First Presbyterian Church of Villa Rica
Order for the Worship of God
SUNDAY, October 17th, 2021, 11 AM
At Church and Online
(Live Stream and Online Bulletin)
Nursery 10 AM to 12 PM
10 AM Bible Study for all ages
11 AM Worship Services
GATHERING OF GOD’S PEOPLE
“Gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children so.” – Deuteronomy 4:10
PRELUDE
(As we prepare our hearts for worship let us quiet our hearts and our cell phones.)
Live Stream
Sermon: by Dr. Wilson Smith
Direct YouTube Link
Bulletin/Order of Worship
WELCOME & ANNOUNCEMENTS
CALL TO WORSHIP
INVOCATION
(All Scripture references are from the English Standard Version, ESV, unless otherwise noted.)
Worship through Hymn of Thanksgiving
“Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise” (38)
Verse 1
Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
in light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.
Verse 2
Unresting, unhasting and silent as light,
nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might;
thy justice like mountains high soaring above
thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.
Verse 3
Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;
all praise we would render; O help us to see
’tis only the splendor of light hideth thee!
Worship through Confessional Reading
Heidelberg Catechism Lord’s Day 1
1.Q What is your only comfort in life and in death?
A. That I, with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ; who with His precious blood has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, wherefore by His Holy Spirit He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me heartily willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto Him.
2.Q How many things are necessary for you to know, that you in this comfort may live and die happily?
A. Three, the first, how great my sins and misery are; the second, how I am delivered from all my sins and misery; and third, how I am thankful to God for such deliverance.
Worship Through Songs of Praise:
“Christ Our Hope In Life And Death”
Verse 1
What is our hope in life and death
Christ alone Christ alone
What is our only confidence
That our souls to Him belong
Who holds our days within His hand
What comes apart from His command
And what will keep us to the end
The love of Christ in which we stand
Chorus
O sing hallelujah
Our hope springs eternal
O sing hallelujah
Now and ever we confess
Christ our hope in life and death
Verse 2
What truth can calm the troubled soul
God is good God is good
Where is His grace and goodness known
In our great Redeemer’s blood
Who holds our faith when fears arise
Who stands above the stormy trial
Who sends the waves that bring us nigh
Unto the shore the rock of Christ
(Chorus)
Verse 3
Unto the grave what will we sing
Christ He lives Christ He lives
And what reward will heaven bring
Everlasting life with Him
There we will rise to meet the Lord
Then sin and death will be destroyed
And we will feast in endless joy
When Christ is ours forevermore
(Chorus – 2x)
“Mighty to Save“
Verse 1
Ev’ryone needs compassion
Love that’s never failing
Let mercy fall on me
Ev’ryone needs forgiveness
The kindness of a Saviour
The hope of nations
Chorus
Saviour He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever Author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave
Verse 2
So take me as You find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Ev’rything I believe in
Now I surrender
(Chorus)
Bridge
Shine your light and let the whole world see
We’re singing
For the glory of the risen King
Jesus
Shine your light and let the whole world see
We’re singing
For the glory of the risen King
(Chorus – 2x)
PASTORAL PRAYER
….Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive 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.
WORSHIP THROUGH TITHES AND OFFERINGS
Offertory Song:
“Open The Eyes Of My Heart”
Chorus (2x)
Open the eyes of my heart Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
I want to see You
Verse
To see You high and lifted up
Shining in the light of Your glory
Pour out Your power and love
As we sing holy holy holy
Chorus (2x)
Children Released to Children’s Church
Worship through Exposition of God’s Word: Jesus’ Most Important Work
Dr. Wilson Smith
Mark 6:1-13
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
1 He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2 And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” 5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went about among the villages teaching.
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles
7 And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— 9 but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. 10 And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. 11 And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” 12 So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.
Worship through Hymn of Commitment:
“Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling” (479)
Verse 1
Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
calling for you and for me;
see, on the portals he’s waiting and watching,
watching for you and for me.
Chorus
Come home, come home,
ye who are weary, come home;
earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home!
Verse 2
Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading,
pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not his mercies,
mercies for you and for me?
(Chorus)
Verse 4
Oh! for the wonderful love he has promised
promised for you and for me;
though we have sinned, he has mercy and pardon,
pardon for you and for me.
(Chorus)
Benediction
Doxology: Hymn #731
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise him, all creatures here below;
Praise him above, ye heav’ly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Worship Through Tithes and Offerings
Click or Scan Me To Give, or place tithe in box at back table in sanctuary.
THIS WEEK AND UPCOMING EVENTS
SMALL GROUPS TODAY:
Whittle/Dickinson Group: Meeting with the larger church body at the Church Luncheon after worship.
