The Power of Priceless Grace.m8

Host Time and Welcome || student pastor: Stephen Ellison

Worship team in place before Stephen takes the stage.

10:28amMusic begins promptly at 10:30

Good Morning Church! Covenant Members, would you join me in welcoming all of our first time and returning guests? (applause) So good to see all of you and to be here. I hope you have been made to feel welcome today. This church is about walking out this life together in the RADICAL GRACE of JESUS CHRIST. It’s our heart that here a Concord, that you are made to feel “Know, Loved, and that you Belong.” Scripture tells us:‌

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but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

That means you don’t have to get it all figured out before you come. You don’t have to put on a mask to be accepted here. You come and we figure it out together…no matter where you are in your spiritual journey. Whatever season you are in, we know the struggle of this sinful world…but we also know that our God is bigger than our circumstances.

covenant connection:

With that said, I hope you received a program this morning you’ll notice in that program there more info about who we are and what we offer as a church. Now the insert is promoting some awesome things coming up like: this Wednesday nights—Concord U. This is a Wednesday night group time offered in a college style atmosphere for our adults while we have gatherings for kids and students at the same time. On that insert you can sign up for some various class options. Next Sunday, May 6th, we are having a Special Called Family Meeting immediately following worship. If you are a Covenant Member please make every effort to stay after service. Bring a snack to hold you over, whatever you need to do to make it through. We need you there!

guest connect:

(Go back to upbeat)— Also, for our Guests we want to connect with you! You’ll notice inside the program along with the insert is a connect envelope. Later on in our service we will worship through a time of offering together; both guest and member. During our offering portion of worship we will give all of you a moment to fill out the connect envelopes, that also serve as a place you can give any money or financial gift that you would offer to the Lord. During that time you will have an opportunity to be obedient and pray over your gift to the Lord as well. Simply place the Lord’s gift in the envelope; fill out the connect info and during our offering worship, you can place both, the insert and the connect envelope in the offering plate as it passes.Regardless, we desire to connect with you and help you get plugged in.

—what’s coming up…insert announcements

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Revelation || Responsive Reading || student pastor: Stephen Ellison

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Revelation || Responsive Reading || student pastor: Stephen Ellison

Stephen leads in a responsive reading: explain congregation will only read what is in BOLD together (word for word)

Hannah: copy and paste this into Proprsenter each underlined sub-title and the reading for both Stephen and congregation will be on the same slide—only make an exception if reading by Stephen and Congregation is too large under sub-title then put on 2 slides—always have Stephen’s reading and the congregation’s response on the same slide.

Stephen: We are CREATED

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. – 

Congregation: God is our Creator. We are his creatures. He is the potter. We are the clay.

S: We are REDEEMED

While we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. –

C: We are sinners and He is our Savior.

S: Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. –

C: God has done it all for us believers, not by our works but by His grace. We now stand redeemed and saved in His presence.

S: We are ADOPTED

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. –

C: God is our Father. We are his dear children.

S: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” –

C: God is our Shepherd. We are his sheep. He lays down his life for us. We trust His word.

S: But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. –

C: We are weak. He is strong. We rely on His perfect strength.

Assurance of the Gospel

Psalm 145:8–9 ESV

The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.

Stephen leads in to time of Confession with...

1 John 1:9 ESV

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Silent (private) Confession of Sin

Intentional Prayer of Confession led by Stephen

Stephen: Almighty God, we are unworthy to come into your presence, because of our many sins. We do not deserve any grace or mercy from you, if you dealt with us as we deserve. And yet, O Lord, as we acknowledge our sins and offenses, so also do we acknowledge you to be a merciful God, a loving and favorable Father, to all who turn to you. And so we humbly ask you, for the sake of Christ your son, to show mercy to us, and forgive us all our offenses. By your Spirit, O God, take possession of our hearts, so that, not only the actions of our life, but also the words of our mouths, and the smallest thought of our minds, may be guided and governed by you. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory, now and forever. We pray these things to the Father, through the Son, and by the Spirit. Amen.

(Stephen Exits)

Expiation || worship pastor: Cole Pevey || before music begins

Expiation || worship pastor: Cole Pevey || before music begins

Call to Worship through reading of Scripture: ask everyone to stand and read it together

Assurance of Pardon

2 Corinthians 5:17–18 ESV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;

2 Cor 5:18-

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Song of Pardon

“Death Was Arrested”

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Scripture Reading || Isaiah 29:13-14

by Janice McHenry

Reader takes the stage as Cole is praying- then follows the script:

Good morning church, and guests welcome to Concord. My name is Janice McHenry, and I have the privilege serving Concord as a the Church Clerk, and my husband, Chad, serves as a Deacon and on the Audio/Video Team. We also serve where-ever we are needed.

