The Fourth Sunday after Trinity – July 10, 2022
also known as the Sixth Sunday of the Pentecost Season
Paul Didn’t Give In…..Neither Will We!
United We Stand on ALL of God’s Word
“Kyle, I don’t care for those friends you’ve been hanging around with! The language they use is awful! And their attitude toward authority is terrible! I expect you to stop spending time with them, right now! They’re nothing but a bad influence and a threat to your good character.”
“Aw, Mom, they’re my friends! I don’t see anything that’s so bad about them! Besides, if you tell me they can’t be my friends, how can I be a good influence on them?”
“No, Kyle, the best way for you to help them is to tell them you can’t be their friend unless they change they way they behave. Maybe then they’ll see where they’re wrong, and then you can have a friendship with then that’s based on something worthwhile and honorable!”
“Aw, Mom! If I have to do that, I’ll never have any friends. Why do you have to be so mean?”
If you’ve ever experienced this conversation or a similar one, either as the parent or the child, you probably know the likely outcome. In spite of Mom’s best efforts to warn her son against keeping bad company that can spoil his good character (I Corinthians 14:40), Kyle is probably going to stubbornly cling to his dangerous friendships.
What Kyle doesn’t appreciate is that Mom and Dad love him. They know danger when they see it. And what they see is the negative effect on their child’s life that bad influences can have from friends, TV, plus the wrong kind of music and movies. Given Kyle’s stubbornness, all they can do is warn him, and then pray that the Christian values they have instilled in him will be his anchor when wave after wave of peer pressure threatens to overwhelm his good character.
We can make an analogy here to the Biblical doctrine of “Church our loving Father’s faultless command to avoid any and all false tea Fellowship” and the way some people (who fail [or refuse] to understand it in the light of Scripture) view it. Let’s start by exchanging the voice of God for the voice of the concerned parent. Instead of associating with youthful friends, let’s make the issue at hand the Christian’s willingness to associate with false teachers and with people who are comfortable with (or tolerant of) false teaching.
Because God loves us and proved it by sending His Son to die for us to save us from our sins, our God wants to protect our souls from any and all unBiblical influences and ideas that can lead us away from the truth of Scripture and instead into mis-belief, false teaching, and – perhaps – into hell. And so He warns us in His Word again and again to only associate in Spiritual matters (like worship, study, communion, and church activities) with like-minded believers who are FULLY committed to ALL of God’s Word….right down to the very last details of Biblical, Christian teaching.
And yet we sometimes wonder if God realizes what He expects from us. We wonder “Are those other Christians and their churches really all that bad? Are they actually a danger to my faith, just because they teach and practice things that are different from what I committed myself to when I was confirmed?” In moments like that, whether we realize it or not, we’re daring to question what God says in His Word, while we would like to ignore the things those false teachers present which are contrary to His perfect will. Now, it’s never wise for us to ever question God’s directives. That’s because no matter what we might think or feel (or how “nice” other people seem), our omniscient (all-knowing) God is aware – far more than Kyle’s parents, who only knew about bad influences from their own experience – of how insidiously and extensively the “yeast” of false teaching can work damage (even damnation) into the hearts and minds of naive, unwitting (and sometimes also stubborn) Christians.
We might think we know better than God, but we never, ever do.
So, because He knows what’s best, and safest for us, our God – out of His love for our souls – commands us to ONLY fellowship with those people and churches which are truly, thoroughly committed to ALL the teachings of His Word (and so, who are united in doctrine with us). In fact, He urges us to watch out for those who cause Spiritual divisions, teaching and practicing doctrines that are contrary to the teachings we have learned to be the truth from Scripture. God actually expects us to keep away from false teachers AND their followers in Spiritual matters…..and to keep away with a far greater resolve than we might have today to physically avoid and distance ourselves from anyone who has Covid, or some other communicable disease. Why? Because a physical illness can only kill our bodies. False teaching always undermines the full faithfulness God expects from us, His Children. And it can even destroy our salvation.
