Closing Remarks
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
There is a story told of...
An English woman who had two daughters,...
One of which had died.
She was on a ship bound for America for a visit with her other daughter.
In a storm at sea it was feared that the ship might sink.
All the passengers save this woman were in a state of near panic.
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When asked why she was so calm, she said:
“Well, I have two daughters, one in America and one in heaven.
I am on my way to see my daughter.
If the ship survives, I will see the one in America.
If not, I will see the one in heaven.
So either way, I will see my daughter.”
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So, please turn your Bibles to 1 John.
We will be conducting our study in Chapter 5 and focusing on verses 16 through 21.
Our message this morning is called, “Closing Remarks”...
And this is our final message in our series going through 1 John that we started back in July of last year.
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As you are finding your place in God’s Word, I want to share that we will be talking about on this Lord’s Day...
As we saw with our opening story...
This woman has absolute assurance that when it was her time...
She would be with the Lord...
Experiencing eternal life with her loved one’s who where also faithful followers of the Lord.
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So, in these closing remarks of John...
He shares once more that we as true followers of the Lord know where we are going when we draw our last breath.
Additionally, John continues his teaching on praying in God’s will as we discussed last week...
Showing what we should be praying regarding our brothers and sisters in Christ...
And finally, John’s very last words of this letter is a warning that is both vital to his original audience and for us in the 21st century.
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Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Brothers and sisters around the world...
Ears to hear God’s truth in His Word...
Faithfulness to present God’s truth free of man’s wisdom...
Believers to have assurance of faith...
Unbelievers to repent, believe, and surrender to the Lord...
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that.
17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.
18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) God Will Give Us Life
1) God Will Give Us Life
Verses 16-17: If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.
The ESV Study Bible has this note about verse 16 that I believe is very helpful:
“‘Sin not leading to death’ is sin for which forgiveness is possible because...
(1) forgiveness is sought and...
(2) God is willing to grant it.
Death and eternal life are present spiritual states as well as ultimate actual destinies (hell, heaven).
‘Sin that leads to death’ is probably sin that is...
(1) unrepented of and...
(2) of the kind or nature that John has warned about throughout the letter:
Resolute rejection of the true doctrine about Christ,...
Chronic disobedience to God’s commandments,...
Persistent lack of love for fellow believers—
All indications of a lack of saving faith—
Which will not be forgiven.”
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So, John is not saying that people who commit sins under the category of “leading to death” are forever unable to ever receive God’s grace.
In actuality John is emphasizing that those who continue with a lack of saving faith are on the path to eternal destruction.
Being in a state of rebellion against God...
Habitually practicing sin and wickedness...
Makes it completely impossible that one can have a saving relationship with God.
Without repenting and genuinely believing in Christ’s saving work...
Without a total surrender to Him...
No relationship with God is possible...
And as a result eternal life is also impossible without the divine intervention of God in which case the person would be regenerated and come to faith in Christ.
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So, we as believer are to pray for our brothers and sister in Christ when we see them sinning...
and being weak in an area in their spiritual walk with Christ.
As long as they are genuine believers...
We know that the outcome of those prayers will result in them confessing their wrongdoing...
For no genuine believer goes on making a practice of sinning.
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When they realize their error...
When they realize their fault...
They are remorseful...
And hate their sin.
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For an unbeliever in sin...
We have no guarantees...
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For the ones who are born again...
I know for a fact today where they are going in the future.
For the unrepentant...
There are only two options for then and not a single person in this world can know their future except for God...
If they repent in the future then they are guaranteed eternal life in the future...
If they hold on to their rebellion against God then they are guaranteed eternal hellfire and the second death in the future.
However, as long as their is breath in an unbeliever...
There is a chance they will be saved in the future.
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So, when John says:
“There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that.”
He is not saying don’t pray for unbelievers...
He is saying there is no guarantee that when you pray for an unbeliever they will repent of their sin...
But for the true believer they will repent in the future.
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Additionally, John is not sugarcoating the reality of what sin is.
Although believers will be not make a practice of sinning...
They are not perfect and they sin and as John says:
“All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.”
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Let’s take a look at what else Scripture warns us of regarding sin...
For it is both a warning to ourselves of the power of sin...
And it can help us better pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are battling their flesh...
A battle all believers engage in.
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Romans 6:12 says:
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.
So we must acknowledge that the flesh wants us to have our passions...
It wants us to obey it in the same way we once obeyed our passion to the point that we were slaves to our desires...
Beloved, remember that Christ has shattered those chains of bondage...
You are no longer a slave to sin...
You are no longer a slave to your passions...
You are no longer a slave to your heart’s worldly desires...
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Remember that God gave you a new heart...
God gave you new passions...
God gave you new desires that line up with His will.
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Let us be encouraged by the truth found in Hebrews 12:1–2:
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Brothers and sisters...
