Service Notes for 1-10-21

Welcome to Orchard at
Washington Park!

Thank you for
joining us today,
January 10th, 2021!

SONG TITLE: WITH US

Verse 1
Before the world You knew the plans for me
Before my heart believed You came to my rescue
Now I’m found in love
There’s nowhere else to run
You keep my life within Your mighty hands

Chorus
(Oh God)
There’s no end to Your love
There’s no end to Your love
You’re with us
You’re with us
There’s nothing in this world
That could take You away
You’re with us
You’re with us

Verse 2
Before I call I know You’ll answer me
You’ll make a way beyond what I could imagine
What could separate from the love You gave
I put my hope in everything that You are

Bridge
You reign in our hearts
You reign above all
Be lifted on high
(REPEAT 4X)

CCLI Song # 5894189
Dylan Thomas | Reuben Morgan

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SONG TITLE: GRAVES INTO GARDENS

Verse 1
I searched the world
but it couldn’t fill me
Man’s empty praise
and treasures that fade
Are never enough
Then You came along
and put me back together
And every desire
is now satisfied
here in Your love

Chorus
Oh there’s nothing
better than You
There’s nothing
better than You
Lord there’s nothing
Nothing is better than You

Verse 2
I’m not afraid
to show You my weakness
My failures and flaws
Lord You’ve seen them all
And You still call me friend
‘Cause the God of the mountain
Is the God of the valley
And there’s not a place
Your mercy and grace
won’t find me again

Bridge
You turn mourning to dancing
You give beauty for ashes
You turn shame into glory
You’re the only one who can

Bridge
You turn graves into gardens
You turn bones into armies
You turn seas into highways
You’re the only one who can

CCLI Song # 7138219
Brandon Lake | Chris Brown | Steven Furtick | Tiffany Hammer

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SONG TITLE: BUILD MY LIFE

Verse 1
Worthy of ev’ry song
we could ever sing
Worthy of all the praise
we could ever bring
Worthy of ev’ry breath
we could ever breathe
We live for You

Verse 2
Jesus the name above
ev’ry other name
Jesus the only one
who could ever save
Worthy of ev’ry breath
we could ever breathe
We live for You
We live for You

Chorus
Holy
there is no one like You
There is none beside You
Open up my eyes in wonder
and show me
who You are
And fill me with Your heart
And lead me
in Your love
to those around me

Bridge
I will build my life upon Your love
It is a firm foundation
I will put my trust in You alone
And I will not be shaken

CCLI Song # 7070345
Brett Younker | Karl Martin | Kirby Kaple | Matt Redman | Pat Barrett

____________________

SONG TITLE: YOU MAKE ME BRAVE

Verse 1
I stand before You now
The greatness of Your renown
I have heard of the majesty and wonder of You
King of Heaven in humility I bow

Chorus 1
As (to) Your love in wave after wave
Crashes over me crashes over me
For You are for us You are not against us
Champion of Heaven
You made a way for all to enter in (to Your love)

Verse 2
I have heard You calling my name
I have heard the song of love that You sing
So I will let You draw me out beyond the shore
Into Your grace

Bridge 1
You make me brave
You make me brave
You call me out beyond the shore into the waves
You make me brave
You make me brave
No fear can hinder now the Love that made a way

Bridge 2
You make me brave
You make me brave
You call me out beyond the shore into the waves
You make me brave
You make me brave
No fear can hinder now the promises You’ve made

Chorus 2
Because of love in wave after wave
Crashes over me crashes over me
For You are for us You are not against us
Champion of Heaven You made a way

Ending
Champion of Heaven
You made a way for all to enter in

CCLI Song # 7003306
Amanda Cook

SERMON NOTES with SCRIPTURE

SERMON TITLE: Finding Stability
in the Midst of Chaos

TEACHER:  Dennis Keating

PASSAGE: Lamentations 3:1-40

In 586 BC, Judah’s “doom” arrived in the person of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon

Lamentations 3:1-8 (NASB 1995)

1 I am the man who has seen affliction because of the rod of His wrath. 2 He has driven me and made me walk in darkness and not in light. 3 Surely against me He has turned His hand repeatedly all the day. 4 He has caused my flesh and my skin to waste away (“grow old” – NIV), He has broken my bones. 5 He has besieged and encompassed me with bitterness and hardship. 6 In dark places He has made me dwell, like those who have long been dead. 7 He has walled me in so that I cannot go out (“escape.” – NIV); He has made my chain heavy. 8 Even when I cry out and call for help, He shuts out my prayer.

Lamentations 3:9-12 (NASB 1995)

9 He has blocked my ways with hewn stone; He has made my paths crooked. 10 He is to me like a bear lying in wait, like a lion in secret places. 11 He has turned aside my ways (“dragged me from the path” – NIV) and torn me to pieces; He has made me desolate. 12 He bent His bow and set me as a target for the arrow.

