Morning Worship for March 29, 2020

Sunday Morning Worship Service, March 29, 2020

Beloved Congregation of Seacrest,

With the changes in Palm Beach County directives, we are not able to gather for worship at the church for the present.  But let me encourage you to  remember that the Lord’s Day is to be kept holy to the Lord.

On the web-site, www.seacrestchurch.com, we have posted a worship service format that you can follow both for the morning and the evening worship services.  So whether we are together or apart, we will be worshipping the Lord our God in unity, joining in a chorus of praise to God.

You do not have to use this format, God did not prescribe a fixed format for worship.  But we believe the following elements ought to be present in our worship and we hope that this format will prove to be a helpful tool.  The goal of our worship is the glory of God.

Call to Worship:  On your own, or together with your family, read the call to worship.  You may find it beneficial to read it out loud.  Let the words of the Scripture draw your heart and mind near to God.

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” ²⁸ And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, ²⁹ for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. (Matt. 7:24-29 ESV)

Invocation:  Spend a few minutes in prayer.  The word invocation comes from a Latin word invocare which means to call upon or to appeal to.  So in the invocation, we call upon our Father (Matthew 6:9), acknowledging that He is God, confessing that we trust Him.  Ask Him to lead you by his Spirit in worship through the intercession of Jesus Christ.

Sing:  Singing is an important part of worship.  God desires it, (Psalm 96:1-2).  We will be including the words of several familiar hymns.  I urge you to lift up your voice and Sing to the Lord, bless his name, tell of his salvation from day to day.

I Am Thine, O Lord, I Have Heard Thy Voice
By Fanny Crosby

I am thine, O Lord, I have heard thy voice,
and it told thy love to me;
but I long to rise in the arms of faith
and be closer drawn to thee.

Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
to the cross where thou hast died.
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
to thy precious, bleeding side.

Consecrate me now to thy service, Lord,
by the power of grace divine;
let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
and my will be lost in thine.
(Refrain)

O the pure delight of a single hour
that before thy throne I spend,
when I kneel in prayer, and with thee, my God,
I commune as friend with friend!
(Refrain)

There are depths of love that I cannot know
till I cross the narrow sea;
there are heights of joy that I may not reach
till I rest in peace with thee.
(Refrain)

Prayer:  Take time for extended prayer.  Don’t forget, prayer is talking with God just as you would talk with an earthly parent who loves you, (See Matthew 6:9-15).  There is a model that God’s people have used for may years that gives a helpful outline for your prayer.  It has been called the ACTS Model:  Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication.

• Adoration: Begin your time of prayer by praising God.  Praise Him for who he is and for all that he has done. (See Psalm 150 for an example)
• Confession: Confession is the act of agreeing with God about the things that we have done wrong.  It is acknowledging what we have done that is displeasing to God.  It includes things done, and things left undone.  It includes our words, thoughts and actions.  Confess them and ask God to forgive you.  Be assured of his promise:  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 Jn. 1:9 ESV)
• Thanksgiving: Take time to be thankful to God.  Sometimes in times of crisis such as these we forget to thank God for his many blessings.  Thank him for your salvation, for his steadfast love, for his protection, his peace and provision, for our Seacrest Church family, to suggest a few things.
• Supplication: This is when you pray regarding your needs and the needs of others.  Prayer for your family, your friends, your pastor, elders and deacons, missionaries, those who are ill.  Pray for the spread of the gospel, and the building up of followers of Christ.  This is also a time when you would pray concerning what is going on in the world, praying for those in authority, the Coronavirus pandemic.  This is also a time to pray for God’s guidance, wisdom, protection, and opportunities to serve Him.

Give:   God calls upon his people to give at least a tithe of our income and other offerings to the work of the Lord through the Church of Jesus Christ.  By doing so we acknowledge that God is the Lord of our life, and that all that we have has come from his hand.   We have recently made available Online Giving at Seacrest.  You can do so by going to https://seacrest.breezechms.com/give/online, and following the directions.

Scripture Reading:    We will be posting the Scripture passage that the sermon will be drawn from.  Don’t forget, as I have often reminded you, God speaks most directly to his people when His Word is read.  Take your time as you read the Scripture.  You may find it helpful to read it out loud, (See Psalm 1).

Psalm 61:1-8

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. Of David. Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; ² from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, ³ for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. ⁴ Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah ⁵ For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. ⁶ Prolong the life of the king; may his years endure to all generations! ⁷ May he be enthroned forever before God; appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him! ⁸ So will I ever sing praises to your name, as I perform my vows day after day.

Sermon:  Pastor Randy and Pastor Jay will continue to prepare and preach sermons for each Lord’s day.  They will be taped and put on the Web-Site for you to be able to listen.   They will be the same sermon that is being preached at the church.  There are archives on the web-site of previous sermons that you may listen to as well,  (See Romans 16:25-27).

Click HERE to listen to the sermon. 

The Text: Psalm 61:1-8.
The Title:  “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I”

Pray:  Pray for your understanding of God’s Word and for wisdom and ability to believe what the Word of God says we should believe, and to do what the Word of God says we should do.

Sing:  Close your time of worship with prayer.

My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less
By Edward Mote

My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

Refrain:
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand,
all other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness veils his lovely face,
I rest on his unchanging grace;
in ev’ry high and stormy gale,
my anchor holds within the veil. [Refrain]

His oath, his covenant, his blood
support me in the whelming flood;
when all around my soul gives way,
he then is all my hope and stay. [Refrain]

When he shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in him be found,
dressed in his righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before the throne. [Refrain]

We will post the Sunday Worship Service on the Web-site on Friday for your use on the Lord’s Day.

Please remember that you are deeply loved by God, (see Romans 8:35-39) and by us, (see Philippians 1:3-10).  If you have particular needs, prayer requests, ideas, or just want to talk, I can be reached either at the church (561) 276-5533, or on my cell phone (561) 704-8333. Pastor Jay can be reached at (561) 309-2623.   If you would like a pastoral visit, please call and we will be happy to set up a time to get together.

May the Lord bless you during these difficult days!