This Week at Hope – The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Has there ever been a time when you were discouraged about your life after you read scripture or heard it preached, and then you were instructed to be joyful? This is the scene in Nehemiah 8:9-12. The people were celebrating the feast of Trumpets – a happy day. But, they were overcome with a sense of sorrow for their sin at the reading of the law of God. But Ezra instructs them not to mourn… “for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” So what does that mean? On Sunday, we will examine the meaning of this great command for them and for us.
The outline:
I. The leaders take action, v9-11
II. The people change, v12
This week, Prayer will be held at the Burke home.
On Sunday night at 7:00 we will study the matter of Christian Liberty which is described in Chapter 21 of the Baptist Confession.
Please feel free to invite your friends to the Father Son Retreat – 21st Century Battlefields. We have several local pastors coming to address fathers and sons on the various battlefields we face.
The Songs for Sunday are,
- Rejoice, the Lord Is King
- This is the Day the Lord Hath Made
- More Love to Thee, O Christ
- The Power of the Cross
- O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing
Rejoice, the Lord Is King
Rejoice, the Lord is King
Your Lord and King adore!
Rejoice, give thanks and sing and triumph evermore.
Lift up your heart; lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
Jesus, the Savior, reigns
The God of truth and love;
When He had purged our stains, He took His seat above.
Lift up your heart; lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
His kingdom cannot fail;
He rules o’er earth and heav’n.
The keys of death and hell are to our Jesus giv’n.
Lift up your heart; lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
He sits at God’s right hand,
The Church’s great High Priest,
And all his enemies are placed beneath His feet.
Lift up your heart; lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
Rejoice in glorious hope!
Our Lord, the Judge, shall come
And take His servants up to their eternal home.
Lift up your heart; lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
This is the Day the Lord Hath Made
Rejoice, the Lord is King
Your Lord and King adore!
Rejoice, give thanks and sing and triumph evermore.
Lift up your heart; lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
Jesus, the Savior, reigns
The God of truth and love;
When He had purged our stains, He took His seat above.
Lift up your heart; lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
His kingdom cannot fail;
He rules o’er earth and heav’n.
The keys of death and hell are to our Jesus giv’n.
Lift up your heart; lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
He sits at God’s right hand,
The Church’s great High Priest,
And all his enemies are placed beneath His feet.
Lift up your heart; lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
Rejoice in glorious hope!
Our Lord, the Judge, shall come
And take His servants up to their eternal home.
Lift up your heart; lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
This is the Day the Lord Hath Made
(tune of Am I a Soldier)
This is the day the Lord hath made;
He calls the hours his own;
Let heav’n rejoice, let earth be glad,
And praise surround the throne.
Today he rose and left the dead,
And Satan’s empire fell;
Today the saints his triumphs spread,
And all his wonders tell.
Hosanna to th’anointed King,
To David’s holy Son!
Help us, O Lord; descend and bring
Salvation from the throne.
Blest be the Lord, who comes to men
With messages of grace;
Who comes in God his Father’s Name
To save our sinful race.
Hosanna in the highest strains
The church on earth can raise!
The highest heav’ns in which he reigns
Shall give him nobler praise.
More Love to Thee, O Christ
More love to Thee, O Christ,
More love to Thee!
Hear thou the prayer I make
On bended knee;
This is my earnest plea,
More love, O Christ, to Thee,
More love to Thee,
More love to Thee.
Once earthly joy I craved,
Sought peace and rest;
Now Thee alone I seek;
Give what is best:
This all my prayer shall be,
More love, O Christ, to Thee,
More love to Thee,
More love to Thee.
Let sorrow do its work,
Send grief and pain;
Sweet are Thy messengers,
Sweet their refrain,
When they can sing with me,
More love, O Christ, to Thee,
More love to Thee,
More love to Thee.