I have been a covenant member here for ___ years and I can say boldly that I am passionate about the good news of Jesus and how our vision and mission, as a church, make Him known.

Our mission is that: We exist to connect people through loving community as we introduce them to Jesus and help them follow Him.

This morning I have the privilege of sharing with you the God’s holy inspired Word from the Scriptures.

Would you please turn with me in your Bibles or on your device, to the book of the Prophet Isaiah (found in the Old Testament), chapter 29, and we will be reading starting in verse 13.

Only mention the first verse so people won’t read ahead.

If you are joining us this morning and you do not have a Bible, you should see a White Paperback one lying around under your seats, feel free to use that one. And if you don’t own a Bible, consider that our free gift to you. We will even provide you with the page number on the screen to help you find our texts throughout our worship.

ake a moment—count to 3 in your head then READ—Book, Chapter, Verse, then Scripture​

take a moment—count to 3 in your head then READ—Book, Chapter, Verse, then Scripture​

Isaiah

Isaiah 29:13–14 ESV

13 And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men, 14 therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”

say: THIS IS THE WORD OF THE LORD (then exit stage)

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Sermon || lead pastor Joe Brantley

Introduction

Good morning church. We are in the New Testament book of Acts, chapter 8…where began diving in last week and this week I pray the truth of God’s Word is revived in your hearts this morning and for some a supernatural work begins, for some restarts, and for others continues.

I’ve never been much of a magic kind of guy…I mean I like it enough to be wowed ya know…but not enough to like try it. Anybody ever get into that? For some it was David Copperfield, for others David Blaine, and then Chris Angel…if it’s Whodini …I can’t believe you are still alive. For most now-a-days it’s Harry Potter. If that’s you…you probably worship the devil…I don’t know if you knew that, lol. I’m just kidding…though there are some “Christians” who may accuse you of that, but it’s just a movie…now granted, I think some of you take it to far, but I do that with chicken wings…so, either way I struggle too, I’m just not a devil worshipper like some of you Harry Potter peeps…just kidding.

I like some of the movies, King Arthur was always cool, growing up I liked me some “Sword and the Stone” by Disney. I was down with Merlin, he was cool, had an awesome beard. Gandalf that cat had a great beard and he was a wizard…sorry I’m getting emotional. But I liked magic at a distance, like in the movies, “Now You See Me” was cool, The Prestige…but never enough to really invested in it. I never wanted to do “magic.” Now I’ve wanted a chicken wing to magically turn into to broccoli somewhere between my neck and stomach, but that never happened.

Magic can be pretty dark too at times, but anything that we invest in that expects instant results is a modern day is a kind of magic…right?

The pill that makes you loose weight without having to stop eating chicken wings.

The get rich quick schemes.

The Ponzi schemes, right.

Some of you have sold Amway…I’m not judging, I’m just saying you and the Harry Potter ppl all worship the devil. lol.

My point is that we don’t have to turn to sorcery in our modern day context…we just get caught up in some really temporary junk that we end up making bad investment’s in hoping for quick results. And time after time they let us down.

So lean in Church. Hear me when I say this because this is the world we live in:

We are willing to pay any price for the so-called "power" this world offers, but true power is ONLY through Jesus.

(repeat)

Exposition || Acts 8:9-24

Let’s jump in… starting in verse 9...

As you are turning there last week we learned that Philip who we first learned about in Acts chapter 6 was introduced along with Stephen as one of the men who was called by the Apostles to serve the church as Deacons. Well because of great persecution in Jerusalem he fled and goes to Samaria where he preaches the good news of Jesus. And last we when we left those who Philip preached too many came to Christ and were healed. As a matter of fact v. 8 says that there was “much joy in the city.”

Today, we jump in on the backside of this supernatural event in Samaria.

Acts 8:9–13 ESV

9 But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. 10 They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” 11 And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.

Acts 8:9-

This is pretty amazing. God is good right! This would be like Harry Potter getting saved! Trading in the broom for some sandals…getting him some Jesus!

Look at v.10

Acts 8:10-

Acts 8:10–11 ESV

10 They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” 11 And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic.

What was the result?

Acts 8:12 ESV

12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Even Simon…look at v.13

Acts 8:13 ESV

13 Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.

Acts 8:13

This is some amazing stuff going on. In the midst of persecution of the people following Jesus and building His church. Sorcerers are getting saved! The Apostles who are still in Jerusalem hear about this...

