One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.

Psalm 27:4          

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Summer and winter And springtime and harvest

Sun, moon, and stars in their courses aboveJoin 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

guideStrength for today and bright hope for

tomorrow –Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

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!

CCLI License No. 503207

Leader:  Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!

People:  Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.

 

 

Responsive Call To Worship

Psalm 96

Leader:  Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!

People:  For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. 

 

Responsive Call To Worship

Psalm 96

Leader:  For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens.

People:  Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.  

Responsive Call To Worship

Psalm 96

Leader: Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!

People:  Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts!

All: Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth! 

Responsive Call To Worship

Psalm 96

You are the OneKellie Zephir

I Will StandHolland Davis

Almighty God, to know you is the fulfillment of our deepest longings. Yet foolishly we have sought our satisfaction elsewhere. Our idols leave us empty and wanting. We have failed to love you with our whole heart, soul, and mind. We have failed to love our neighbors as ourselves. Forgive us our sins for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ. Give us a faith that purifies our hearts, overcomes the world, works by love, fastens us to you, and always clings to the cross. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.   

Confession of Sin

Silent time for personal confession

He Knows My Name

Scripture ReadingZephaniah 3:14-20

14 Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;    shout, O Israel!Rejoice and exult with all your heart,    O daughter of Jerusalem!15 The LORD has taken away the judgments against you;    he has cleared away your enemies.The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst;    you shall never again fear evil.

16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:“Fear not, O Zion;    let not your hands grow weak.17 The LORD your God is in your midst,    a mighty one who will save;he will rejoice over you with gladness;    he will quiet you by his love;he will exult over you with loud singing.

Scripture ReadingZephaniah 3:14-20

18 I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival,    so that you will no longer suffer reproach.19 Behold, at that time I will deal    with all your oppressors.And I will save the lame    and gather the outcast,and I will change their shame into praise    and renown in all the earth.

Scripture ReadingZephaniah 3:14-20

20 At that time I will bring you in,    at the time when I gather you together;for I will make you renowned and praised    among all the peoples of the earth,when I restore your fortunes    before your eyes,” says the LORD.

Scripture ReadingZephaniah 3:14-20

1) The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.

2) The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.

3) Live out of your imagination, not your history.

Stephen Covey

Deuteronomy 121 ¶ “These are the statutes and rules that you shall be careful to do in the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess, all the days that you live on the earth.

2 You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree.

3 You shall tear down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim with fire. You shall chop down the carved images of their gods and destroy their name out of that place. 4 You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way.

5 ¶ But you shall seek the place that the LORD your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation there. There you shall go, 6 and there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, your vow offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. 7 And there you shall eat before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your households, in all that you undertake, in which the LORD your God has blessed you.

God calls us to worship His way.

The call to fidelity.

The call to place.

The call to joy.

1) God calls us to fidelity in worship

“You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. You shall tear down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim with fire. You shall chop down the carved images of their gods and destroy their name out of that place. You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way.” vs 2-4

2) The place of worship

But you shall seek the place that the LORD your God will choose out of all your tribes to put His name and make his habitation there. There you shall go, and there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, your vow offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. Vs 5,6

3) The joy in worship.

“And there you shall eat before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your households, in all that you undertake, in which the LORD your God has blessed you.” vs 7

Name Emphasis

Burnt Offering

Most costly offering - completely burned up --- total dedication – giving God my all

Grain Offering

Fine flour, costly spice frankincense, pleasing aroma—giving God my very best;

Peace Offering

Fellowship with the Lord by having a communion meal- enjoying intimate friendship with God

Sin Offering Atonement of a committed sin; metaphor of purification- cleansing from sin

Guilt Offering

Atonement; metaphor of compensation for wrongdoing- relational restoration

“Every created beauty was created by God to lead our affections to Him….What if we were to realize that every sunset viewed, every.. intimacy enjoyed, every favorite food savored, every song sung or listened to, every home decorated, and every rich moment enjoyed in this life isn’t ultimately about itself but is an expression and reflection of God’s essential character? Wouldn’t such beautiful and desirable reflections mean that their Source must be even more beautiful — and, ultimately, most desirable?....The peril for us is when God’s beauty seems vague, because then so does His desirability.”

Eyes Wide Open: Enjoying God in Everything, by Steve DeWitt

And there you shall eat before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your households, in all that you undertake, in which the LORD your God has blessed you.

Deuteronomy 12:7