Sermon Poetry, 7 February 2010
Sermon Title – “The Great Commission and the Purpose of God”
Sermon Text – Romans 8:18-25
Preacher – Pastor Steve Garrick

For all of time our God above has been eternal blest
Sufficient in Himself
With happiness and joy supreme, full fellowship of Three

He made a world that fell in sin, rebellion from our race
We fell in sin and death
But in our sin, He’s glorified and we are given Grace

The world we’re in is frail and pale, it breaks and falls apart
Our hearts are weak and poor
But in our Christ, we’re made alive, the fruits of Heaven’s earth

We’re slaves to sin, corruption’s lord, this world will rot away
We can’t escape its work
Subjected firm, with Hope the goal, the futile thence to Grace

Before the world was ever made, ‘twas God ordaining sin
And all of its effects
This sin and death was worth the hope of Christ’s eternal win

Sermon Poetry, 17 January 2010
Sermon Text – John 10:40-42
Preacher – Pastor Tom Lyon

By Grace God uses preaching of
His Word proclaimed and heard
The Power of the Word of God
Is Grace of God our Lord

The preaching of the Word of God
Is power strong and sweet
‘Tis greater than amazing works
The place where Jesus meets

The Spirit of our Holy Lord
Gives preaching power great
Without His work, the Lost won’t live
He loves the ones who hate

Amazing words and stunning dress
Are empty without Truth
Just useless words and wasted breath
Is preaching lacking Truth

True preaching sanctioned by the Lord
Tells Truth of Jesus Christ
Christ crucified must be our theme
The Lamb of greatest price

The Word proclaimed will till the ground
Of hardened sinners hearts
The Words of God are mighty seeds
That flourish, Grace imparts

The Word believed will action take
The Spirit quickens souls
It’s by His Grace that men believe
Increasing Heaven’s rolls

The first step to knowing God is to know His Word.  He has revealed Himself to us in the written Word.  Without the Bible, we would have very limited knowledge of Him … Some people will go around the world to find God’s will for their lives, but will not go to the next room to read their Bible.

- M. David Sills, “The Missionary Call: Find Your Place in God’s Plan for the World“

I just finished reading Brennan Manning‘s book “The Ragamuffin Gospel” (which I hope to review in coming weeks) and also heard this song by Lecrae recently and it struck me that “Take Me As I Am” is in many ways Manning’s book rapped out.

But, you can judge for yourselves.

Sermon Poetry, 20 December 2009
Sermon Title – “Christ’s Incarnation and God’s Eternal Purpose”
Sermon Text – Ephesians 3:11
Preacher – Pastor Larry Vincent

Through blood and through water our Savior was born
A baby both naked and cold
‘Twas beautiful screaming the first sounds he made
From Mary he suckled and fed

He came as an infant, a babe born to die
The Suffering Servant and King
He came in humanity, Savior in deity
His praises His people e’er sing

Christ came for a reason, to rescue His Bride
For sinners from every tongue
The Babe in the Manger, the Man on the Tree
Salvation by Jesus is won

The Father is faithful, His promises kept
In Jesus the Scriptures fulfilled
The Man of all Sorrows, the Prince of all Peace
For us Christ our Savior was killed

The Savior was born into poverty strong
Despised and rejected by men
In Christ’s incarnation poor sinners are saved
In Christ we are made into sons

Praise Jesus our Savior, our Shepherd, our King
Praise Him all you sinners and saints
Praise Jesus for coming, a babe born to die
Come all, lift your voices and praise

Sermon Title – “Thankfulness for the Great Power of God”
Sermon Text – Revelation 11:15-19
Preacher – Jarrett Downs

I’m saved by grace, through faith in Christ
A sinner, now a saint
A rebel once, in Christ a son
All thanks to God, I’m saved

Although I’m saved, this life gets dark
God’s Hand is heavy still
When I despair of life and love
I thank His gracious will

God’s promises are sure and good
He loves His rebel own
When we are beat by lords and kings
Our God is on His Throne

The Church is beat and raped and killed
But still she marshals on
She’s kept by God, sustained by Grace
And loved by Christ the Son

The rule of God is over all
In times of love and strife
The Spirit keeps the Saints of God
In Christ the dead have life

The Church is made of sinners all
Of every kind and tribe
All sinners we in Christ are free
And loved by Him on high

All thanks to God who saves by grace
Through faith in Christ the Son
The Spirit moves and keeps the Church
Whose freedom has been won


Sermon Poetry, 1 November 2009
Sermon Text – 2 Cor. 2:14-16

A fragrance of Jesus, a sweet smelling life
Lord, give me the mercy to be
A vessel to witness of Jesus’ great love
This mercy be showered on me

