March 8, 2026

Service Leader

Call to Worship

“Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob! Raise a song; sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp….”

“….Hear, O my people, while I admonish you! O Israel, if you would but listen to me! There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god. I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” (Psalm 81:1–2, 8–10)

This call to Worship God comes from Psalm 81. And in it we see that God calls us to sing to him – our strong God! We are not to sing to some strange lower-g god. Here God calls us to shout for joy to him – the covenant keeping God of Jacob! We are not to bow down to some foreign fake god. But we, who are so prone to worship idols, need God's help to obey this call. So let's ask God for his help to worship and adore his name in our first song, Come Thou Almighty King.

Service Leader

Confession of Sin

Brothers and sisters we have been called to worship God alone – we are not to worship idols. But we know, if we are honest, that we have worshiped idols this week. We have not been satisfied in God alone. We have run after false gods looking for satisfaction in them! [provide some examples of idols we run after and look for satisfaction in] And this is what God says about idolatry:

“All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. 10 Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? 11 Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together.” (Isaiah 44:9–11)

Seeking after idols to satisfy us is a completely and utterly foolish way to spend our lives. Lives that are supposed to be spend to the glory of our one true and living God. As Isaiah says, idols are profitable for nothing. So please take a moment in silent prayer to confess your idolatry to the Lord, and ask for his forgiveness for your sinful idolatry in Christ.

Service Leader

Confession of Sin

(Silent prayer of confession to confess our sin of idolatry and ask for forgiveness in Christ.)

Service Leader

Assurance of Pardon

Brothers and sisters, because of our idolatry we deserve death. But if you are honestly repenting from your sinful idolatry and trusting in the one who paid the penalty for your idolatry by his death on the cross for you, listen to these words that Paul writes in Romans 8:

“‘There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’.” (Romans 8:1)

If you are in Christ, you can shake off your guilty fears of receiving God's punishment and wrath – for the spotless lamb of God and his bleeding sacrifice on your behalf appears before the holy God of the universe. You can live now with confidence in God's grace no matter your sin all because of Christ. Let's rejoice in this truth as we sing of it together now.

Complementary Scripture Reader

Complementary Reading

Listen to who God revealed himself to be to his servant Moses TEXT 5 The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. 6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

This reading was from Exodus 34. God is able to forgive all of our iniquity, transgression and sin because of Christ. Let's continue to sing of Christ together now.

Lead Elder

Pastoral Prayer

Lead Elder

Scripture Reading

Psalm 63 (whole psalm)

Preacher

Sermon

Psalm 63

Service Leader

Benediction

“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24–26)