And so, this morning, as we continue our summer sermon and worship service journey through Paul’s letter to the Galatians, we arrive at Galatians chapter two….and a very interesting and enlightening incident that took place in the days of the early Christian Church.
Paul had recently completed his first mission trip, which took him into the southern and eastern region of what today is the country of Turkey. In Paul’s day, though, he had traveled into the Roman provinces of Galatia, Pamphylia, Cilicia and Cappadocia, where he had preached the Gospel of salvation through faith in Christ alone. God allowed Paul to establish a number of Christian congregations during that initial missionary journey. Eventually Paul returned to his home-base of Antioch, in Syria. Shortly after his return, he learned that false teachers had followed behind him in the churches of Galatia, suggesting that he wasn’t an “authentic” apostle and (worse) that the Gospel message he had preached – of salvation by God’s free grace alone, through faith in Christ, and apart from any works – was insufficient, and could not save anyone.
Those false teachers told the Galatian Christians that, while Christ was their Savior, faith in His righteousness, death and resurrection was not enough to save them. They also had to faithfully follow the Old Testament Mosaic Law, doing things like being circumcised and observing the Jewish religious festivals, abstaining from certain foods, and following various purification rituals and regulations, and even more. In other words, these false teachers (which we refer to today as “Judaizers”) were telling the Galatians that Paul’s Gospel of salvation through Christ alone was not enough to save them….and that in order to get to heaven they not only had to believe in Christ but they also had to become good, rule-following Jew-Christians.
Of course, Paul knew – as we know – that adding anything whatsoever to the redeeming work of Christ created not “just another Gospel” – but a “false Gospel” that damns, rather than saves. For anyone to trust in anything he/she does as necessary for salvation is, in fact, not the true Gospel….but a lie ultimately coming from the “Father of Lies,” Satan, who is – among other things – the Father of all false teaching.
So…..while the Gospel – obviously – is at the very core of our Christian faith (along with the doctrine of the Holy Trinity), all the other doctrines/teaching of Scripture should also be vitally important to all of us BECAUSE they are all truths that God has given us to know, to believe in, and to put into practice in our lives of faith. In other words, there are NO unimportant doctrines. ALL of God’s Word is true, and therefore, ALL of the teachings in God’s Word ought to be important to all of us. That’s why neither we nor anyone else can believe or teach whatever we want (and ignore or alter whatever God says in His Word). When it comes to the teachings God has given us in His Word, He expects all of us to be perfectly united in our believing and following EVERYTHING that He teaches us in Scripture.
We’ll see this morning that Paul was fully united in doctrine, with Barnabas and Titus, as well as Peter, John, and James (the half-brother of Jesus)….the three latter men being the “pillars” (or chief Spiritual leaders) of the early Church in Jerusalem.
Paul and his associates came to Jerusalem to meet with Peter, James and John in a critical conference. Together they affirmed that the Gospel that Jesus had taught Paul (and what He taught as Christ’s called Apostle to the Gentiles) was the same Gospel that Peter, John and James were teaching in Jerusalem and environs to the Jewish people……namely, the Gospel of salvation by grace alone, through faith in Christ alone, apart from our good works (which are done as a result of our being saved; not as the cause of our salvation).
Aware that they were agreed on the Gospel, along with Scripture’s other doctrines, Paul, Peter and the rest affirmed – and celebrated – their true unity of faith and their Church Fellowship.
For us today, too, Church Fellowship….the freedom and blessing of being able to worship, commune, study, pray and to church work together with other like-minded Christians…..if were are going to be faithful……has to be based on full unity of doctrine and practice, starting with genuine agreement on what the Gospel is and does.
This morning, then, we’ll look at (and celebrate) the early Christian Church’s agreement in doctrine and in their faithful, practical implementation of Scripture’s teachings. We’ll also want to recognize that the unity of message and ministry that they enjoyed is still exercised only by all those who are fully in Church Fellowship today – and that this fellowship is built on a unity of belief especially on the Gospel, but also on all of the other teachings that God has given us in His Word.
