The Lenten Season | Tuesday 20 Feb 2024
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening:
Almighty God, whose blessed Son
was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan:
Come quickly to help us
who are assaulted by many temptations,
and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us,
let each one find you mighty to save;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
“Keep your conscience clear.
Then those who treat
the good Christian life you live with contempt
will feel ashamed
that they have ridiculed you.”
(1 Peter 3:16)
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From Psalms: Psalm 77 – “I cry aloud to God and He will hear me” | Psalm Musicals – Christian Music Channel
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OT Reading: Job 5:8-27 (GW)
5:8 “But I would seek God’s help
and present my case to him.
He does great things that ⌞we⌟ cannot understand
and miracles that ⌞we⌟ cannot count.
He gives rain to the earth
and sends water to the fields.
He places lowly people up high.
He lifts those who mourn to safety.
He keeps shrewd people from carrying out their plans
so that they cannot do anything successfully.
He catches the wise with their own tricks.
The plans of schemers prove to be hasty.
In the daytime they meet darkness
and grope in the sunlight as if it were night.
“But he saves ⌞other people⌟ from their slander
and the needy from the power of the mighty.
Then the poor have hope
while wrongdoing shuts its mouth.
Blessing Comes When God Corrects You
8:17 “Blessed is the person whom God corrects.
That person should not despise discipline from the Almighty.
God injures, but he bandages.
He beats you up, but his hands make you well.
He will keep you safe from six troubles,
and when the seventh one comes, no harm will touch you:
“In famine he will save you from death,
and in war he will save you from the sword.
“When the tongue lashes out, you will be safe,
and you will not be afraid of destruction when it comes.
“You will be able to laugh at destruction and starvation,
so do not be afraid of wild animals on the earth.
“You will have a binding agreement with the stones in the field,
and wild animals will be at peace with you.
“You will know peace in your tent.
You will inspect your house and find nothing missing.
“You will find that your children are many
and your descendants are like the grass of the earth.
“You will come to your grave at a ripe old age
like a stack of hay in the right season.
“We have studied all of this thoroughly! This is the way it is.
Listen to it, and learn it for yourself.”
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Blessed Be Your Name – Matt Redman | WeAreWorship Lyrics & Chords
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NT Reading: 1 Peter 3:8-18a (GW)
Dedicate Your Lives to Jesus
3:8 Finally, everyone must live in harmony, be sympathetic, love each other, have compassion, and be humble. Don’t pay people back with evil for the evil they do to you, or ridicule those who ridicule you. Instead, bless them, because you were called to inherit a blessing.
“People who want to live a full life and enjoy good days
must keep their tongues from saying evil things,
and their lips from speaking deceitful things.
They must turn away from evil and do good.
They must seek peace and pursue it.
The Lord’s eyes are on those who do what he approves.
His ears hear their prayer.
The Lord confronts those who do evil.”
Who will harm you if you are devoted to doing what is good? But even if you suffer for doing what God approves, you are blessed. Don’t be afraid of those who want to harm you. Don’t get upset. But dedicate your lives to Christ as Lord. Always be ready to defend your confidence ⌞in God⌟ when anyone asks you to explain it. However, make your defense with gentleness and respect. Keep your conscience clear. Then those who treat the good Christian life you live with contempt will feel ashamed that they have ridiculed you. After all, if it is God’s will, it’s better to suffer for doing good than for doing wrong.
This is true because Christ suffered for our sins once.
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Clean conscience, do the right thing – fitness for Heaven | Bread4Life
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+ Almighty God, you have not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities; grant that we, who for our evil deeds deserve to be punished, by the might of your grace may mercifully be relieved; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
+ Lord of Heaven’s Armies, we pray for swift and total victory over all evil in the Holy Land. Bring home the hostages, and deliver from bondage every person captivated by the evil death cult terrorizing the Middle East. And finally, grant heavenly wisdom to those guiding Israel militarily, politically, diplomatically, and especially to those who will restore Israel spiritually, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
+ Heavenly Father, you have promised to hear what we ask in the Name of your Son: Accept and fulfill our petitions, we pray, not as we ask in our ignorance, nor as we deserve in our sinfulness, but as you know and love us in your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch
The Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil,
and keep us in eternal life.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Peanut Gallery 