Then shall my latest breath
Whisper Thy praise;
This be the parting cry
My heart shall raise,
This still its prayer shall be,
More love, O Christ, to Thee,
More love to Thee,
More love to Thee
The Power of the Cross
Oh, to see the dawn of the darkest day:
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men, torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood.
This, the pow’r of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath—
We stand forgiven at the cross.
Oh, to see the pain written on Your face,
Bearing the awesome weight of sin.
Ev’ry bitter thought, ev’ry evil deed
Crowning Your bloodstained brow.
This, the pow’r of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath—
We stand forgiven at the cross.
Now the daylight flees; now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two, dead are raised to life;
“Finished!” the vict’ry cry.
This, the pow’r of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath—
We stand forgiven at the cross.
Oh, to see my name written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death; life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love.
This, the pow’r of the cross:
Son of God—slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.
O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing
O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise
The glories of my God and King
The triumphs of His grace
Jesus! the name that charms our fears
That bids our sorrows cease
‘Tis music in the sinner’s ears
‘Tis life and health and peace
He breaks the pow’r of cancelled sin
He sets the prisoner free
His blood can make the foulest clean
His blood availed for me
Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb
Your loosened tongues employ
Ye blind, behold your Savior come
And leap, ye lame, for joy
My gracious Master and my God
Assist me to proclaim
To spread thro’ all the earth abroad
The honors of Thy name
He calls the hours his own;
Let heav’n rejoice, let earth be glad,
And praise surround the throne.
Today he rose and left the dead,
And Satan’s empire fell;
Today the saints his triumphs spread,
And all his wonders tell.
Hosanna to th’anointed King,
To David’s holy Son!
Help us, O Lord; descend and bring
Salvation from the throne.
Blest be the Lord, who comes to men
With messages of grace;
Who comes in God his Father’s Name
To save our sinful race.
Hosanna in the highest strains
The church on earth can raise!
The highest heav’ns in which he reigns
Shall give him nobler praise.
More Love to Thee, O Christ
More love to Thee, O Christ,
More love to Thee!
Hear thou the prayer I make
On bended knee;
This is my earnest plea,
More love, O Christ, to Thee,
More love to Thee,
More love to Thee.
Once earthly joy I craved,
Sought peace and rest;
Now Thee alone I seek;
Give what is best:
This all my prayer shall be,
More love, O Christ, to Thee,
More love to Thee,
More love to Thee.
Let sorrow do its work,
Send grief and pain;
Sweet are Thy messengers,
Sweet their refrain,
When they can sing with me,
More love, O Christ, to Thee,
More love to Thee,
More love to Thee.
Then shall my latest breath
Whisper Thy praise;
This be the parting cry
My heart shall raise,
This still its prayer shall be,
More love, O Christ, to Thee,
More love to Thee,
More love to Thee
The Power of the Cross
Oh, to see the dawn of the darkest day:
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men, torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood.
This, the pow’r of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath—
We stand forgiven at the cross.
Oh, to see the pain written on Your face,
Bearing the awesome weight of sin.
Ev’ry bitter thought, ev’ry evil deed
Crowning Your bloodstained brow.
This, the pow’r of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath—
We stand forgiven at the cross.
Now the daylight flees; now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two, dead are raised to life;
“Finished!” the vict’ry cry.
This, the pow’r of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath—
We stand forgiven at the cross.
Oh, to see my name written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death; life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love.
This, the pow’r of the cross:
Son of God—slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.
O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing
O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise
The glories of my God and King
The triumphs of His grace
Jesus! the name that charms our fears
That bids our sorrows cease
‘Tis music in the sinner’s ears
‘Tis life and health and peace
He breaks the pow’r of cancelled sin
He sets the prisoner free
His blood can make the foulest clean
His blood availed for me
Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb
Your loosened tongues employ
Ye blind, behold your Savior come
And leap, ye lame, for joy
My gracious Master and my God
Assist me to proclaim
To spread thro’ all the earth abroad
The honors of Thy name