Mitchell/Forlaw Group: Meeting with the larger church body at the Church Luncheon after worship.
NEW! Missions Small Group for Everyone, Thursday October 7th: Every 1st and 3rd Thursday evening from 7-8 PM. This Small Group meets this week, October 21st at The Dickinson’s home; (the group rotates location and meets in various member’s homes). This Small Group led by Teaching Elder Tom Myers and Ruling Elder Gary Brittain is sponsored by the Missions Committee, but everyone is invited. This task oriented group spends the 1st 30 minutes in prayer and study the Word of God, and the second thirty minutes to prepare for the Missions Conference on November 5th, 6th, and 7th. Theme or memory verses for next meeting: 2 Corinthians 9:6, Acts 1:8. The group will have its last meeting on November 11th.
MISSIONS CONFERENCE with Dr. Harry Reeder
The Missions Conference will be on November 5th, 6th, and 7th and will continue the theme, “Across the Street, and Across the Sea”. This year’s emphasis will be: “The Purpose, Mission, Vision, and Ministry of the Church”. WE ARE in the fight for VR! The November 5th, Friday Evening meal and service will be at the Villa Rica Amphitheater, weather permitting. Anchor Speaker: Dr. Harry Reeder
PRAYER CARDS
Please complete the prayer request form in the right margin of this page, or if on your phone, scroll to the bottom of the page to find the form. There are also index cards next to the bulletins on the tables in the back. Pastor Tom would like to know how he can pray for you. You may enter your request in the form on this page, put them in the offering box, or hand them to Pastor Tom.
MISSIONARY OF THE MONTH
Please be in prayer for our missionary of the month.
HYMN SINGING
Join us for hymn sing to Linda Clark after the service.
Welcome All! Just Come!
CHURCH LUNCHEON!
There will be a potluck lunch following the service on the 3rd Sunday of each month. That’s next week, October 17th. Bring a dish to share. This is a time of fellowship with old and new friends. Visitors are welcome! There is always plenty of food.
NEW MEMBERS CLASS
A three week new member’s class will be held on October 31st, November 14th and 17th . Josh Whittle and Tom Myers will be leading this class.
(Please Stand As Able)
This Week in Our Church Life
HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL NATIONS
Prayer Group now meets via Zoom at 7 PM.
Call the church office for info.
WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY
Wednesdays at 10am, PRECEPT BIBLE STUDY
A 10-week ladies precept Bible study began on Sept. 8th at 10am. The group is studying the 7 Churches of Revelation. Contact Debby Morgan for more info. If childcare is needed contact Jeanie Forlaw.
Other Resources
Kingdom Outreach: See our Missions and Outreach Page
What is Happening this Week, this Month? Visit our This Week page.
A YEAR IN TABLETALK
You are invited to join us in reading through Tabletalk devotions for the year of 2021. January’s edition will be available by the offering box in the Sanctuary. You can purchase a subscription by calling 1-800-435-4343 or by visiting the Table Talk website. You can also begin a free subscription through the website.
Continue to pray and encourage one another.1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
COVID protocols: The leadership strongly recommends that everyone wear a mask in common areas when not seated for worship or Sunday school. We understand that many of us have been vaccinated, or have antibodies from getting the virus, and may not want to wear masks anymore. We would urge you to do so for any among us that are in poor health and susceptible to a severe reaction, or have a condition that does not allow them to be vaccinated. Currently the hospitals in Georgia are at capacity and we don’t want to add to the strain on their resources. Current reports are that this strain of the virus may start declining soon so we are hopeful that this strong recommendation will only be in effect until the end of September.
Philippians 2:3-4
(ESV) Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
The Elders and Deacons of First Presbyterian Church of Villa Rica.
Secondary Resources for Further Study
(The Bible itself being the only Living, Infallible, Sufficient, and Authoritative rule of faith and practice.)