I’m planting the Gospel, I’m watering dirt
But haven’t the power to grow
The growing is given through Jesus’ shed blood
The Spirit enlivening stones

Although we aren’t many, Your mercy is large
You save how You will when You want
Lord, help us to trust You, though fearful we be
To suffer as Jesus above

Please keep us encouraged, to keep running on
To run further up, further in
Lord give perseverance, dear Father we pray
To stay in the race you have giv’n

Dear Father, this sinner is weak and is frail
With nary the strength to obey
Enable this sinner to love as I’m loved
The love of my Savior e’er sweet

Ecclesiastes 7:1-13

This is a passage written by a man who is tired.  This is a man who is tired of life.  This is a man who is tired of sin.  This is a man who is tired of the wickedness and the injustice of the world.  This is a man who has tried to be wise and tried to be good and tried to be just, but who has found out that it cannot be done.

Who can really blame this man for his despair?  Who hasn’t felt the pull of despair or the tickle of such dark cynicism?  Who hasn’t at times found it more comfortable to live in the house of sorrowful mourning rather than joyful feasting?  Who hasn’t at times wallowed in black thoughts and feelings?  Who hasn’t tried to keep God’s Law and failed?  Who hasn’t tried to be wise for wisdom’s sake alone?  Who hasn’t felt more comforted in sorrow than laughter?  Who doesn’t feel passionate frustration at the cruelty of the oppression of the weak?  Who hasn’t felt utter frustration at the laughter and tomfoolery of fools?

Still, even more depressing, we are more often than not the fools!  We laugh at our stupidity when we should mourn over our sin.  We oppress and we bribe.  We would rather hear the songs of fellow fools rather than feel the stinging rebukes of the wise and just.  We’re proud people with proud spirits and we don’t want to think about our own mortality nor consider or immorality.  We are impatient and selfish.  We are discontent with our own lives, always looking back into the past or selfishly looking into the future, hoping for what we alone want.  We dwell in the house of mirth, unaware of our foolishness and not caring.

Surely such a reality should drive us to madness!  What depression we should naturally feel when forced to see the blackness of our own hearts!  We try and try to be wise and be good and holy but we can’t, won’t and to try only drives us to despair.

Thanks be to God for Christ!  In Christ our hearts are made new and our sins are forgiven.  We are given hearts of flesh to replace those dead hearts of stone.  Although we still sin we know our sins are forgiven and covered by the blood of Christ.  We once wanted only to engage in our wickedness and now we desperately want to be like Jesus.  In Christ death is defeated!  We now are free to laugh and enjoy what God has given us!  We need not despair over our sin because Christ died for us!  We need not try to keep God’s Law to save ourselves because Christ kept it perfectly and in Him we are made righteous.  What love, what Grace, what Mercy!

Sermon Poetry, 4 October 2009
Sermon Title – “A Review of the Advantages and Difficulties of the Christian Life from Ephesians”
Sermon Text – Ephesians 4:17-32
Preacher – Pastor Larry Vincent

Good God, I’m a sinner
I love myself more than my neighbors around
My love is for me more than the Father, my God
Lord, save me by slaying my heart

Sweet Jesus, I’m helpless
I haven’t the strength to obey your commands
Your Salvation can’t come from keeping Your Law
Lord, save me by Jesus Your Son

Holy Spirit, I’m failing
Without Your good work, I will not become holy
I can’t and I won’t grow by myself in this world
Lord, save me and bring me to glory

I’m a Husband, a Father, Employee and Churchman
I’m called to obey in the paths that I tread
Without Jesus’ love and His Grace I will falter
Lord help me to love and to live for Your Name

Lord, bring me repentance
To honor Your name
So I’ll be like Jesus
Your mercies proclaim

Sermon Poetry – “Lord, Help Me”
Sermon Title – “Preaching Christ to the Natural Man”
Preacher – Dr. Tom Ascol

We live in a time where there’s gods all about
We’re proud of our pluralist ways
The people don’t know of the God of the Word
Ignoring the Ancient of Days

Lord help me when walking in markets and ways
When working among fellow men
Lord help me to preach Jesus Christ to the lost
To sinners, the lost and the damned

Lord help me be faithful to rightly engage
The culture in which I am pleased
To study and know it and judge it by truth
Lord help and show me Your Grace

Lord help me remember the sin of my heart
The sin that enslaves these around
Lord help me to love You and love neighbors too
A sinner was lost, now I’m found

In me light a fire that burns for Your Name
Your honor and glory proclaim
In culture around me, your honor to seek
Proclaiming Your glorious fame

Lord help me to study Your Scripture of Truth
And study the culture around
Respecting the sinner and loving the lost
In Christ, make the lost sinner found

