Gathering
Welcome and Announcements
Call to Worship
Daniel 4:34-3 7
Prayer of Invocation
Adoration
“There Is a Higher Throne”
“All Creatures of Our God and King”
Confession
“Man of Sorrows”
Thanksgiving
Psalm 33
Prayer
Supplication
“Your Will Be Done”
Word
Text: John 12:1-11
Message: “Completely Devoted to Jesus“
Benediction
1 Thessalonians 3:11-13
Doctrines of the Week
Perseverance of the Saints
The mandate in Scripture to remain steadfast in the love of God and to patiently endure hardship, particularly in the face of persecution.
In Calvinist theology the perseverance (or better yet the preservation) of the saints refers to the belief that those who are truly among the elect will remain faithful to the end of their earthly lives – by God’s grace. In recent evangelical theology a discussion has emerged as to how to balance the doctrine of eternal security (understood and taught by some that everyone who has accepted Christ as Savior will enjoy eternity with God regardless of postconversion personal conduct) with the biblical call and warning to believers to persevere, that is, not to disobey or fall away from faith.
(Definition above adapted from the Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms)
Eternal Security
“The view that those who make a minimal commitment will certainly be saved is sometimes called eternal security, though not everyone who uses this phrase teaches this error. Perseverance is not guaranteed to everyone who professes faith, only to those who really trust Christ….Hebrews 6 and 10 are not about immature believers who are trying to serve Christ but who struggle with sins in their lives. The apostates of Hebrews 6 and 10 were wolves in sheep’s clothing….You remember how the disciples trusted Judas with the treasury, and he used it for his personal wants (John 12:4-6). He put on a show of caring for the poor, when all he cared about was himself. The Hebrews 6 apostates never confessed their sins and trusted Jesus for forgiveness. To those who are not playacting, but have faith, even as a grain of mustard seed, God promises to preserve them to the very end, and into all eternity. If you are concerned about your faithfulness and devotion to Christ, your concern is a mark of true faith. Wolves in sheep’s clothing are not concerned about such things.”
(John Frame, Systematic Theology, 1002-1003)
This Past Year in Church History
According to OpenDoors, in 2020:
- More than 340 million Christians live in places where they experience high levels of persecution and discrimination
- 4,761 Christians were killed because of their faith in Jesus Christ
- 4,488 churches and other Christian buildings were attacked
- Thousands of Christians were detained without trial, arrested, sentenced, or imprisoned
With those statistics in mind, consider the words of Jesus in John 12:25-26:
“Whoever loves his life will lose it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”