Don’t stop...
Continue going...
Run the race with endurance...
And don’t look at the world and its evils...
Set your focus on the one who freed you from slavery to sin...
Keep your eyes focused on Jesus and the promise of eternal life!
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For you faith is founded in Him...
And your faith is perfected in Him.
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Looking forward to your future state in glory is nothing to be shameful about!
We are to look forward to eternity...
We are to look forward to the joy set before us as Christ while he was on the cross...
Looked forward to the joy set before Him.
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Christ had to endure shame on the cross but He saw the joy set before Him and He is now sitting at the right hand of the throne of God.
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Overcome...
Persevere...
Endure...
In this life even while your flesh is tempting you...
Just set your eyes on our ultimate prize...
Jesus Christ!
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So, when you see a fellow Christian struggling...
Encourage them...
For we must both be watchful of ourselves and others who are children of God.
Just look at the profound truth in Galatians 6:1:
1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
Look as at the amazing truth James shares with us in James 5:19–20:
19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back,
20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
We have a great responsibility to our brothers and sisters in Christ...
We have to appreciate the power of prayer...
And praying for the ones we are in fellowship with...
We also need to remember the necessity and value of confession and accountability.
As James 5:16 says:
16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
So, as followers of Christ we must love and care for God’s children...
And understand that on top of all that Jesus is ultimately the one who protects us...
And Satan may harm us in some ways but he can never touch our salvation.
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And with that, let’s look at our next point.
2) God Will Protect Us
2) God Will Protect Us
Verse 18: We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
The phrase “He who was born of God” is actually a reference to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Usually, when we see the term “born of God” it is talking about believers...
However, as a proper and essential rule with hermeneutics...
Hermeneutics is the method one uses with interpretation, especially of the Bible or other literary texts...
As an vital rule we must always be aware of the context and in this context the term “born of God” is clearly about Jesus.
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The reason John uses this terminology is point to the fact that Jesus, in his physical birth, was “born of God” in sense that he was incarnated and sent from God the Father and was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Additionally, in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead He was again “born of God” in the sense that He rose from the dead and ultimately was brought back to life.
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The phrase “the evil one does not touch” is referring to how Satan will not touch believers in the sense of causing any kind of permanent spiritual loss or damage.
Those who are in Christ...
Are protected from eternal death by Christ...
And they already are in possession of eternal life because of Christ!
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So, those who say they are followers of Christ...
Are protected by Him...
And they make a practice of righteousness.
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To think that a believer can make a practice us unrighteousness is to misunderstand the truth contained in God’s Word.
Just look at Romans 6:1–2 when Paul says:
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?
2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
Paul is saying that a Christian who lives in carnal and wicked life is a fairy-tale!
A follower of Christ who does not obey Christ is a contradiction...
An oxymoron...
They are a round square...
A dry ocean...
A weightless bolder...
A frozen fire...
And a silent scream...
Simply put...
They do not exist.
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The Word of God is clear as it says in 2 Corinthians 5:17:
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
And as a new creation we act in a radically different way from our old self...
John throughout this letter has been making that point over and over again.
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It can’t be any more clear that what 1 John 3:6-9 says:
6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.
8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.
So, the one born again...
Is protected from making a practice of sin.
Previously John talked about how the Holy Spirit protects us from making a habit of sin...
Now John is saying that Jesus does this too.
And this truth is found in other parts of Scripture.
In Jude 24 the Word of God says:
24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,
The “Him” that is being referred to is Christ.
In Revelation 3:10 John records Jesus as saying:
10 Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.
And in John 17:12-20 we see Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer...
Look at what our Lord and Savior says...
First, talking about the disciples in specific...
And then applying this prayer to all His followers:
12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
So, it is clear then that those who are regenerated are sons and daughters of God...
Even though we live in a world that hates us and is in the power of Satan...
And this takes us to our next point.
3) We Are From God
3) We Are From God
Verse 19: We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
Don’t for a second believe the lies of this world...
The world is not your friend and does not care about you...
The whole world lies in Satan’s power until the Lord comes back again and delivers to him the final defeat.
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From the very beginning Satan has been our enemy and his method of attack has not changed at all.
Look at what it says in Genesis 3:1:
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
Did you notice that...
Satan said, “Did God actually say?”
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All of life's troubles and calamities come from doubting God’s Word.
That is why we must be vigilant...
This is why we must heed the warning of Peter...
A man who had first hand experience what it was like to be fooled by Satan in a terrible way...
1 Peter 5:8 says:
8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Do you want to know how a lion hunts...
He runs toward a pack of prey...
And he observes...
Who runs off by their own...
Who is separating from the pack.
For they are the easy target.
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When the enemy of this world prepares to attack he will look for the ones...
Without as church...
Those without a fellowship of believers surrounding them...
