Christ was all anguish that I might be all joy, cast off that I might be brought in, trodden down as an enemy that I might be welcomed as a friend, surrendered to hell’s worst that I might attain heaven’s best, stripped that I might be clothed, wounded that I might be healed, athirst that I might drink, tormented that I might be comforted, made a shame that I might inherit glory, entered darkness that I might have eternal light. My Savior wept that all tears might be wiped from my eyes, groaned that I might have endless song, endured all pain that I might have unfading health, bore a thorned crown that I might have a glory-diadem, bowed his head that I might uplift mine, experienced reproach that I might receive welcome, closed his eyes in death that I might gaze on unclouded brightness, expired that I might for ever live.

The Lord Calls Us to Worship

* Salutation 1 Corinthians 1:3

* Call to Worship Psalm 96:6-7

* Prayer of Invocation

Our Response to the Lord’s Call

* Hymn of Praise # 115 “All Creatures of Our God and King”

Confession of Faith Heidelberg Catechism Q/A 1

Corporate Prayer of Confession Psalm 51, TH, p. 804

Silent Prayer of Confession

Assurance of Pardon 1 John 1:9

Scripture Reading 1 Samuel 10:1-16

Hymn of Preparation # 689 “Be Still, My Soul”

Congregational Prayer

Collection of Offerings

* Doxology # 731

The Lord Feeds Us from His Word

Scripture Reading Philippians 4:10-23 (pew Bibles, p. 982)

Ministry of the Word “Living as Citizens (part II)”

We are Dismissed with the Lord’s Blessing

* Hymn of Response # 546 “The Sands of Time Are Sinking”

* Benediction The Lord Blesses Us

* Gloria Patri # 735

* Please stand if you are able

Be thankful this day for the wonderful salvation we have in Christ.  What amazing grace and love has our Lord showered upon us.  As the apostle John writes, “Oh what manner of love the Father has given to us that we should be called children of God.”  How incredible that we have been adopted into the very family of God – that we can cry to him in prayer and rest in him for protection.  The apostle Paul writes, “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba, Father!’  So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God” (Gal 4:6-7).  Be uplifted by these truths this week.

Below are a few things going on in the life of our church this week:

Church Spring picnic at the McDonald’s home this Saturday at 3:00pm.  Their address is 36914 Anglers Way, Pinehurst, TX, 77362.  Please invite your friends and neighbors … this would be a wonderful opportunity to introduce people to our church body!!


Today’s devotional  is a continuation of last week’s – considering the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian.

From the Pastor’s Desk

Mid-week Devotional

“Conviction of Sin”

John 16:8, “And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.”

As was discussed in last week’s devotion, the primary function of the Holy Spirit as the representative agent of Christ in the church is to glorify the Son (John 16:14). But the important question remains … how does the Spirit do this? How does the Spirit glorify the Son? Again, in John 16 Jesus himself tell us. He states, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment (vv. 7-8).” In other words, one of the primary ways by which the Spirit glorifies the Son is by convicting the world of sin. Put simply, the Holy Spirit convicts us that we are helpless sinners in desperate need of a Savior! When we read our Bibles – when we listen to sermons – the Holy Spirit is at work in our hearts. He is softening our hard hearts; and He is showing us more of our sin. And as we see more of our sin, so we are driven to our knees before the cross. And so Christ is glorified!!

We are given a living illustration of this convicting work of the Spirit in Peter’s Pentecost sermon from Acts 2. After Christ ascends to the Father (Acts 1:6-11), he pours out His Spirit upon the church (Acts 2:1-13). Peter then stands and proclaims the glories of Christ as the long-awaited Messiah – Jesus is both “Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). Verse 37 is where I want to focus our attention: “Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’” Peter preaches the Word and the people are cut to the heart! We must keep in mind, however, the Spirit’s New Covenant out-pouring in Acts 2:1-13. To summarize, we ought to think along these lines: as Peter preaches the word – or as any faithful minister preaches the word – the Spirit (who is powerfully present in the New Covenant, i.e. New Testament era) accompanies the Word convicting, molding, refining, and changing hearts and lives more into the image of Christ (2 Cor 3:18).

There is one brief application that we must take from this truth. Dear Christian, when you gather each Lord’s Day to hear the Word preached, pray that the Spirit would be at work. When you read your Bible for personal devotion, pray that the Spirit would be at work. For it is only as we hear the Word with receptive minds and we receive the Word with submissive hearts will our lives be changed! To put it another way, we must be bold in prayer that the Spirit would be at work preparing us to hear the Word of our great Shepherd – “O Spirit, open my eyes. Show me my sin. Shine into the deepest corners of my heart. Make me more like Christ. Help me to grow in holiness …” And the good news is that this is the very purpose for which the Spirit has come. The Spirit is at work – our hearts are convicted – we see more of our sin – we see more of the love and grace of Christ – and Christ is glorified!!

