Description
Matthew 4:1-11
Matthew describes the temptation of Christ by the devil. The devil knows what he is doing and uses scripture, God’s very own word, against him. Jesus, no doubt weak after forty days of fasting, responds himself with his very own word. The devil tempts Jesus with the ultimate temptation, to receive right then all the kingdoms of the world (which were His anyway!), to not go to the cross and die for the sins of all, to not suffer a horrible death by crucifixion, to ignore his Father’s will and to choose Himself over all of humanity.
We Lift Our Hearts in Worship
[Preservice options include video countdowns, worship song videos, welcomes), CDs, or live music.]
Welcome & Time of Greeting
Time of Praise and Worship
Blessed Be Your Name
Beth & Matt Redman, ©2002 Thankyou Music
Who You Say I Am
Ben Fielding | Reuben Morgan, © 2017 Hillsong Music Publishing (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)
Lord I Need You
Christy Nockels, Daniel Carson, Jesse Reeves, Kristian Stanfill, & Matt Maher, ©2011 worshiptogether.com songs (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing) sixsteps Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing) Sweater Weather Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing) Valley Of Songs Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing) Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
[Traditional Options]
O Lord, Throughout These Forty Days
CHH 180; EH 142; ELW 319; LBW 99; LSB 418; LW 92; NCH 211; PH 81; RS 553; WC 200; UMH 269; WAR 252
God, Who Made the Earth and Heaven
ELW 564; HFG 4; LBW 281; LSB 877; LW 492; WC 366; UMH 688
Praise to You, and Adoration
LSB 692
Invocation
Pastor / Worship Leader
Great You are, O lord, and greatly to be praised; great is Your power, and Your wisdom is infinite. You would we praise without ceasing.
Worshipers
You call us to delight in Your praise, for You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts find not rest until we rest in You.
Pastor / Worship Leader
O God, be present with us always, dwell within our hearts. With thy light and thy Spirit guide our souls, our thoughts, and all our actions.
Worshipers
Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom 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.
Pastor / Worship Leader
Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth.
Worshipers
All praise and honor, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, One God, now and evermore.
Pastor / Worship Leader
Praise the Lord
Worshipers
Amen!
Opening Prayer / Theme Introduction
Pastor / Worship Leader
Heavenly Father, we praise you and worship you. We thank you for your son, Jesus, who was tempted in every way that we are, and yet was without sin. Jesus, we cannot imagine what it was like to have been tempted by the devil himself, to be weak after fasting for 40 days, to suffer in the wilderness. What it must have been like for you, knowing you would die a horrible death on the cross, to resist the temptation to not go to the cross. You must have been tempted with this every day of your life. Jesus, your love for us is so great, your grace so amazing, that you did indeed go to the cross. We are humbled by this Lord. We thank you and worship you. Amen.
Worshipers
Amen!
Time of Confession and Forgiveness
[Alternate location: following Message]
Pastor / Worship Leader
Lord, we confess.
Worshipers
We lower our heads before you and we confess that we have too often forgotten that we are yours. Sometimes we carry on our lives as if there was no God and we fall short of being a credible witness to You. For these things we ask your forgiveness, and we also ask for your strength.
Pastor / Worship Leader
We have erred and strayed from Your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against Your holy laws.
Worshipers
We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done, and there is nothing good in us. O Lord, have mercy upon us.
Pastor / Worship Leader
We confess that we have sinned in thought, word and deed. We have not loved you with our whole heart.
Worshipers
Spare those, O God, who confess their faults. Restore those who are penitent; according to Your promises declared unto men in Christ Jesus our Lord. Grant that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life.
Pastor / Worship Leader
May the Father of all mercies cleanse us from our sins and restore us in his image to the praise and glory of his name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Worshipers
Amen!
We Hear God’s Word
[Read aloud both the introduction and Scripture]
First Reading Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7
The account of the fall of man- sin enters the world, shame enters the world. The serpent tempts Eve with a lie based in truth, and with a question all will deal with forever, “Did God really say?.” When God questions Adam and Eve on what happened, Adam blames both God and Eve. Eve blames the serpent. God responds with the “first Gospel” in verse 15, he will crush the serpent’s head. And now there is pain childbirth, and the ground is cursed. Work will now become toil. In God’s amazing grace, he makes garments for Adam and Eve.
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