Pre-Service Prayer
The day has dawned and duty calls – so many tasks await.
Lord, strengthen me when my spirit falls, or when I hesitate
To do the good I ought to do, to shun each sinful way.
Jesus, forgive the wrongs I’ll do, and keep me safe today. Amen
The portions of God’s Word used in this worship flyer have been taken from The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version Copyright 2019, The Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission Music and lyrics, as needed, are used with permission via OneLicense.net #A712831
Prayer upon entering the sanctuary
Pre-service Music
Greeting and Invitation to Worship
We Praise Our God
The Opening Hymn Hymn 283 “Speak, O Savior I Am Listening”
1 Speak, O Savior; I am list’ning, As a servant to his lord.
Let me show respect and honor To your holy, precious Word,
That each day, my whole life through, I may serve and follow you.
Let your Word e’er be my pleasure And my heart’s most precious treasure.
2 Oh, what blessing to be near you And to listen to your voice!
Let me ever love and fear you; Let your Word still be my choice.
Many hardened sinners, Lord, Flee in terror at your Word,
But to all who feel sin’s burden You give peace and words of pardon.
3 Lord, your words are waters living Where I quench my thirsty needs.
Lord, your words are bread life-giving; On your words my spirit feeds.
Lord, your words will be my light Through death’s cold and dreary night;
Yes, they are my sword prevailing And my cup of joy unfailing.
4 As I pray, dear Jesus, hear me; Let your words in me take root.
May your Spirit e’er be near me That I bear abundant fruit.
May I daily sing your praise, From my heart glad anthems raise,
Till my highest praise is given In the endless joy of heaven
after which the Congregation will rise for
The Invocation
We begin this service in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Our Psalm Reading for Today Psalm 1
P: How blessed is the man who does not walk in the advice of the wicked, who does not stand on the path with sinners, and who does not sit in a meeting with mockers.
C: But his delight is in the teaching of the Lord, + and on his teaching he meditates day and night.
P: He is like a tree planted beside streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, and its leaves do not wither. Everything he does prospers.
C: Not so the wicked! + No, they are like the chaff which the wind blows away.
P: Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
C: Yes, the Lord approves of the way of the righteous, + but the way of the wicked will perish.
We Confess our Sins to the Lord
P: Almighty God, Heavenly Father, we have violated Your holy will through our sinful actions, in our failure to do what You righteously expect from us, with our wicked words, and by our evil thoughts and desires.
C: We come, O Lord, to Your altar to confess our sins. + We beg for Your mercy, + though we do not deserve it. + Hear our prayer. + Grant us the forgiveness of all our sins, for Jesus’ sake.
Just as I am without one plea But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidd’st me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
P: Our sins are many….inexcusable, yet inevitable given our weakness and dullness. We/have sworn falsely and used Your name to curse, rather than to bless others and to praise You. We have not worshiped You as faithfully as we ought. We have not listened to Your Word as we should. Too often we have conformed our lives – not to Your perfect will – but to the norms and dictates of this sinful world. At times we have lived as though we were “god” instead of humbly submitting everything that we are and have to You, O Lord.
Just as I am, though tossed about With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
P: We have acted spitefully toward friends and strangers. We have fought with our family. We have been impatient with each other, and even with You, O Lord. We have sought superiority over others at work, in the home, at school, and in the church. We have preferred materialism more than we have pursued our spiritual growth. We have committed the very evils that we have self-righteously – and You have properly – condemned.
Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind; Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need, in Thee to find, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
P: We have passed by and ignored those who have been in genuine need. We have thought too highly of ourselves and too little of others. Though converted by the Gospel’s power, we have been reluctant and indifferent to bring the Good News to others. We have not readily forgiven those who have sinned against us. We have not loved You and others as You have commanded us to do.
C: Forgive us all our sins, + those known and unknown to us, + according to the mercy of Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. + Pour Your grace upon us, + that we might know the peace which surpasses all understanding, + and that we might share eternal life with Christ, our Lord.
