Emmaus City Liturgy – Facets of the Gospel V: New Creation | Renewal in Holiness
For previous sermon series notes, click on the links below:
- Titus: Growing in Grace and Good Deeds // January 5 – February 16, 2014
- Genesis: Covenant & Kingdom // March 9 – June 15, 2014
- Facets of the Gospel I, II, III, IV: Redemption, Justification, Union in Christ, Adoption // July 6, 13, 27, & August 3 2014
This post will feature themes, verses, hymns and songs (audio and lyrics), and prayers that complement the sermon text. Key notes from the sermons will also be included.
Curious to know more? Want to spend some time with us? Don't hesitate. Contact us and come join us. In the meantime, enjoy the readings and listening to the songs below.
WORSHIP THROUGH PRAYER AND LAMENT
Pray for Ferguson, MO and Iraq
Pray and Lament Psalm 90
Prayer of Thanksgiving and The Lord’s Prayer
From Jesus in Matthew 6:9-13
Our Father in heaven, may Your name be kept holy.
May Your Kingdom come, may Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Our Father in heaven, may Your name be kept holy.
May Your Kingdom come, may Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today the food we need, and
Forgive us our sins as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from evil.
And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from evil.
(For Yours is the Kingdom, the power and the glory forever. Amen.)
All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing
O praise Him! Allelujah!
Thou, burning sun with golden beam,
Thou, silver moon with softer gleam.
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Allelujah! Allelujah! Allelujah!
Let all things their Creator bless
And worship Him in humbleness.
O praise Him! Allelujah!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son
And praise the Spirit, Three-in-One.
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Allelujah! Allelujah! Allelujah!
All the redeemed washed by His blood
Come and rejoice in His great love.
O praise Him! Allelujah!
Christ has defeated every sin.
Cast all your burdens now on Him.
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Allelujah! Allelujah! Allelujah!
He shall return in pow’r to reign
Heaven and earth will join to say
O praise Him! Allelujah!
Then who shall fall on bended knee?
All creatures of our God and King
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Allelujah! Allelujah! Allelujah!
Worthy is the
Lamb who was slain,
Holy, Holy, is He!
Sing a new song, to Him who sits on
Heaven's Mercy Seat!
(Repeat 2x)
Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come!
With all creation I sing:
Praise to the King of Kings!
You are my everything,
And I will adore You!
Clothed in rainbows, of living color
Flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder.
Blessing and honor, strength and
Glory and power be
To You the Only Wise King!
(Repeat chorus)
Flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder.
Blessing and honor, strength and
Glory and power be
To You the Only Wise King!
(Repeat chorus)
Filled with wonder,
Awestruck wonder
At the mention of Your Name!
Jesus, Your Name is Power
Breath, and Living Water
Such a marvelous mystery!
(Repeat chorus 2x)
WORSHIP THROUGH LISTENING
Facets of the Gospel V // New Creation | Renewal in Holiness
Sermon Notes
What was William Wilberforce’s motivation to
end slavery 25 years into a 40-year fight to end slavery: “Because Jesus is
coming back.”
"Thus says the Lord: 'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things My hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at My Word.'" – Isaiah 66:1-2
"Thus says the Lord: 'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things My hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at My Word.'" – Isaiah 66:1-2
- Do we look to Jesus return for our hope? Is "Christ in us the hope of glory" that fuels our lives?
- Are we humble and tremble at His Word?
1) Experiencing New Creation | Who do we look to? Our Holy God and His Holy Word
The
Tree of Life (“Greatest Film Scene”) creation sequence:
Where were You? Did You know? Who are we to You? Answer me.
(Lacrimosa means “weeping” – a Requiem mass (“Remembering”)
Where were You? Did You know? Who are we to You? Answer me.
