What Is Your Only Hope
March 3, 2024
Call to Worship Psalm 30:4
Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.
Invocation and The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn of Praise “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” #26
Scripture Reading Matthew 5:17-30
Confession of Sin and Assurance of Pardon 1 Peter 2:24
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
Hymn of Assurance Psalm 32 Insert
Confession of Faith Heidelberg Catechism #72-74
Q. 72 Does this outward washing with water itself wash away sins?
No, only Jesus Christ’s blood and the Holly Spirit cleanse us from all sins.
Q. 73 Why then does the Holy Spirit call baptism the washing of rebirth and the washing away of sins?
God has good reason for these words. He wants to teach us that the blood and Spirit of Christ wash away our sins just as water washes away dirt from our bodies. But more important, He wants to assure us, by this divine pledge and sign, that the washing away of our sins spiritually is as real as physical washing with water.
Q. 74 Should infants, too, be baptized?
Yes. Infants as well as adults are in God’s covenant and are His people. They, no less than adults, are promised the forgiveness of sin through Christ’s blood and the Holy Spirit who produces faith. Therefore, by baptism, the mark of the covenant, infants should be received into the Christian church and should be distinguished from the children of unbelievers. This was done in the Old Testament by circumcision, which was replaced in the New Testament by baptism.
Pastoral Prayer
Choral Anthem “My Dwelling Place”
Presentation of Tithes and Offerings
The Preaching of God’s Word “What Is Your Only Hope?”
Acts 25:1-12
Hymn of Preparation “The Solid Rock” (1-2) #404
The Lord’s Supper
Hymn of Response “The Solid Rock” (3-4) #404
Benediction 2 Corinthians 13:14
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Leave a Reply