God bless,

Pastor Robert

* Salutation 1 Corinthians 1:3

* Call to Worship Psalm 96:1-3

* Prayer of Invocation

Our Response to the Lord’s Call

* Hymn of Praise # 4 “All Praise to God, Who Reigns Above”

Confession of Faith WCF 26.1, Trinity Hymnal, p. 864

Corporate Prayer of Confession

Silent Prayer of Confession

Assurance of Pardon Romans 5:1

Scripture Reading 1 Samuel 9:1-27

Hymn of Preparation # 518 “I Greet Thee”

Congregational Prayer

Collection of Offerings

* Doxology # 731

The Lord Feeds Us from His Word

Scripture Reading Philippians 4:1-9 (pew Bibles, p. 982)

Ministry of the Word “Living unto Heaven”

We are Dismissed with the Lord’s Blessing

* Hymn of Response # 518 “Christ, of All My Hopes the Ground”

* Benediction The Lord Blesses Us

* Gloria Patri # 735

* Please stand if you are able

Greetings in the name of the Lord.  This week you have been on my heart and in my prayers.  Also, this week may we be reminded of Paul’s command to us in Gal 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”  Just as Christ bore our ultimate burden – the burden of sin, judgment, condemnation, and the wrath that we deserve – so we are to bear one another’s burdens.  We are to walk side by side as the body of Christ day in and day out, week in and week out!

Spring is a busy time in the life of our church – please note the events and dates below:

1. Men’s breakfast this Saturday (5/11) at Denny’s on Gessner b/w 249 and Mills Rd.  We will meet at 9:00am.  Men, please take a moment to read through Isaiah 6; and consider how the holiness of God is to affect our worship and Christian service!

2. Ladies’ fellowship.  The ladies will gather next Thursday night (5/16) at 7:00pm at the Mamacitas at Hwy 6 & 290.  Please mark your calendars for this time of fun, food, and fellowship.  More info to come!

3. Church Picnic.  Our spring picnic will be next Saturday (5/18) at the McDonald’s home.  Their address is 36914 Anglers Way, Pinehurst, TX, 77362.  They have a pool – so bring some swimming gear!!  They will provide hamburgers and hotdogs, but we will need families to help with sides, drinks, and desserts.  The picnic will start at 3:00pm – so plan to join us!!!

4. This week’s devotional is a reflection on the often misunderstood third person of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit.  I pray it would be a blessing and a challenge to us all.

From the Pastor’s Desk

Mid-week Devotional

“The Holy Spirit”

John 16:14, “He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

It seems everyone these days is ‘spiritual.’ How often do we hear so-and-so is a spiritual person? But what exactly does that mean? What does it mean to be spiritual? Does believing in a higher being qualify one as spiritual? The question we want to ask, however, is this: what does it mean to be spiritual in a Biblical sense (e.g. 1 Cor 2:13; Eph 1:3; Col 1:9)? Or to ask a more fundamental question: what is the purpose and function of the Holy Spirit? What does the Holy Spirit do? Our Lord Jesus Christ gives us insight into this question in his Upper Room Discourse of John 14-16. Specifically, in chapter 16 Jesus speaks of his ‘going away’ (v. 7); and in fact, he states that his ‘going away’ (referring to his Ascension) is to the disciples’ advantage! And why is it to their advantage? Jesus tells us: “If I go, I will send him to you” (v. 7b). In other words, it is to our advantage that Jesus ascend to heaven where he presently reins as our glorious King; because as the risen and ascended King he pours out his Spirit – his representative agent – on the church!

Now that the Spirit has been poured out on the church … what is it that he does? What is the Spirit’s primary function as Christ’s representative agent in the church? Again, Jesus tells us: “He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (v. 14). Put simply, the primary function of the Spirit is to give glory to the Son. The Spirit’s primary function is to exalt the Son – to shine on the Son. To use a metaphor, the Spirit is like a great spotlight shining on Jesus Christ. In future devotions, we will consider a few of the ways in which the Spirit does this; but for our purposes in this study, the over-arching truth to consider is the Spirit’s primary function of pointing away from himself to Jesus Christ.

There are at least two applications that I will make from this truth – and in so doing we will return to our original question of what it means to be spiritual: first, to those involved in church leadership positions. Let me ask you this question: do you consider your church to be a Spirit-filled church? If the answer is yes; then the next question to ask is this: is Christ front and center in your worship? Is the worship focused on Christ – who he is and what he did? Is there more talk and focus on the Spirit or on the glory and majesty of the Lord Jesus Christ? A truly spiritual church and worship service will be preoccupied and consumed with the glory of Christ! And second, we can follow the same line of reasoning when reflecting on our individual lives? Those who are truly spiritual in the Biblical sense are those who make much of Christ! Their lives are filled with Christ! Their conversation is filled with Christ! To put it plainly, if the Holy Spirit is powerfully present in the life of a Christian, then his time, conversation, and focus will not be first and foremost on the Spirit; but rather his time, conversation, and focus will be centered on his Lord and Savior. Oh dear readers, may we be a truly Spiritual people; that is, may we be consumed with and dominated by the glory of our King – Jesus Christ!!

