03-05-2017 Evening Bulletin.pub

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The Lord’s Day Evening March 5, 2017 Six O’clock

Welcome and Announcements Prelude Dear Lord Jesus, I’m thankful the gospel is more like a subpoena than a mere invitation. Our need is so great that we wouldn’t and couldn’t respond, apart from your irresistible summons. Indeed, the gospel is a life-giving subpoena—the means by which you call us from death to life; from slavery to freedom; from a preoccupation with ourselves, to the adoration of you. Indeed, I praise you for the death-defeating, heart-transforming, liberty-giving power of the gospel. Those you set free are free indeed; and the freedom to which you’ve called us is to define the rest of our days in this world, and permeate every area of our lives. This is nowhere more necessary than in the world of our relationships. We’re to love one another as you love us, Jesus. According to you, this is the confirming mark of true discipleship (John 13:34-35). But as in Galatia, so in our churches, marriages, and friendships, we blatantly contradict the gospel when we fall into “Christian cannibalism”—biting and devouring one another. Worse, it’s a sabotaging of your glory and a veiling of your beauty. It’s lying about who you are and what it means to be in relationship with you. Forgive us; forgive me. Lord Jesus, grant me quick repentances when I nibble on others’ brokenness and inconsistencies, more readily than I feast on your mercy and grace. Forgive me for having gospel amnesia for myself, but perfect memory when it comes to remembering the sins of others. Convict me deeply when my attitude reveals more irritability than patience, more indifference than compassion, and more self-righteousness than Christ-righteousness. Help me know when overlooking the failures of others wouldn’t be cowardice, but courage—not conflict avoidance, but grace in action. Forgive me for the times I choose fight, spite, and flight, over redemptive ways of doing conflict.

Lord Jesus, we’re forgiven, free, and the Father’s… only because of you. Help us to steward our freedom and standing in grace today, in our world of broken people and messy relationships. So very Amen we pray, in your glorious and grace-full name. (Scotty Smith, 365 Everyday Prayers)

Call to Worship ............................................................ Psalm 66:16-20 MINISTER: Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul. PEOPLE: I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. MINISTER: If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. PEOPLE: But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. A L L : B l es s e d b e Go d, b e c a u s e h e h a s n o t r e j e c t e d m y p r a y e r o r r e m o v e d h i s steadfast love from me!

Invocation ................................................................. Rev. Ben Griffith Hymn 478 .......................................................... I Love to Tell the Story Responsive Reading .................Westminster Shorter Catechism Chapter VIII MINISTER: It pleased God, in His eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, His only begotten Son, to be the Mediator between God and man, the Prophet, Priest, and King, the Head and Savior of His Church, the Heir of all things, and Judge of the world: unto whom He did from all eternity give a people, to be His seed, and to be by Him in time redeemed, called, justified, sanctified, and glorified. P E O P L E : T h e S o n of G o d , t h e s e co n d p e rs o n o f t h e T r i n i t y , b e i n g v e r y a n d e t e r n a l G o d , o f o n e s u bs t a n c e a n d e q u a l w i t h t h e F a t h e r , d i d , w h e n t h e f u l l n e s s o f t i m e w a s co m e , t a k e u p o n H i m m a n ' s n a t u r e , w i t h a l l t h e es s e n t i a l pr o p e r t i e s , a n d c o m m o n i n f i r m i t i e s t h e r e o f , y e t w i t h ou t s i n ; be i n g c o n c e i v e d by t h e p o w er o f th e Ho l y Gh os t, in th e w o m b o f th e v ir g in Ma r y , o f h e r s u bs ta nc e . S o th a t tw o w h ol e , p e r f e c t, a nd d is tinc t na tu r e s , th e G o d h e a d a nd th e m a nh o o d , w e r e ins e p a r a bl y j o ine d to g e th e r in o ne p e r s o n, w ith o u t c o nv e r s io n, c om p o sitio n, o r confusion. Which person is very God, and very m an, yet one Christ, the onl y Mediator between God and man. MINISTER: The Lord Jesus, in His human nature thus united to the divine, was sanctified, and anointed with the Holy Spirit, above measure, having in Him all the

treasures of wisdom and knowledge; in whom it pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell; to the end that, being holy, harmless, undefiled, and full of grace and truth, He might be thoroughly furnished to execute the office of a Mediator and Surety. ALL: Which office He took not unto Himself, but was thereunto called by His Father, who put all power and judgment into His hand, and gave Him commandment to execute the same.

Hymn 500....................................................................... Rock of Ages (Children will be dismissed to 4 Corners on last verse.) Scripture Reading .............................................................Mark 5:1-20 Prayer of Illumination Sermon ..................................................................... Rev. Ben Griffith “Amphibious Assault” Songbook 44 .................................. Out of My Bondage, Sorrow, and Night Benediction Postlude

March 5, 2017 6:00 p.m. Presbyterian Church in America Hattiesburg, Mississippi