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

May 10, 2020

 

Opening Prayer: Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid; cleanse the thoughts of our minds, we beseech Thee, by the inspiration of Thy Holy Spirit, that, being delivered from every unholy motion of the flesh and spirit, we may perfectly love Thee, with a pure heart and sanctified lips worship Thee, and worthily magnify Thy holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

**Opening Hymn: How Firm a Foundation #275 Red
1 How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,

is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!

What more can He say than to you He hath said,

to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

 

2 "Fear not, I am with you, O be not dismayed;

for I am your God, and will still give thee aid;

I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,

upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

 

3 "When through fiery trials your pathway shall lie,

My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply;

the flame shall not hurt thee; I only design

Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.

 

4 "The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,

I will not, I will not desert to its foes;

that soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,

I'll never, no never, no never forsake."

 

** 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: Responsive Reading Call to Worship

Genesis 50:15-20

M: When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, 

C: “Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.” 

M: So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, “Before your father died he commanded, saying, ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph: “I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you.” ’ 

C: Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father.” 

M: And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 

C: Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 

M: But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. 

C: Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

 

Reading of the Law: And God spoke all these words, saying: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. “You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

 

**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: Hearken now unto the comforting assurance of the grace of God, promised in the Gospel to all that repent and believe: As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Unto as many of you, therefore, beloved brethren, as truly repent of your sins, and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, with full purpose of new obedience, I announce and declare, by the authority and in the name of Christ, that your sins are forgiven in heaven, according to His promise in the Gospel, through the perfect merit of Jesus Christ our Lord

 

Hymn: Holy, Holy, Holy #262 Red
1 Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!

Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;

Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty!

God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

 

2 Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,

casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;

cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,

which wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.

 

3 Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee,

though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;

only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee

perfect in pow'r, in love, and purity.

 

4 Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!

All Thy works shall praise Thy name in earth and sky and sea;
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty!

God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

 

**New/Old Testament Reading: Acts 4:13-31

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.” So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done. For the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed. And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things? The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ.’ “For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

**The Apostles’ Creed

**The Gloria Patri 

 

Reading of Sermon Text: Lamentations 3:37-38

Children’s Sermon

Sermon: Sovereign Over Evil

 

Pastoral Prayer

Lord’s Prayer

The Offertory Hymn: Crown Him With Many Crowns #234 Red
1 Crown him with many crowns,

the Lamb upon His throne.

Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns

all music but its own!

Awake, my soul, and sing

of Him who died for thee,

and hail Him as thy matchless King

through all eternity.

 

2 Crown Him the Lord of love;

behold His hands and side,

rich wounds, yet visible above,

in beauty glorified.

No angel in the sky

can fully bear that sight,

but downward bends his wond’ring eye

at mysteries so bright.

 

3 Crown Him the Lord of life,

who triumphed o'er the grave,

who rose victorious to the strife

for those He came to save;

His glories now we sing

who died and rose on high,

who died eternal life to bring

and lives that death may die.

 

4 Crown Him the Lord of heav'n:

One with the Father known,

One with the Spirit thru Him giv'n

From yonder glorious throne.

To Thee be endless praise,

For thou for us hast died;

Be Thou, O Lord, thru endless days

Adored and magnified

 

**Doxology

**Prayer of Dedication

**Closing Hymn: Praise, My Soul, The King of Heaven #3 Red  
1 Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;

to His feet thy tribute bring;

Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,

evermore His praises sing;

Alleluia, alleluia!

Praise the everlasting King.

 

2 Praise Him for His grace and favor

to our fathers in distress;

Praise Him, still the same as ever,

slow to chide, and swift to bless;

Alleluia, alleluia!

Glorious in His faithfulness.

 

3 Frail as summer's flow'r we flourish;

Blows the wind and it is gone;

But while mortals rise and perish

God endures unchanging on;

Alleluia, alleluia!

Praise the high Eternal One.

 

4 Angels, in the height, adore Him;

ye behold Him face to face;

Saints triumphant, how before Him;

Gathered in from every race;

Alleluia, alleluia!

Praise with us the God of grace.

 

**Benediction

Postlude