Greetings Redeemer family,

One heart one spirit

One voice to praise You

We are the body of Christ

One goal one vision

To see You exalted

We are the body of Christ

This week we begin our new Fall Sunday School schedule.  One of the classes that is offered each season is an Introduction to Redeemer class taught by Pastor Mike.  As the title indicates, this class is an opportunity to learn more about the Bible, Christianity, and Presbyterianism in particular.  If you’ve ever wondered why we preach through books of the Bible, confess creeds together in worship, use terms like “sovereign grace”, or baptize babies, this class is for you.  It’s a conversational opportunity to ask questions and learn the Biblical convictions that drive us as a church body.  At the conclusion of the class, you will have the opportunity to join the church as a member.

What’s that?  Church membership?  Where’s that in the Bible?

To answer this, Mike will be teaching on church membership in our service this weekend.  Our service, too, is tailored around the church as a community changed by Grace.  Our opening hymn is an expansion on Psalm 87, “Glorious things are said of you, O city of God!”  This ultimately refers to the Heavenly New Jerusalem, but we have a foretaste of that community here and now in our local fellowship.  See these words from the third verse of the hymn, “Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken”, as John Newton describes the protection and provision that God gives to His people:

Round each habitation hovering,

See the cloud and fire appear!

For a glory and a cov’ring

Showing that the Lord is near.

Thus deriving from our banner

Light by night and shade by day;

Safe they feed upon the manna

Which He gives them when they pray.

The Church is bound together by her common confession of Biblical faith.  This week, we affirm our faith both in song and in spoken word.  Our second song of the morning is a summation of Christian doctrine in a call and response format.

We believe in God the Father; (women echo)

We believe in Christ, the Son. (women echo)

We believe in the Holy Spirit; (women echo)

We are the Church and we stand as one. (women echo)

Holy, holy, holy is our God;

Worthy, worthy, worthy is our King.

All glory and honor are His to receive;

To Jesus we sing, because we believe.

We believe in the Holy Bible; (Women echo)

We believe in the virgin birth. (women echo)

We believe in the resurrection; (women echo)

That Christ one day will return to earth. (women echo)

We believe in the blood of Jesus; (women echo)

We believe in eternal life. (women echo)

We believe in His blood that frees us (women echo)

To become the bride of Christ. (women echo)

In discussions about the Church, you will often hear mention of a distinction between the visible and invisible Church.  Those that object to church membership will – rightly – point out that scripture never demands that someone be a member of a local church in order to be saved.  Moreover, being a member of a local church does not necessarily mean that you are saved.   Yet we confess and believe that Christ came to cleanse His bride, the Church, from her sins.  It is in the midst of these confusing waters that the distinction between the visible and invisible church becomes so helpful.  To that end, our corporate confession this week comes from the Westminster Larger Catechism:

Q. 61. Are all saved who hear the gospel, and live in the church?

A. No, only those who are true members of the church invisible are saved.

Q. 62, 63. What is the visible church?

A. The visible church is a society made up of all those in all ages and places of the world who profess Christ as Lord, and of their children. The visible church has the privilege of being under God’s special care and government; of being protected and preserved in all ages; and of enjoying the communion of saints, the ordinary means of salvation, and offers of grace by Christ in the ministry of the gospel, testifying that whosoever believes in him shall be saved, and excluding none that will come unto him.

Q. 64, 65. What is the invisible church?

A. The invisible church is the whole number of the elect: those that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one under Christ the head. By Christ, they enjoy union and communion with him in grace and glory.

We follow this time of affirming our faith by confessing together our sins.  In talking about the invisible church, the important thing is to be united to Christ.  Our prayer this week focuses in on this union, which exposes our sin, draws us closer into fellowship with the Savior, and sends us out to share His Gospel to the world.

Father of mercies, we confess that we have sinned against you. By your Holy Spirit, come and work repentance into our hearts. Help us to see you as you are: with outstretched arms, a loving heart, and power to save. Help us to see Jesus, the friend of sinners, and to follow him more faithfully. As we have received him, so strengthen us to walk in him, depend on him, commune with him, and be conformed to him. Give us an experience of your grace that makes us bold for others, that we might joyfully tell our friends and neighbors of your saving mercy. Amen.

Our offertory this week is a hymn that gives thanks for the saints gone before.  In our modern age that is very focused on the now and the next, we rarely look back and remember the contributions of generations gone before.  This hymn is an opportunity to praise God for our forefathers and be reminded that we have inherited from them a great legacy of faith, to the Glory of Christ alone.

1. For all the saints, who from their labors rest,

Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,

Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.

Alleluia, Allelu…

2. Thou wast their rock, their fortress and their might;

Thou, Lord, their captain in the well fought fight;

Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.

Alleluia, Allelu…

3. O may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold,

Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,

And win with them the victor’s crown of gold.

Alleluia, Allelu…

4. The golden evening brightens in the west;

Soon, soon to faithful warriors comes their rest;

Sweet is the calm of paradise the blessed.

Alleluia, Allelu…

5. But lo! There breaks a yet more glorious day;

The saints triumphant rise in bright array;

The King of glory passes on his way,

Alleluia, Allelu…

6. From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,

Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,

Singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,

Alleluia, Alleluia!

We conclude our service with a recent setting to the Doxology.  This short, simple song is sung every week in churches across the globe.  The words remind us of the Church’s constant calling: to worship God in all things, and to spread His fame and glory through all the world.  May this be the theme of our hearts as we leave our time of gathered worship and return to our various callings in the next week!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow

In heaven above and earth below

Praise God the Father and the Son

Praise God the Spirit, three-in-one

From all that dwell beneath the skies

Let the Creator’s praise arise

Let our Redeemer’s name be sung

Through every land, by every tongue

Eternal are Your mercies, Lord

Eternal truth attends Your Word

Your praise will sound from shore to shore

Till suns shall rise and set no more

Praise God from whom all blessings flow

Praise Him, all creatures here below

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

Amen

Grateful to serve Christ’s bride here at Redeemer,

Tim Sharpe

Worship Director