W.M.F Chapter 18 Of Assurance of Grace and Salvation
Although hypocrites and other unregenerate men may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions of being in the favor of God, and estate of salvation (which hope of theirs shall perish): yet such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus, and love him in sincerity, endeavoring to walk in all good conscience before him, may, in this life, be certainly assured that they are in the state of grace, and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, which hope shall never make them ashamed. 2. This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion grounded upon a fallible hope; but an infallible assurance of faith founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation, the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made, the testimony of the Spirit of adoption witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God, which Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance, whereby we are sealed to the day of redemption. 3. This infallible assurance doth not so belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer may wait long, and conflict with many difficulties, before he be partaker of it: yet, being enabled by the Spirit to know the things which are freely given him of God, he may without extraordinary revelation, in the right use of ordinary means, attain thereunto. l And therefore it is the duty of everyone to give all diligence to make his calling and election sure, m that thereby his heart may be enlarged in peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, in love and thankfulness to God, and in strength and cheerfulness in the duties of obedience, the proper fruits of this assurance; so far is it from inclining men to looseness. 4. True believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers ways shaken, diminished, and intermitted; as, by negligence in preserving of it, by falling into some special sin which woundeth the conscience and grieveth the Spirit; by some sudden or vehement temptation, by God’s withdrawing the light of his countenance, and suffering even such as fear him to walk in darkness and to have no light: yet are they never utterly destitute of that seed of God, and life of faith, that love of Christ and the brethren, that sincerity of heart, and conscience of duty, out of which, by the operation of the Spirit, this assurance may, in due time, be revived; and by the which, in the meantime, they are supported from utter despair.
Isaiah 53
Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.
Canons Of Dort
The first main point of doctrine, divine election and reprobation
Article 1: God’s Right to Condemn All People
Since all people have sinned in Adam and have come under the sentence of the curse and eternal death, God would have done no one an injustice if it had been his will to leave the entire human race in sin and under the curse, and to condemn them on account of their sin. As the apostle says: “The whole world is liable to the condemnation of God” (Rom. 3:19), “All have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23), and “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23).
Article 2: The Manifestation of God’s Love
But this is how God showed his love: he sent his only begotten Son into the world, so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (1 John 4:9; John 3:16).
Article 3: The Preaching of the Gospel
In order that people may be brought to faith, God mercifully sends messengers of this very joyful message to the people and at the time he wills. By this ministry people are called to repentance and faith in Christ crucified. For “how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without someone preaching? And how shall they preach unless they have been sent?” (Rom. 10:14-15).
Article 4: A Twofold Response to the Gospel
God’s wrath remains on those who do not believe this gospel. But those who do accept it and embrace Jesus the Savior with a true and living faith are delivered through him from God’s wrath and from destruction, and receive the gift of eternal life.
Westminster Confession of Faith
Chapter 10 of Effectual calling
1.All those whom God has predestined to life, and only those, he is pleased to effectually call at his appointed and accepted time, by his Word and Spirit, out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature, to come to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ. In this call, he enlightens their minds spiritually, in a way effective to salvation, so that they understand the things of God. He takes away their heart of stone and gives to them a heart of flesh; he renews their wills; and by his almighty power he makes them determined to do what is good. This effectually draws them to Jesus Christ, yet in such a way that they come completely freely, being made willing by his grace.
2. This effectual call comes entirely from God’s free and special grace, not from anything at all foreseen in the person, who is completely passive in it until, being made alive and renewed by the Holy Spirit, he is enabled by it to answer the call and to embrace the grace offered and conveyed in it.
PRAYER
We are able to talk to God. He speaks verbally to us in His Word and nonverbally through His obvious providence. We commune with Him through prayer. Charles Hodge declared that “prayer is the converse of the soul with God.” In and through prayer we express our reverence and adoration for God; we bare our souls in contrite confession before Him; we pour out the thanksgiving of grateful hearts, and we offer our petitions and supplications to Him.
In prayer we experience God as personal and powerful. He can hear us and act in response. Scripture teaches both the sovereign foreordination of God and the efficacy of prayer. The two are not inconsistent with one another, for God ordains the means as well as the ends for His divine purposes. Prayer is a means God uses to bring His sovereign will to pass.
Prayer is to be addressed to God alone, either to God as Triune or to the distinct persons of the Godhead. To pray to creatures is idolatry.
Proper prayer has several requisites. The first is that we approach God with sincerity. Empty and insincere phrases are a mockery to Him. Such prayer, far from being an exercise of godly religion, is an offense against God.
The second is that we approach God with reverence. In prayer we must always remember to whom we are speaking. To address God in a cavalier, casual, or flippant manner, as we might speak with our earthly friends, is to treat Him with the contempt of familiarity. As people pay homage to a king or entering his presence with a posture of respect and obeisance, so we come before God in full recognition of His supreme majesty.
The third requisite, which follows from the previous ones, is that we approach God in humility. Not only must we remember who He is, but we must also remember who and what we are. We are His adopted children. We are also sinful creatures. He invites us to come boldly before Him, but never arrogantly.
God instructs us to be earnest and fervent in our requests. At the same time, we come in willful submission. To say “Your will be done” is not an indication of a lack of faith. The faith we bring to prayer must include a trust that God is able to hear our prayers and that He is disposed to answer them. Yet when God says no to our request, this faith also trusts in His wisdom. God’s wisdom and benevolence must always and everywhere be assumed by those who entreat Him with petitions.