Just as I am, Thou wilt receive, Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Congregation Almighty and most merciful God, + We acknowledge and confess + that we have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed; + That we have not loved You with all our heart and soul, +
and with all our mind and strength; + and that we have not loved our neighbor as our-selves. + We ask You, O God, + to be forgiving of what we have been, + to help us to amend what we are, + and – in Your mercy – to direct what we shall be, + so that the love of what is righteous in Your sight + might always be in our hearts, + that we may always walk blamelessly in Your commandments, + and faithfully follow in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ to the very end. + Amen.
Pastor Upon this, your voluntary confession, and in accordance with the responsibilities entrusted to me as a called and ordained servant of the Living Word, I assure you that God, our heavenly Father, has forgiven you all
your sins. By the perfect life and innocent death of our Lord Jesus Christ, He has removed your guilt and condemnation forever. You are His own dear child – an heir of everlasting life through faith in Christ. May God now give you the strength of faith to live according to His will. Go in His grace and peace. Amen.
Our Grateful Response for God’s Forgiveness
To the tune of “Come You Thankful People, Come” meter: 7777D
Blessed Holy Trinity, Glorious in Your majesty,
Father, Spirit and the Son – Savior-God, the Three-in-One –
From sin’s curse You set me free Heaven’s mine – eternally.
All I am, to You I owe, Source from Whom all blessings flow. Amen.
The Prayer for This Morning
Heavenly Father, + You graciously sent Your Son to deliver me from sin, death and Satan’s power + and You’ve placed Your Holy Spirit in my heart + enabling me to believe in You as my Savior-God. + Having rescued me from unbelief and eternal death + that I might live with you eternally in heaven one day, + please protect me from my own sinfulness + and, especially, from any and all false teaching, + so that I do not forfeit Your grace + lose the faith You have given me + and throw away my salvation. + Please keep me well-grounded in Your Word and Sacrament + so that my faith remains strong and growing + and so that my salvation remains certain. + All this I humbly ask in the name + and through the merits + of Jesus Christ, Your Son my Lord, + Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, + one God, now and forever. Amen.
We Hear God’s Word
The First Lesson 2 John
The Elder, To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth—not only I, but also everyone who knows the truth— 2 because of the truth that remains in us and will be with us forever: 3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, in truth and love.
4 I was overjoyed to find out that some of your children are walking in the truth, in keeping with the command we received from the Father. 5 And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing a new command to you, but the one we have had from the beginning—let us love one another. 6 And this is love: that we walk according to his commands. This is the command: Just as you have heard from the beginning, keep on walking in it.
7 Many deceivers who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh have gone out into the world. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist. 8 Watch yourselves so that you do not lose what we have labored for but receive a full reward. 9 Anyone who goes on ahead and does not remain in the teaching of Christ does not have God. The one who remains in this teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If someone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house. Do not even wish him well. 11 For the one who wishes him well shares in his wicked works.
12 I have many things to write to you, but I did not want to do it with paper and ink. I hope instead to be with you and speak to you face to face so that our joy may be made complete. 13 The children of your chosen sister greet you.
The Second Lesson Jude
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: 2 Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you concerning the salvation we share, I felt it was necessary for me to write, to urge you to continue to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once and for all. 4 For certain individuals slipped in secretly, about whom it was written some time ago that they are condemned. They are ungodly people who turn the grace of our God into a license for sin and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
5 I want to remind you, though you already know all these things, that after the Lord rescued his people out of the land of Egypt, he later destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their position of authority but left their own dwelling place behind—God has kept them in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day. 7 Like Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, who in a similar way indulged in extreme sexual immorality and pursued homosexual perversion, they serve as an example of those who are going to suffer the punishment of eternal fire.
