Foundry Community Church
Ninth Sunday after Pentecost - Year A
  • To God Be The Glory

      • Psalm 85ESV

      • Colossians 2:6–15ESV

  • Children Of The Heavenly Father
  • Luke 11:1–13 ESV
    1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread, 4 and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.” 5 And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
    This is the Gospel of our Lord!
    ALL: Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ!

    Because He Is Faithful

    Opening Prayer

    Faithful Father,
    You have loved us with an everlasting love and pursued us even when we wandered far from You. Thank You for Your mercy that never fails and Your grace that meets us where we are.
    Open our hearts to receive Your Word today. Teach us to trust You more deeply, to rest in the finished work of Christ, and to pray with confidence as Your beloved children.
    May everything we do bring honor to Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray.
    Amen.

    Big Idea

    God remains faithful even when His people are not. Because we have been made alive in Christ, we can confidently approach our faithful Father in prayer, trusting His grace, His promises, and His goodness.

    Introduction

    Every relationship depends on trust.
    Children trust parents.
    Friends trust friends.
    Employees trust employers.
    Marriages depend upon trust.
    When trust is broken, everything becomes uncertain.
    Our relationship with God often reveals the same struggle.
    We wonder:
    Can I really trust Him?
    Will He forgive me again?
    Does He still hear my prayers?
    Does He still love me after all my failures?
    Today's Scriptures answer with one overwhelming word:
    Yes.
    Not because we are faithful.
    Because He is faithful.
    Today, each of our readings answers one question:
    Can God still be trusted?
    says yes—even when His people are unfaithful.Hosea 
    says yes—because mercy and truth meet together.Psalm 85 
    says yes—because Christ has canceled our debt.Colossians 
    says yes—because our Father delights to give good gifts.Luke 
    God pursues
    God forgives
    God restores
    Therefore we pray with confidence.

    God's Faithfulness Is Greater Than Our Failure

    A lighthouse stands during every storm.
    Ships come and go.
    Some ignore its warning.
    Some crash upon the rocks.
    The lighthouse never moves.
    Its purpose remains unchanged.
    God's faithfulness is like that lighthouse.
    We drift.
    He remains.
    Unfortunately, we as God’s children are very unfaithful to Him. God is unfortunately very used to.
    Hosea ministered to the Northern Kingdom shortly before Assyria destroyed Israel.
    God tells Hosea to marry Gomer, whose repeated unfaithfulness becomes a living illustration of Israel's spiritual adultery.
    This is not merely about marriage.
    It is about covenant.
    Israel has pursued idols while God has remained faithful.

    Key Themes

    God's holiness
    Human unfaithfulness
    Judgment
    Redeeming love
    Future restoration
    Even after announcing judgment, God promises:
    Hosea 1:10 ESV
    …And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.”
    Israel repeatedly abandoned God.
    ~ Yet God refused to abandon Israel.
    Hosea's marriage becomes a living sermon.
    Every time Gomer wandered away...
    ~Hosea pursued her.
    That pursuit reflects God's heart.
    God disciplines.
    God confronts.
    But He never stops loving His covenant people.

    Psalm 85

    We read Psalm 85 earlier in the service. This psalm moves from remembering grace to asking for renewed revival.
    Notice the progression.
    God forgave.
    God restored.
    Now restore us again.
    The climax comes in verses 10:
    Psalm 85:10 KJV 1900
    10 Mercy and truth are met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
    These verses point beautifully toward Christ, where justice and mercy meet at the cross.

    Personal Application

    Many believers carry shame from yesterday's failures.
    They think:
    "I've gone too far."
    Hosea says otherwise.
    God is still pursuing.
    Judgment is never God's final word.
    Grace is.

    Christ Has Removed Everything That Separated Us

    Personal Illustration

    Imagine spending years paying off an impossible debt.
    Then one morning the bank calls.
    Someone has completely paid it.
    Not reduced.
    Not refinanced.
    Paid.
    Your relationship with the bank changes immediately.
    Why?
    Because the debt is gone.
    That is exactly what Jesus has done.
    Paul reminds believers that everything necessary for salvation is already theirs in Christ.
    Notice the progression.
    You were
    dead,
    buried,
    raised,
    forgiven,
    made alive.
    Then comes one of Scripture's greatest images.
    Look at verse 14.
    Colossians 2:14 ESV
    14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
    Jesus nailed our record of debt to the cross.
    The certificate of condemnation no longer exists.
    Not because we paid it—
    because Christ did.
    Paul paints an incredible courtroom scene.
    Every sin.
    Every lie.
    Every selfish act.
    Every failure.
    Recorded.
    Then Jesus takes the entire record...
    and nails it to His cross.
    Notice:
    He didn't simply cover it.
    He canceled it.
    The Greek word literally refers to erasing writing from a document so it cannot be read again.
    Your guilt is not merely hidden.
    It is gone.

    Application

    Stop trying to earn what Jesus has already accomplished.
    Live from grace.
    Not for grace.

