♫ 2025/10/26 St. Paul's Presbyterian Church

Please Stand for the Word of God

Facing the people, the leader greets them in the Lord's name. The Greeting should be explicitly Christian, declaring that the Lord is present and empowers our worship.

Welcome & Scripture Reading

“Good morning, beloved family in Christ. As we gather in this sacred space, we come not as strangers, but as children of the same God—welcomed, loved, and called to worship. May this time together renew our spirits and draw us closer to the heart of God.”

📖 Scripture Reading – Psalm 100:4 “4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” (NIV)

Opening Prayer

“Gracious and loving God, We come before You with hearts full of gratitude. Thank You for the breath in our lungs, the joy of community, and the gift of this new day. As we enter Your courts, may our praise rise like incense, May our thanksgiving echo through this sanctuary, And may Your presence fill every corner of our hearts. We dedicate this service to You—our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.”

Table1IDDateMPSISBBTitleTypeFreqYou Tube4226/10/20252 A safe stronghold our God is stillHymn3https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYP3ZDOs10c&list=RDJYP3ZDOs10c&start_radio=111326/10/2025 54wellChorus1https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2gHINSt-rE&list=RD-2gHINSt-rE&start_radio=111626/10/2025 57GodChorus1https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix7pHc70Lxk&list=RDIx7pHc70Lxk&start_radio=112426/10/2025 67 68serveChorus1https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCAI72p6X3g&list=RDHCAI72p6X3g&start_radio=1

Chorus Like the woman at the well bad song,

Chorus Our God is an awesome

Chorus What a mighty God we

Exhortation

 Dear friends, the scriptures urge us to acknowledge our wickedness before almighty God our heavenly Father and to confess our many sins to Him, that they may be forgiven through His infinite goodness and mercy in Jesus Christ our Lord. We should always humbly admit our sins before God, but especially when we meet together to give thanks for the great benefits we have received from Him, to praise and worship Him, to hear His holy word and to ask what is necessary for our bodies and souls. Therefore let us come before the throne of our gracious God and say together :

General Confession said together.  

Almighty and most merciful Father, we have strayed from Your ways like lost sheep, we have left undone what we ought to

have done, and we have done what we ought not to have done. We have followed our own ways and our own desires and we have neglected and broken Your holy laws. Have mercy on us Lord.

Restore those who repent and confess their sins according to Your promises declare in Jesus Christ our Lord. Grant, merciful Father, for His sake, that hereafter we may live a righteous and obedient life,  to the glory of Your Holy Name. Amen. 

Assurance of forgiveness said by the minister standing.

Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, does not desire the death of a sinner, but rather that he should turn from his wickedness and live.  He has given authority and commandment to His ministers to declare to His people that He pardons and forgives the sins of all who truly repent and believe His holy gospel.  Therefore, let us ask Him to grant us true repentance and His Holy Spirit, that we may please Him now, and that the rest of our life may be pure and holy so that at the last we may come to His eternal joy through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed by 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.  Amen. 

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 The Psalm Psalm 84 The OT Jeremiah 14:1-22 He ends with “This is the word of God”. Congregation: “Thanks be to God”

Carol

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

She begins with “Hear the Word of God as it is written in The Epistle 2 Timothy 4:6-18 The Gospel Luke 18:9-14 She ends with “This is the word of God”. Congregation: “Thanks be to God”.

Hymn A safe stronghold our God is still

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYP3ZDOs10c&list=RDJYP3ZDOs10c&start_radio=111326/10/2025

Sermon

Prayer Heavenly Father,

We come before You this morning with open hearts and listening spirits. Thank You for gathering us in Your presence, for the breath in our lungs, and the grace that sustains us. As we prepare to hear Your Word, we ask that You quiet every distraction and awaken our souls to Your voice.

Lord, You speak through whispers and storms, through Scripture and silence, through joy and hardship. Help us to recognize Your hand in every moment and to respond with faith and obedience. If we’ve been drifting, draw us back. If we’ve grown weary, renew us. If we’ve been deaf to Your call, open our ears and soften our hearts.

Let this message stir us, challenge us, and change us. May Your Spirit move freely among us, and may Your truth take root in our lives. We give You this time, this space, and ourselves—fully surrendered and expectant.

In Jesus’ name we pray,

Amen.

How God Gets Our Attention

Psalm 120 Dr. R. T. Kendall

Introduction

We should read through the Psalms at least twice a year. Psalm 120 always seems like a breath of fresh air after the 176 verses of Psalm 119. Don’t get me wrong; I love Psalm 119, but it is so intense and long. Then comes Psalm 120.

