Decatur Presbyterian Church, p.c.a.a Community of Grace

For what we proclaim is not ourselves,but Jesus Christ as Lord,

with ourselves as your servantsfor Jesus’ sake.2 Corinthians 4:5

The Worship of Father, Son & Holy SpiritNovember 20, 2011

The Lord’s Day

Welcome in the name of the Lord Jesus! If you are a guest with us, please be sure to sign our Registry when it is passedbefore the service. Children are welcome in our worship. We have a nursery available for children 3 and under. Children4 to 6 years of age may be dismissed to Godly Play prior to the sermon. Thank you for joining us today and may the Lordrichly bless you.

Song of Assembly1

Hosanna BalochePraise is rising, eyes are turning to You, we turn to You

Hope is stirring, hearts are yearning for You, we long for You’Cause when we see You, we find strength to face the day

In Your Presence all our fears are washed away, washed away

Hosanna, hosannaYou are the God Who saves us, worthy of all our praises

Hosanna, hosannaCome have Your way among us, we welcome You here, Lord Jesus

Hear the sound of hearts returning to You, we turn to YouIn Your Kingdom broken lives are made new, You make us new

’Cause when we see You, we find strength to face the dayIn Your Presence all our fears are washed away, washed away

’Cause when we see You, we find strength to face the dayIn Your Presence all our fears are washed away

’Cause when we see You, we find strength to face the dayIn Your Presence all our fears are washed away, washed away

Welcome and Preparation for WorshipThe essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for man.Man asserts himself against God and puts himself where only God deserves to be; God sacrifices himself for man and putshimself where only man deserves to be. Man claims prerogatives which belong to God alone; God accepts penalties whichbelong to man alone. ~ John Stott

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~ Romans 6:23

1 All songs used by permission or covered under CCLI license # 391165.

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The Lord Gives Us His PresenceCall to Worship2 Psalm 118:1-4, 24Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! Let Israel say, “His steadfast love enduresforever.” Let the house of Aaron say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Let those who fear the LORD say, “His steadfastlove endures forever.” This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Prayer of Adoration & Praise

Hymn of Praise

We Gather Together UnknownWe gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;

He chastens and hastens His will to make known;The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing;Sing praises to His Name; He forgets not His own.

Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,Ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine;

So from the beginning the fight we were winning;Thou, Lord, wast at our side, all glory be Thine!

We all do extol Thee, Thou Leader triumphant,And pray that Thou still our Defender will be;

Let Thy congregation escape tribulation;Thy Name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!

Reading Psalm 118:5-9, 14-17Out of my distress I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear.What can man do to me? The LORD is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. It is betterto take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes. The LORD

is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. Glad songs of salvation are in the tents of the righteous: “Theright hand of the LORD does valiantly, the right hand of the LORD exalts, the right hand of the LORD does valiantly!” Ishall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the LORD.

The Lord Gives Us His GraceCall to Confession of Sin Psalm 118:18-20The LORD has disciplined me severely, but he has not given me over to death. Open to me the gates of righteousness, thatI may enter through them and give thanks to the LORD. This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it.

2 We believe that God always initiates with sinners, so we begin worship with his invitation and command to us to gather in His name.2

Confession of SinOh God, most merciful and gracious; we confess that we have sinned against you, and against one another. We haveforsaken the path of life, transgressed your holy commandments, and grieved the Holy Spirit. Forgive and cleanseus, we beseech you, and grant us courage, insight, and a deeper faith, that we may more truly serve and follow you.Let your mercy come upon us in great fullness, even as our sins against you have been many; and let your forgivinglove overflow all our transgressions, that they may be covered and blotted out, and we be purified unto newness oflife; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Saviour. ...Silent & Personalized Confession of Sin... Amen!

Assurance of Pardon in Christ Psalm 118:21-24I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has becomethe cornerstone. This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoiceand be glad in it.