Lamentations 3:13-18 (NASB 1995)

13 He made the arrows of His quiver to enter into my inward parts (“heart.”-NIV) 14 I have become a laughingstock to all my people, their mocking song all the day. 15 He has filled me with bitterness, He has made me drunk with wormwood (“gall.” – NIV) 16 “He has broken my teeth with gravel; He has made me cower in the dust. 17 My soul has been rejected from peace; I have forgotten happiness (“Prosperity.” – NIV)” 18 So I say, “My strength has perished, and so has my hope from the LORD.

Judah deserved God’s judgment because as a nation, they had sinned horribly and defiantly against Him.

Our nation has thrown out the sturdy stepstool of God’s principles, stood on a swivel chair of moral relativity, and fallen flat on its collective rear end.

The most challenging times come when a person stands on the firm foundation of God’s word, like Jeremiah did, and still goes through the wringer of personal chaos.

Lamentations 3:19-20 (NASB 1995)

19 Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood (“gall” – NIV) and bitterness. 20 Surely my soul remembers and is bowed down (“downcast” – NIV) within me.

Observation:
Living by FAITH includes living with EMOTIONS.

A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance. (Ecclesiastes 3:4 – NASB 1995)

Lamentations 3:21-23 (NASB 1995)

21 This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. 22 The LORD’S loving kindnesses (“mercies” – KJ) indeed never cease (“not consumed” – NIV), for His compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.

(emunah): Commonly translated as “faithful” comes from a root meaning “truth” and carries the idea of something being firm or stable and thus trustworthy.
The New Testament word (pistos) has a similar idea of loyalty and thus reliability.

Observation:
DURING TIME OF CHAOS,
whether from our own doing or someone else’s doing,
God remains absolutely DEPENDABLE.

God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Numbers 23:19 – NASB 1995)

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; (Hebrews 10:23 – NASB 1995)

Just because God doesn’t give us what we want doesn’t mean He’s been unfaithful to us.

God’s assurance is that whatever pathway He leads us down, it will ultimately be the best one for us.

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5 ways to experience stability in the midst of my chaos:

1. REVIEW His ATTRIBUTES
“This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope.” (v.21)

HIS LOVINGKINDNESSES never cease. (v. 22)
The Hebrew word (hesed) translated as “mercies” (KJ) refers to God’s loyal, steadfast and kind love for His children.

HIS COMPASSIONS never fail. (v. 22)
God’s “compassions” (rehem) reveals God’s tender feelings of concern for those He brought into existence by His “loving kindnesses.”

3 If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? 4 May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar; (Romans 3:3-4 – NASB 1995)

Observation:
God is dependable even when WE’RE NOT!
“They are new every morning;” (v. 23)

“If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. If you look at God, you’ll be at rest.”
(Corrie ten Boom)

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5 ways to experience stability in the midst of my chaos (cont.):

2.  COUNSEL your SOUL.
“The LORD is my portion”, says my soul; (v. 24)

Observation:
Even in the worst of circumstances when everything else is lost, we STILL HAVE HIM.

19 I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion, 20 and I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the LORD. (Hos 2:19-20 – NASB 1995)

I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU; (Hebrews 13:5 – NASB 1995)

“Therefore I have hope in Him.” (v. 24)

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5 ways to experience stability in the midst of my chaos (cont.):

3.  WAIT for His INTERVENTION.
The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. 26 It is good that he waits silently (“quietly”-NIV) for the salvation of the LORD. (vv. 25-26)

For the Lord will not reject forever; (v. 31)

15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you. 16 “Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;” (Isa 49:15-16 – NASB 1995)

…if He causes grief, then He will have compassion according to His abundant lovingkindness. (v. 32)

37 Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass, unless the Lord has
commanded it? 38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both good and ill (“calamities”-NIV) go forth? (v. 37-38)

Observation:
God has a GOOD REASON
for allowing our difficulties.

Challenge:
“Quit CLIMBING on rickety LADDERS! Stay away from them; and if you’re on one, get off of it!”

Let us examine and probe (“test”-NIV) our ways, and let us return to the LORD. (v. 40)

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5 ways to experience stability in the midst of my chaos (cont.):

4.  TURN to the LORD.
Why should any living mortal, or any man, offer complaint
in view of his sins? (v. 39)

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5 ways to experience stability in the midst of my chaos (cont.):

5.  PRACTICE being faithful.
…it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.
(1 Corinthians 4:2)

Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master. (Matt 25:21 – NASB 1995)

Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
(Revelation 2:10 – NASB 1995)

Is God asking you to jump?
Then He assures you,
He’ll be there to catch you!
He is a faithful God.

~End of Sermon~

Have a blessed week and thanks again for joining us today!

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Orchard Community Church
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