Those who come to church on Sundays and curse on the weekdays...
Those who open their Bibles once a week when everyone is looking and are too busy to open them again when no one is looking...
Although, God is looking and He knows His own...
And Satan is looking...
And observing who he can easily devour.
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We must pray for God’s mercy and grace...
For Satan is an enemy who is truly wicked...
He blinds the eyes of unbelievers...
Distracting them with the cares of this world so that they can’t see the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ...
As 2 Corinthians 4:4 says:
4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Only our God can remove this blindness...
So, we must appeal to Him.
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Our enemy is not like any other adversary in this world...
We are not battling the physical but the spiritual...
As Ephesians 6:12 says:
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
We can’t forget the fact that in all creation...
Men and women all fall under one group or the other...
We are either slaves to sin...
Something everyone of us always starts of as due to the curse of the Fall of Man...
And other are slaves of righteousness...
And that is only made possible if God has mercy on you.
Romans 6:16–20 says it very clearly:
16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,
18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.
19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
So, to be free from being a slave to sin means being a slave to righteousness instead...
And that is only made possible due to the work of Christ on the cross...
And the drawing of God of us to Himself.
Colossians 1:13 says:
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
For it is Christ who has given us true understanding...
And it is Christ...
Our true God...
That gave us eternal life...
And this takes us to our next point.
4) God Has Given Us Understanding
4) God Has Given Us Understanding
Verse 20: And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
Our knowledge of truth does not come from within us like so type of Disney movie...
We know truth is not up to the individual...
The truth is found in God alone...
And Christ, our Lord and Savior reveals that truth to us...
And that is how we come to a proper understanding of saving faith.
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As 1 Thessalonians 3:11 says:
11 Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you,
And John 17:25–26 which records Jesus saying yet another powerful statement from His High Priestly Prayer:
25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me.
26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
In the Gospel accounts Jesus revealed for us the truth that was already in the Old Testament but that we as humans did not fully understand.
He shared with us what it means to be born again...
He proved the reliability of Scripture with the manner in which He used it...
Teaching us how to properly interpret God’s Word.
He showed us how all the Old Testament was about Him...
He rose from the dead after His sacrifice on the cross and ministered to the apostles...
Who shared their knowledge in their epistles...
Christ even appeared to John while the apostle was in exile to show him the things that have not yet happened...
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All out knowledge of saving faith...
All our knowledge of the truth from the Word of God...
From Genesis to Revelation...
Was taught to us from Christ.
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As our passage says...
He is “the true God and eternal life.”
Or as John 17:3 puts it:
3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
And with that we have our final statement from the Disciple Whom the Lord Loved...
And that statement was a warning...
And this takes us to our final point.
5) Worship God Alone
5) Worship God Alone
Verse 21: Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
Now at first glance this may seem very abrupt and random.
But we need to remember the context of the whole letter in order to have a proper handle of this verse.
First, let’s look at another alternate translation of this verse.
In the NLT version, which is more thought-for-thought, this verse is rendered:
“ Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.”
This is very helpful in understanding the meaning of this verse.
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Secondly, let’s look at a few solid notes I came across this week on my study of this passage that I believe will be of further help.
So, consider this note from the MacArthur Study Bible:
“ John contrasts the term “idols” with “the true God” of verse 20.
He has reference here to the false teachers who withdrew from the brotherhood with which they had been formerly associated.
Their false beliefs and practices are the idols from which the readers are commanded to protect themselves.
The false teachers upheld the world’s philosophy as superior to God’s revelation as demonstrated in their perversion of basic Christian teaching (faith, love, and obedience).
In closing, John once again highlights the importance of adherence to the fundamentals of the faith.”
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Consider too the note from the Expositor’s Bible Commentary on the Epistles of John:
“The exhortation ‘keep yourselves from idols’ at first glance seems out of place.
Idolatry has not so much as been mentioned in the epistle.
Although the warning may be understood as a general admonition to ‘avoid any contact with paganism’, it is more likely that the warning represents a final characterization of the ‘heresy’ represented by the false teachers.
False teaching is ultimately ‘apostasy from the true faith.’
To follow after it is to become nothing better than an idol worshiper, especially if it is a matter of the truth of one’s conception of God.
The author is blunt.
The false teachers propose not the worship of the true God, made known in his Son Jesus, but a false god—an idol they have invented.”
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And we know from the Word of God that idolatry is warned against.
Deuteronomy 6:13–14 says:
13 It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.
14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you—
And Exodus 20:3 which says:
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
Sure in the ancient world many of the idols where made of metal or stone or wood...
But they are not the only idols...
Many things this world offers are idols...
That is why we are contently warned not to love the things of the world.
John says earlier in this epistle...
In 1 John 2:15–17:
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
James, the brother of our Lord similarly warns of the appeal of the world and its dangers.
