20 SEPTEMBER 2020
Freedom Sunday
(Gary A. Haugen) “The Scriptures promise that ‘a sceptre of justice will be the sceptre of (God’s) kingdom’ [Psalm 45:6], And while the kingdom of God will be complete only in the coming of Christ, today our great joy and privilege is to work as colaborers with the Creator in extending His Kingdom over one more life, one more family, one more neighbourhood, one more community. The people of God will find in Christ the compassion and courage to engage the call to justice for we know God promises that we who do not ‘become weary in doing good… will reap a harvest if we do not give up’ [Gal.6:9].” (J. I. Packer) “The modern idea that a judge should be cold and dispassionate has no place in the Bible. The biblical judge is expected to love justice, play fair and loathe all ill-treatment of one person by another. An unjust judge, one who has no interest in seeing right triumph over wrong, is by biblical standards a monstrosity.” (Carl F. Henry) “If the church preaches only divine forgiveness and does not affirm justice, she implies that God treats immorality and sin lightly. If the church proclaims only justice, we shall all die in unforgiven sin and without the spirit’s empowerment for righteousness. We should be equally troubled that we lag in championing justice and in fulfilling our evangelistic mandate.”
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Presider: Sijin Yang Preacher: P. Jim Jung CALL TO WORSHIP Psalm 146:5-10 “5Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, 6who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; 7who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; 8the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. 9The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. 10The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!” SILENT CONFESSION Let us prepare our hearts by privately confessing our sins to our loving Heavenly Father. Be honest before God, and bear your heart and soul to Him. Thank Him and Praise Him for the good things; and confess those sins you knowingly and unknowingly commit, even the sin of omitting the good that you ought to have done. (Silent Private Prayer) ASSURANCE OF PARDON (In Christ, our sins are covered!) Here the good news! Romans 5:10 “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” PRAYER OF ADORATION AFFIRMATION OF FAITH Heidelberg Catechism – Lord’s Day #37 – THE LAW OF GOD 103. What does God require in the fourth Commandment? (“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” – Exo.20:8) In the first place, God wills that the ministry of the Gospel and schools be maintained, and that I, especially on the day of rest, diligently attend churchto learn the Word of God, to use the Holy Sacraments, to call publicly upon the Lord, and to give Christian alms. In the second place, that all the days of my life I rest from my evil works, allow the Lord to work in me by His Spirit, and thus begin in this life the everlasting Sabbath. SONGS OF PRAISE (Minwoo Yim) Send Me Out Living Hope OFFERING / DEDICATION To help you think about your level of giving, here is the financial snapshot of HCC for this month: Last Week’s Giving: $4,669.10 Total September Giving: $7,8440.20 Monthly Budget: $17,130 Sydney Space: $11,641.52 PRAYER FOR CHRIST'S CHURCH & THE WORLD (Jess Lee) SCRIPTURE READING Matthew 25:31-40 (Jess Lee) SERMON "We Hurt Together" – Psalm 4:1-26 You Have Saved Us! We are Sheep to be Slaughtered! Rise Up, Come to Our Help! ANNOUNCEMENTS RESPONSIVE SONG Kingdom Come BENEDICTION Hebrews 13:20-21 “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
GOD OF MERCY & JUSTICE
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WELCOME TO HCC! We are a gospel centered church seeking the renewal of our city by the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the glory of God! We are so glad to have you join us for our worship service today. If you’re with us for the first time, please let us know who you are by filling out our please fill out the 'Newcomers Form' here and we’ll get in touch! Sunday Worship 10:30 AM Worship Service Now being live-streamed online each week. The link can be found on our church Facebook Page. Past sermons can be found here. Church Office Suite 3.17, 32 Delhi Rd, North Ryde NSW 2113 OFFERING Offering is part of our worship to God. The Bible gives us an enduring principle of tithing of our gross income as the baseline for the Christian’s worship through giving (2 Cor 9:7; Malachi 3:8-10). If every church member gave 10%, we would have enough financial resources for all the gospel ministry God is calling our church to do. Let the Spirit guide you in all final matters. You may give electronically to the account details below:
Account Name: Harbour City Church BSB: 082 057 Account Number: 16 207 4037 Account Name: HCC Sydney Space BSB: 082 057 Account Number: 32 844 5724
CHILDREN'S MINISTRY While we continue to participate in online worship services as a church, families with children from Preschool to Year 6 are offered separate Children’s Bible Story Lessons each week for parents to teach the children at home. Please contact Claudia Jung if you need assistance with lessons. jcjung@gmail.com GROWTH GROUPS GGs are small group support and accountability units, available to all members and regulars. COMMUNITY GROUPS CG’s include mixed fellowship and activities, but will not be meeting during the current “distancing” season. ELDERS
Jim Jung Senior Pastor 0430 423 986 Jason Ju Ruling Elder 0422 647 599 David Choi Ruling Elder 0433 666 991
KEEP IN TOUCH Find us online for regular posts, reflections and to get to know us a little better via our Facebook, Instagram and website. Facebook: @harbourcitychurch Instagram: @hcc_syd www.harbourcitychurch.com
COMMUNITY BIBLE READING Monday 21 September Job 13 / Revelation 22 Tuesday 22 September Job 14 / Mark 1 Wednesday 23 September Job 15 / Mark 2 Thursday 24 September Job 16 / Mark 3 Friday 25 September Job 17 / Mark 4 Saturday 26 September Psalm 91 PRAYING THROUGH YOUR PEN DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Why is it important to remember the past faithfulness of God in saving us? What do you do when you feel vulnerable and helpless? Do you recall a time when you cried out to God in desperation? Would you care to share that occasion and experience? How has God “risen up” to the difficult occasion, or sent someone/something else to help deliver you? How has Jesus Christ saved you? What was the most helpful/challenging/encouraging part of the sermon for you?
1. Adoration Praise the Father for His attributes and actions 2. Confession Confess and acknowledge your sinfulness 3. Thanksgiving Thank Jesus for His salvation 4. Supplication Ask the Spirit to transform you
ANNOUNCEMENTS
WELCOME TO HCC Thank you for joining our HCC Sunday live-stream worship. If you are new to our church, even though we’re not physically meeting together, we want to welcome you, and would love to get to know you. Please fill out the 'Newcomers Form' HERE and we’ll get in touch! FREEDOM SUNDAY Please stay after the benediction for the Mercy & Justice Ministry presentation of IJM initiative – “Freedom Sunday”. COVID-19 UPDATE Please continue to stay safe and informed of COVID-19 developments. Stay in touch with one another via phone and electronically, and please let us know if there’s anything the church leadership can help with. COMMUNITY GROUPS Community Groups have been updated in order to accommodate Community Live Worship (also known as “watch party”). They are Ryde CG, Eastwood CG, West CG, and North CG. The City group is not a full-fledged CG, but CLW will be accommodated for those who cannot make it to the other CGs. Please enquire with Sarah Gho. If you would like to join HCC’s Live Worship on location, please let us know, and we’d be happy to accommodate your space at the office with the North CG. All groups are reminded to continue observing the safety protocol at all meetings. MEMBERSHIP SUNDAY - 27/09/2020 We are expecting to receive new brothers and sisters into our HCC local body. This is especially blessing in spite of the difficult time of current social isolation. God’s Kingdom work continues to grow and mature! GROWTH GROUPS HCC Growth Groups meet every week. So be sure to get connected in these small group meetings for care, accountability, sermon reflection, prayer and fellowship. If you have any questions, please enquire with P. Jim, Elder David Choi or Delaney Chow.