Joy to the World, Psalm 98 - Advent 2025

Scripture Reading: Psalm 98

1 Oh sing to the Lord a new song,
    for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm
    have worked salvation for him.
2 The Lord has made known his salvation;
    he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
    to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
    the salvation of our God.

4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
    break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
    with the lyre and the sound of melody!
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn
    make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!

7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
    the world and those who dwell in it!
8 Let the rivers clap their hands;
    let the hills sing for joy together
9 before the Lord, for he comes
    to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
    and the peoples with equity.

Sermon Outline:

1. A call to worship.

2. The Lord the King.

3. As far as the curse is found.

Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Hebrews 1:6

Scripture Reading: Hebrwes 1:6

6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,

“Let all God's angels worship him.”

Sermon Outline:

1. A World of Wonder

2. The Announcement

3. The Explanation

4. The Worship

Hark the Herald Angels Sing: Lyrics

Verse 1

Hark the herald angels sing

Glory to the newborn King

Peace on earth and mercy mild

God and sinners reconciled

Joyful all ye nations rise

Join the triumph of the skies

Nature rise and worship him

Who is born at Bethlehem

Hark The herald angels sing

Glory to the newborn King

Verse 2

Christ by highest heav'n adored

Christ the everlasting Lord

Late in time behold Him come

Offspring of a Virgin's womb

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see

Hail the incarnate Deity

Pleased as man with men to appear

Jesus our Emmanuel here

Hark The herald angels sing

Glory to the newborn King

Verse 3

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace

Hail the Son of Righteousness

Light and life around He brings

Ris'n with healing in His wings

Mild He lays His glory by

Born that men no more may die

Born to raise the sons of earth

Born to give them second birth

Hark The herald angels sing

Glory to the newborn King

Verse 4

Come, Desire of Nations, come

Fix in Us thy humble Home

Rise, the Woman’s Conqu’ring Seed

Bruise in Us the Serpent’s Head

Now display thy saving Pow’r

Ruin’d Nature now restore

Now in Mystic Union join

Thine to Ours, and Ours to Thine

Hark The herald angels sing

Glory to the newborn King

Verse 5

Adam’s Likeness, LORD, efface

Stamp thy Image in its Place

Second Adam from above

Reinstate us in Thy Love

Let us Thee, tho’ lost, regain

Thee, the Life, the Inner Man

Oh! to All Thyself impart

Form’d in each Believing Heart

Hark The herald angels sing

Glory to the newborn King

© Words: Public Domain; Ryan Foglesong

CCLI Song # 7112981 -- CCLI License # 3168259 2

O Come O Come Emmanuel, Matthew 1:18-25, Advent 2025

Scripture Reading: Matthew 1:18-25

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
    and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Sermon Outline:

1. God with us

2. The history of the hymn.

3. The poetry of the lyrics

4. Lessons

The Healing at Bethesda, John 4:43-54

Scripture Reading: John 4:43-54

43 After the two days he departed for Galilee. 44 (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) 45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast. 46 So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” 49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. 51 As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household. 54 This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.

Sermon Outline:

1. Popularity, familiarity and unbelief.

2. Affliction and clarity.

3. The power of Jesus.

4. A snapshot of true faith.

Jesus and the Woman at the Well #3, John 4:27-45

Scripture Reading: John 4:27-45

27 Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” 28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” 30 They went out of the town and were coming to him.

31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. 36 Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”

43 After the two days he departed for Galilee. 44 (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) 45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast.

Sermon Outline:

1. The Final Episode.

2. Progress and Resolution.

3. Lessons for the Mission.

   1. The Mission of God.

   2. The Mission of the Church.

   3. The Goal of the Mission.

   4. The Means of the Mission.

   5. The Method of the Mission.