Acts 8:14–17 ESV

14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

Acts 8:14-17

Now let’s press pause for a moment to avoid confusion… because some of you maybe like “That’s what’s wrong…Joe or no other pastor has laid hands on me so I can get the Holy Spirit.” That’s not how it happens, aight. So don’t be bum rushing me right now, or you won’t like how I do lay hands on you…it definitely won’t be Holy…lol. I’ll be throwing hands. “I didn’t think the Holy Spirit was suppose to hurt when you woke up…none of those people on TV that got hit with a jacket ever seemed to have a headache.” lol…ah I’m just kidding.

I reached out to my bro Dr. Scott Slayton, this week and was asking about this…He like a living, breathing, bearded, Biblical version of Google. Because this gets a lot of people thrown off.

Here’s what he told me..

“There are only four instances of it in Acts of that happening. Pentecost, Samaritans, Gentiles, disciples of John the Baptist. It’s a unique salvation/historical event that shows the Holy Spirit is being poured out on all people. The one with John’s disciples establishes the continuity between John’s message and Jesus’s.”

Just saying…don’t get it twisted. If you have surrendered your life to Jesus you have the Holy Spirit.

Let’s jump back in because that is not the point. The point is and what I want you to walk away with today is this...

We are willing to pay any price for the so-called "power" this world offers, but true power is ONLY through Jesus.

So check this out...

Acts 8:18–19 ESV

18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 8:18-

Do you see what’s going on? Simon is still in it for the power. Whether it’s the power of magic, or the power of the Holy Spirit, he just wants power.

If it’s to get skinny quicker we buy the pill. If it’s to get more money we buy the kit, or into the scheme. If it’s to fit in we buy the clothes…on and on it goes…the truth is we can’t magically fix what’s wrong. What’s wrong usually is our hearts and what we desire of worship.

Because...We are willing to pay any price for the so-called "power" this world offers, but true power is ONLY through Jesus.

Acts 8:20-22

Acts 8:20–22 ESV

20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.

Why did Peter jump on him? Why was Simon rebuked? Why such harsh words? Because Simon wanted power not Jesus. Because Simon wanted the warm and fuzzies, not true faith.

Isn’t that how so many of us operate? We want to magically fix the broken things in our life. We want the power to remove hurt and to impress people. To get people’s attention. The power to make someone love us or follow us. Or believe in us and many times we will pay whatever price it takes to get the result.

If it’s to get skinny quicker we buy the pill. If it’s to get more money we buy the kit, or into the scheme. If it’s to fit in we buy the clothes…on and on it goes…the truth is we can’t magically fix what’s wrong. What’s wrong usually is our hearts and what we desire of worship.

Because...We are willing to pay any price for the so-called "power" this world offers, but true power is ONLY through Jesus.

We desire power, like Simon but what we need is Jesus. True power, the power that makes dead things alive is only given to us by God’s grace, through saving faith in Jesus Christ alone.

Peter called this fake to “Repent! Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven.”

How did Simon Respond?

Acts 8:24

Acts 8:24 ESV

24 And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”

One of the greatest church fathers that ever lived was Augustine of Hippo, who was over the church in North Africa…this dude is a giant of the faith…and though he lived some 1500 years ago, people today still cling to his words.

Augustine said this about faith:

"The thing to be known is, whither we are to go, and by what way;" he immediately follows that up with... "the surest way to avoid all errors is to know him who is both God and man. It is to God we tend, and it is by man we go, and both of these are found only in Christ.”

What does he mean by that?

“Augustine here reflects on the hope and glory of the cross of Christ and the lesson in patience and love contained in the account of Jesus’ suffering and death.  By his death, Jesus performed the most wonderful exchange with us. Through us, he died; through him, we shall live.”

Look right at me...

You and I...We are willing to pay any price for the so-called "power" this world offers, but true power is ONLY through Jesus.

How do you respond to knowing this truth?

I say to you what Peter says, not just to Simon, but to each of us looking for the “magic-fix” from this world.

Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven.” Because but true power is ONLY offered by grace through faith in Jesus.

Let’s pray...

Pastoral Prayer || Joe

The worship team comes up during the prayer

Responsive Worship (2-3 songs) || Cole and Team

A Moment for Giving; A Call to Sacrifice || Joe

Band plays an instrumental || Cole and Team

A Time of Reflective Prayer for Giving and Guest Connection

Prayer for the Offering || Joe

Reflective Worship (1 song) || Cole and Team

Sending Out || Joe