WE’RE GLAD YOU’VE JOINED US TODAY.

WHO WE ARE.

• We are a community of city-centred, gospel-focused people striving to serve and renew Toronto through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

WHO WE WELCOME.

• We welcome people of all races, ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds and faiths – both religious and irreligious.

WHO WE BELIEVE IN.

• We believe Christ is relevant to every person in every situation, and we want to help you discover him.

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GOD CALLS

CALL TO WORSHIP

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—Psalm 150:1-2, 6, ESV

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LEADER:

Praise the Lord!

Praise God in his sanctuary;

Praise him in his mighty heavens!

Praise him for his mighty deeds;

Praise him according to his excellent greatness!

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ALL:

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

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SONG - BLESSED BE YOUR NAME

(© 2002 Thankyou Music. CCLI # 3798438.)

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Blessed be Your name

In the land that is plentiful

Where Your streams of abundance flow

Blessed be Your name

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Blessed be Your name

When I'm found in the desert place

Though I walk through the wilderness

Blessed be Your name

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Ev’ry blessing You pour out I’ll

Turn back to praise

When the darkness closes in Lord

Still I will say

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Blessed be the name of the Lord

Blessed be Your name

Blessed be the name of the Lord

Blessed be Your glorious name

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Blessed be Your name

When the sun's shining down on me

When the world's all as it should be

Blessed be Your name

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Blessed be Your name

On the road marked with suffering

Though there's pain in the offering

Blessed be Your name

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You give and take away

You give and take away

My heart will choose to say

Lord blessed be Your name

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SONG - BEHOLD OUR GOD

(© 2011 Sovereign Grace Praise and Sovereign Grace Worship. CCLI # 5937510)

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Who has held the oceans in His hands

Who has numbered every grain of sand

Kings and nations tremble at His voice

All creation rises to rejoice

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Behold our God seated on His throne

Come let us adore Him

Behold our King nothing can compare

Come let us adore Him

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Who has given counsel to the Lord

Who can question any of His words

Who can teach the One who knows all things

Who can fathom all His wondrous deeds

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Who has felt the nails upon His hands

Bearing all the guilt of sinful man

God eternal humbled to the grave

Jesus Savior risen now to reign

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You will reign forever

(Let Your glory fill the earth)

You will reign forever

(Let Your glory fill)

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SONG - HOLY HOLY HOLY

(© Public Domain. CCLI # 1156)

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Holy, holy, holy!

Lord God Almighty!

Early in the morning

Our song shall rise to Thee;

Holy, holy, holy,

Merciful and mighty!

God in three Persons,

Blessed Trinity!

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Holy, holy, holy!

All the saints adore Thee,

Casting down their golden crowns

Around the glassy sea;

Cherubim and seraphim

Falling down before Thee,

Who wert and art and

Ever more shall be.

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Holy, holy, holy!

Though the darkness hide Thee,

Though the eye of sinful man

Thy glory may not see;

Only Thou art holy;

There is none beside Thee,

Perfect in power,

In love, and purity.

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Holy, holy, holy!

Lord God Almighty!

All Thy works shall praise Thy name

In earth, and sky, and sea;

Holy, holy, holy;

Merciful and mighty!

God in three Persons,

Blessed Trinity!

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GOD CLEANSES

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PRAYER OF CONFESSION

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LEADER:

You asked for my hands,

that you might use them for your purpose.

I gave them for a moment, then withdrew them,

for the work was hard.

You asked for my mouth

to speak out against injustice.

I gave you a whisper that I might not be accused.

You asked for my eyes

to see the pain of poverty.

I closed them, for I did not want to see.

You asked for my life,

that you might work through me.

I gave a small part, that I might not get too involved.

Lord, forgive our calculated efforts to serve you—

only when it is convenient for us to do so,

only in those places where it is safe to do so,

and only with those who make it easy to do so.

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ALL:

Father, forgive us,

renew us, send us out

as a usable instrument,

that we might take seriously

the meaning of your cross.

Amen.

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SILENT CONFESSION

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WORDS OF ASSURANCE

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—Psalm 103:8-13, NRSV

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LEADER:

The LORD is merciful and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

He will not always accuse,

nor will he keep his anger forever.

He does not deal with us according to our sins,

nor repay us according to our iniquities.

For as the heavens are high above the earth,

so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,

so far he removes our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion for his children,

so the LORD has compassion for those who fear him.

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ALL:

Thanks be to God!

