20250105 Grow in Grace 2025
Grow in Grace • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Welcome to Vertical Church
Acts 2:42 (LSB)
And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.
Our church is built on the 4 devotions of the first Church.
We teach the Bible - Scripture alone is the word of God
We are Evangelical - Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone
We are Vertical in our worship - we exist for the glory of God alone.
We are looking for adults, families and young adults who want to join us in our mission
Call to Worship - Psalm 65
Psalm 65 (LSB)
For the choir director. A Psalm of David. A Song. 1 To You, there will be silence and praise in Zion, O God, And to You the vow will be paid. 2 O You who hear prayer, To You all flesh comes. 3 Words of iniquity prevail against me; As for our transgressions, You atone for them. 4 How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You That he would dwell in Your courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple. 5 By fearsome deeds You answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation, You who are the trust of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea; 6 Who establishes the mountains by His strength, Being girded with might;
7 Who stills the rumbling of the seas, The rumbling of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples. 8 They who inhabit the ends of the earth are in fear on account of Your signs; You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy. 9 You visit the earth and cause it to overflow; You greatly enrich it; The stream of God is full of water; You establish their grain, for thus You establish the earth. 10 You water its furrows abundantly, You smooth its ridges, You soften it with showers, You bless its growth. 11 You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with richness. 12 The pastures of the wilderness drip, And the hills gird themselves with rejoicing. 13 The meadows are clothed with flocks And the valleys are covered with grain; They make a loud shout, indeed, they sing.
Scripture Reading - Philippians 3:10-14
10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself as having laid hold of it yet, but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Introduction:
Growing in grace in 2025
18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
(1) A hymn for the new year
Written in 1749 and appearing in 216 hymnals
It was written by Charles Wesley. His brother used it as the opening item of praise at the annual meeting of the Methodist Societies to help them to praise God for the blessings of the previous year.
Blessed be the tie that binds
And are we yet alive, and see each other’s face? Glory and praise to Jesus give for His redeeming grace.
What troubles have we seen, what conflicts have we passed, fightings without, and fears within, since we assembled last?
But out of all the Lord hath brought us by His love; and still He doth His help afford, and hides our life above.
Then let us make our boast of His redeeming power, which saves us to the uttermost, till we can sin no more.
Let us take up the cross till we the crown obtain; and gladly reckon all things loss, so we may Jesus gain.
Are we able to praise God for the past year?
(2) A verse for the new year
13 Brothers, I do not consider myself as having laid hold of it yet, but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
one thing I do
10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself as having laid hold of it yet, but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
May we do many things for the purpose of the one thing
knowing christ - more than just knowing about Jesus, a deeper more intimate knowledge of his love, his sinlessness, his work of salvation - this speaks of our union with Christ
the fellowship of his sufferings - finding strength in the struggles of life knowung that Christ endured suffering
conformed to His death - dying to self
(3) A commitment for the new year
When we sing songs and hymns that point us to Christ and to greater love, we are reading the writings of someone else and expressing them to the Lord
I am no longer my own, but Yours. Put me to what You will, place me with whom You will. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed for You or laid aside for You, exalted for You or brought low for You. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to Your pleasure and disposal. And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are mine, and I am Yours. May it be so. And may the covenant which I have just made here on earth be confirmed in heaven.
Benediction
The Lord answer you in the day of trouble. The name of the God of Jacob protect you. May He send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion. Amen.
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was being betrayed took bread, 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes.