(Lacrimosa means “weeping” – a Requiem mass (“Remembering”)
Scripture Reading
3:17 Now the Lord is the
Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all,
with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into
the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the
Lord who is the Spirit. 4:1 Therefore,
having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have
renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by
the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's
conscience in the sight of God. … 16 So we do not
lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. … 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed
away; behold, the new has come. – 2 Corinthians 3:17-4:2, 16; 5:17
- Do we believe in a God who can create life out of nothing with His Spirit and His Word (first refrain: good, good, very good)?
- Do we believe that His holy kingdom with His holy bride and His holy dwelling in the new creation will be more amazing than the beginning (final refrain: holy, holy, holy)?
- If our God is this powerful, do we believe He can make us more like Jesus (i.e. more holy) right now, abundantly increasing His holiness in us in light of the new creation He has started in us?
“The power of God through the
Spirit of God is unquestionably the deepest source of all true change, whether
of people or cultures. Because of the Word of God, through whom the universe
itself sprang into being, and because of the Spirit of God, who moves like the
wind to create and to sustain, we can affirm with confidence that no change is impossible,
no resistance is immovable, and no possible futures are beyond our reach. By
faith we can remove mountains, and our first, last and greatest contribution is
our trust in the One who does what matters and does what it takes. God’s power
is beyond question, and our full and final trust must always be in the Word and
the Spirit, the whole Word and the Spirit, and nothing less than the Word and
the Spirit. … when followers of Jesus
live out the gospel in the world, as we are called to do, we become an
incarnation of the truth of the gospel, and an expression of the character and
shape of its truth. It is this living-in-truth that proves culturally powerful.
… For the church, the judgment
that transcends history is the Word of God inspired by the Spirit of God,
spoken in Jesus through the Holy Spirit and now speaking in the Scriptures.
Again, what is all-decisive is the Word, the whole Word and nothing less than
the Word. To be sure, the church’s understanding of the Word and Spirit of God
is always shaped in part by the culture of its time, and is sometimes fatally
distorted by that culture. But the Word and the Spirit of God are themselves
above all cultures, so when they speak with their own divine authority, they
can break into culture irresistibly and penetrate the culture-blindness and the
culture-bound captivity of the church at its worst. They can make even the tone
deaf to hear and the culturally dead to awake. It is that supreme power and
authority of the Word of God – powerful, objective and standing above the flux
and flow of history and human culture – which is the truth source of Christian
self-criticism and the true hope of ongoing Christian renewal.” –
Os Guinness, Renaissance: The Power of
the Gospel However Dark the Times, pgs. 74-75, 81-82
2) Experiencing New Creation | Who do we walk with? God's Holy Spirit with His Holy People
"The word 'holy' occurs more than 600 times in the Bible, more than 700 when you include derivative words like holiness, sanctify, and sanctification. You can't make sense of the Bible without understanding that God is holy and that this holy God is intent on making a holy people to live with him forever in a holy heaven. ... We are called to be holy because God is holy (Leviticus 11:44-45; 19:2; 1 Peter 1:15-16). Our holy God sets us apart to live in a way that reflects, however imperfectly, his holiness." – Kevin DeYoung, The Hole in Our Holiness: Fill the Gap Between Gospel Passion and the Pursuit of Godliness, pgs. 31-32
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” – John the Baptizer (Matthew 3:11, Luke 3:16)
“I want a fire that could
burn me clean / Light the sky with my black-eyed dreams / And let my soul fly /
And let my soul fly / I want a fire burning down the door / Let the wounds of
my embers soar / And let my soul fly / And let my soul fly … I believe You're
the fire that could burn me clean (x 12) … “ – Switchfoot
12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the
mercies of God, to present your bodies
as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual
worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the
renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and acceptable and perfect. … 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in
spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in
prayer. – Romans 12:1-2, 11-12
“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began” – 2 Timothy 1:8-9
Scripture Reading
Hebrews 12
28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire. – Hebrews 12:28-29
28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire. – Hebrews 12:28-29
- Do we believe Someone holy is residing in you?
- Are you willing to strive with Him, like Jesus did, and see how God provides discipline that prepares you for loving God and loving your neighbor as Jesus did?