    Because Our Father Is Faithful, We Can Pray Boldly

    Jesus never tells us prayer is complicated.
    Instead, He tells us God is a Father.
    Prayer begins with relationship.
    Notice the progression.
    Ask.
    Seek.
    Knock.
    Jesus isn't describing three different prayers.
    He is describing growing persistence.
    Prayer is not twisting God's arm.
    Prayer is trusting God's heart.

    Motivational Illustration

    Years ago, a child became trapped beneath rubble after an earthquake. Rescue crews worked tirelessly for hours. Throughout the rescue, the child remained calm because he kept hearing one familiar voice calling his name—his father's. The child later said, "I knew if Dad was there, he wouldn't stop until he found me."
    That is the confidence Jesus wants us to have in prayer. We keep calling to our Father because we know He never stops pursuing His children.
    The disciples notice something.
    Jesus prays differently.
    Instead of asking Him how to preach...
    or perform miracles...
    they ask:
    "Lord, teach us to pray."
    Jesus teaches:
    the Lord's Prayer
    The Friend at Midnight which teaches us perseverance in our Prayers…
    Then He drives that home with Luke 11:9
    Luke 11:9 ESV
    9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
    Ask.
    Seek.
    Knock.
    Prayer is persistence rooted in relationship.
    The climax? He then reminds us in verse 13 of His very nature ~ His Goodness!
    Luke 11:13 ESV
    13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
    Prayer is ultimately about trusting God's character.
    So…

    Application

    Pray with confidence.
    Pray with honesty.
    Pray with persistence.
    Pray expecting the goodness of your Father.

    Conclusion

    Hosea reminds us...
    God still pursues.
    Psalm 85 reminds us...
    God restores.
    Colossians reminds us...
    God forgives.
    Luke reminds us...
    God listens.
    The Gospel is not that we finally became faithful.
    The Gospel is that God remained faithful.
    Every promise of God finds its "Yes" in Jesus Christ.
    So today...
    Come home.
    Lay down your guilt.
    Receive His grace.
    Pray with confidence.
    Because He is faithful.

    Big Idea

    God remains faithful even when His people are not. Because we have been made alive in Christ, we can confidently approach our faithful Father in prayer, trusting His grace, His promises, and His goodness.

    Transition to Communion

    As we come to the Lord's Table, we do not come because we have lived a perfect week. We come because Jesus lived the perfect life for us, bore our sins on the cross, and canceled the debt we could never repay.
    This table is a reminder that God's faithfulness is greater than our failures. Here we remember that Christ pursued us, forgave us, and welcomes us into His family.
    Come with gratitude. Come with humility. Come trusting in the grace that is freely given through Jesus Christ.

      • Luke 11:1–13ESV

      • Hosea 1:10ESV

      • Psalm 85:10ESV

      • Colossians 2:14ESV

      • Luke 11:9ESV

      • Luke 11:13ESV

  • Leader: Brothers and sisters in Christ, we come now to the Lord’s Table—a place of grace, remembrance, and renewal. Here we remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, proclaim His victory over sin and death, and celebrate the unity we share as His people.

    Invitation to the Table

    Leader: Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
    This table is not the table of any church, but the table of our Lord Jesus Christ. All who trust in Him, repent of their sins, and desire to follow Him are invited to share in this meal of grace.

    Prayer of Confession

    Leader: Before we receive these gifts, let us confess our sins before God.
    All: 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, and we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
    Let us go before our Lord in Silent Confession…

    Assurance of Pardon

    Leader: Hear the good news: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
    In Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven.

    The Great Thanksgiving

    Leader: The Lord be with you.
    People: And also with you.
    Leader: Lift up your hearts.
    People: We lift them up to the Lord.
    Leader: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
    People: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
    Leader: Let us pray as our Lord taught us…

    The Lord’s Prayer

    Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

    Words of Institution

    Leader: On the night He was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread. After giving thanks, He broke it and said:
    "This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."
    In the same way, after supper He took the cup and said:
    "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."
    For whenever we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.

    Prayer of Consecration

    Leader: Let us pray.
    Gracious Father, pour out Your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts of bread and cup. By Your Spirit, unite us with Christ and with one another, that we may be nourished in faith, strengthened in hope, and renewed in love. Make us faithful witnesses of Your kingdom until Christ comes again in glory. Through Him, with Him, and in Him, all honor and glory are Yours, now and forever. Amen.

    Distribution

    Leader: The body of Christ, given for you. Amen.
    The blood of Christ, shed for you. Amen.

    Prayer After Communion

    All: Gracious God, we thank You for feeding us with the spiritual food of the body and blood of Your Son. Strengthen us through this meal to love and serve You faithfully, to seek justice, to show mercy, and to walk humbly with You. Send us into the world in the power of the Holy Spirit to be witnesses of Christ's love. In His holy name we pray. Amen.

      • 1 Corinthians 11:23–24ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 11:23–24ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 11:23–24ESV

  • Doxology
  • Sweet Hour Of Prayer (Hour Of Prayer)
  • Now Unto Him
Foundry Community Church
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