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SONG OF ASSURANCE - I STAND AMAZED (HOW MARVELOUS)

(© 2006 Vamos Publishing. CCLI Song # 4674207)

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I stand amazed in the presence

Of Jesus the Nazarene

And wonder how He could love me

A sinner condemned unclean

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How marvelous how wonderful

And my song shall ever be

How marvelous how wonderful

Is my Savior's love for me

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He took my sins and my sorrows

He made them His very own

He bore the burden to Calvary

And suffered and died alone

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And with the ransomed in glory

His face I last shall see

It will be my joy through the ages

To sing of His love for me

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PRAYER FOR THE CHURCH AND THE CITY

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COMMUNITY LIFE ANNOUNCEMENTS

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AFTER SERVICE BRUNCH

• Stick around after either service for a brunch of pancakes, eggs, hash browns, bacon, and fruit in the St. Andrew's Hall. The cost is $10 for adults. Kids 12 and under are free! RSVP at gracetoronto.ca/events.

TRIVIA NIGHT

• Grab some friends for Trivia Night! Fri, Feb 27, 8:00-9:30pm in the Neighbours Hall. Tickets are $10 and RSVP is required. Come ready to play! RSVP at gracetoronto.ca/events.

MEMBERSHIP CLASS

• Interested in becoming a member of our church? We invite you to attend a membership class on Saturday February 21st from 9am-2pm in the St. Andrews hall (2nd floor). Lunch is provided. Register online at gracetoronto.ca/events.

YOUNG ADULTS LOVE IN THE CITY

• It's time for one of our most anticipated events of the year: the young adults panel on friendship, dating, and romance. We'll be joined by special guests: Kevin & Emily Hong! Bring your friends and bring your questions on February 18th at 6:30 PM.

VBS REGISTRATION

• Join us for VBS! This year's theme is "Rainforest Falls: Exploring the Nature of God. We will be running a joint VBS with St. Paul's on Bloor from July 6th to 10th from 9 am to 4 pm. Registration is now open at gracetoronto.ca/events and ends in March.

WORSHIP NIGHT

• Come join us on Mar 4th at 7PM for a night of worship and prayer for revival in the city of Toronto.

‍PRAYER FOR THE WEEK

• GLORY (Matthew 17:1-9) On the mountain, Peter, James, and John witnessed the glory of Jesus transfigured. Reflect on moments when you’ve caught a glimpse of God’s glory in your life. Pray for eyes to see His glory daily and the courage to follow Jesus wherever He leads.

SUPPORT

• If you are in any form of need or if you are able to help others, please visit http://www.gracetoronto.ca/help  or visit http://www.gracetoronto.ca/prayer  to submit your prayers.

DIACONATE

• The Diaconate exists to contribute to the flourishing of gospel-centered community by meeting the practical needs of our church community, and extending help and compassion to those experiencing hardship or difficult circumstances. Click here for more information.

OFFERING

• To set up your online giving or to learn more about giving options, visitgracetoronto.ca/give.

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GOD COMMUNES

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SCRIPTURE READING

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James 2:14- 26

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Faith and Deeds

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? ¹⁵ Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶ If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. ¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

²⁰ You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? ²¹ Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. ²³ And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. ²⁴ You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

²⁵ In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? ²⁶ As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

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SERMON

Dan MacDonald

Q&A

Text your questions to 416-830-0335

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SONG OF RESPONSE - BUILD MY LIFE

(© Said And Done Music, sixsteps Music, Thankyou Music, worshiptogether.com songs. CCLI # 7070345)

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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

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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

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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

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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

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COMMUNION
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PRAYER FOR THOSE SEARCHING FOR TRUTH

Lord Jesus, you claim to be the way, the truth, and the life.  Grant that I might be undaunted by the cost of following you as I consider the reasons for doing so. If what you claim is true, please guide me, teach me, and open me to the reality of who you are.  Give me an understanding of you that is coherent, convincing and that leads to the life you promise.  Amen.

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PRAYER OF BELIEF

Lord Jesus Christ, I admit that I am weaker and more sinful than I ever dared admit, but through you I am more loved and accepted than I ever dared hope.  I thank you for paying my debt on the cross, taking what I deserved in order to offer me complete forgiveness. Knowing that you have been raised from the dead, I turn from my sins and receive you as my Saviour and Lord.  Amen.

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GOD COMMISSIONS

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BENEDICTION

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—based on Hebrews 13:20-21, NIV

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Now may the God of peace

equip you with everything good for doing his will,

and may he work in us what is pleasing to him,

through Jesus Christ,

to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

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PRAYER

Would you like prayer?  Send us an email at prayer@gracetoronto.ca.  We would love to intercede for you!

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