- Do you understand how striving in holiness can prepare you to be a sent one of God?
14 I have given them
your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just
as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that
you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of
the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent
them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be
sanctified in truth. – Jesus (John 17:14-19)
"'Nothing good of the Spirit ever comes naturally or easily.' … the reality is that living this way means you don’t get what your flesh wants. You don’t get to keep all the money. You don’t get to do whatever you want with your time. You have to share your house, your stuff, your money, your kids. You have to exchange your ambitions for God's, your kingdom for his, and you must be available for God to interrupt your nicely scheduled day with needs that will cause you to pull your hair out. The principle is indisputable: the great things of God cost us our life. The more missional you want to be, the more incarnational you’re willing to be, (the more like Jesus you’re called and commanded to be) … the more you’ll have to die to your self." – Hugh Halter and Matt Smay, AND: The Gathered and Scattered Church, pg. 80
3 ... “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” 8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” – Isaiah 6:3-8
3) Experiencing New Creation | Who do we look to and what do we look forward to? The Holy King United with His Holy Bride
“ ... Christ loved the
church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water
with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor,
without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy
and without blemish.” – Ephesians 5:25-27
"If holiness looks like the restoration of the image of God in us, then it shouldn't be surprising that holiness also looks like Christlikeness, for Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15) and the exact imprint of his nature (Hebrews 1:3). The whole goal of our salvation is that we should be conformed to the image of God's Son (Romans 8:29). We see in Jesus the best, most practical, most human example of what it means to be holy. He is our model for love (John 13:34), our model for humility (Philippians 2:5-8), our model for facing temptation (Hebrews 4:15), our model for steadfastness in the midst of suffering (1 Peter 4:1-2), and our model for obedience to the Father (John 6:38; 14:31). We see all the virtues of holiness perfectly aligned in Christ. He was always gentle, but never soft. He was bold, but never brash. He was pure, but never prudish. He was full of mercy but not at the expense of justice. He was full of truth but not at the expense of grace. In everything he was submissive to his heavenly Father, and he gave everything for his sheep. He obeyed his parents, kept the law of God, and forgave his enemies. He never lusted, never coveted, and never lied. In all that Jesus Christ did, during his whole life and especially as his life came to an end, he loved God with his whole being and loved his neighbor as himself. " – Kevin DeYoung, The Hole in Our Holiness: Fill the Gap Between Gospel Passion and the Pursuit of Godliness, pgs. 46-47
"For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son ... " – Romans 8:29
WORSHIP THROUGH COMMUNION
2014 A.D.
There is no other so sure and steady.
My hope is held in Your hand.
When castles crumble and breath is fleeting,
When castles crumble and breath is fleeting,
Upon this rock i will stand. (x2)
Glory, glory, we have no other king
But Jesus Lord of all.
Raise the anthem, our loudest praises ring –
We crown Him Lord of all.
Glory, glory, we have no other king
But Jesus Lord of all.
Raise the anthem, our loudest praises ring –
We crown Him Lord of all.
Your kindly rule has shattered and
Broken the curse of sin's tyranny.
My life is hidden 'neath Heaven's shadow,
Your crimson flood covers me. (x2)
(Chorus Repeat)
In all my sorrows, Jesus is better – make my heart believe.
In all my victories, Jesus is better – make my heart believe.
Than any comfort, Jesus is better – make my heart believe.
More than all riches, Jesus is better – make my heart believe.
Our souls declaring, Jesus is better – make my heart believe.
Our song eternal, Jesus is better – make my heart believe.
(Chorus Repeat 2x)
(Chorus Repeat)
In all my sorrows, Jesus is better – make my heart believe.
In all my victories, Jesus is better – make my heart believe.
Than any comfort, Jesus is better – make my heart believe.
More than all riches, Jesus is better – make my heart believe.
Our souls declaring, Jesus is better – make my heart believe.
Our song eternal, Jesus is better – make my heart believe.
(Chorus Repeat 2x)
Benediction
"May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit." – 2 Corinthians 13:14
– Sully
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