Christ the King | Sunday 24 Nov 2024: Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14; Psalm 93; Revelation 1:4b-8; John 18:33-37 ~ King Jesus testifies to the truth.

Christ the King | Sunday 24 Nov 2024

+ In the name the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening prayer:

Almighty and everlasting God,
whose will it is to restore all things
in your well-beloved Son,
the King of kings and Lord of lords:
Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth,
divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed
and brought together under his most gracious rule;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Jesus replied,
“You’re correct in saying that I’m a king.
I have been born and have come into the world
for this reason: to testify to the truth.”
(John 18:37)

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At the Name of Jesus | ILP music

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OT Reading: Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 (GW)

7:9 I watched until thrones were set up
and the Ancient One, who has lived for endless years, sat down.
His clothes were as white as snow
and the hair on his head was like pure wool.
His throne was fiery flames,
and its wheels were burning fire.
A river of fire flowed.
It came from him.
Thousands and thousands served him.
Ten thousand times ten thousand were stationed in front of him.
The court convened,
and the books were opened….

7:13 In my visions during the night, I saw among the clouds in heaven someone like the Son of Man. He came to the Ancient One, who has lived for endless years, and was presented to him. He was given power, honor, and a kingdom. People from every province, nation, and language were to serve him. His power is an eternal power that will not be taken away. His kingdom will never be destroyed.

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From the Psalms: Psalm 93 | The The Lord Almighty Reigns | Grayson Fuhrman

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NT Reading: Revelation 1:4-8 (GW)

1:4 From John to the seven churches in the province of Asia. Good will and peace to you from the one who is, the one who was, and the one who is coming, from the seven spirits who are in front of his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the witness, the trustworthy one, the first to come back to life, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. Glory and power forever and ever belong to the one who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and has made us a kingdom, priests for God his Father. Amen.

Look! He is coming in the clouds.
Every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him.
Every tribe on earth will mourn because of him.
This is true. Amen.

“I am the A and the Z,” says the Lord God, the one who is, the one who was, and the one who is coming, the Almighty.

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He Who Is To Come | Passion (Feat. Kristian Stanfill) / Vectored Media

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Gospel Reading: John 18:33-37 (GW)

18:33 Pilate went back into the palace, called for Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

Jesus replied, “Did you think of that yourself, or did others tell you about me?”

Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own people and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?”

Jesus answered, “My kingdom doesn’t belong to this world. If my kingdom belonged to this world, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. My kingdom doesn’t have its origin on earth.”

Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?”

Jesus replied, “You’re correct in saying that I’m a king. I have been born and have come into the world for this reason: to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to me.”

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Crown Him – Norton Hall Band / Southern Seminary

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP 2019

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things in heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear our prayers, and grant that in our local congregations the pure Word of God may be preached and the Sacraments duly administered. Strengthen and confirm the faithful; protect and guide the children; visit and relieve the sick; turn and soften the wicked; arouse the careless; recover the fallen; restore the penitent; remove all hindrances to the advancement of your truth; and bring us all to be of one heart and mind within your holy Church, to the honor and glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

We speak the Name of Jesus:

+ Over the Church, fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in anything it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it. Amen.

+ Over the world, kindle in the hearts of all people the true love of peace, and guide with your pure and peaceable wisdom those who take counsel for the nations of the earth; that in tranquility your kingdom may go forward, till the earth is filled with the knowledge of your love. Amen.

+ Over the Holy Land, have mercy on those who are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, and bereavement; protect the innocent and punish the guilty. Amen.

+ Over Jerusalem, fill it with lasting peace; comfort your faithful followers; and use them to restore your people to their proper place in your Kingdom. Amen.

+ Over those who preach the Gospel, send forth laborers into your harvest; defend them in all dangers and temptations; and hasten the time when the fullness of the Gentiles shall be gathered in, and faithful Israel shall be saved. Amen.

+ Over our Families, fill us all with faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, and true godliness; so enkindle fervent charity among us, that we may evermore be joined to one another with bonds of loving-kindness. Amen.

+ Over those we love, care for them and love them in this life and the life to come; for you can do far better things than anything we can ask or imagine for them. Amen.

Hasten, O Father, the coming of your kingdom; and grant that we your servants, who now live by faith, may with joy behold your Son at his coming in glorious majesty; even Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Advocate. 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.

