The Stewardship of Life


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The Stewardship of Life Maximizing God’s Blessings for His Glory

02.03.13

The Worship of Almighty God The Lord’s Day, February 3, 2013

The following prayer may be used as you prepare for worship:

God of Glory and God of Love,

9:00 and 10:15 am Sanctuary Services Deep and abiding joy comes through the knowledge of who Christ is and what He has done for us. Our worship is fueled by the reality of that joy this morning as we center our worship around the 95th Psalm. O come, let us sing to the Lord; Let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation!

As we are called into worship today, it is sobering to remember that when God appeared on earth in the person of Jesus, The Reflections for the Prelude most of the world did not recognize him and therefore did not worship him. Awake, my heart, and render Today we ask for the faith that will open our eyes to see King Jesus for who he is, that we might worship him in Spirit and in truth. Open our eyes to see his glory. Open our ears to hear his wisdom. Open our hands to offer him gifts. Open our mouths to sing his praise. Open our hearts to offer him our love. He is Lord! Amen.

East Cooper Baptist Church 361 Egypt Road Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464 843.856.3222 www.ecbconline.com Goose Creek Campus 100 S. Goose Creek Blvd. Goose Creek, SC 29445 843.856.3222 www.crosspointecbc.com

To God thy sure defender, Thy Maker, thy preserver, A song of love and fervor. Confirm my deeds and guide me, My day, with thee beside me, Beginning, middle, ending, Will all be upward tending. My heart shall be thy dwelling, With joy and gladness swelling; Thy word my nurture, given To bring me on toward heaven. -- Paulus Gerhardt, 1647 A gospel is an announcement of something that has happened in history, something that’s been done for you that changes your status forever. Right there you can see the difference between Christianity and all other religions, including no religion. The essence of other religions is advice; Christianity is essentially news. Other religions say, “This is what you have to do in order to connect to God forever; this is how you have to live in order to earn your way to God.” But the gospel says, “This is what has been done in history. This is how Jesus lived and died to earn the way to God for you.” Christianity is completely different. It’s joyful news... the gospel is not about choosing to follow advice, it’s about being called to follow a King. Not just someone with the power and authority to tell you what needs to be done—but someone with the power and authority to do what needs to be done, and then to offer it to you as good news. -- Tim Keller “They enjoy breakfast more than the testimony of their salvation.” -- John Calvin (on the sometimes worldliness of his congregation on Sunday morning.)

The Congregational Welcome The Prelude



The Call to Worship



ECBC Choir and Orchestra

Laura Turner

Psalm 95

Make A Joyful Noise

Vs 1-7 For Reflection

Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

Praise Him! Hosanna! Make a joyful noise unto God! Sing the glory of His name! Let all people sing for joy, let them sing from happy hearts. Make a joyful noise unto God! Hosanna!

The Morning Hymn Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee

Ode to Joy

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also.







The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

The Hymn of Praise

Exalt the Lord, His Praise Proclaim

Creation

Exalt the Lord His Praise Proclaim With a tune from The Creation, Franz Joseph Haydn’s masterpiece Oratorio, written between 1796 and 1798; and with a text from the Genevan Psalter from Psalm 135, our Hymn of Praise today is a standard in many hymnals and celebrates the goodness and majesty of our God. Let us sing with great joy this morning and give praise to our glorious God. Praise the LORD; Praise the name of the LORD; praise him, you servants of the LORD, you who minister in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God. Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant. I know that the LORD is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods. The LORD does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths. He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses. Praise be to the LORD from Zion, to him who dwells in Jerusalem.

The Celebration of Baptism

[Psalm 135: 1-7; 21]

The Song of Celebration

Please see baptism information on right side bar next page.

God Over All

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

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 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

The Affirmation of Faith LEADER: Whom do we worship as our Lord and King?

Philippians 2:6-11

CONGREGATION: 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.”

The Song of Adoration

How Great Thou Art

Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder Thy pow’r throughout the universe displayed Then sings my soul my Savior God to Thee How great Thou art, how great Thou art Then sings my soul my Savior God to Thee How great Thou art, how great Thou art And when I think that God, His Son not sparing Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in That on the cross my burden gladly bearing He bled and died to take away my sin

The Offertory Prayer The Offertory

Stephen Rainer, Deacon of the Day I Will Sing of My Redeemer

Believer’s Baptism Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming. Matthew 3:13-17; 26:26-30; 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; 14:2226; Luke 3:21-22; 22:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 8:3539; 16:30-33; 20:7; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 10:16, 21; 11:23-29; Colossians 2:12.

The Congregational Greetings

From The Baptist Faith and Message, Article VII. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

The Pastoral Prayer

We Celebrate Today with:

ECBC Orchestra

The Morning Sermon The Benediction LEADER: Let us go forth to serve the world as those who love our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and express that love toward one another and the watching world. CONGREGATION: THANKS BE TO GOD!

The Postlude

Morgan Banks Jolie Crunelle Tanner Crunelle Wyndham Detwiler Trey Detwiler Ricky Patterson Jake Ripple

Babies & Toddlers 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.

The Morning Sermon The Stewardship of Life 1 Peter 4:7-11

Conrad “Buster” Brown, Senior Pastor

The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a The Spoken Word multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 CD’s of today’s sermon ($3.00 each) will be whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves available at the church by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified office after today. through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7

Free copies of the 3-hole punch sermon notes are available on the wall slats.