Has God ever got your attention? To my mind, that is what this psalm is about. What did God have to do to get your attention? There are many ways God can use. Psalm 120 gives us a number of examples of ways that God uses. In this case they are all various forms of distress.

Whatever the cause, perhaps you have never realized that God has permitted the distress and, because you lack this perspective, you fear that you will break under the strain. But God is saying, “I am behind all that is going on right now. I am the architect of the distress. And do you know why? It is the only way I could get your attention.”

Lying Lips and Deceitful Tongues

One form of distress that God uses to get our attention is caused by the deceit of others. This was the origin of the psalmist’s distress; he had been criticized unfairly. Verse 2 says, “Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue.”

I wonder if this is close to where you are. Maybe part of the reason you are in distress is that you have been criticized, and it hurts. Criticism is painful, even if it is true. In fact, sometimes the criticism that we don’t want to hear is so hard to take because it is true. If people begin a sentence with “I say this in love,” watch out! Of course, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend” (Prov. 27:6). But the psalmist was the victim of a deceitful tongue. Have you ever known the pain of finding out that someone, who seemed to be a friend, was insincere? If so, then you have suffered the pain of being deceived.

But even that doesn’t quite express all the meaning. The psalmist had either been lied to or lied about. A lie is the postponement of the truth that will come out. I mention this to encourage anybody who has been lied about, and the lie has been believed. It is only a matter of time before the truth will come out.

Why would this particular source of distress be in a psalm of ascent? It is because bad things often happen when something good is supposed to happen. The highlights of the year for the Jews were the times when they went up to the feasts in Jerusalem. But there were those, rejoicing on their way to the feasts, who were brought right down because of a deceitful tongue.

Let me tell you what to do if you have been lied to or lied about. Remember who is on your side: God. God is truth; it is impossible for Him to lie (Heb. 6:18). God does not like lying, and He will step in (vv. 3, 4). Rev2127 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Here’s your opportunity for great strength of character. Let God handle it. He likes it when we believe in Him so much that we let Him handle things for us.

Displacement

Farther on in this psalm we find another reason for distress: the pilgrims were displaced. Look at verse 5: “Woe is me, that I dwell in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!” Meshech and Kedar symbolize places where we do not like to have to live. Are you living in the “wrong” place? Perhaps God has put you there so that you will value what really matters, such as going up to Zion to worship God.

There is more in this. The distress was obviously caused by danger because Meshech and Kedar also symbolize places of danger. Kedar refers to the bedouins, a perpetual problem to the travellers. Are you one of those people who enjoys living on the edge of danger, so you sail close to the wind but now find yourself in trouble?

Yet another part of the distress comes out in verse 6: “My soul has dwelt too long with one who hates peace.” Perhaps your distress is because of a prolonged situation. You have waited and waited for the situation to change. In reality, however, all this time perhaps God has been waiting for you to turn to Him.

Discord

The last way revealed in this psalm by which God gets our attention is through discord: “I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war” (v. 7). Are you in such a situation of discord? Perhaps your marriage is on the rocks; perhaps you are living somewhere where there is nothing but tension. God can use discord to get your attention.

Conclusion

It is important that we respond consciously and positively to God’s effort to get our attention. The psalmist responded. And he said, “In my distress I cried to the LORD” (v. 1), for this stress was caused by tension around him. What makes for peace is when we come to terms with the fact that the problem is not merely the situation but our reaction to the situation. In the midst of tension do we do the things that make for peace (Rom. 14:19)? That means we will be peacemakers externally—with reference to those around us (Matt. 5:9); literally doing and saying things that lead to another’s peace. Thus, a person of peace will defuse heated situations by not adding to someone’s misery. Such a person can do that through discovering and experiencing “perfect peace” (Isa. 26:3). It is called the “peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Phil. 4:7).

Notices Mr. John Oberholzer

Collection

Praise God from whom all blessing flow

Prayer

Hymn To God be the glory https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vbGFupxwu0&list=RD3vbGFupxwu0&start_radio=112526/10/2025

Benediction May the Lord who calls through whispers and wonders,

Who stirs our hearts in silence and storms,

Continue to draw you near with His unfailing love.

May your eyes be open to His presence,

Your ears tuned to His voice,

And your life responsive to His leading.

Go now in peace,

With courage to follow,

With grace to listen,

And with joy in knowing

That the God who seeks your attention

Also holds your heart.

Amen.

Doxology - Now unto him.