After Pentecost | Saturday 23 Nov 2024: Psalm 132:1-12; 2 Kings 23:1-14; John 3:31-36 ~ Believers have eternal life.

After Pentecost | Saturday 23 Nov 2024

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening:

Stir up, O Lord,
the wills of your faithful people,
that bringing forth in abundance
the fruit of good works, they may be
abundantly rewarded when our Savior Jesus Christ
comes to restore all things;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

“The Father loves his Son
and has put everything in his power.”
(John 3:35)

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From the Psalms: Psalm 132 (NKJV) | “This is My Resting Place Forever” (Grace Soon) / Christian Worship & Scripture Songs (Esther Mui)

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OT Reading: 2 Kings 23:1-14 (GW)

King Josiah’s Religious Reforms

23:1 Then the king sent for all the respected leaders of Judah and Jerusalem to join him. The king, everyone in Judah, everyone living in Jerusalem, the priests, the prophets, and all the people (young and old) went to the Lord’s temple. Josiah read everything written in the Book of the Promise found in the Lord’s temple so that they could hear it. The king stood beside the pillar and made a promise to the Lord that he would follow the Lord and obey his commands, instructions, and laws with all his heart and soul. He confirmed the terms of the promise written in this book. And all the people joined in the promise.

Then the king ordered the chief priest Hilkiah, the priests who served under Hilkiah, and the doorkeepers to take out of the Lord’s temple all the utensils that had been made for Baal, Asherah, and the entire army of heaven. Josiah burned the utensils outside Jerusalem in an open field near the Kidron Brook. Then he carried their ashes to Bethel.

He got rid of the pagan priests whom the kings of Judah had appointed to sacrifice at the illegal places of worship in the cities of Judah and all around Jerusalem. They had been sacrificing to Baal, the sun god, the moon god, the zodiac, and the entire army of heaven. He took the pole dedicated to the goddess Asherah from the temple to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem. He burned it in the Kidron Valley, ground it to dust, and threw its ashes on the tombs of the common people. He tore down the houses of the male temple prostitutes who were in the Lord’s temple, where women did weaving for Asherah.

He brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah from Geba to Beersheba and made the places where those priests sacrificed unclean. He tore down the worship site at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua, the gate named after the mayor of the city. (The worship site was to the left of anyone going through the city gate.)

The priests of the illegal worship sites had never gone to the Lord’s altar in Jerusalem. Instead, they ate their unleavened bread among the other worshipers.

Josiah also made Topheth in the valley of Ben Hinnom unclean so that people would never again sacrifice their sons or daughters by burning them to the god Molech.

He removed the horses that Judah’s kings had dedicated to the sun god at the entrance of the Lord’s temple. They were in the temple courtyard near the room of the eunuch Nathan Melech. He also burned the chariots of the sun god, the altars that Judah’s kings had made and placed on the roof of Ahaz’s upstairs room, and the altars Manasseh had made in the two courtyards of the Lord’s temple. The king tore them down from there, crushed them, and dumped their rubble in the Kidron Valley.

The king made the illegal places of worship east of Jerusalem unclean. They were on the southern part of the Hill of Destruction. King Solomon of Israel had built them for Astarte (the disgusting goddess of the Sidonians), Chemosh (the disgusting god of Moab), and Milcom (the disgusting god of the Ammonites). Josiah crushed the sacred stones, cut down the poles dedicated to Asherah, and filled their places with human bones.

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Choose Life – Big Tent Revival / KAFM

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NT Reading: John 3:31-36 (GW)

3:31 “The person who comes from above is superior to everyone. I, a person from the earth, know nothing but what is on earth, and that’s all I can talk about. The person who comes from heaven is superior to everyone and tells what he has seen and heard. Yet, no one accepts what he says. I have accepted what that person said, and I have affirmed that God is truthful. The man whom God has sent speaks God’s message. After all, God gives him the Spirit without limit. The Father loves his Son and has put everything in his power. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, he will see God’s constant anger.”