8 Yet, in the very same way, these dreamers are defiling the flesh, despising authority, and blaspheming glorious ones. 9 But when the archangel Michael was disputing with the Devil and arguing about the body of Moses, he did not dare to bring a blasphemous condemnation against him. Instead he said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
10 But these people do not understand what they are blaspheming. They are being destroyed by the very things that they know by instinct (like unreasoning animals). 11 Woe to them! They have gone the way of Cain. They have abandoned themselves for hire to the error of Balaam. They perished in Korah’s rebellion. 12 These people are filthy stains on your love feasts when they eat with you without fear, shepherding themselves. They are clouds without rain, being driven along by the winds. They are autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots. 13 They are wild waves of the sea piling up the foam of their own shame. They are wandering stars for whom the gloom of darkness has been reserved for eternity.
14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, also prophesied about these people, saying, “Look, the Lord is going to come with tens of thousands of his holy ones, 15 to execute judgment against all of them and to convict every soul concerning all their ungodly deeds, which they did in an ungodly way, and concerning all the harsh words that ungodly sinners spoke against him.” 16 These are discontented grumblers, who walk according to their lusts, and their mouths speak boastful things as they flatter others to take advantage of them.
17 But you, dear friends, remember the words that were spoken earlier by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers who follow their own ungodly lusts.” 19 These are the people who cause divisions. They are worldly because they do not have the Spirit.
20 But you, dear friends, continue to build yourselves up in your most holy faith as you keep praying in the Holy Spirit. 21 Keep yourselves in God’s love as you continue to wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, which results in eternal life. 22 Show mercy to those who are wavering. 23 Save others by snatching them out of the fire. Show mercy to still others with fear, hating even the clothing that is stained by the flesh.
24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless in the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only[i] God, our Savior, be glory, majesty, power, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all time, now, and to all eternity. Amen.
After which the Congregation will rise for
The Gospel Lesson John 14:15-31
15 “If you love me, hold on to my commands. 16 I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. 17 He is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it does not see him or know him. You know him because he stays with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you. 19 In a little while the world will see me no longer, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 The one who has my commands and holds on to them is the one who loves me. And the one who loves me will be loved by my Father. I too will love him and show myself to him.”
22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, what has happened that you are going to show yourself to us and not to the world?”
23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will hold on to my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 The one who does not love me does not hold on to my words. The word that you are hearing is not mine, but it is from the Father who sent me. 25 I have told you these things while staying with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I told you. 27 Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, and do not let it be afraid. 28 You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I.
29 “I have told you now before it happens so that, when it does happen, you may believe. 30 I will not speak with you much longer, because the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me. 31 But I want the world to know that I love the Father and that I am doing exactly what the Father has instructed me.
The Apostles’ Creed to the melody of “What A Friend We Have In Jesus”
I believe in God the Father, Maker of the heav’ns and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, our Savior, God’s own Son, of human birth.
Virgin born, the Lord incarnate, Whom the Spirit did conceive,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate; Our salvation to achieve.
‘
Crucified, was dead and buried, Down to hell in victory;
From the dead He rose the third day; Up to heav’n triumphantly.
There at God’s right hand He’s ruling, By His will the world is led.
He will come to judge the nations, Both the living and the dead.
I believe in God the Spirit, In His Church, His chosen band.
They are joined in close communion, Holy in His sight they stand.
I believe in sins forgiven; That the dead will rise again;
I believe in life eternal. Amen! Amen! A – – men!
The Children’s Lesson Romans 16:17
But I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and offenses contrary to the teaching that you learned, and keep away from them.
False Teaching is More Dangerous than Covid
The Sermon Hymn Hymn 293 “God’s Word Is Our Great Heritage”
God’s Word is our great heritage And shall be ours forever;
To spread its light from age to age Shall be our chief endeavor.
Through life it guides our way; In death it is our stay.
Lord, grant, while worlds endure, We keep its teachings pure Throughout all generations.
After which the Congregation will rise for
The Pre-Sermon Greeting
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer! Amen.
The Sermon Text Galatians 2:1-10
Then, after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, also taking Titus with me. 2 I went up in keeping with a revelation, and I laid before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did this privately before those who were considered important, in order to make sure that I was not running—or had not run—in vain. 3 But Titus, who was with me, was not compelled to be circumcised, even though he is Greek. 4 This was an issue because of the false brothers, who slipped in under false pretenses to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus. Their goal was to make us slaves. 5 We refused to give in to them even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel would continue with you.
