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Order of Service for August 17, 2025

You are invited to worship with us at 11:00 am on Sunday, August 17, 2025.

Below, you will find the Order of Service so you can follow along and participate in the worship service. If you would prefer, you can also download a bulletin here:

Before we start, please share the live stream on your favorite social media site and invite your friends.

Order of Service / Bulletin for This Week

Welcome 

Song: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe does seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great and armed with cruel hate.
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide our striving would be losing.
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God’s own choosing.
You ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth His name, from age to age the same;
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us.
We will not fear, for God has willed,
His truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him.
His rage we can endure, for lo! his doom is sure.
One little word shall fell him.

That Word above all earthly powers no thanks to them abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also.
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still!
His kingdom is forever.

© Public Domain

Invocation

Confession and Forgiveness (from Psalm 51):
P: As we come into the presence of God, let us purify ourselves by confessing our sins and seeking God’s forgiveness.
P: Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love;
C: According to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

(Time of silence for reflection and confession)

P: Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!
C: For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.

P: Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
C: Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

All: Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
P: Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
C: Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

All: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Amen.
P: Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I, therefore, forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen

Song: Cornerstone

My hope is built on nothing less,
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ name.

Chorus:
Christ alone, Cornerstone, Weak made strong in the Savior’s love.
Through the storm He is Lord, Lord of all.

When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale My anchor holds within the veil.
My anchor holds within the veil.

(Chorus)

He is Lord. Lord of all.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found,
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless, stand before the throne.

Old Testament Reading – 2 Samuel 22:26-34

“With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
with the purified you deal purely,
and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
You save a humble people,
but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.
For you are my lamp, O Lord,
and my God lightens my darkness.
For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
This God—his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

“For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?
This God is my strong refuge
and has made my way blameless.
He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure on the heights.

Epistle Reading –

Epistle Reading – 1 Corinthians 10:6-13

Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Reader: This is the Word of the Lord.                        C: Thanks be to God.

Gospel Reading – Luke 16:1-13

He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

P: This is the Gospel of the Lord.        C: Praise be to You, O Christ.

Sermon Song: Living Hope

How great the chasm that lay between us.
How high the mountain I could not climb.
In desperation, I turned to heaven,
And spoke Your name into the night.
Then through the darkness Your loving kindness,
Tore through the shadows of my soul.
The work is finished, the end is written,
Jesus Christ, my Living Hope.

Who could imagine so great a mercy.
What heart could fathom such boundless grace.
The God of ages stepped down from glory,
To wear my sin and bear my shame.

The cross has spoken. I am forgiven.
The King of Kings calls me His own.
Beautiful Savior I’m Yours forever,
Jesus Christ, my Living Hope.

Chorus:
Hallelujah, praise the one who set me free!
Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me!
You have broken every chain. There’s salvation in Your Name,
Jesus Christ, my Living Hope.

Then came the morning that sealed the promise,
Your buried body began to breathe.
Out of the silence the roaring Lion,
Declared the grave has no claim on me.

(Repeat)

Jesus, Yours is the victory!

(Chorus 2x)                        © Bethel Music Publishing and Remaining portion is unaffiliated

Sermon – “Watch Out! So, You Don’t Fall.”

Prayers

Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth,

And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church,
the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. 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 and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Benediction

Closing Song: Stand Up Stand Up For Jesus 

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross.
Lift high His royal banner; it must not suffer loss.
From vict’ry unto vict’ry His army He shall lead,
Till ev’ry foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord indeed.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus; the trumpet call obey;
Stand forth in mighty conflict in this His glorious day.
Let all His faithful serve Him against unnumbered foes;
Let courage rise with danger and strength to strength oppose.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus; stand in His strength alone.
The arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the Gospel armor; each piece put on with prayer.
Where duty calls or danger, be never wanting there.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus; the strife will not be long;
This day the din of battle, the next the victor’s song.
The soldiers, overcoming, their crown of life shall see,
And with the King of Glory shall reign eternally.         © Public Domain

Offering (Please click to give online)

Please see the announcements below as well.

God bless and thank you for worshiping with Faith!

News and Announcements

Upcoming Events

Today, Now – In-Person Growth Group Survey
We’ve created a survey regarding our in-person Growth Group(s) to determine the best days/times to meet and topics to cover. Please complete the survey in the bulletin insert and put it in the offering plate.

Aug 21, 7 PM – Growth Group Bible Study (In-Person and Online)
Rich Steinbrueck’s Home

 

Aug 26, 7 PM Council Meeting
Larry’s Home

 

Serving Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills, New Tampa, Lutz, and the Surrounding Communities