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Worship: John 3:16 in Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, English, Korean and Persian | ONE FOR ISRAEL Ministry

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

Prayer of Belief

Lord Jesus Christ, I admit that I am weaker and more sinful than I ever dared admit, but through you I am more loved and accepted than I ever dared hope. I thank you for paying my debt on the cross, taking what I deserved in order to offer me complete forgiveness. Knowing that you have been raised from the dead, I turn from my sins and receive you as my Savior and Lord. Please come into my life through the power of your Holy Spirit. Thank you. Amen.

Prayer for Local Congregations

Sovereign Lord: We pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

+ Do what only you can do to make your faithful people the blessing promised to every family on earth.

+ Protect them from the assaults of the evil one, coming from every direction and in every form.

+ Grant your heavenly wisdom to Israel’s leadership; give them the courage to do what’s right in your sight.

+ Comfort all those who mourn the loss of loved ones; deliver the hostages from captivity and restore their souls.

+ Destroy every stronghold and every expression of the evil death cult terrorizing the Middle East.

+ Protect the Israel Defense Forces and every soldier engaged in their mission to root out this evil.

+ Strengthen the Messianic communities; use them to restore your faithful people to their proper place in your kingdom.

+ Unify your faithful people around your promise to Abraham – to bless every family on earth through them.

+ Intervene in the Middle East in ways that only you can; protect the innocent and punish the guilty, that all may live in peace.

We ask in Jesus’ name. 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.

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.

After Pentecost | Friday 22 Nov 2024: Psalm 132:1-12; 2 Kings 22:11-20; 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 ~ Christ will reign until death is destroyed.

After Pentecost | Friday 22 Nov 2024

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening:

“Christ must rule until God
has put every enemy under his control.
The last enemy he will destroy is death.”
(1 Corinthians 15:25-26)

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From the Psalms: Psalm 132 | “Lord Remember David” | ZCPress

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OT Reading: 2 Kings 22:11-20 (GW)

22:11 When the king heard what the book of the Teachings said, he tore his clothes ⌞in distress⌟. Then the king gave an order to the priest Hilkiah, to Ahikam (son of Shaphan), Achbor (son of Micaiah), the scribe Shaphan, and the royal official Asaiah. He said, “On behalf of the people, all of Judah, and me, ask the Lord about the words in this book that has been found. The Lord’s fierce anger is directed towards us because our ancestors did not obey the things in this book or do everything written ⌞in it⌟.”

So the priest Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to talk to the prophet Huldah. She was the wife of Shallum, son of Tikvah and grandson of Harhas. Shallum was in charge of the ⌞royal⌟ wardrobe. Huldah was living in the Second Part of Jerusalem.

She told them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: Tell the man who sent you to me, ‘This is what the Lord says: I’m going to bring disaster on this place and on the people living here according to everything written in the book that the king of Judah has read. I will do this because they have abandoned me and sacrificed to other gods in order to make me furious. Therefore, my burning anger directed at this place will never be extinguished.’ ”

⌞Huldah added,⌟ “But tell Judah’s king who sent you to me to ask the Lord a question, ‘This is what the Lord God of Israel says about the words you heard: You had a change of heart and humbled yourself in front of the Lord when you heard my words against this place and those who live here. I had said that those who live here will be destroyed and cursed. You also tore your clothes ⌞in distress⌟ and cried in front of me. So I will listen ⌞to you⌟, declares the Lord. That is why I’m going to bring you to your ancestors. I’m going to bring you to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not see any of the disaster I’m going to bring on this place.’ ”

So they reported this to the king.

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Pray For The Peace Of Jerusalem | Sarah Begaj

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NT Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 (GW)

15:20 But now Christ has come back from the dead. He is the very first person of those who have died to come back to life. Since a man brought death, a man also brought life back from death. As everyone dies because of Adam, so also everyone will be made alive because of Christ. This will happen to each person in his own turn. Christ is the first, then at his coming, those who belong to him ⌞will be made alive⌟. Then the end will come. Christ will hand over the kingdom to God the Father as he destroys every ruler, authority, and power.

Christ must rule until God has put every enemy under his control. The last enemy he will destroy is death. Clearly, God has put everything under Christ’s authority. When God says that everything has been put under Christ’s authority, this clearly excludes God, since God has put everything under Christ’s authority. But when God puts everything under Christ’s authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, since God had put everything under the Son’s authority. Then God will be in control of everything.

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Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun (St Michael’s Singers) [Chet Valley Churches]

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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.