And finally, Father, Your Truth will I tell
I haven’t the strength on my own
Please make me committed, Your glory to seek
Save sinners in Jesus the Son

Sermon Poetry – “Complete what You’ve Begun”
Sermon Title – “Preaching Christ to the Christian”
Preacher – Pastor Fred Malone

Although I’m saved I need the message of my Gospel King
The Revelation Fair and Sweet that Christ has died for me
I need to hear of Law and Sin and how I’ve been redeemed
I need to hear of Jesus Christ, the one who made me free

A slave was I, a rebel dead, I hated Good and Light
I railed against the Holy Law, its message did I fight
I felt I was a moral one, I had no need of Christ
I fought against His Cross of Love, I fought with all my might

But thank the Lord that He is strong, He won against my sin
His Holy Word broke through the haze, my heart did Jesus win
‘Twas Grace that saved a wretch like me, a rebel I had been
That Father chose, my Savior died, the Spirit lives within

So as I live, I need to have the Gospel preached to me
For I forget the Grace of Christ, the blood that washed me clean
The Law is kept by Christ alone, Redemption making free
The sinner’s heart, I look to Christ who died upon the Tree

The things I long to do I don’t, I do the things I hate
I long for good (engaging sin), to stay the Way called Straight
Oh who can save this wretched man, I thank the Father Great
For sending Christ to live and die, in Christ my heart is stayed

This road of life is long and heard, alone we all would fail
We all would walk the crooked way, in journeying to Hell
But thanks to God, we’re kept in Christ, His mercy makes us well
He gives us faith to walk the way, to gates wherein we’ll dwell

Oh Savior Sweet, Kind Jesus Fair! I come a man undone!
I have no strength within my frame, my weakened soul you’ve won
Lord, give me strength to walk the way you’ve chosen for this son
To love my neighbor, loving God, complete what you’ve begun

NOT LIVE

Sermon Title – “Christian Liberty #4: Christ Our Only Lord”
Sermon Text – Romans 14:1-9
Preacher – Pastor Steve Garrick

Jesus is Lord, the Savior who came
Who stooped, who bled and who died
He rules as our King, His praises we sing
The perfect and pure sacrifice
Our worship we offer unto Him
Salvation is in and is through Him
The Kingdom is for and is by Him
All worship our Savior and King

Jesus is King, He rules over all
He followed the Will of the Lord
He rules over earth, o’er stars, over us
His right and His sure reward
All peoples will bow down before Him
All nature is subject unto Him
Our lives and our glory is for Him
All worship our Savior and King

Jesus the Son submitted in death
The Father’s good will He obeyed
He bled on the Cross, entombed in the grave
In three days our Savior was raised
All things have been given unto him
The Father is satisfied with Him
This plan through the ages was for Him
All worship our Savior and King

Jesus alone is the King over all
Our liberty’s given by him
Our freedom is bought by blood and a Cross
His Law alone dictates our sins
Salvation is by and is for Him
Obedience is by and through Him
Our hearts are bought and owned for Him
All worship our Savior and King

Jesus my King, my heart is in pain
I’m sinning and breaking Your Law
I know that I’m bought, I know that I’m saved
In grief, my heart’s hurting and raw
I know Jesus, healing is in You
My savior, I worship and love You
Please give me the strength to obey You
I worship my Savior and King

I praise God that He sent His Son
His face I long to ever see
He lived and died to do God’s Will
His gruesome death He died for me
His death was born of love for God
And thence was born of love for me
I know that in Him I have Life
Because He died upon the Tree
Because He died upon the Tree

When life gets tough and hard to take
When hope seems lost and can’t be found
We must our gaze place on the Son
For us His love does then surround
Oh bless the name of Christ most High
In Him all things work for our Good
Come praise the God who gives us Life
Come praise the Lord who saves His own
Come praise the Lord who saves His own

When then we die we’ll be in Peace
Eternal bliss will e’er be ours
Our hope is in the Lord most High
Our Christ is close and never far
We live for heaven on this earth
Forever we will be with God
The Spirit keeps and holds us till
The Savior comes to claim His own
The Savior who dwells on His Throne
Our Precious Lord is on His Throne!!!

“In the end, I have learned that the anchor to my faith is the resurrection of Christ. Christ is not Lord because he rescues people from cancer, saves the depressed, or brings dogs back to life. He is Lord because Christ is risen. It is that simple. I will have many other anchors and so will you. But none of them compares to the anchor that is the resurrection of Christ. Hold on to those other anchors loosely, knowing that God is involved and can be praised in all things, but not necessarily in our interpretation of all things.”

- Michael Patton