Scripture Reading: Psalm 150
Songs: “Great is Thy Faithfulness” “In Your Presence Oh God” (Music Team)
Scripture Reading: Ecclesiastes 4:8-12
Special Music: “Oh I Want to Know You More / It is You” (Music Team)
Lighting of the Candles
Hymnal #435: “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” (Howard)
Prayers of the Saints and “The Lord’s Prayer”
Scripture Reading: Matthew 14:22-33
Hymnal #451: “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” (Howard & Stanley)
Message: “It is I; Be Not Afraid”
Sermon notes: Pastor Stanley reminded us that throughout the Bible we are aware of God speaking - for example...
"Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3)
"Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10)
"Come to me all of you who are weak and weary" (Matt. 11:28)
And in today's sermon, Peter learned that when we take our eyes of the Lord, we falter.
But as he cried out... "Save me Lord" we can also call out and believe and not to be afraid because our God speaks to us.
Pastor Stanley then closed his sermon with the words from the 23rd Psalm
"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."
Blue Hymnal #34: “Where He Leads Me” (Howard)
end of service
And from our words to ponder...
Many Gentiles who didn’t even know about a Messiah found and believed in him. Some religious people are spiritually blind, while those who have never been in a church are sometimes the most responsive to God’s message. Because appearances are deceiving and we can’t see into peoples hearts, beware of judging beforehand who will respond to the Good News and who will not.