2024 Oct 20th St Paul's Presbyterian Church

Entrance

All stand as we enter the church with the bible

Welcome 9

Prayer

Chorus

002_Give Thanks With a Grateful Heart

Chorus

004_Majesty Hour of Power Choir

John

will now read the Old Testament reading to us from the NIV pew bible.

He begins with: “Hear the Word of God as it is written in Psalm 91

Psalm 91 NASB95

1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!” 3 For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper And from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. 5 You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day; 6 Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. 7 A thousand may fall at your side And ten thousand at your right hand, But it shall not approach you. 8 You will only look on with your eyes And see the recompense of the wicked. 9 For you have made the Lord, my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place. 10 No evil will befall you, Nor will any plague come near your tent. 11 For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. 12 They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread upon the lion and cobra, The young lion and the serpent you will trample down. 14 “Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. 15 “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. 16 “With a long life I will satisfy him And let him see My salvation.”

He ends with:

“This is the word of God”.

Congregation:

“Thanks be to God”

Carol

will now read the Old Testament reading to us from the NIV pew bible.

He begins with:

“Hear the Word of God as it is written in Hebrews 9:18–28

Hebrews 9:18–28 NASB95

18 Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood. 19 For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.” 21 And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood. 22 And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. 23 Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, 28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

He ends with:

“This is the word of God”.

Congregation:

“Thanks be to God”

Hymn

aa ODE TO JOY-JOYFUL_ JOYFUL_ WE ADORE THEE at ROYAL ALBERT HALL_LONDON(480P)

Sermon

Series 60

THE THREE APPEARINGS OF CHRIST

HIGHLIGHTS IN HEBREWS by Francis Dixon (Key verses: Hebrews 9:26, 24 and 28)

These verses in Hebrews present us with a ready-made outline and should be read in this order! Let’s consider these three verses together, then separately.

1. Notice the magnificent sweep of these verses.

Verse 26 speaks of the first appearing (the past),

verse 24 of the second appearing (the present),

and verse 28 of the third appearing (the future).

2. Each verse refers to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Notice “he” and “himself” in verse 26; it is “Christ”

in verse 24 who is spoken of,

and in verse 28 we read of Christ, “he” and “him” – all referring to the Saviour.

3. Each verse refers to us as believers.

4. These verses tell us what Christ has done, is doing and will yet do to deliver us from sin and its consequences.

By His death we’re delivered from the penalty of sin, justified;

because He is alive He delivers us from the power of sin, and we’re being sanctified;

when He comes again He will deliver us from the presence of sin and we’ll be glorified.

5. These verses present the Lord Jesus in His three-fold office and work.

Verse 26 presents Him as Prophet, as our Sin-bearer – look up John 1:29;

verse 24 presents Him as Priest, as our Saviour – look up Hebrews 7:25;

verse 28 presents Him as King, as our Sovereign – look up 1 Timothy 1:17.6.

These verses speak of three mountains.

Verse 26 speaks of Mount Calvary (Luke 23:33);

verse 24 speaks of Mount Zion (Hebrews 12:22);

verse 28 speaks of the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:9-12).

7. To sum up: the Lord Jesus died for me, He lives for me and He is coming again for me!

Meditate prayerfully and carefully on these points and then consider the appearings of Christ separately.

1. THE FIRST APPEARING:

“But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:26).

Compare the word “appeared” with 1 Timothy 3:16; 1 Peter 1:20;

it speaks of the Lord’s pre-existence, because Bethlehem was not His beginning;

He was always one with His Father in eternity past.

Notice that in this statement in verse 26 we see three things:-

1. The fact of His first appearing is clearly and emphatically stated.

It was a prophetically anticipated fact, for there are many prophecies in the Old Testament scriptures which pointed forward to our Lord’s first coming.

These were all literally fulfilled when He first came.

The fact of His coming is also a historically verified fact, that He did actually come (Galatians 4:4).

2. The purpose of His first appearing is emphatically stated.

Why did Jesus appear at the end of the age?

It was “to do away with sin”.

This is the great purpose of His coming, to die as a sin-offering to redeem us.

All the Old Testament sacrifices pointed to Him and He fulfilled every one of them (John 1:29; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24).

3. Our response to the fact and purpose of His first coming is clearly indicated.

Whose sin did He “do away with”?

It was mine! See Galatians 2:20.

He died to redeem me (1 Peter 1:17-20); to remove the penalty of my sin (John 5:24);

I must therefore trust Him, believe and rejoice in all that He has done for me, also to have the assurance that my sins have been dealt with (Isaiah 53:5-6).

Are you trusting Him as your Sin-bearer?

2. THE SECOND APPEARING:

“Christ…entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence” (Hebrews 9:24) “…only a copy of the true one…” refers to the earthly sanctuary into which the priest entered on the people’s behalf. This has been done away with.

Now Christ, by offering Himself, has dealt with our sin and entered heaven itself.

1. The fact of His appearing in heaven now is clearly stated. That is where He is – “the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5).

He has lived on the earth, has died and atoned for our sins;

He has been raised and He ascended into heaven.

2. The purpose of His appearing in heaven now is clearly stated – “now to appear for us” (verse 24).

Why is He there?

He is our representative, our great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14);

our Advocate (1 John 2:1).

Now He appears in God’s presence as our risen, exalted and living Saviour.

3. Our response to the fact and purpose of His appearing in heaven is clearly indicated.

He is now there “for us” – praying for us (Hebrews 7:25) and sustaining us by His grace (2 Corinthians 12:9).

