Welcome
Let us come into God’s presence with thankfulness and gladness. We have the privilege and responsibility to worship the one true God. We are his people and we are united by our shared faith and mutual covenant. Take your time with this liturgy. Remember the other members of our church that are worshiping in their homes. Follow the prompts as you lead and participate in household worship.
Call to Worship
Joshua 24:19-20, 16-18, 14-15
Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.”
Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. And the Lord drove out [from] before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”
[Joshua declared,] “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
New City Catechism
Please read aloud these three questions and answers
Where is Christ now?
Christ rose bodily from the grave on the third day after his death and is seated at the right hand of the Father, ruling his kingdom and interceding for us, until he returns to judge and renew the whole world.
Of what advantage to us is Christ’s ascension?
Christ physically ascended on our behalf, just as he came down to earth physically on our account, and he is now advocating for us in the presence of his Father, preparing a place for us, and also sends us his Spirit.
What hope does everlasting life hold for us?
It reminds us that this present fallen world is not all there is; soon we will live with and enjoy God forever in the new city, in the new heaven and the new earth, where we will be fully and forever freed from all sin and will inhabit renewed, resurrection bodies in a renewed, restored creation.
Tithes & Offerings
We are still taking offerings online. If you prefer to write a check you can mail it to our church address. While we are not meeting in person, we need your generosity in order to fulfill our financial obligations. Contributions to FBCC go towards our weekly needs, serving our neighbors, and supporting SBC missionaries across the world.
Additionally, we know this is a time of economic hardship for many. David Bracewell chairs our Benevolence committee, which exists to help members of the church and our community who are in need. If you are in need of assistance, please don’t hesitate to email him or the church office at admin@fbccatl.com
Prayer
This prayer has been adapted from a liturgy written in 1567. It was designed for use on Sunday before the sermon. It is rather lengthy. May it not overwhelm, but assist, as you come before the throne of God.
Pray along as one member of your household reads and prays this prayer aloud.
Eternal Father, from the depths of our hearts we humble ourselves before your high Majesty, against which we have sinned so frequently and heinously. We confess that -if you desired to bring us to judgement- we deserve nothing but eternal death.
Due to original sin, we are all impure and children of wrath, conceived in iniquity and born in unrighteousness. Therefore, all kinds of evil lusts are dwelling in us, waging war against you and our neighbors. In addition to this original sin, we have frequently and perpetually transgressed your commandments with our deeds - neglecting what you have commanded and doing what you have clearly forbidden. We have gone astray like sheep and have greatly sinned against you.
This we confess and truly regret.
Indeed, we confess to our utter futility and to the praise of your mercy toward us - we confess that our sins exceed the number of hairs on our head! We owe a penalty which we could never hope to repay! Therefore, we are not worthy to be called your children, nor to lift our eyes to heaven and speak our prayers before you.
And yet, O LORD God and merciful Father, knowing that you do not desire the death of a sinner - but that such a one may repent and live! And knowing that you show boundless mercy toward those who turn to you; we call upon you in faith directed toward our Mediator and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
We implore you to have compassion for our weakness and to forgive all our sins for Christ’s sake.
Wash us in the pure fountain of his blood, that we may become clean and white as snow.
Cover our nakedness with his blamelessness and righteousness for the glory of your name.
Purify our minds of all blindness and our hearts of all mischief and stubbornness.
And now, open the mouth of your servant and fill him with your wisdom and knowledge so that he may proclaim your Word purely and frankly. And also prepare our hearts so that we may hear, understand, and keep your Word. According to your promise, write your laws on the tablets of our hearts and give us the inclination and strength to walk in them, to the praise and glory of your name and for the edification of your church.
Amen.
Scripture Reading
Today’s passage is Romans 6:15-23. Please read it before continuing to today’s sermon.
Sermon
Closing Song
Benediction
Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him, all creatures here below
Praise Him above the Heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost
Amen
Resources
During this time when we are apart, one of the things that we miss out on is singing together. While we will have songs built into our "worship at home" service each week, I wanted to share a couple of other ways that you can listen to/sing along with the songs we are accustomed to singing throughout the week.
I have created YouTube and Spotify playlists with each of our songs. May God bless you as you continue to sing throughout the week
It is our hope that, while we are apart, you will continue to invest in your walk with God. Each week, we will provide some ideas for some passages of scripture to study along with a devotional. This week, you can visit https://www.desiringgod.org/solid-joys each day to read a short devotional that will hopefully nourish your soul.
Feedback
As the Deacons meet over the next couple of weeks to discuss when and how to resume services, what are some things that you want to make sure we are thinking and praying about in our planning?