Lord’s Day 3: Q&A 6-8
Firmly in the Misery/Sin section of the Catechism now, these Lord’s Days are great inspiration for a lot of Confession and Assurance. I (Matt) love Q&A 8’s blunt admission of sin: Q. But are we so corrupt that we are totally unable to do any good and inclined toward all evil? A. Yes, unless we are born again by the Spirit of God. Within that one sentence is both admission of guilt and sin but also the all-encompassing hope of the Gospel.
LORD’S DAY 3
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
God: Father, Son, and Spirit, you have created us in your image, intending us to truly know you, to love you with all our heart, and to live with you in eternal happiness for your glory. We lament that we as your people have never lived up to this standard. We lament that sin has overtaken us through our disobedience ever since Adam and Eve fell into sin to the point where we are all sinful from birth. We confess that, apart from you, we are unable to do anything to get us out of our fallen state. We confess that we continue to sin every day, bringing ourselves farther and farther away from you. Forgive us, Lord, for our sins that we choose to commit and our sins that, despite our best desires and intentions, we still fall into. Forgive us. Empower us anew with the Holy Spirit that we may be able to do good, to resist temptation and sin, and to live for you and your glory. Amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
Brothers and Sisters, if you are in Christ, the Spirit of God dwells within you and empowers you to be able to strive against your sinful nature to resist temptation, to truly know God, to love God with all your heart, and to praise and glorify your creator and Lord.
CALL TO WORSHIP
Friends, our God created us in his image - in righteousness and holiness - that we might truly know him, love him with all our heart, and ultimately live with him in eternal happiness to praise and glorify him. The Holy Spirit is here among us and within us, empowering us to be able to praise and glorify God. Let us do so today as we lift our hearts and voices together, knowing that we are sinners forgiven and saved by grace.