Worship with Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs

Worthy Is the Lamb ZschechThank you for the cross, Lord.

Thank you for the price you paid.Bearing all my sin and shame, in love you came

And gave Amazing Grace.

Thank you for this love, Lord.Thank you for the nail-pierced hands.

Wash me in Your cleansing flow, now all I know...Your forgiveness and embrace.

Worthy is the Lamb seated on the throne.We crown You now with many crowns You reign victorious!

High and lifted up Jesus, Son of God.Sent from Heaven, crucified…worthy is the Lamb.

At the Cross Morgan/ZschechOh Lord You’ve searched me, You know my ways

Even when I fail You, I know You love me

Your holy presence, surrounding meIn every season, I know You love me

I know You love me

At the cross I bow my knee, where Your blood was shed for meThere’s no greater love than this, You have overcome the grave

Glory fills the highest place, what can separate me now?

You go before me, You shield my wayYour hand upholds me, I know You love me

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You tore the veil, You made a wayWhen You said that it is done

And when the earth fades, falls from my eyesYou stand before me, I know You love me

I know You love me

Give Thanks SmithGive thanks with a grateful heart,

Give thanks to the Holy One,Give thanks because He’s given

Jesus Christ, His Son.

And now let the weak say, “I am strong,”Let the poor say, “I am rich,”

Because of what the Lord has done for us.

Prayers of Thanksgiving & Petition Elder Greg Smith

His Tithes & Our Offerings

Anthem We Give You Thanks Worship Choir

The Lord Gives Us His WordSermon3 Pastor Tommy Lee

Series: “Come to me… and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28)

XCIX. Judgment DayMatthew 25:31-46

The Lord Gives Us Elders & DeaconsVows for the Offices of Ruling Elder and Deacon PCA Book of Church Order, §24-6Ordination to the office of elder: Jay Suggs

1. Do you believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, as originally given, to be the inerrant Word of God, theonly infallible rule of faith and practice?

2. Do you sincerely receive and adopt the Confession of Faith and the Catechisms of this Church, as containing the systemof doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures; and do you further promise that if at any time you find yourself out of accordwith any of the fundamentals of this system of doctrine, you will, on your own initiative, make known to your Sessionthe change which has taken place in your views since the assumption of this ordination vow?

3 4, 5, & 6 year-old children may be dismissed before the sermon to Godly Play in room 173.4

3. Do you approve of the form of government and discipline of the Presbyterian Church in America, in conformity withthe general principles of biblical polity?

4. Do you accept the office of ruling elder in this church, and promise faithfully to perform all the duties thereof, and toendeavor by the grace of God to adorn the profession of the Gospel in your life, and to set a worthy example before theChurch of which God has made you an officer?

5. Do you promise subjection to your brethren in the Lord?6. Do you promise to strive for the purity, peace, unity and edification of the Church?

Congregational VowDo you, the members of this church, acknowledge and receive this brother as ruling elder, and do you promise to yieldhim all that honor, encouragement and obedience in the Lord to which his office, according to the Word of God and theConstitution of this Church, entitles him?

The Laying On of Hands & the Ordination Prayers

The DeclarationI now pronounce and declare that Jay Suggs has been regularly elected, ordained, and installed as elder in this church,agreeable to the Word of God, and according to the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church in America; and that as suchhe is entitled to all encouragement, honor, and obedience in the Lord: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and ofthe Holy Spirit. Amen!

The Right Hand of Fellowship

The Lord Gives Us His SacramentThe Sacrament of the Lord’s SupperCommunion, also called The Lord’s Supper or Eucharist, is the family meal of Christians. We invite all committedfollowers of Jesus Christ to share in this sacrament: those who are baptized members of a congregation that proclaims thegospel, who are at peace with God and their neighbor, and who seek strength to live in a deeper communion with Jesus.If you are not a Christian, or you are not prepared to share in this meal, we encourage you to spend this time in prayer.We hope that this time is helpful to you as you consider your relationship with Jesus Christ and with his people, the Church.

