“be imitators of christ!” - open bible lutheran church...p: god, our heavenly father, has...

“Be Imitators of Christ!”

Open Bible Evangelical Lutheran Church

Oxford, FL

September 23rd, 2018 NOTES ON TODAY’S SERVICE

The Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost

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See how deeply the love from God penetrates our heart and soul. We are called to reflect that

intense and all-embracing grace in our lives and attitudes toward those around us. Indeed that

should be our ambition, not the promotion of self, but the imitation of Christ. We learn how fixed

we are on that right ambition when we face opposition and contradiction.

WELCOME TO OUR GUESTS AND VISITORS THIS MORNING! We are

honored by your presence and invite you to return to worship with us again. If you do

not have a church home, consider making ours – yours! If you would like more

information about Open Bible Lutheran, please feel free to speak to Pastor Schulz or to

one of the Greeters. You may reach Pastor Schulz at 352-753-9038. Or go to our web

site: www.openbiblelutheranchurch.com. Please join us for Fellowship following the

service.

FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE

Restrooms can be found on the right side of the Welcome Center and the left side of the

new fellowship hall.

Personal Hearing Assistance Devices are available. Ask an usher. Also “The Hearing

Loop System” is installed. Please turn you hearing aid or cochlear implant to “T”

(Telephone.)

Please silence all cell phones, personal and other electronic devices. Thank you.

Prayers for Worship can be found on pages 10 and 11 in the front of the hymnbook.

Prayer before worship: Heavenly Father, I have come to worship you. Draw near to me in your

gracious Word and assure me of your loving kindness. Curb my wandering thoughts, that with

undivided attention I may hear your voice and sing your praise.

For respect of those who use the sanctuary for meditation before the service, please

refrain from any unnecessary noise once the pre-service music has begun.

http://www.openbiblelutheranchurch.com/


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SERVICE OF THE WORD

OPENING HYMN: CW #486 “Lord of Glory, You Have Bought Us” P: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the

fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.

C: And also with you.

The Confession of Sins

P: We have come into the presence of God, who created us to love and

serve him as his dear children. But we have disobeyed him and

deserve only his wrath and punishment. Therefore, let us confess our

sins to him and plead for his mercy.

C: Merciful Father in heaven, I am altogether sinful from birth. In

countless ways I have sinned against you and do not deserve to

be called your child. But trusting in Jesus, my Savior, I pray;

Have mercy on me according to your unfailing love. Cleanse me

from my sin and take away my guilt.

P: God, our heavenly Father, has forgiven all your sins. By the perfect

life and innocent death of our Lord Jesus Christ, he has removed

your guilt forever. You are his own dear child. May God give you

strength to live according to his will.

C: Amen.

P: In the peace of forgiveness, let us praise the Lord.


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OH, TASTE AND SEE

PRAYER OF THE DAY P: Let us pray. Lord God, you call us to work in your kingdom and leave no one

standing idle. Help us to order our lives by your wisdom and to serve

you in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and

forever.


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WE HEAR GOD’S WORD

THE OLD TESTAMENT LESSON: JEREMIAH 11:18-20 page 1160

Jeremiah faithfully followed the Word of the Lord in his preaching of woe to those who abandoned that Word and therefore deserved to perish. He preached out of love for his people and to save them from destruction. But what did he receive? The hatred of those he served. Faithfulness always costs and the cross always stings.

Because the Lord revealed their plot to me, I knew it, for at that time he showed

me what they were doing. I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; I did

not realize that they had plotted against me, saying,

“Let us destroy the tree and its fruit;

let us cut him off from the land of the living,

that his name be remembered no more.”

But you, O Lord Almighty, you who judge righteously

and test the heart and mind,

let me see your vengeance upon them,

for to you I have committed my cause. NIV

THE PSALM OF THE DAY Psalm 31: The Psalmist knows that he can trust in His Lord

and not be afraid, since the Lord will be his stronghold and sure defense. The time we

have on this earth is in His hands.


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PSALM 31 Refrain

Psalm Tone

1. In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; deliver me in your righteousness.

2. Be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me

3. Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.

Refrain

4. My times are in your hands; save me in your unfailing love.

5. How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who

/fear you.

6. You heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Refrain

THE SECOND LESSON: JAMES 3:13-18 page 1823 Let us resist the siren songs of Me First! And It’s not fair, the way they treat me and don’t

appreciate me. Instead let God worry about justice while we worry about serving and


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then serving yet more. That is what Jesus did all the way to the cross, all the way to hell

and back just for us.

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by

deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy

and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such

“wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the

devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and

every evil practice.

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving,

considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. NIV

VERSE OF THE DAY

C: Alleluia. My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect

in weakness. Alleluia.