James 4:4 says:
4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
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In Colossians 3:5 the things of the world are plainly called idolatry...
So this way there is no confusion of the matter:
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
In the world today there are many idols...
The idolatry of sex is everywhere...
Just look at what is pumped out of Hollywood...
In is saturated in sex for the joy of the world and those who love the darkness.
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The idolatry of passion and evil desires is everywhere too...
The world seems to make heroes of those that love evil and are filled with ungodly passions...
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The idolatry of covetousness has also run rampant...
Ads in every form of media we have wants you to crave what your neighbor has...
And make sure that you are unhappy and unsatisfied with what God has given you...
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All of these things are idols.
A person, real or imaginary, can be your idol..
A job or position can be an idol...
A sport or team or play can be an idol...
Your home or even your own family or a family member can be an idol...
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As in the case with our passage...
An idol can be a false doctrine that you hold to like not believing that Jesus is fully man and fully God...
Or believing the cross did not accomplish anything...
Or that Jesus did not really rise from the dead...
All these beliefs and those like it are idols...
For they present a different Jesus than the one in the Scriptures.
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If we don’t worship the Jesus of the Bible then we are worshiping a “god” in our own image...
Simply put...
Anything that we place above the Lord is an idol and needs to be knocked down.
For the one who is an idolater...
There is no hope if they don’t repent and believe...
As Revelation 21:8 says:
8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
As this message comes to a close, I want to share this...
Especially with the Superbowl right around the corner...
It feels very appropriate:
When does sports as entertainment become sports as idolatry?
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Consider this banner seen at Lambeau Field in 1996,...
The season the Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl in New Orleans...
And their quarterback Brett Favre was named the most valuable player:
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Our Favre who art in Lambeau, hallowed be thy arm.
The Bowl will come, it will be won, in New Orleans as it is in Lambeau.
Give us this Sunday our weekly win.
And give us many touchdown passes.
But do not let others pass against us.
Lead us not into frustration, but deliver us to Bourbon Street.
For thine is the MVP, the best of the NFL, and the glory of the cheeseheads, now and forever.
Go get ’em!
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Apparently some fans recognize their team support for what it really is:
Worship!
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However, for those who are in Christ...
We worship the Lord!
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And we praise God for the sacrifice of His Son that made a relationship with Him even possible...
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And it is now about the remembrance of that great sacrifice of our great Savior that we bring our attention to.
Communion
Communion
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As we begin our communion service I want to invite every genuinely born-again believe in the room to partake in this act together.
If you do not yet know the Lord and don not have a relationship with Him or if you are under church discipline from this church or another church then I will ask that you wait until you have resolved your issue before participating.
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As you came in you should have picked up a communion packet if you are joining us.
This has both the bread and juice in a convenient package.
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If you have not recieved one of these please raise your hand and someone will get you one.
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Before we join in communion together I would like us to look at what our Lord and Savior said in the Gospel of John.
Turn your copy of God’s Word to John 6:53-58:
53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.
58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”
In this passage...
Many looking with human eyes believe that the elements used in communion literally turn into Christ’s body and blood...
They believe by consuming it they receive a special kind of grace and that this even play a factor in your salvation...
But as we have said earlier and many times before...
Context and proper hermeneutics that is being led by the Holy Spirit is mandatory in understanding God’s truth.
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Jesus is clearly speaking figuratively...
Even many of those who heard Him say this stopped following Him because they where blind from the truth...
Pay attention to what Jesus said at the very end of the passage...
This ties everything together...
The bread that came down to the Israelites while they where in the wilderness after they left Egypt feed their physical bodies...
But they all eventually died.
However, this would foreshadow the coming of the Lord...
In like manner Jesus came from heaven for His people...
His sheep...
And whoever has communion with Him...
Or fellowship with Him...
They will have eternal life...
And the communion service....
Which Jesus instituted after He said these things...
Is a symbol of our communion with Him.
So, Jesus is the superior bread of life...
Just like He told the woman at the well that He is the water of life...
He did not mean that He is physically water to be consumed...
Or like in this case...
Bread and wine to eat and drink physically...
Jesus was talking about a relationship with Him not a ritual practice...
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When we participate in communion together now...
It is about remembering what He did on the cross for us at Calvary.
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So, let us thank Him for volunteerly giving His life fro His sheep...
Let us thank Him that He paid a debt we could not pay...
Let us thank Him that He did not leave us to the judgement and wrath we deserved...
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Tom will you pray before we partake in the bread:
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The Word of God says in Luke 22:19:
19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
(TAKE THE BREAD)
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Adrian will you pray before we partake in the cup:
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The Word of the God says in Luke 22:20:
20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
(TAKE THE CUP)
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With that we conclude the communion portion of our service.
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To God be all the glory.
Amen.
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Please join us for one more song from the Praise Band.