In consideration of others and as guests of West High School . . .
- Please silence your phone and watch.
- Name tags are a great start to a meaningful connection. Thanks for wearing one.
- If you’d like to give an offering, there are two baskets in the back. If you want to give online you can do so HERE.
PREPARATION FOR WORSHIP
Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel
and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
“I am the first and I am the last;
besides me there is no god.
Isaiah 44:6
But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation.
Jeremiah 10:10
And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”
Mark 12:26-27
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:12
“In the beginning God created man in His own image, and man has been trying to repay the favor ever since.”
– Voltaire
“We believe not just in a God who is there, but a God who has spoken.”
– Francis Schaeffer
WELCOME & CALL TO WORSHIP
Psalm 95:1-3
1 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
SONG
Our God
Water You turned into wine
Opened the eyes of the blind
There’s no one like You
None like You
Into the darkness You shine
Out of the ashes we rise
There’s no one like You
None like You
Our God is greater
Our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is healer
Awesome in power
Our God
Our God
And if our God is for us
Then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us
Then what could stand against
What could stand against
SONG
Defender
[Verse 1]
You go before I know
That You’ve even gone to win my war
You come back with the head of my enemy
You come back and You call it my victory
[Verse 2]
You go before I know
That You’ve even gone to win my war
Your love becomes my greatest defense
It leads me from the dry wilderness
[Pre-Chorus]
And all I did was praise
And all I did was worship
And all I did was bow down
And all I did was stay still
[Chorus]
And hallelujah, You have saved me
So much better Your way
And hallelujah, Great Defender
So much better this way
[Verse 2]
You know before I do
Where my heart can seek to find Your truth
Your mercy is the shade I’m living in
You restore my faith and hope again
[Pre-Chorus]
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
When I thought I lost me, You knew where I left me
You reintroduced me to Your love
You picked up all my pieces, put me back together
You are the defender of my heart
[Chorus]
© 2016 Gateway Create Publishing, Kindred Joy Music, Bethel Music Publishing. CCLI Lic # 20307629
SCRIPTURE READING
Isaiah 44:9-20
9 All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. 10 Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? 11 Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together.
12 The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. 13 The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. 14 He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. 15 Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” 17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”
18 They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. 19 No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” 20 He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
SONG
Great Is Our God
Come let us praise Him
Let us kneel at the throne of our God
Through His Son our salvation was bought
With mercy and grace
Come let us bow down
In His hands are the depths of the earth
With one voice we proclaim His great worth
Lord, our God
And we will seek Him
Our Rock of Salvation
Morning by morning
With thanksgiving we come
And we will bow down
with creation we cry out
In daylight and darkness
We sing to the Lord
Great is our God
Great is our God
Great is our God
Lord of all nations
We will stand at the end of our days
In Your courts and declare Your great ways
In Spirit and Truth
We long for Your Kingdom
Bring Your thunder and gather the earth
All who tremble will tell of Your worth
Lord our God
Great is our God
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Officer Nominations
Today is the last day we are taking nominations for the offices of elder and deacon. Please prayerfully consider the biblical qualifications (1 Tim.3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9) and nominate those you believe God is calling to each office. You can nominate someone by submitting a written nomination to a member of our staff. We have written forms available near our offering baskets in the back. You must be a member to nominate an officer.
Men’s Ministry Faith + Work. Thursday, March 9 from 7:30–9pm. How does our typical work day fit into God’s Gospel mission and our walk with him? This 90-minute, one-time seminar will be led by Steve Lindsey, and he will lead us in thinking about God’s view of work from the Bible. The exact location will be determined based on the number of registrations, so please REGISTER here.
Sunday AM Study on Forgiveness – Jeremy Williamson will lead an 8:30am Sunday morning study with Tim Keller’s “Forgive” book. The study will be held on-site at West High, on March 12, 19, 26, and April 2. Please register here. You will need to seek out and purchase your own copy of the book in advance.
OFFERTORY
If you would like to give electronically, you may do so here HERE. There are white baskets in the back of our worship space, where you can give via cash or check.
SERMON
Series – Elijah & Elisha: Fire and Mercy
Message: “The God Who Answers By Fire”
1 Kings 18:17-40 (ESV)
17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?” 18 And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father’s house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals. 19 Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
20 So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel.21 And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. 23 Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. 24 And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.” 25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it.” 26 And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. 27 And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” 28 And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them.29 And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name,” 32 and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two seahs[a] of seed. 33 And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” 34 And he said, “Do it a second time.” And they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time.” And they did it a third time. 35 And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water.
36 And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.”38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.” 40 And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.” And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there.
SONG
Only A Holy God
Who else commands all the hosts of heaven
Who else could make every king bow down
Who else can whisper and darkness trembles
Only a Holy God
What other beauty demands such praises
What other splendor outshines the sun
What other majesty rules with justice
Only a Holy God
Come and behold Him
The One and the Only
Cry out sing holy
Forever a Holy God
Come and worship the Holy God
What other glory consumes like fire
What other power can raise the dead
What other name remains undefeated
Only a Holy God
Who else could rescue me from my failing
Who else would offer His only Son
Who else invites me to call Him Father
Only a Holy God
Only my Holy God
BENEDICTION
Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.
Hebrews 12:28-29