Sunday 13th September 2020
Genesis 50:15-21;Psalm103:1-7,8-13;Romans14:1-12;Matthew18:21-35;
Welcome and Notices. Steward
Call to Worship. Psalm 103.
1 Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
Hymn STF 83. Praise My Soul the King of Heaven.
Prayers of Praise, Adoration, Confession, Lords Prayer.
Almighty God, we gather together to offer our praise and adoration to you. You have created our being and know each of us through and through. We bring our thankful hearts to you, thankful that you care for us with a love beyond measure and all telling. Lord, you know our frailty and yet you have endless patience with us, forgiving us, filling us, renewing us and transforming our lives by your Holy Spirit.
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you, in thought word and deed. There are times when we have not loved you with our whole heart and when we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. Thankyou for your promise that if we confess our sins, you are faithful and just and will forgive our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Lord, we receive your forgiveness with thankful hearts. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer. Our Father,who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Intro to OT Lesson: Forgiveness and unexpected mercy.
OT Lesson- Genesis 50:15-21. New International Version. Joseph Reassures His Brothers
15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” 16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: 17 ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.
18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.
19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.
STF 424. God Forgave My Sin In Jesus Name.
Prayers For Others
Matthew 18:21-35. New International Version. The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[a]
23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold[b] was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins.[c] He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Footnotes
a.Matthew 18:22 Or seventy times seven
b.Matthew 18:24 Greek ten thousand talents; a talent was worth about 20 years of a day laborer’s wages.
c.Matthew 18:28 Greek a hundred denarii; a denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer (see 20:2).
Sermon
Communion.
STF345. And can it be.
Benediction.