“The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbour’s glory should be laid on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken. It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible Missed A Sermon? gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, (or want to hear it again?) you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corrupYou can listen to Sunday tion such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, messages online at www.ecbconline.com. in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It Choose the “Resources” tab is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the and click on “Sermons.” circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, Responding to civilisations--these are mortal,... But it is immortals whom we joke with, work the Word with, marry, snub, and exploit--immortal horrors or everlasting splendours.” As we sit under the C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory 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. In worship, God presents us with the costly self-offering of Jesus Christ. We are claimed 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.

Stewardship of life principles: 1. We live to the glory of God. (vv. 11b) “19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “The big idea of the Christian life is “Coram Deo”. Coram Deo captures the essence of the Christian life; to live one’s life in the presence of God under the authority of God to the glory of God.” R.C. Sproul 2. We pursue a goal which is bigger than ourselves (i.e. the kingdom of God). This grand pursuit involves time, talents, and treasures. *This pursuit is predicated upon the gospel of grace! “What does the conclusion of the Lord’s prayer teach us? Answer: The conclusion of the Lord’s prayer (which is, For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.) teaches us to enforce our petitions

with arguments, which are to be taken, not from any worthiness in ourselves, or in any other creature, but from God; and with our prayers to join praises, ascribing to God (and Him alone) eternal sovereignty, omnipotency, and glorious excellency; in regard whereof, as he is able and willing to help us, so we by faith are emboldened to plead with him that he would, and quietly to rely upon him, that he will fulfill our requests. And, to testify this our desire and assurance, we say, Amen.” Westminster Larger Catechism, Question 196 “Which is the second petition? Answer: “Thy kingdom come”; that is, rule us so by thy word and Spirit, that we may submit ourselves more and more to thee; preserve and increase thy church; destroy the works of the devil, and all violence which would exalt itself against thee; and also all wicked counsels devised against thy holy word; till the full perfection of thy kingdom take place, wherein thou shalt be all in all.” Heidelberg Catechism, Question 123 3. Stewardship of life underscores the vital importance of community. (v. 8) “For much of my Christian life and a portion of my ministry, I had no idea that my walk with God was a community project.” Paul David Tripp, Dangerous Calling, p. 83 4. Stewardship is underscored by the fact that we live with the end in view which means that we are clear-minded and self-controlled so that we can live intentionally with a worshipful and prayerful life. “Let the history of the Jewish church be a warning to us never to trifle with false doctrine. If we once tolerated, we never know how far it may go or into what degraded state of religion we may at last fall. ONCE LEAVE THE KING’S HIGHWAY OF TRUTH, AND WE MAY END UP WITH WASHING POTS AND CUPS, LIKE PHARISEES AND SCRIBES…It is just as easy to destroy the authority of God’s word by addition as by subtraction, by burying it under man’s inventions as by denying its truth. The whole Bible, and nothing that the Bible, must be our rule of faith – nothing added and nothing taken away.” J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, (Mark), pp. 79-81

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Bulletin Board

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 or online at: www.ecbconline.com/nomination. 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. Global ImPact Conference – Feb 22-24 – Registration Open Registration for the Global Impact Conference and the Kids Mission Festival is now open. Visit www.ecbconline.com/GIC to register. We need volunteers to help in the kitchen, with childcare, and with decorating. If you can help, contact Melissa at [email protected]. CAN YOU LOAN A VEHICLE TO OUR GLOBAL PARTNERS? We have a missionary family staying in Charleston until May 18. If you have a vehicle you can loan to them during that time (or a portion of that time!) please contact Melissa at [email protected]. FAITH PROMISE UPDATE Your generous gifts are impacting the nations! Your Faith Promise giving has allowed ECBC to fund a translation and church planting project in an unreached people group in southern China. The investment will immediately impact God’s Kingdom among the people by giving new believers and churches access to something never before available to them – God’s Word. The church planting project is ongoing and focuses on training local leaders in gospel proclamation, short and long term discipleship, church planting and leadership development. To give to Faith Promise visit ecbconline.com/give. JOIN THE CHOIR OR ORCHESTRA FOR SPRING AND EASTER MUSIC Now is the time to get involved in our choir or orchestra as we are starting some great music for our Spring, Lent and Easter season! We will be working on a variety of great music, including pieces from Messiah. We want you and need you! Join us any Wednesday evening at 6:30 for rehearsal -- or call Leah at 856-3222, ext. 2040 for more information! ECAA Kindermusik Classes Registration for Kindermusik is open. Classes for infants to 7 years start on February 7 and 8. Visit www.ecbconline.com/ecaa to register. WILD GAME BANQUET – WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 13 AT 6PM There will be lots of food, door prizes, and guest speaker Jeff Struecker. A decorated member of the U.S. Army’s most elite fighting corps, Jeff was prominently featured in the national best-seller “Black Hawk Down.” Tickets are available online and at the kiosks. Questions? Ask Melissa at [email protected]. If you can volunteer to help with the Wild Game Banquet or if you have a large pull behind gas grill that we can use please contact Melissa.

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Elders

Harry Carter CO, College, & Young Adults Reg Christopher Missions, Men’s, Women’s & Pastoral Rick Ethredge Goose Creek Campus David Jackson Equipping & SMBC Dan Legare Elder Vice Chairman & Finance Mark Leiendecker Worship Lee Lewis Students (PCA, HS, MS) Rick Mosteller Elder Chairman Brad Reed Deacons, Assimilation, & New Members Ned Rupp Community Groups & MCO Joe Diamond Children’s Ministry Todd Smyth PCA Kenny Caldwell Barnabas & MCO Steve Wray Every Member in Ministry