DM 620452

It's amazing the providential crossover we see sometimes, because I read the scripture conviction prayer, and you did Proverbs 8, but we sang Psalm 110, and is this what you're caught? Or is this something, and then we say in this song here, and this wasn't planned out, following our exalted head. Well, what's the last line of Psalm 110? therefore he will lift up his head that's what it's talking about Jesus Christ the head of the church he's exalted and that's wonderful God is infinitely more wise than we are and as Jason prayed we're dull of hearing too often he's always in a sense speaking to us not only through scripture but through providence and we're the ones that aren't listening most of the time Most of the time when God's providentially trying to do something in your life, that's when you're too busy being frustrated about whatever just happened.

So something to think about. I mentioned earlier that it was real black and white with the murder thing and the death penalty. And I thank you for Jason reiterating that in his prayer. And something else that's very black and white that the culture, and I would dare say the church, can't get right, it seems like sometimes, is the gospel itself. Paul says, according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

That's the Gospel. So you can't watch Game of Thrones and then write an article about how you found the Gospel in Game of Thrones. You can't watch the NBA playoffs and then tell me how you saw the Gospel in the NBA playoffs or in Snoop Dogg's latest difficult thing that he had to overcome. Or the Olympics. I'm not even good enough with current events to name any more things.

I just don't care anymore. The gospel isn't those things, though. You may see some thematic elements of sacrifice and things like that. I like movies, and almost every movie has somebody that self-sacrifices at least something at some point. And that's always a wonderful picture, in a sense, even of what Jesus would do for us. But the gospel is that Jesus died for your sins, according to the Scriptures. that he was buried and that he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures.

And what's really interesting is that it doesn't say in the Old Testament and he will be raised on the third day. So how is it according to the Scriptures? Well, it's the book of Jonah, right? There's a lot of things in the Old Testament that God thinks should be clear to people who aren't dull of hearing, but they are unclear to us because we don't study. because we don't talk about this stuff with one another.

We don't sit and ask people questions like, well, what do you think Jesus meant when he said this? And then listen to the other person's answer. And in a lot of ways, we should be more convicted about doctrine so we're able to stand firm. And in some ways, we should be more open to discussion as well and learning things too And so the gospel that we proclaim is that Jesus Christ lives today Jesus Christ is alive and He is interceding on behalf of His saints and since He lives forever, He's always able to make intercession for all of those for whom He intends to make intercession.

And I don't make any apology for saying that He only intends to make intercession for His elect, the people of God. Jesus didn't die for Judas. He didn't die for anybody that's in hell. If you're in hell, you cannot protest and say, but Jesus already paid for my sins. But if Jesus paid for your sins, God cannot punish you for any bit of them. So even the little bit of difficulty you face in this life, maybe as a result of sin, that's just part of being in a cursed world.

It could be His displeasure trying to grow you and sanctify you a little, but it's not punishment for your sin. Jesus paid it all. When we say, all to Him I owe, sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow. And so as we come to the table, and I should have told you in the email, we practice members-only communion, and we have an explanation for why, if you're interested.

We don't mean to be weird or something. It's our way of deciding. The best way we think we know that somebody is legitimately able to come to communion is that they are part of a New Testament local church, and they're committed to one. So if you want to keep coming here at church, you're not members anywhere now, you'd have to start talking about membership and then we'd talk about that kind of thing.

But certainly communion, whether you're taking it today or not, is a time of personal reflection. And one of the things that we want to remind you of is that while you're personally reflecting, while you're thinking about your own heart, your own life, I mean, if all I said was think of all the times this week that you probably were guilty of slander, envy, gossip, hatred, anger, jealousy, fits of rage. And I'm not talking about jealousy like your spouse made you jealous.

I'm talking about jealousy if somebody has something you don't have or whatever. If I just said, let's talk about those ones. Being sarcastic when you shouldn't have been. Getting snappy with your kid or your spouse because, well, you were tired or hangry. What's the word we use now? Hangry.

If that's all you thought about, you'd be overwhelmed with guilt for your sin. And you've got several other commandments you've all been breaking consistently all week. But we have a Savior who's better than all of that. So as you contemplate, even in your own heart, some self-examination, asking the Lord to forgive you and cleanse you afresh. Jesus said, if I cleanse you, you don't need to bathe again. with Peter, but he said, I still got to wash your feet.

As you ponder those things, I want you to remember what we said last week. For every one look at yourself, take ten looks at the Christ. Take ten looks at the anointed Savior who paid for your sins on the cross. Who actually quite literally had his body torn for you and shed his blood for you. to be thematic about it, who was murdered for you. And so on the night he was betrayed, Jesus took the bread, effectively converting the Passover meal that was for the Old Testament Jews prior to his resurrection converting that to what we call the Lord Supper where we realize that He is the Passover Lamb There's no more sacrifice to be made.

We just eat bread to commemorate Him. It's not like we're sacrificing the bread like they did with lambs year after year after year after year after year after year, never atoning for their sins. Jesus has paid it all. And they did that with a real body the real human being, the real man. And He did that for you. And He said, this body will be given for you so that sins may be forgiven.

And He said, this is the cup of the new covenant, the blood of the new covenant, which will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven. And Jesus inaugurated the new covenant and he shed his blood on that tree and we call it a cross but sometimes it's called a tree and I actually heard this today that when we call it a tree it reminds us of the imagery of the tree of life that was in the garden before we fell and that will be in paradise when we get to the end. And so Jesus died on the tree. the same thing we used to sin against God in the first place, right?

The tree of knowledge of good and evil. And so we celebrate today that Jesus died. His blood was shed. His body was broken. The veil of the temple was torn and we have access to God because Jesus Christ died on your behalf. And so I want to ask you to take a couple moments to contemplate these things.

Silently think to yourself if you're not partaking and say you're a Christian, you should be doing the same self-examination and talking to God. And if you aren't a Christian today, today's the day. Don't harm your heart today. You don't know if you'll have another chance. And no matter how old you are, you are called to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.

And then I'll give you some time and then I'll pray and distribute elements. Thank you. All right Thank you Father thank you for these elements that you provide We never want to overlook that you are the giver of all good things. And for us to have a church service, to have the elements required, required you to give them to us. so let us be thankful from hearts that realize we can produce nothing on our own but even more so we thank you for the body and blood of Jesus Christ we thank you that because of Jesus Christ there is hope for today there's hope for some joy in this world for patience, kindness, love, gentleness to prevail in our lives there's hope that our children can be saved and can actually have hope for their behavior to abide by your law.

There's hope for spouses to get along with one another and to reconcile differences. There's hope for brothers and sisters and for neighbors and co-workers. There's hope, Lord, that in this cursed world we can still have some righteousness. There's hope that the prayer that abortion would be ended could be answered. And so, Father, we pray that we would cling to that hope as if there were no other, because there's not.

That we would become people who are far more inclined to run to Jesus and cling to Jesus than we are so many other things in this world. Thank you for this time of self-reflection, but also Christ-reflection. and help us to let that persist into the week. Let us take every thought captive to obey him. And let us even begin as we wake up tomorrow to think about that we'll be taking communion again.

And we don't want to confess the same sins week after week, Lord. We want to grow. We want relief. And we thank you that one day we will be granted sinless bodies and we will no longer have this struggle. But until then, Lord, please, by your grace, make us fighters. Amen.

Well, there's a small enough room here. I'm just going to walk around and distribute some of that. The body of Christ. So now as we partake of the solemn ordinance, we remember the body and blood of our Lord Jesus until He comes. So you may eat and drink with me. All right.

Thank you.