus, Your name is life.
Jesus, Your name is life.
Jesus, Your name is life.
CCLI License No. 1843349
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we give You all the glory because You are the King of kings and the Lord of lords. We lift up our hearts to You in love and adoration and praise You for Your greatness. Words cannot adequately describe how awesome You are. You are the Creator of heaven and earth, and everything belongs to You. You are holy and righteous and You rule Your people with justice. We praise You because You are faithful and true, and we know that we can always trust in You. (Invite the people to express their own adoration to God for who He is and what He has done). We bow before You in adoration and praise because of Your unfailing love, mercy, and faithfulness. In Christ, we pray amen.
God is gracious and merciful, and always ready to forgive His children when they sin against Him.
CONFESSION
Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night Your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to You and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.’ And You forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Therefore, let all the godly pray to You while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.
Psalm 32:1-6
I Need You
Founds, Rick
Lord, look upon my need;
I need You, I need You.
Lord, have mercy now on me;
Forgive me, O Lord, forgive me
And I will be clean.Lord, look upon my need;
I need You, I need You.
Lord, have mercy now on me;
Forgive me, O Lord, forgive me
And I will be clean.
O, Lord, You are familiar with my ways;
There is nothing hid from You.
O Lord,You know the number of my days;
I want to live my life for You.Lord, have mercy now on me;
©1989 Maranatha Praise, Inc.
Forgive me, O Lord, forgive me
And I will be clean.
CCLI License No. 1843349
Prayer: God, we thank You that we can receive forgiveness at any point in our lives, no matter how extreme or far we have strayed from You. We pray that You would forgive us for the sins of which we are unaware. And we pray that You would forgive us the sins we know we have committed. (Pause and invite the people to confess their sins). Thank You for Your work of redemption in our lives. Help us to receive healing from the inside out through Your love, for we ask this in the name of our Redeemer, Jesus, Amen.
Hear then the word of assurance from I John 1:9:
If we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
THANKSGIVING
Give thanks to the Lord because He is good, because His faithful love endures forever.
1 Chronicles 16:34
Prayer: Lord, we are so thankful that we have been forgiven! And greatly at that! Thank You, that there is no sin that we have committed that cannot be forgiven by You. We are so grateful that our forgiveness is based on Your character and not ours. It is based on Your love for us, and not our love for You! We thank You that the righteousness of Christ has been imputed to us. Gracious Father, we thank You for reconciling us back to You through Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank You, in Jesus’ name, amen.
Give Thanks
Smith, Henry
Give thanks with a grateful heart,
Give thanks to the Holy One;
Give thanks because He’s given
Jesus Christ, His Son.Give thanks with a grateful heart,
Give thanks to the Holy One;
Give thanks because He’s given
Jesus Christ, His Son.And now let the weak say,
‘I am strong.’
Let the poor say, ‘I am rich’
Because of what the Lord
Has done for us.And now let the weak say,
‘I am strong.’
Let the poor say, ‘I am rich’
Because of what the Lord
Has done for us.Give thanks.
©1978 Integrity’s Hosanna! Music
Give thanks.
Give thanks.
CCLI License No. 1843349
Now we are prepared for SUPPLICATION, making known our requests.
SUPPLICATION
If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we pray that though the power of the Holy Spirit You would set our hearts on fire to the importance of praying for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven; in our individual lives and in Your Church. Give us a holy passion to commune with You. Help us Lord to grasp the importance of prioritizing our time on a daily basis that we may seek Your face. Give us the wisdom to understand that there is nothing we do more important than coming before You in prayer. God, have Your way with us in this regard for we humbly ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus, amen.
Consuming Fire
Hughes, Tim
There must be more than this
O breath of God come breathe within
There must be more than this,
Spirit of God, we wait for You.Fill us a-new we pray.
Fill us a-new we pray.Consuming Fire, fan into flame
A passion for Your name.
Spirit of God, fall in this place.
Lord have Your way,
Lord have Your way…with us.Come like a rushing wind
Clothe us with power from on high
Now set the captives free
Leave us abandoned to Your praise.Fill us anew we pray
Fill us anew we pray.Consuming Fire, fan into flame
A passion for Your name.
Spirit of God, fall in this place.
Lord have Your way,
Lord have Your way…Consuming Fire, fan into flame
©2002 Thankyou Music, PRS, admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing.
A passion for Your name.
Spirit of God, fall in this place.
Lord have Your way,
Lord have Your way…with us.
CCLI License No. 1843349
I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
I Timothy 2:1, 4
Prayer: We pray that You would help Each One of us to Reach One for Jesus between now and next Resurrection Sunday. We pray for the persons we are hoping to reach for Christ. (Hear us Lord as we pray). We pray for the courage to either share our faith with those folks or invite them to attend a church service with us. We pray that You will prepare their hearts to gladly receive our witness and invitation. And as we plant those seeds, we ask that Your grace would water them and help them to blossom and grow into living faith in the person and work of Jesus.
We pray that Your Word and Spirit will inspire us all to become more like Jesus. We ask that all CrossPointer’s will be committed to worship, to value prayer, to study scripture, and that we will strive after unity, serving, giving, forgiving, and reaching people for Christ. (Hear us Lord as we pray).
Lord, help us to be like Jesus, who came not to be served, but to serve. We pray that You would help us to discover our place of service to God through Your Church so that whole body will be healthy and growing and full of love. (Hear us Lord as we pray). We pray in the name of the Christ, amen.
Now, as it concerns our personal requests:
Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks. Then the peace of God that exceeds all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
(Hear us Lord as we pray).
(Hear us Lord as we pray for family and friends who are ill).
(Hear us Lord as we pray for family and friends who are bereaved).
Word of Assurance
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
I John 5:14
CLOSING
Five young college students were spending a Sunday in London, so they went to hear Spurgeon preach. While waiting for the doors to open, the students were greeted by a man who said, “Gentlemen, let me show you around. Would you like to see the heating plant of this church?” They were not particularly interested, for it was a hot day in July. But they didn’t want to offend this stranger, whom they presumed was the janitor, so they followed him down a stairway, a door was quietly opened, and their guide whispered, “This is our heating plant.”
Surprised, the students saw some 700 people bowed in prayer, seeking a blessing on the service that was soon to begin in the auditorium above. Softly closing the door, the gentleman then introduced himself. It was none other than Charles Haddon Spurgeon. 2
So, brothers and sisters of CrossPointe Community Church, may we continue to pray for God’s will to be carried out in our midst that we might continue to tap into the mighty power of God to bring people to Christ.
Mighty To Save
Fielding, Ben/Morgan, Reuben
Everyone needs compassion…
Love that’s never failing
Let mercy fall on me…
Everyone needs forgiveness
Kindness of a Savior…
The hope of nations.Savior,
He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever, Author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave.So take me as You find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrenderSavior,
He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever, Author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave.Shine your light and
Let the whole world see
Singing… for the glory…
Of the risen King JesusShine your light and
Let the whole world see
Singing… for the glory…
Of the risen KingSavior,
He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever, Author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave.Savior,
©2006 Ben Fielding/Reuben Morgan/Hillsong Publishing (admin in the U.S. and
He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever, Author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave.
Canada by Integrity’s Hosanna! Music)
CCLI License No. 1843349
BENEDICTION
Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21
1 JANUARY 18, 2016
The Secret of Spurgeon’s Success by Clint Archer
https://thecripplegate.com/the-secret-of-spurgeons-success/
2 Our Daily Bread, April 24
https://www.sermonsearch.com/sermon-illustrations/4799/charles-spurgeon/