We pray in the name of Jesus because we do thereby acknowledge His office as mediator. As our High Priest, Christ is our intercessor even as the Holy Spirit is our helper in prayer.
Heidelberg Catechism:
Lord’s Day 10
Q&A 27
Q. What do you understand by the providence of God?
A. The almighty and ever present power of God1 by which God upholds, as with his hand, heaven and earth and all creatures,2 and so rules them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty—3all things, in fact, come to us not by chance4 but by his fatherly hand.5
Q&A 28
Q. How does the knowledge of God’s creation and providence help us?
A. We can be patient when things go against us,1 thankful when things go well,2 and for the future we can have good confidence in our faithful God and Father that nothing in creation will separate us from his love.3 For all creatures are so completely in God’s hand that without his will they can neither move nor be moved.
Lord’s Day 45
- Q 116. Why is prayer necessary for Christians?
A. Because it is the chief part of thankfulness which God requires of us; and also, because God will give His grace and Holy Spirit to those only who with sincere desires continually ask them of Him, and are thankful for them. - Q 117. What are the requisites of that prayer which is acceptable to God and which He will hear?
A. First, that we from the heart pray to the one true God only, who hath manifested Himself in His Word, for all things He hath commanded us to ask of Him; secondly, that we rightly and thoroughly know our need and misery, that so we may deeply humble ourselves in the presence of His divine majesty; thirdly, that we be fully persuaded that He, notwithstanding that we are unworthy of it, will, for the sake of Christ our Lord, certainly hear our prayer, as He has promised us in His Word. - Q118. What hath God commanded us to ask of Him?
A. All things necessary for soul and body, which Christ our Lord has comprised in that prayer He Himself has taught us. - Q119. What are the words of that prayer?
A. Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive 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.
CHAPTER XVIII Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation
- Although hypocrites and other unregenerate people may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and fleshly presumptions of being in God’s favor and in a state of salvation (a hope of theirs that will perish), yet people who truly believe in the Lord Jesus and love him in sincerity, trying to walk in all good conscience before him, may be assured with certainty in this life that they are in the state of grace, and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, a hope that will never make them ashamed.
- This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable belief grounded on a fallible hope, but a confident assurance of faith founded on
- the divine truth of the promises of salvation,
- the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made,
- and the testimony of the Spirit of adoption witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God.
This Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, by which we are sealed to the day of redemption.
- This confident assurance does not belong to the essence of faith, so that a true believer may wait a long time and come into conflict with many difficulties before he partakes of it. Yet, being enabled by the Spirit to know the things that are freely given to him by God, a person may attain it, without extraordinary revelation, in the right use of ordinary means. Therefore it is the duty of each person to give great diligence to make sure of his calling and selection by God, so that by it his heart may be enlarged in peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, in love and thankfulness to God, and in strength and cheerfulness in the duties of obedience, which are the proper fruits of this assurance. Thus this assurance is far from inclining people to looseness.
- True believers may have the assurance of their salvation shaken in various ways, diminished, and cease for a time,
-
- by negligence in preserving it,
- by falling into some special sin which wounds the conscience and grieves the Spirit;
- by some sudden or vehement temptation,
- or by God’s withdrawing the light of his face, allowing even those who fear him to walk in darkness and to have no light.
Yet are they never utterly destitute of the seed of God, the life of faith, the love of Christ and the brethren, sincerity of heart, and consciousness of duty, all of which the operation of the Spirit may use to revive this assurance in due time. In the meantime, they are supported by the Spirit from utter despair.
Sunday Schedule:
Nursery Provided 1000-1200 AM
1000-1045 Bible Study for all Ages
1045-1100 Break
1100-1200 Worship (Sanctuary & Fellowship Hall), , plus online live-stream.
We thank the Lord for His faithfulness to us and for His hand of protection. Thank you for your support, encouragement and love for each other during these challenging times.
May we continue to labor together in love for the sake of the gospel and God’s kingdom,
The Session
10:00-10:45 Adult Bible Study in the Fellowship Hall, other ages in various classrooms. (Nursery Provided)
10:45-11:00 Break
11:00-12:00 Worship (Sanctuary, plus live-stream). Fellowship Hall live stream available for overflow and physical distancing.
Children’s Church (Large Classroom)
Nursery Provided 1000 to 1200 AM
If you or your child have flu-like symptoms or a fever, please stay home and enjoy the Online Bulletin and Live-Stream.
We thank you for your prayers, for the willingness you have shown to be diligent in worship, and for your support of FPCVR.
Prayerfully, The Session
