Friedens Reformed Church 

P.O. Box J, Tripp, South Dakota 57376

Church: 605-935-6758 Pastor Andy: 605-505-1010

Affiliated with: The Evangelical Association of Reformed & Congregational Christian Churches

June 28, 2020          

 

Opening Prayer: 

 

**Opening Hymn: Amazing Grace 202

 

** Invocation: I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness extends to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.

 

**Call to Worship: Psalm 51:1-12

M: Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.

C: Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me.

M: Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your  sight—That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.

C: Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.

M: Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

C: Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

M: Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities.

C: Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

M: Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me

C: Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

 

Reading of the Law: Exodus 20:1-17 

 

**Prayer of Confession: Almighty and most merciful Father; we have erred, and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and there is no health in us. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare thou them, O God, which confess their faults. Restore thou them that are penitent; according to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake; that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous and sober life. To the Glory of thy holy Name. Amen.

 

Assurance of Absolution: 

 

Hymn: The Solid Rock 404

 

**Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 59:1-15a

**The Apostles’ Creed

**The Gloria Patri 

Reading of Sermon Text: Romans 7:7

Children’s Sermon

Sermon: 

Pastoral Prayer

Lord’s Prayer

The Offertory Hymn: Peace, Perfect Peace 487

**Doxology

**Prayer of Dedication

**Closing Hymn: Jesus Paid It All 210

**Benediction

Postlude

 

Scripture Proofs: 

 

Genesis 6:5 – Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 

Genesis 8:21 – the intent of man's heart is evil from his youth

Job 15:14 – What is man, that he could be pure? And he who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous? 

Psalm 58:3 – The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.

Romans 3:23 – for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Ephesians 2:1; 4-5 – And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins…But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,  even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ

Colossians 2:13 – And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses. 

 

Historic Quotes: 

 

“For God is seen by those who are enabled to see Him when they have the eyes of their soul opened: for all have eyes; but in some they are overspread, and do not see the light of the sun. Yet it does not follow, because the blind do not see, that the light of the sun does not shine; but let the blind blame themselves and their own eyes." Theophilus of Antioch (died circa 183)

 

“It was by the evil use of his freewill that man destroyed both it and himself. For, as a man who kills himself must, of course, be alive when he kills himself, but after he has killed himself ceases to live, and cannot restore himself to life; so, when man by his own freewill sinned, then sin being victorious over him, the freedom of his will was lost.” – Augustine (354-430), Enchiridion, Ch. 30 

 

Sermon Outline:

I. We blame everyone but ourselves.

II. We’re blind and don’t know it.

III. We can only learn of our condition and its remedy from God’s Word

​

Isaiah 59:1-15a

 

Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has muttered perversity. No one calls for justice, nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; they conceive evil and bring forth iniquity. They hatch vipers’ eggs and weave the spider’s web; He who eats of their eggs dies, And from that which is crushed a viper breaks out.  Their webs will not become garments, nor will they cover themselves with their works; their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; Wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they have not known, and there is no justice in their ways; they have made themselves crooked paths; whoever takes that way shall not know peace.

 

Therefore justice is far from us, nor does righteousness overtake us; we look for light, but there is darkness! For brightness, but we walk in blackness! We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes; we stumble at noonday as at twilight; we are as dead men in desolate places. We all growl like bears, and moan sadly like doves; we look for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us. For our transgressions are multiplied before You, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them: In transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing from our God, Speaking oppression and revolt, Conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. So truth fails, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.

 

Amazing Grace  202

 

1 Amazing grace (how sweet the sound)
that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
was blind, but now I see.

 

2 'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
and grace my fears relieved;
how precious did that grace appear
the hour I first believed!

 

3 The Lord has promised good to me,
his word my hope secures;
he will my shield and portion be
as long as life endures.

 

4 Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come:
'tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
and grace will lead me home.

 

5. When we’ve been there ten thousand years,

Bright shining as the sun,

We’ve no less days to sing God’s grace

than when we’ve first begun.

 

The Solid Rock  404

 

1 My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus' name.

 

Refrain:
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand,
all other ground is sinking sand.

 

2 When darkness veils his lovely face,
I rest on his unchanging grace;
in ev'ry high and stormy gale,
my anchor holds within the veil. [Refrain]

 

3 His oath, his covenant, his blood
support me in the whelming flood;
when all around my soul gives way,
he then is all my hope and stay. [Refrain]

 

4 When he shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in him be found,
dressed in his righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before the throne. [Refrain]

 

 

Peace, Perfect Peace         487

 

1 Peace, perfect peace, in this dark world of sin?
The blood of Jesus whispers peace within.

 

2 Peace, perfect peace, by thronging duties pressed?
To do the will of Jesus, this is rest.

 

3 Peace, perfect peace, with sorrow’s surging round
On Jesus’ bosom naught but calm is found.

 

4 Peace, perfect peace, our future all unknown?
Jesus we know, and He is on the throne.

 

5 Peace, perfect peace, death shadowing us and ours?
Jesus has vanquished death and all its powers.

 

6 It is enough: earth's struggles soon shall cease,
and Jesus call to heaven's perfect peace.

 

 

Jesus Paid It All  210

 

1 I hear the Savior say,
"Thy strength indeed is small,
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all."

 

Refrain:
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

 

2 Lord, now indeed I find
Thy pow'r and Thine alone,
Can change the leper's spots
And melt the heart of stone. [Refrain]

 

3 For nothing good have I
Where-by Thy grace to claim;
I'll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calv'ry's Lamb. [Refrain]

 

4 And when, before the throne,
I stand in Him complete,
"Jesus died my soul to save,"
My lips shall still repeat. [Refrain]