 
God bless,
Pastor Robert

The Lord Calls Us to Worship

* Salutation 1 Corinthians 1:3

* Call to Worship Revelation 4:8-11

* Prayer of Invocation

Our Response to the Lord’s Call

* Hymn of Praise # 38 “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise”

Confession of Faith WSC 1, 2, Trinity Hymnal, p. 869

Corporate Prayer of Confession

Silent Prayer of Confession

Assurance of Pardon Micah 7:18-20

Scripture Reading 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Hymn of Preparation # 305 “Arise, My Soul, Arise”

Congregational Prayer

Collection of Offerings

* Doxology # 731

The Lord Feeds Us from His Word

Scripture Reading Philippians 3:17-21 (pew Bibles, p. 981)

Ministry of the Word “Citizens of Heaven”

Lord’s Supper

We are Dismissed with the Lord’s Blessing

* Hymn of Response # 546 “The Sands of Time Are Sinking”

Deacon’s Offering

* Benediction The Lord Blesses Us

* Gloria Patri # 735

* Please stand if you are able

The author of Hebrews tells us to run the race of faith with our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ.  As we go about our day, may our eyes indeed be fixed on our Savior – our Savior who laid down his life for us, who bore the curse for us, who was wounded for our transgressions.  Today, may we be in prayer for one another – and for the expansion of the gospel unto the ends of the earth.  There is much going on in the life of our church … below are a few highlights and reminders:

1. Tonight is our monthly prayer meeting at the Arendale’s home.  Dinner at 6:15 and prayer at 7:00.  Please let us know (if you haven’t already done so) if you are coming so we can have plenty of food .

2. This Sunday we will have our church fellowship lunch.  WE WILL BE ORDERING PIZZA for the lunch; but we’ll need some families to bring salad, drinks, and desserts.

3. Our men’s pancake breakfast is next Saturday, May 11th, at 9:00 at Denny’s.

4. Our Cornerstone Spring picnic will be at the McDonald’s home will be Saturday, May 18th.  More details to come, but mark your calendars.

5. Finally, this week’s devotional  comes from Psalm 139 and speaks to our Lord’s constant presence with his people.  I pray that you would be encouraged by the Word!

From the Pastor’s Desk

Mid-week Devotional

“Comfort in Loneliness”

Psalm 139:1-2, “O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.”

Loneliness.  How distressing it is to suffer with loneliness.  And loneliness is something with which many a Christian struggles.  Whether it is the college freshman overwhelmed by the challenges of the University environment, the adult believer who has not found a spouse and is wrestling with the prospect of a life of singleness, or the stay-at-home mom who simply feels alone in the day-in and day-out monotony of life with a screaming 2 year old, loneliness is an emotion that Christians of all stripes and shapes face. 

The Scriptures, however – and especially the Psalms – provide rich comfort and counsel to the lonely.  Psalm 139 is a glorious psalm extolling the God who knows all and sees all.  The Lord knows us better than we know ourselves – he knows us right down to the very depths of our hearts: “O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar … even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.  You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it” (vv. 1-6).  God knows his people – he knows our going out and our coming in.  The Lord Jesus as the great Shepherd knows his sheep: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27; cf. 1 Peter 5:4; Matt 10:30). While this thought should strike terror into those outside of Christ (Heb 4:13); O what a comfort it is to those of us who belong to Jesus!!  God knows our struggles. Our worries and hardships are not hidden from him. Indeed, our Savior had to made like his brethren in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest” (Heb 2:17).

Not only does God know his people intimately (omniscience), but also he is always with them (omnipresence). He created us; he knit us together in the womb (v. 13).  Listen to these words of David: “If I ascend to heaven, you are there!  If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there … If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,’ even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you” (vv. 7-12).  Wherever we find ourselves – no matter how dark the situation – God is with us – He is always with his people (Heb 13:5).  To the unbeliever, this is not good news!  God knows the sinfulness of their ways and the hardness of their hearts. But to God’s children, O what joy and comfort!  No matter how dark the darkness, the light of God’s presence is with his people.  Dear Christian, take heart, your God knows you and he is with you. 
Have a good week,

Pastor Robert

* Salutation 1 Corinthians 1:3

* Call to Worship Psalm 66:1-4

* Prayer of Invocation

Our Response to the Lord’s Call

* Hymn of Praise # 2 “O Worship the King”

Confession of Faith The Nicene Creed, TH, p. 846

Corporate Prayer of Confession

Silent Prayer of Confession

Assurance of Pardon Psalm 32:5

Scripture Reading 1 Samuel 8:10-22

Hymn of Preparation # 573 “Am I a Soldier of the Cross”

Congregational Prayer

Collection of Offerings

* Doxology # 731

The Lord Feeds Us from His Word

Scripture Reading Philippians 3:12-16 (pew Bibles, p. 981)

Ministry of the Word “Pressing On”

We are Dismissed with the Lord’s Blessing

* Hymn of Response # 457 “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing”

* Benediction The Lord Blesses Us

* Gloria Patri # 735

* Please stand if you are able