WELCOME
Communion Worship Service
Good morning First Baptist. We welcome you to worship this morning. Be sure to remember your brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the week as you pray for them, and as the Holy Spirit brings their faces to your mind. Be sure to also connect with them in the ways that are possible. And if you have any questions or would like to talk to someone, please don’t hesitate to contact the church through the church telephone and leave a message. (519-733-4144)
Call to Worship
Good morning, church! It’s so good to see each of you here today. We want to start by saying welcome to the kickoff of a brand-new ministry year! This is a fresh season, a new chapter, and a time full of possibility.
As we start this year together, we want to start out by asking you to consider a simple question: What are you praying for this year? Maybe it’s a breakthrough in your life, healing in a relationship, guidance for a big decision, or a fresh touch of God’s Spirit. Whatever it is, bring it with you into this time today. God wants to hear it, and He is ready to move.
You know, it’s easy to get caught up in programs, schedules, or all the things happening around the church. And those things are great but the reason we gather it’s for programs. It’s for God Himself. We’re here because we want more of His presence more of His Spirit at work in our hearts, in our families, and in our church.
And the beautiful truth is He wants that too. He is ready to meet us, to forgive, to restore, and to fill us with His Spirit. He’s ready for this new season with us.
So, as we begin, let’s take a moment to quiet our hearts, lift up our hands, and open ourselves fully to Him. Let’s come with humility, repentance, and a willingness to be used by God. Let’s invite Him to move in powerful ways this year.
As the psalmist says:
‘Who can stand in God’s holy place? The one with clean hands and a pure heart, who seeks truth and lives with integrity. They will receive God’s blessing.’
So, let’s open our hearts, turn from what keeps us from Him, and invite His Spirit to move freely among us. God is here, and He wants to meet us right where we are. Let’s worship Him together!
Songs
Prayer
CONFESSION:
Holy God, You promise never to leave us or forsake us, yet we confess how often we live as though You are far away. When challenges come, we rely on our own strength. When fear rises, we forget that You walk beside us. When blessings abound, we take credit instead of giving thanks. Forgive us for doubting Your nearness, for closing our hearts to Your Spirit, and for ignoring the ways You surround us in love.
Amen.
WORDS OF ASSURANCE:
Hear the good news: Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Even when we wander, God’s presence remains steadfast. Even when we forget, God remembers us. Be assured, friends: in Jesus Christ, you are forgiven, and you never walk alone. Thanks be to God!
A New Season
The Key to God’s Presence
Today's Message: Pastors Marlee Page and Dave Page
Church, we are stepping into a new year, a new season in our ministry. The calendar has turned, routines are restarting, programs are launching, and hearts are looking for direction. But more than anything, we are looking for God to move in a fresh and powerful way.
This is the time to pause and ask: What are you praying for this year?
- Are you praying for personal breakthrough in your life?
- Are you praying for restoration in your family or relationships?
- Are you praying for a fresh outpouring of God’s Spirit in our church?
Deep down, we all long for more of God’s presence. We don’t just want good music, well-run programs, or a friendly community. Those are wonderful—but they aren’t enough. What we really want is revival. We want to see God move so powerfully that lives are transformed, hearts are healed, and our community feels His touch.
But here’s the challenge: revival doesn’t happen by accident. It doesn’t come because we have a great plan, a perfect worship set, or impressive facilities. Revival comes when God’s people humble themselves, repent, and open the door to His presence.
Two passages of Scripture make this clear:
- 2 Chronicles 7:11–22 – God’s word to Solomon after he built the temple.
- Revelation 3:19–20 – Jesus’ words to the church in Laodicea.
Two very different moments, one timeless truth: repentance is the key to God’s presence.
Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 7:11–22; Revelation 3:19–20
2 Chronicles 7:11-22
11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king’s house; and Solomon successfully accomplished all that came into his heart to make in the house of the Lord and in his own house.
God’s Second Appearance to Solomon
12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. 16 For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. 17 As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, and do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, 18 then I will establish the throne of your kingdom, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man as ruler in Israel.’
19 “But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods, and worship them, 20 then I will uproot them from My land which I have given them; and this house which I have sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight, and will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.
21 “And as for this house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and this house?’ 22 Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has brought all this calamity on them.’ ”
Revelation 3:19–20
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
Point 1: God’s Presence Dwells Where His People Are Consecrated
To understand 2 Chronicles 7, we need to see the context. Solomon, David’s son, had just completed the temple in Jerusalem. For decades, God’s people had worshiped in a tent, the tabernacle, moving from place to place. Now, under Solomon, they had a permanent, magnificent temple, a symbol of God’s glory and the center of national and spiritual life.
The temple wasn’t just a building, it represented God’s presence dwelling among His people, fulfilling God’s promise to David that his son would build a house for the Lord.
Solomon prays, fire comes down from heaven, and God’s glory fills the temple. On the surface, it looks like God’s presence is now guaranteed in Israel. But then, God gives Solomon a warning:
“I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up the heavens… if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chron. 7:12–14)
Notice: God does not promise to stay just because the temple exists. He promises to dwell where His people are humble, prayerful, and repentant.
At that time, Israel was transitioning from a loosely organized tribal nation to a centralized kingdom. With great opportunity came great risk, pride, idolatry, and spiritual complacency. God emphasizes the condition of the heart: humility, prayer, seeking His face, and turning from sin.
Think about it: as we enter this new season, it’s easy to focus on schedules, programs, and plans. But the real question is: Are our hearts ready?
Imagine throwing the most beautiful party ever. You’ve got decorations, music, food—but no one shows up. The party never happens. That’s a church without God’s Spirit: beautiful on the outside, empty on the inside.