We must trust Him and rely upon Him for these gracious ministries.

Are you trusting Him as your Saviour?

3. THE THIRD APPEARING:

“he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:28).

The words “not to bear sin” mean that when He comes the second time it will be apart from sin altogether, for sin has been dealt with once-and-for-all by the offering He made of Himself.

The words “to bring salvation” mean that when Christ comes again He will save His people from the presence of sin. Notice:-

1. The fact of His appearing the second time is clearly stated.

We see the importance of the words in verse 28 – “he will appear a second time”.

Over and over again this great truth is stated in Scripture.

Jesus declared his second coming, so did the apostles, and the Book of Revelation is full of this truth.

2. The purpose of His appearing the second time is clearly stated.

He is coming to take His own people away from the presence of sin and His coming will mean our glorification.

3. Our response to the fact and purpose of His appearing the second time is clearly indicated.

There are those who are “waiting for him”, so

we must be ready (Matthew 24:44);

we must watch for Him (Matthew 25:13);

we are to expect Him (Luke 21:28);

we are to wait for Him (1 Thessalonians 1:10)!

Communion

UPCSA - THIRD ORDER of worship with HOLY COMMUNION - Elders please come to the table

The Offering and the Peace

So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Matt.5:23-24

Before we offer our gifts and come to the Lord's table, let us share this peace with one another. Each person then shares the peace with the words:

Peace be with you.

And with you.

But this I say: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Cor.9:6-7

Let us worship God with our gifts. The offering is taken.

If the gifts of bread and wine are not already on the Table, they are brought up and laid on the Table.

The minister says:

This is the table of our Lord Jesus Christ. All those who have been baptized in his name are invited to share in this sacrament. As Jesus welcomed children and did not forbid them, so we welcome children, under the care and guidance of their parents. O God, who has consecrated for us a new and living way into the holiest of all, through the veil, that is, his flesh, grant us, we pray, the assurance of your mercy, and sanctify us with your heavenly grace; that we may be enabled to offer to you a sacrifice in righteousness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hear the words of the institution of the Lord’s Supper, according to the Apostle Paul:

The Lord Jesus, on the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of me.’

In the same manner he also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till he comes. 1 Cor.11:23-26

As the Lord Jesus, on the night of his arrest, took bread, so I take these elements of bread and wine to be set apart from all common use to this holy use and mystery.

The minister lifts the paten and then the chalice from the Table and lays his hands on the other vessels.

And as he gave thanks to God, let us draw near to offer our prayer of thanksgiving.

Let us pray.

The Lord be with you.

And with your spirit.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Minister: Father of mercy and God of all comfort, we acknowledge you to be the Lord. At all times we honour your greatness and glory first, because you created us in your own image and likeness, but chiefly because you freed us from the enslavement of sin, through your only Son. You gave him in love to be made man, like us in all things except sin, that by his death and resurrection, he might bring life to the world. Lord, we are not able, in our dullness, to understand the breadth and length and height and depth of your love; but, as our Lord Jesus Christ commanded, we come to this table, which he has left to us to commemorate his death and resurrection until he comes again. Here we declare and witness before the world that by him alone we have received liberty and life, by him alone you claim us as children and heirs, by him alone we have access to your favour, freely shown, by him alone we are raised into your kingdom, there to eat and drink with you and the Son at the most joyful table of eternal life. In this present time we on earth have communion with you in heaven. But in the time to come we shall be raised to that endless joy prepared for us before the foundation of the world was laid. We acknowledge that we have received these gifts by your free mercy and grace through your only Son Jesus Christ. Send now, we pray, your Holy Spirit, the Spirit of our Lord and of his resurrection, that we who receive the Lord's body and blood may live to the praise of your glory and receive our inheritance with all your saints in light.

Holy Spirit You are welcome

Father, moved by your Holy Spirit, we, your church, give you all thanks, praise, and glory, for ever and ever.

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 trespasses,

as we forgive them that trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

the power, and the glory,

for ever and ever. Matt.6:9-13

Amen.

The minister says one of the following texts as an account of the institution of the Lord’s Supper.

While saying the words of institution he (slowly and deliberately) breaks the bread and pours the wine.

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ Then he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. For this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. Matt.26:26-28

Holy things are for the holy. Only Jesus Christ is holy. We are made holy in him. 1 Cor.1.30

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world,

have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world,

have mercy on us.

O Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world,

Grant us peace. Jn.1.29

The minister partakes of the bread, and without undue delay, the cup.

The body of Christ, broken (or given) for you. Matt.26.26

Amen.

The blood of Christ, shed for you. Matt.26.28

Amen.

The Elders partake of the bread and wine. John Oberholzer.

The Elders serve the congregation

When all have received Communion, the vessels are returned to the Table.

The minister concludes: Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Ps.103:1-5

A post-Communion prayer such as the following may be said:

As Christ so graciously has given himself to us, let us now stand to offer ourselves to God: Father almighty, by your grace we have celebrated the feast, the banquet of the age to come, and, through your Spirit, we have tasted that the Lord is good. So now, we ask you graciously to accept the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving we have made before you; and to accept us now, as in Jesus Christ we offer our very selves to you as living sacrifices. Make us holy and pleasing to you, and send us out into the world in your power, so that we may live and work and witness to your praise and glory alone. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Notices

Mr. John Oberholzer Session Clerk

Hymn

Benediction

Doxology and

Now unto Him