Sunday, January 17, 2021
Saturday, January 16, 2021
Video: 1-17-21 THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT - "Come Thou Fount"
1-17-21 Sermon “THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT: “Come Thou Fount"
As we worship together "from house to house," we are humbled by the level of blessing our God has lavished upon us. We can certainly count our blessings.
WORSHIP
PRAYER
THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT - "Come Thou Fount"
THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT - "Come Thou Fount" - 1-17-21
INTRODUCTION
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ."
2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NIV
The importance of understanding the Word
"And every man that striveth in the games exerciseth self-control in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, as not uncertainly; so fight I, as not beating the air: but I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected."
1 Corinthians 9:25-27 ASV
‘I "buffet" my body’
Give me more
Come Thou Fount
Come thou font of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing thy grace
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount
I'm fixed upon it
Mount of thy redeeming love
Here I raise my Ebenezer
Hither by thy help I'm come
And I hope by thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood
O to grace how how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to thee
Prone to wander Lord I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for thy courts above
I. OUR RESPONSE TO GOD'S GRACE
A. Give me more
1. Blessing
2. Grace
3. Mercy
B. Sing a song
Sing by The Carpenters
Sing, sing a song
Sing out loud
Sing out strong
Sing of good things not bad
Sing of happy not sad.
Sing, sing a song
Make it simple to last Your whole life long
Don't worry that it's not
Good enough for anyone
Else to hear
Just sing, sing a song.
Sing, sing a song
Let the world sing along
Sing of love there could be
Sing for you and for me.
Sing, sing a song
Make it simple to last
Your whole life long
Don't worry that it's not
Good enough for anyone
Else to hear
Just sing, sing a song.
When Paula said, "Yes." First date, proposal, marriage, my heart sang
"Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Ephesians 5:15-20 NIV
1. Psalms
2. Hymns
3. Spiritual songs
Hannah's song of praise 1 Samuel 2:1-10
Levite's song of praise 1 Chronicles 16:8-36
Hezekiah's song of praise Isaiah 38:10-20
Completion of the temple Ezra 3:11
Mary's song of praise Luke 1:46-55
Zachariah's song of praise Luke 1:68-79
The Angels song of praise Luke 2:14
C. We are commanded to sing heartfelt songs of thanksgiving to God
II. OUR RESPONSE TO OUR NEED
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
Psalm 91:1-16 NIV
A. God is our refuge
B. God is our deliverer
My Deliverer is Coming by The Ragamuffin Band
III. OUR RESPONSE TO OUR DILEMMA
Wandering "heart"-itis
A. A Decision
1. "Set our hearts"
"For Ezra had set his heart to seek the law of Jehovah, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and ordinances."
Ezra 7:10 ASV
B. A Commitment
Joshua leading God's people into the promised land
"Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:7-9 NIV
1. Know God's Word
2. Do God's Word - Do What You Know
3. Teach God’s Word
CONCLUSION
Ezra knew, practiced, and taught God’s Word. We should do the same.
CHALLENGE
“Keep Kenwood Connected” - over the month of January our challenges will relate to connecting with one another. This is "phone a friend" week. Call and speak with 3 people from your Kenwood family this week.
INVITATION
It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word. You may want to follow Jesus. You may want to proclaim your faith. You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things). Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church. If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, I would be honored to speak with you in the upper parking lot following the service about what God is doing in your life.
Monday, January 11, 2021
Saturday, January 9, 2021
Video: 1-10-21 THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT - "I Need Thee Every Hour"
1-10-21 Sermon “THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT: “I Need Thee Every Hour”
As we worship together "from house to house," we are aware of our need, our need for you.
WORSHIP
PRAYER
THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT - "I Need Thee Every Hour"
THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT - "I Need Thee Every Hour" - 1-10-21
INTRODUCTION
Tears-When was the last time you cried to God for help?
Philip Yancey had been told "Read the psalms for comfort" but when he did he would wind up reading one of the "wintriest psalms" and end up feeling "frostily depressed."
Example
Your wrath has swept over me; your terrors have destroyed me. All day long they surround me like a flood; they have completely engulfed me. You have taken from me friend and neighbor— darkness is my closest friend. (Psalm 88:16-18 NIV)
The psalter is not a book about God, but a book written to God, someone else's prayer journal.
"I Need Thee Every Hour"
I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.
Refrain:
I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.
I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their pow’r when Thou art nigh.
I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide, or life is vain.
I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.
I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;
Oh, make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son.
Refrain:
I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.
I. LAMENT
A. A good cry
Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you. I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. (Psalm 130:1-6 NIV)
B. Honesty
II. CONTENTMENT
My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore. (Psalm 131:1-3 NIV)
A. A weaned child
1. I have calmed and quieted myself
2. I am content
B. How do we get there?
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. James 1:2-8NIV)
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12 NIV)
1. Testing of faith develops perseverance
2. Mature and complete, not lacking anything
3. Single minded
4. Having stood the test
CONCLUSION
A man named Victor Frankl, a Jewish psychologist, discovered this great truth in the midst of a Jewish concentration camp during WW II. While seeking to survive the horror of this imprisonment Frankl began observing his fellow prisoners in the hope of discovering what coping mechanism would help him endure this horrendous existence. What Frankl discovered was this...
Those individuals who could not accept what was happening to them, who could not make their present suffering fit with their faith, who could not find it’s meaning in their world view... they despaired, lost hope, and eventually gave up and died. But those individuals that could find a meaning from their faith, were then able to find hope for a future beyond their present suffering, and so could accept what they were enduring as a part of their existence, and they survived.
How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me. (Psalm 13:1-6 NIV)
CHALLENGE
“Keep Kenwood Connected” - over the month of January our challenges will relate to connecting with one another. This is digital week. Text or email three people this week. We have directories available if you need one.
INVITATION
It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word. You may want to follow Jesus. You may want to proclaim your faith. You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things). Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church. If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, I would be honored to speak with you in the upper parking lot following the service about what God is doing in your life.