6 But as for those who were considered to be important (what sort of people they once were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality), indeed, those who were considered to be important added nothing to my gospel. 7 On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter was entrusted with the gospel for the circumcised. 8 For God, who worked effectively in Peter to serve as an apostle to the circumcised, also worked effectively in me to serve as an apostle to the Gentiles. 9 And because James, Cephas, and John, who were considered to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship. They agreed that we were to go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 The only thing they asked was that we remember the poor, the very thing that I was also eager to do.
Paul Didn’t Give In…..Neither Will We!
United We Stand on ALL of God’s Word
following the sermon the Congregation will REMAIN SEATED for
The Post-Sermon Blessing
To Him Who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy — to the only God our Savior, be glory, majesty, power, and authority now and forever. Amen.
We Offer Our Gifts to the Lord
Our Offerings of Love to our Lord
Offerings will be received this morning through offering plates passed among those who have gathered here for worship.
However, for those viewing this service online, we offer you the following suggestions for providing God with Your thank-offerings through our ministry:
1) You can mail a check (no cash) to the church address
(415 N. 6th Place, Lowell, AR 72745)
2) You can donate on our website: www.gracelutherannwa.com
We Bring Our Prayers to the Lord
Our Prayers for Today
In our prayers this morning we include
A Prayer of Intercession on behalf of our brother, Dan Beck, who is continuing to faithfully contend with the affliction of cancer;
and, in addition,
A Prayer of Thanksgiving on behalf of Bill Krizsan
who had a successful operation this past week, and who
looks forward to another surgical procedure in the weeks to come
The Prayers for this Day
P: Hear us also, dear Lord, as we take a few moments to offer You our silent, personal petitions and praises…..
Silent Prayer
P Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. In His name we offer this prayer and continue now by praying…….
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.
We Leave With The Lord’s Blessing
The Benediction
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
and the love of God the Father
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
The Closing Hymn Hymn 322 “On What Has Now Been Sown”
1 On what has now been sown Your blessing, Lord, bestow;
The pow’r is yours alone To make it spring and grow.
O Lord, in grace the harvest raise And you alone shall have the praise!
2 To you our wants are known; From you are all our pow’rs.
Accept what is your own And pardon what is ours.
Our praises, Lord, and prayers receive And to your Word a blessing give.
3 Oh, grant that each of us Now met before you here
May meet together thus When you and yours appear
And follow you to heav’n, our home. E’en so, Amen! Lord Jesus, come!
Announcements
Last Week at Grace Worship Attendance: 62 Online views: 33
Sunday Bible Class: 27 (Online views 8) Sunday School: 3
Tuesday Bible Study: 10 Budgetary Offerings: $4651.01 Online: $110
Capital Improvement: $10 Scholarship Fund: $125
This Week’s Birthdays July 13 Ava Litrell; July 16 Amy Bruns
This Coming Week at Grace Lutheran Church
Today Morning Worship, 9:30 a.m. Fellowship, 10:40 am Bible Class/Sunday School, 11 am
Tuesday Morning Bible Class, 10:30-11:30 am
Church Council Meeting, 6 p.m.
Saturday Outreach Calls, 10 a.m.
Sunday Morning Worship with the Lord’s Supper, 9:30 a.m.
Fellowship, 10:45 am Bible Class/Sunday School – 11am
Serving Us Next Sunday (7-17) Elders: Rick Tragasz, Steve Stone
Ushers: Terry Bruns, Tom Otto Fellowship: Mary Karloski
Altar Guild: Harriet Johnson, Jill Calkins
July 31 Voter’s Meeting AND Potluck/Cookout/Indoor Picnic …..although it’s going to occur four weeks from now, please make a note now to be part of our July 31 pot-luck/cookout/indoor picnic. Prior to the meal we’ll hold a congregational/voters’ meeting.