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THE GOSPEL LESSON: Mark 9:30-37 page 1520

(Please stand out of reverence for Christ)

Jesus is talking about his impending suffering and all the Twelve can think and talk about

is the glory they expect to get out of it. Jesus does not cast them off. Instead he patiently

demonstrates his love and bids us once more to be concerned only with receiving it and

imitating it

They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to

know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them,

“The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill

him, and after three days he will rise.” But they did not understand what he meant

and were afraid to ask him about it.

They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were

you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had

argued about who was the greatest.

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he

must be the very last, and the servant of all.”He took a little child and had him

stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes

one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me

does not welcome me but the one who sent me.” NIV

P: This is the Word of our Lord.


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HYMN OF THE DAY #491 “O Master of the Loving Heart”

SERMON: Mark 9:30-37

“Who Is First In Jesus’ Kingdom?” Pastor Mark M. Schulz

CONFESSION OF FAITH: Apostles’ Creed (Please stand)

I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy

Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,

died, and was buried. He descended into hell, the third day he rose again from

the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the

Father Almighty; From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

Amen.

THANK OFFERING The members of Open Bible congregation have joined together to do

the Lord’s work in this community and around the world. Visitors need not feel obligated to

participate in this offering that supports our church’s ministry, but you are welcome to do so.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

P: Almighty God, heavenly Father, we are ashamed to admit how much we are like the

disciples who were arguing about who was the greatest at the very time their Lord was

telling them he was going to be betrayed and killed. We, too, want to be great and

have easy lives. Yet our dear Savior willingly accepts the role of the lowest servant of

all history and offers himself to redeem us from pride and every other sin. Thousand,


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thousand thanks to you dear Savior. By your death in our place you have removed all

sins from the record and given us the right to join you in the resurrection to Life.

C: Give us faith to receive this salvation without doubting and to never cease in

thanking and praising our Savior for his sacrificial love.

P: Father in heaven, your will is good and gracious. Humble us before you, so that we

patiently await the fulfillment of your good intentions for our lives. Keep us from

selfish ambition and teach us ever to commit our cause to you. Be with the little

children; make us faithful in caring for them and bringing them up to know you.

C: Let their trusting faith be the way of our faith in every stage of our lives and

produce in us the fruit of true humility.

P: Almighty God, King of kings, our nation is divided, decadent and proud. Forgive us

and withhold the punishment we deserve. Graciously regard our national, state and

local leaders, and equip them with wisdom and a firm resolution to do what is pleasing

to you. Prepare for our nation a great leader to be our next president, someone who is

humble and able to unify our people as well as to lead the nation in solving the

problems that threaten our way of life. Lead us to be honorable and virtuous earthly

citizens, “peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial

and sincere” (James 3:17).

C: Remind us that we are aliens in this world and citizens of an eternal Kingdom.

P: Almighty God, keep far from us the temptations of Satan, who would make us love the

world and forsake you.

C: Strengthen us in testing, for we can do nothing without you.

P: Gracious Father, who gives bread to satisfy the needs of our bodies, graciously

provide for the poor and the hungry. Provide shelter and the necessities of life for

refugees who are driven from their homes by war. In the midst of these tragedies

reveal Christ to be the way, the truth and the life. Comfort the grieving, heal the sick

and grant serene faith to the dying. [We pray especially for ________________.]

Father, only you can deliver us from all evil. Into your hands we commend ourselves

and all for whom we pray, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with

you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C: Amen.


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THE LORD’S PRAYER Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy

name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in

heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our

trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; And lead us

not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom

and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

HYMN: CW #484 “Brothers, Sisters, Let Us Gladly”

P: Almighty God, we thank you for teaching us the things you want us to believe

and do. Help us by your Holy Spirit to keep your Word in pure hearts that we

may be strengthened in faith, guided in holiness, and comforted in life and in

death, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the

Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

P: Brothers and sisters, go in peace. Live in harmony with one another. Serve

the Lord with gladness.

The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.

The Lord look on you with favor and give you peace.

CLOSING HYMN: #449 “Children of the Heavenly Father”


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Acknowledgements: Music reprinted under OneLicese.net #A-723413 and CCLI # 11068725

Picture on cover: Permission is granted by Karen Pearson. Art Work on page 5 used by permission Parametics/ Ian M. Welch

We have begun a new Radio Ministry on

Sunday’s at 103.5 “The Shepherd.” Our time

slot is 11:05 – 11:30am. We will officially

begin Sunday, April 1st.

Open Bible Evangelical Lutheran Church Pastor Mark M Schulz 4671 Bellwether Lane

Oxford, FL 34484 352-753-9038, 989-525-5514 Pastor Rodger Dale: 352-901-1162

“Growing in Christ through the Word, making His Salvation Known”

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) www.openbiblelutheranchurch.com

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