Come Unto Me SchmidtTake my yoke, my yoke is easy.

Take my burdens, my burdens are light.Learn from me, I’m gentle and humble.

Come to me for rest for your soul,Come to me for rest for your soul,

Come unto meAll who are weary and I will give you rest.

Give to meThe burdens you carry and I will give you rest.

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The Lord Gives Us His BlessingBenediction4 Psalm 118:26-27a, 29Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We bless you from the house of the LORD. The LORD is God, and hehas made his light to shine upon us. Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

Now Thank We All Our God RinkartNow thank we all our God with heart and hands and voices,

Who wondrous things hath done, in Whom His world rejoices;Who from our mothers’ arms, hath blessed us on our way,

With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,With ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us;

And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed,And free us from all ills in this world and the next.

4 Just as God called us into His presence at the beginning, so now He commands His blessing upon us as we depart. We look up and extend our handsin a posture of thanksgiving as we receive this great gift. Our final response to God’s assurance of His peace and presence upon those who are in Christis a chorus of joyful song.

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“Come to me… and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28)XCIX. Judgment Day

Matthew 25:31-46Pastor Tommy Lee

1. The King on His Glorious Throne

2. The Evidence of Who You Really Are

3. “eternal”

Sermons are available at the church web site www.decaturpca.org

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December 1 DPC Ladies’ Christmas Event December 3 Children’s Advent Workshop December 4 Dads’ Prayer Meeting December 11 The Majesty & Glory of Christmas December 24 Christmas Eve Service February 3-4, 2012 Common Ground Marriage Weekend February 17-19, 2012 Winter Youth Retreat March 2-3, 2012 Iron Men Retreat (held right here at DPC)

FOR YOUR CALENDAR

4:00pm Mercy Ministry Meeting 7:00pm YBR @ the Schmidts’

TODAY

Tuesday, 6:30am Iron Men Bible Study @ DPC Wednesday, 11:30am Men’s Bible Study @ ADTRAN Friday, 6:30am Men’s Bible Study @ Temple, Inc.

THIS WEEK

Ladies’ Christmas PartyThursday, December 1 @ 7:00pm.Christmas Show and Tell Dessert

Place: Home of Melissa McMahanCome enjoy an evening of fellowship andshare with others some of your favoriteChristmas gifts given or received. Someladies will be showing us some fun andcreative gift ideas. If you would like to bringa dessert see Elizabeth Lee.

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DPC ANNOUNCEMENTS

YBR (9th - 12th Grade)Tonight 7:00pm @ the Schmidts’

Iron Men E-Mail:Men, if you’re not on the Iron Men E-mail list andwould like to be, please send your request to jointo debbie@decaturpca.org.

Iron Men Bible Study:Come join us on Tuesday mornings at 6:30 a.m. aswe revel in the goodness of the gospel, as it’scelebrated in the book of Galatians. We finishpromptly at 7:30 am. Invite a friend!

Iron Men moment:“God’s gospel declares that his Son is the manJesus, who lived in Nazareth and was publiclycrucified by the Roman governor Pontius Pilate.That is to say that Almighty God, the supremeBeing and Creator of the universe, shrank himselfdown to become an ordinary man, born fromMary’s womb. God did this partly to show uswhat he is like in the familiar categories of a man’slife that were witnessed and recorded in the Gos-pels for us. But supremely he became an ordinaryman in order to swap places with ordinary people,when he suffered the physical punishment andspiritual hell that we all deserve on the cross.The man driven by this gospel understands themeaning of the most famous verse in the Bible.“For God so loved the world that he gave...” (John3.16). The man of God truly loves God, not be-cause he is a “spiritual person” or because itmakes him a better person. He loves God becausehe knows that God first loved him—and made anunimaginable sacrifice so that we could bebrought into fellowship with him.” ~ Richard Coekin

Iron Men of DPCForged by God; Sharpened by BrothersIron sharpens Iron, and one man sharpens another. ~ Proverbs 27:17

DPC 101If you're interested in exploring

membership at DPC, please see Tommy.