Fast forward to Revelation 3. The Laodicean church had wealth, resources, and confidence, but Jesus says:
“You say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, I need nothing,’ not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” (Rev. 3:17)
Then He gives the invitation that echoes to us today:
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” (Rev. 3:20)
The lesson is timeless: buildings, programs, and activity are not enough. God’s presence dwells where hearts are consecrated.
Application for this season: As we launch this new ministry year, let’s not be impressed with schedules or facilities. God is looking for hearts prepared for His presence. What are you praying for this year? Are you ready to open the door for Him?
Point 2: Repentance is the Key to Revival
Back to 2 Chronicles 7:14:
“If my people, who are called by my name, humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways…”
Notice the word if. Revival is conditional, not because God is unwilling, but because our hearts must be ready.
At Solomon’s time, Israel had just moved from a tribal society to a centralized kingdom. They had peace, prosperity, and a magnificent temple, but also the risk of pride and complacency. Decades later, the Laodicean church had wealth and influence but was spiritually blind. Both situations show the same principle: spiritual blessing requires a heart ready to receive it.
Why Repentance Matters
Repentance is more than regret, it’s turning back to God, a change of direction, humility that aligns our hearts with Him. Scripture calls it the “tilling of the soil” of our souls. Without it, the Spirit cannot take root.
It’s like planting a garden. You can scatter seeds on hardened soil, but nothing grows. You must till, nourish, and prepare it for rain. Repentance tills the soil of our hearts for God’s Spirit.
Application: That sense of conviction in your soul? That restlessness? Don’t ignore it. God is knocking, saying:
“Open the door. I want to pour out My Spirit.”
Point 3: God’s Mercy Opens the Way for His Spirit
The beautiful truth about God is that His call to repentance is always grounded in mercy.
Historical Context
In 2 Chronicles, God warned of consequences if Israel turned away, but He never gave up. He sent prophets, promised restoration, and ultimately gave His Son, Jesus. In Revelation, even the lukewarm Laodicean church receives an open invitation:
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock.”
God’s love doesn’t give up. Even when His people are spiritually dry, His mercy persists.
Illustration: A parent calling a wandering child home. They don’t stop loving, and they keep inviting. That’s God. He meets us in our need, patiently knocking at the door of our hearts.
Contemporary Example: A struggling church embraced repentance, prayer, and fasting. God’s mercy met them, revival came, and the Spirit moved. The key was mercy meeting repentance.
Application for this season: Even if you feel distant or lukewarm, God’s invitation is open. Revival is possible because of His mercy. He is knocking, will you let Him in?
Conclusion – Casting Vision with the Key
Church, as we step into this new ministry year:
- We long for revival.
- We want God’s Spirit moving in power in our lives, our families, and our church.
- We want to see transformation in our community.
The Scripture gives us the key to unlock God’s presence:
- Humility before God – acknowledging our need for Him.
- Repentance – turning from sin and complacency.
- Consecration – preparing our hearts to receive Him.
When we embrace these three, humility, repentance, and consecration, we hold the key to revival. Today, as a reminder of this truth, we are going to give each of you a keychain. Let it symbolize that your humble, repentant, consecrated heart is the key God uses to pour out His Spirit. Carry it and let it remind you that revival begins with a heart ready for God.
Communion
Communion is the perfect next step. At this table, we:
- Acknowledge our need for forgiveness – humility before God.
- Remember the provision of Jesus on the cross – mercy made real.
- Open the door to Christ – responding to His invitation.
This is our moment to say:
“Lord Jesus, come in. Be with us. Restore us. Pour out Your Spirit in this new season.”
Invitation:
This table is for all who recognize their need for forgiveness and trust Jesus as Saviour. We don’t come because we’re worthy, we come because we’re needy.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, we come before You today acknowledging our need for You. We confess that too often we have relied on ourselves, our plans, our strength, and our resources, rather than seeking Your wisdom and Your presence.
We have allowed pride, busyness, and complacency to take root in our hearts. We have placed comfort, convenience, and routine above Your glory.
Forgive us, Lord, for the times we have ignored Your knocking, for the times we have gone our own way, and for the ways we have failed to humble ourselves before You.
We confess the sins we carry silently, pride, anger, unforgiveness, selfishness, fear, and doubt. We lay them before You now, asking You to cleanse us completely.
We repent of spiritual lukewarmness and ask that You purify our hearts, restore our joy in You, and renew a burning desire for Your presence.
Lord, we desire to consecrate our lives fully to You. Help us to turn from sin, seek Your face earnestly, and walk in obedience. Let our hearts be holy and ready to receive You.
Thank You for Your mercy that meets us where we are. Thank You for Your patience that never fails. Thank You for Your love that brings us back when we wander.
Today, we open the door of our hearts to You. Come in, Lord. Fill us with Your Spirit. Heal us. Restore us. Revive us. Empower us to live as Your people, fully surrendered and fully alive in Your presence.
We ask this in the mighty and merciful name of Jesus Christ, our Saviour. Amen.
Song
Benediction
Leader: Go now with hearts open to God.
Congregation: We open our hearts to You, Lord!
Leader: Walk in humility.
Congregation: We will seek Your ways, Lord!
Leader: Live in repentance and consecrate your lives to Him.
Congregation: We turn from sin and offer You our hearts!
Leader: May His Spirit fill you.
Congregation: May His Spirit move in us!
Leader: May His presence surround you.
Congregation: May His presence guide us every day!
Leader: Go in the power of Jesus Christ.
Congregation: We go to serve, love, and shine for Him!
Leader: And let revival begin in and through you.
Congregation: Revival starts here—revival starts now! Amen.