A Song for the Fight

Speaker: Rev. Ron Gonzales
Scripture: Psalm 68:1-35
Liturgy for Home Worship: Online | Printable PDF

Call to Worship
      It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
            to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
      to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
            and your faithfulness by night,
      to the music of the lute and the harp,
            to the melody of the lyre.
      For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
            at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
                      —Psalm 92.1-4

Prayer of Adoration

Song of Praise to God
WE PRAISE YOU, O GOD, OUR REDEEMER, CREATOR
Hymn No. 97 | Audio | Music

We begin this morning by praising God who is both our Creator and our Redeemer, the one who made us and the one who saves us. But that raises the question that is asked next in the catechism.

Confession of Faith
Q. What sort of Redeemer is needed to bring us back to God?
A. One who is truly human and also truly God.^[1]
                      —The New City Catechism, No. 21

Only the God-Man could atone for our sin and did so by dying on the cross. Let us acknowledge again our continual need for his grace and mercy as we confess our sins together.

Confession of Sin
O Lord, you promised that if we confess our sins, you are faithful and just and will forgive us. Humbly we come, seeking your forgiveness; that we may know the joy of your presence, the light of your face. You alone know our hearts: how often we have offended you, how often we have offended others. Forgive us, Lord, for every unkind thought, every false word, every wrong act. Forgive us, for we have lived not for you, but for ourselves. Forgive us for failing to give you thanks, for our neglect of prayer, our ignorance of your Word, our loss of purpose. Heavenly Father, have mercy on us. Create in us clean hearts, and renew a right spirit within us; by the blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Silently add your own confession of sin.

Assurance of God’s Pardon
It was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
                      —1 Peter 1.18-19

Song of Faith in Christ
MAN OF SORROWS! WHAT A NAME
Hymn No. 246 | Audio | Music

Prayers of Intercession and the Lord’s Prayer

• Pray for the complete healing and good health of our friends and loved ones, including Eric Carpenter, Tom Manning, Clint Miller, and Vickie Myers.
• Pray for Robert Fastenow, whose brother passed away recently. Pray that God would comfort him as he mourns the loss of his brother.
• Pray for Alister and Sarah Torrens, our missionaries in Ukraine. The Torrens would appreciate our prayers as they are in the midst of moving into a new home, Alister is preparing to teach a course in a new online format, and the children are trying to keep up with their online school work as well. Pray that God would give them strength, peace, and rest, and that he would bless Alister’s teaching at the Evangelical Reformed Seminary and in their church plant.
• Pray also for the needs of any loved ones or neighbors who come to mind.

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 debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.

Scripture Reading
      It shall come to pass in the latter days
      that the mountain of the house of the LORD
      shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
            and it shall be lifted up above the hills;
      and peoples shall flow to it,
            and many nations shall come, and say:
      “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
            to the house of the God of Jacob,
      that he may teach us his ways
            and that we may walk in his paths.”
      For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
            and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
      He shall judge between many peoples,
            and shall decide for strong nations far away;
      and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
            and their spears into pruning hooks;
      nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
            neither shall they learn war anymore;
      but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree,
            and no one shall make them afraid,
            for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.
      For all the peoples walk
            each in the name of its god,
      but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God
            forever and ever
                     —Micah 4.1-5

Sermon
“A Song for the Fight”

Speaker: Rev. Ron Gonzales
Scripture: Psalm 68:1-35

Song of Response
LEAD ON, O KING ETERNAL
Hymn No. 580 | Audio | Music

The Doxology         Audio

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Benediction
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
                      —2 Corinthians 13.14

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^[1] “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Is 9.6).