SaturdayDecember 3

9:00-11:00AM

Come enjoy a pancake breakfast as weprepare for Christ’s birthday with crafts,ornament making and storytelling. Childrenages 4 - 11 bring your families for somemerry making fun!

FallLadies Bible Study @ DPC

Tuesdays @ 9:30amStudy concludes on November 29

(nursery provided)

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MIDWEEK BIBLE STUDYDavid: Anointed King / Desperate Outlaw

Meal: 5:30pm Study: 6:15pmDavid has defeated the giant Goliath. Now hemust deal with the giant Saul. It's time to choosebetween what is easy and what is right. Again andagain and again.

Faith Promise UpdateAt DPC our support of world missions comes from a separatefund than that of the general budget. Our global missionariesare supported from the Faith Promise budget. If you’d like tomake a gift to Faith Promise, just designate it so on your check.

Pledge Total: $66,920

Given YTD: $20,182

Unpledged Given YTD: $26,015

DADS' PRAYER MEETINGSunday, December 4 @ 8:45amMeeting in the Church Parlor

“Each family is designed to be a culture —with a language, customs, traditions, andcountless unspoken assumptions. God hasmade the world in such a way that childrenwho grow up in the culture of the family areto be shaped and molded by it. The duty ofthe husband and father is to ensure that theshaping is done according to the standards ofthe Word of God.” ~ Douglas Wilson

There will be no mid week ministries thisWednesday night.

DPC UPDATE:DPC WOMEN’S MINISTRY

It is the hope of the DPC Women's Ministry that every woman at DPC might know Christ personally,love Him deeply, and grow in her understanding of and commitment to extending His Kingdom inher life, home, church, community, and world.If you would like to know more about the DPC Women's Ministry, please see any of the currentWomen's Ministry Leadership Team members: Margaret Fudge, Elizabeth Lee, Jean Watkins, or AbbiWhitcomb.The Ladies' Bible Study meets on Tuesday mornings at the church at 9:30am. Nursery is provided.We're currently studying "The Promised One: Seeing Jesus in Genesis," by Nancy Guthrie. This studyis leading us to discover how the stories and symbols and people and promises of Genesis are allpointing us toward Christ. Christ is the agent of creation, the offspring who will crush the head of theserpent, the ark of salvation, the source of the righteousness credited to Abraham, the substitution-ary sacrifice provided by God, the Savior to whom the whole world must come for life, and muchmore. Come join us!We also hope to foster a rich and growing fellowship with one another. Recently several of usenjoyed a day of lunch and Christmas shopping in Birmingham! Keep your eye on the announce-ments page in the worship guide so that you can stay in touch with what the Women's Ministry isdoing next! Some events are planned for the near future include:� Ladies' Christmas Party - Thursday, December 1 at 7:00pm at the home of Melissa McMahan,

507 Oak Street NE. This will be a "Show and Tell Dessert!" Come enjoy some fellowship andsome good food with your friends! We'll also be sharing Christmas ideas and stories...favorite gifts given or received... creative gift ideas... etc.� "Secret Sisters" is coming to DPC in January! What is Secret Sisters? More information will be

given out at the Christmas Party.� We will be hosting a "Heart Healthy" event in February.� There are also a number of bridal showers coming up soon.

Come join your sisters as we learn how to love Christ and His Kingdom and one another and ourfamilies and our community more freely and more deeply!

"Those within the body of Christ are our family in a unique way. They are the ones with whom we willspend eternity, and they are the ones whose partnership we need in order to represent Christ... Thereis a peculiar change that takes place when you begin to think less about yourself and pursue onenessin the body of Christ. Instead of the members of the body becoming the same, they become moreunique. Oneness is not sameness." ~ Ed Welch