After Pentecost | Friday 16 Aug 2024
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening:
Almighty God, give us the increase
of faith, hope, and love; and,
that we may obtain what you have promised,
make us love what you command;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Paul: “I want you to do what is good
and to avoid what is evil.”
(Romans 16:19b)
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From Psalms: Psalm 34 – The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir (Live)
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OT Reading: Job 12:1-25 (GW)
Job Speaks: My Friends Have No Wisdom
12:1 Then Job replied ⌞to his friends⌟,
“You certainly are ⌞wise⌟ people,
and when you die, wisdom will die.
Like you, I have a mind.
I am not inferior to you.
But who doesn’t know these things?
I am a laughingstock to my neighbors.
I am one who calls on God and expects an answer.
A man of integrity, a man who is righteous, has become a laughingstock.
“A person who has an easy life has no appreciation for misfortune.
He thinks it is the fate of those who slip up.
⌞But⌟ robbers’ tents are prosperous,
and there is security for those who provoke God,
for those whose god is their power.
“Instead, ask the animals, and they will teach you.
Ask the birds, and they will tell you.
Or speak with the earth, and it will teach you.
Even the fish will relate ⌞the story⌟ to you.
What creature doesn’t know that the Lord’s hands made it?
The life of every living creature
and the spirit in every human body are in his hands.
Doesn’t the ear distinguish sounds
and the tongue taste food?
Wisdom Comes from God
12:12 “Wisdom is with the ancient one.
The one who has had many days has insight.
God has wisdom and strength.
Advice and insight are his.
When he tears ⌞something⌟ down, it cannot be rebuilt.
When he puts someone in prison, that person cannot be freed.
When he holds back the waters, there is a drought.
When he releases them, they flood the earth.
“God has power and priceless wisdom.
He owns ⌞both⌟ the deceiver and the person who is deceived.
He leads counselors away barefoot
and makes fools out of judges.
He loosens kings’ belts
and strips them of their pants.
He leads priests away barefoot
and misleads those who serve in a temple.
He makes trusted advisers unable to speak
and takes away the good judgment of respected leaders.
He pours contempt on influential people
and unbuckles the belt of the mighty.
He uncovers mysteries ⌞hidden⌟ in the darkness
and brings gloom into the light.
He makes nations important and then destroys them.
He makes nations large and leads them away.
He takes away the common sense of a country’s leaders
and makes them stumble about in a pathless wilderness.
They grope in the dark with no light,
and he makes them stumble like drunks.
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The Fear of the Lord – First Baptist Dallas
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NT Reading: Romans 16:17-20 (GW)
16:17 Brothers and sisters, I urge you to watch out for those people who create divisions and who make others fall away ⌞from the Christian faith⌟ by teaching doctrine that is not the same as you have learned. Stay away from them. People like these are not serving Christ our Lord. They are serving their own desires. By their smooth talk and flattering words they deceive unsuspecting people.
Everyone has heard about your obedience and this makes me happy for you. I want you to do what is good and to avoid what is evil. The God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet. May the good will of our Lord Jesus be with you!
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Lead Me, Lord – John Becker [OCPmusic]
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+ 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.
+ O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light rises up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what you would have us do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices; that in your light we may see light, and in your straight path we may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
+ Sovereign Lord: We pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
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- Protect Israel from the fiery darts of the evil one coming from every direction, both within and without.
- Grant your heavenly wisdom to those guiding Israel militarily, politically, and diplomatically;
- Give them hearts to receive, and the courage to do, what’s right in your sight.
- Comfort those who grieve and mourn the loss of loved ones;
- Rebuke those who would use grief for evil purposes.
- Bring swift and certain justice to all those complicit in the October 7th atrocities;
- Deliver the hostages from captivity, and restore their souls.
- Destroy every stronghold of the evil death cult terrorizing the Middle East.
- Strengthen the Messianic communities – Jew and Arab alike – bind them together in love, that they may be a source of help, and healing, and hope;
- Use them in the restoration of your people to their proper place in your Kingdom.
- We pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
+ Gracious and holy Father, please give us intellect to understand you, reason to discern you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, a spirit to know you, hearts to meditate upon you, ears to hear you, eyes to see you, tongues to proclaim you, ways of life pleasing to you, patience to wait for you, and perseverance to look for you. Grant us a perfect end, your holy presence, a blessed resurrection, and life everlasting. 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 