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

—Psalm 24:1-4, NRSV

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LEADER:

The earth is the LORD’s and all that is in it,

the world, and those who live in it;

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ALL:

for he has founded it on the seas,

and established it on the rivers.

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LEADER:

Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?

And who shall stand in his holy place?

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ALL:

Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,

who do not lift up their souls to what is false,

and do not swear deceitfully

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SONG - HOW GREAT THOU ART

(© 1949 and 1953 Manna Music, Inc., Stuart Hine Trust. CCLI # 14181)

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O Lord my God

When I in awesome wonder

Consider all the worlds

Thy hands have made

I see the stars

I hear the rolling thunder

Thy pow'r thru'out

The universe displayed

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Then sings my soul

My Savior God to Thee

How great Thou art

How great Thou art

Then sings my soul

My Savior God to Thee

How great Thou art

How great Thou art

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When through the woods

And forest glades I wander

And hear the birds

Sing sweetly in the trees

When I look down

From lofty mountain grandeur

And hear the brook

And feel the gentle breeze

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And when I think

That God His Son not sparing

Sent Him to die

I scarce can take it in

That on the cross

My burden gladly bearing

He bled and died

To take away my sin

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When Christ shall come

With shout of acclamation

And take me home

What joy shall fill my heart

Then I shall bow

In humble adoration

And there proclaim

My God how great Thou art

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SONG - SHOUT TO THE LORD

(© 1993 Hillsong Publishing. CCLI # 1406918)

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My Jesus my Saviour

Lord there is none like You

All of my days I want to praise

The wonders of Your mighty love

My comfort my shelter

Tower of refuge and strength

Let every breath all that I am

Never cease to worship You

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Shout to the Lord

All the earth let us sing

Power and majesty

Praise to the King

Mountains bow down

And the seas will roar

At the sound of Your name

I sing for joy

At the work of Your hands

Forever I'll love You

Forever I'll stand

Nothing compares to the promise

I have in You

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SONG - PRAISE TO THE LORD THE ALMIGHTY

(© 2004 Word Music, LLC, Rocketown Music, LLC., and Sweater Weather Music. CCLI # 4345378)

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Praise to the Lord

The Almighty the King of creation

O my soul praise Him

For He is thy health and salvation

All ye who hear

Now to His temple draw near

Praise Him in glad adoration

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Praise to the Lord

Who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth

Shelters thee under His wings,

yea so gently sustaineth

Hast thou not seen

How thy desires e’er have been

Granted in what He ordaineth

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Praise to the Lord

Who will prosper thy work and defend thee

Surely His goodness and mercy

Shall daily attend thee

Ponder anew

What the Almighty can do

If with His love He befriend thee

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Praise to the Lord

O let all that is in me adore Him

All that has life and breath

Come now with praises before Him

Let the Amen sound from His people again

Gladly forever adore Him

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‍GOD CLEANSES

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PRAYER OF CONFESSION

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LEADER:

Most merciful God,

we confess that we have sinned against you

in thought, word, and deed,

by what we have done,

and by what we have left undone.

We have not loved you with our whole heart;

we have not loved our neighbour as ourselves.

We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.

For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,

have mercy on us and forgive us;

that we may delight in your will,

and walk in your ways,

to the glory of your Name.

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ALL:

Amen.

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SILENT CONFESSION

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WORDS OF ASSURANCE

—1 Corinthians 15:20-22, NRSV

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Christ has been raised from the dead,

the first fruits of those who have died.

For since death came through a human being,

the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being;

for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ.

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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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PARISH SOCIALS

• Parish Socials are back! Throughout July, each Parish will host an event in its area. This is a great opportunity to reconnect with people from your neighbourhood and meet new people. Visit gracetoronto.ca/events for details on the Parish event near you.
  

SUMMER EATS

• All are invited to walk to a nearby affordable restaurant for lunch today after the 2nd service! Meet by the Welcome Desk in the lobby, and we'll depart together at 12:45 pm. All you need is your wallet and a willingness to make new friends.

BUILDING VOLUNTEER DAY

• Join us on Saturday, July 19 from 9AM-3PM for a meaningful day of property clean-up and light maintenance projects—no experience needed! Come lend a hand and enjoy great company and a complimentary lunch as we care for our church together. RSVP to mark@gracetoronto.ca

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK

• FREEDOM (Galatians 5:1) In Christ, we are set free from the bondage of sin. Reflect on areas in your life where you need to embrace this freedom. Pray for the courage to live in the freedom Christ has given you and not fall back into slavery.

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, visit gracetoronto.ca/give.

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GOD COMMUNES

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SCRIPTURE READING

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Genesis 2:16-17; 3:1-24

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16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,

“Cursed are you above all livestock

and all wild animals!

You will crawl on your belly

and you will eat dust

all the days of your life.

15 And I will put enmity

between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and hers;

he will crush your head,

and you will strike his heel.”

16 To the woman he said,

“I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;

with painful labor you will give birth to children.

Your desire will be for your husband,

and he will rule over you.”

17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’

“Cursed is the ground because of you;

through painful toil you will eat food from it

all the days of your life.

18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,

and you will eat the plants of the field.

19 By the sweat of your brow

you will eat your food

until you return to the ground,

since from it you were taken;

for dust you are

and to dust you will return.”

20 Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.

21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

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SERMON

Kingsley Lai

Q&A

Text your questions to 416-830-0335

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SONG OF RESPONSE - AMAZING GRACE (MY CHAINS ARE GONE)

(© 2006 Vamos Publishing. CCLI # 4768151)

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Amazing grace how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost but now I'm found

Was blind but now I see

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'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear

And grace my fears relieved

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed

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My chains are gone I've been set free

My God my Savior has ransomed me

And like a flood His mercy rains

Unending love amazing grace

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The Lord has promised good to me

His word my hope secures

He will my shield and portion be

As long as life endures

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The earth shall soon dissolve like snow

The sun forbear to shine

But God who called me here below

Will be forever mine

Will be forever mine

You are forever mine

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Praise God from whom all blessings flow

Praise Him all creatures here below

Praise Him above ye heav'nly hosts

Praise Father Son and Holy Ghost

Amen

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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

—based on 2 Corinthians 4:6, NIV

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May almighty God,

who caused light to shine out of darkness,

shine in our hearts, cleansing us from all our sins,

and restoring us to the light of the knowledge of God’s glory, in the face of Jesus Christ, our saviour. 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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