Transcription
Good evening everyone. I want to hear your voices tonight. All right.
Oh, I've been washed in the water. Washed in the blood. I'm as good as you. Oh, hallelujah. I've been washed in the water. Washed in the blood. All because of you. Oh, hallelujah.
Oh, I'm clean. Sin was stained on me. Shame was running deep. Love was filled on Calvary. Oh, hallelujah. I'm clean.
God, how can it be? I'm ransomed and redeemed. Standing in your victory. Oh, hallelujah. I've been washed in the water. Washed in the blood. I'm as good as you. Oh, hallelujah. I've been washed in the water. Washed in the blood. All because of you. Oh, hallelujah. I'm clean.
It's not what I have done, but what you done for me. You paid it all upon that tree. Oh hallelujah. I'm clean. Love has overcome. Your mercy is a free dancing in your victory. Oh hallelujah. I'm washed in the water. Washed in the blood. I'm as good as you. Oh hallelujah. I'm washed in the water. Washed in the blood. All because of you. Oh hallelujah. I'm washed in the water. Washed in the blood. Oh hallelujah. I'm washed in the water. Washed in the blood. All because of you. Oh hallelujah.
Cuz you took away my shame and you nailed it to the cross. You got me running out the grave. Hallelujah, here I come. Cuz you took away my shame and you nailed it to the cross. You got me running out the grave. Hallelujah, here I come. Cuz you took away my shame and you nailed it to the cross. You got me running out the grave. Hallelujah. Here I come. Cuz you took away my shame. And you nailed it to the cross. You got me running out the grave. Hallelujah. Here I come.
Cuz I'm washed in the water. Washed in the blood. I'm as good as new. Oh, hallelujah. I'll be washed in the water. Washed in the blood. All because of you. Oh, hallelujah. I'll be washed in the water. Washed in the blood. Oh, hallelujah. I'll be washed. All because of you. Oh, hallelujah.
Oh, in the darkness we were waiting. Without hope, without light, till from heaven you came running. There was mercy in your eyes. To fulfill the law and prophets. To a virgin came the word. From a throne of endless glory to a cradle in the dirt. Oh, praise him. Praise the father. Praise the son. God of glory, majesty. Oh, praise forever to the King of Kings. To reveal the kingdom come and to reconcile the lost to redeem the whole creation. You did not despise the cross for even in your suffering. You saw to the other side knowing this was our salvation. Jesus for our saving he died. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Oh praise the father. Praise the son. Praise the spirit. God of glory, majesty. Oh, praise forever to the King of Kings.
In the morning that you rose, all of heaven held its breath. Till that stone was moved for good. For the lamb and conquered death. And the dead rose from their tombs. And the angels stood in awe. For the souls of all would come to the father are restored. And the church of Christ was born. Then the spirit in the flame. Now this gospel truth of all shall not heal, shall not faint. By his blood and in his name, it is freedom. I am free. for the love of Jesus Christ who has resurrected me. Oh, praise him. Oh, praise the father. Praise the son. Praise the spirit. God of glory, majesty. Oh, praise forever to the King of Kings. Oh, praise the Father. Oh, praise the Spirit. God of glory and majesty. Oh, praise forever to the King of Kings. Oh, praise forever to the King of Kings.
Can we sing again? Sing Praise the Father. Oh, praise the father. Praise the son. Praise the spirit. Three in one. God of glory, majesty. Oh, praise forever to the King of Kings.
And Father, we come before you tonight and Lord, we would ask of you this evening that you would, Lord, still our hearts, God. that you would seize us as you would a moment. Every single one of us as we prepare ourselves for communion tonight, the word tonight, the worship tonight, it is our desire, Father, that we experience you tonight. Father, you're the perfect gentleman. We trust you. This is your church. We belong to you. You bought us. You own us. We're happy about that. We're glad about that. And so, Father, I pray that this evening each and every single one of us would determine now in our hearts to divorce ourselves from all the stuff of the day and all the stuff of the world. None of it in the grand scheme will matter. but our time with Jesus. We've come tonight, Lord, to not only worship you and to acknowledge and to give you thanks for what you've done for us, but to be in the middle of the week refueled. We pray, Lord, that this time we have this evening would be a Sabbath time. And so I pray, Father, that it would be as though we were completely alone with you. We ask in Jesus' name. Amen.
You can be seated, church. And we're going to leave the atmosphere worshipful like this if you don't mind. It's communion as Jesus said, "As often as you do this, you do this in remembrance of me." And it doesn't mean that when you're not having communion, you don't remember him. It means that when you come together, as often as you do that, it's kind of amazing because, you know, some churches do communion every Sunday. Some churches do it once a year. Some churches do it once a month. Uh it doesn't matter as long as you do it. But even doing that worship service of communion that you understand it and that it be in spirit, right, and in truth. Amen.
And so when Jesus remarkably at the end of his earthly ministry, near the end of his earthly ministry, he does a a remarkable thing because it was Passover that weekend in Jerusalem in the world. But as they celebrated that in Jerusalem, all of the I think Josephus writes something to the effect of 256,000 sheep would be all week long would be prepared by families that are dotting the hillside even because Jerusalem during Passover would swell to over a million people. It didn't have that many inhabitants, but pilgrims would come for Passover. And Josephus, it's pretty amazing because Josephus, the Roman, Jewish, Roman historian, he kind of gives us a clue as to the amount of people that are there. Because if there's 250,000 lambs that are going to be offered, you have to have 10 people per a minimum of 10 people per lamb. In scripture from the book of Exodus, you had to have 10 people. So do the math. 10 people where you have 256, if that's the right number, he's telling us 250,000 plus. representing 10 people minimum. So now you've got people camped out in in dwellings and in ins that are expanding out into Bethany, Bethag, Bethl celebrating. And what were they celebrating? that the Passover that we were led out of Egypt by Moses, by God. Moses being our earthly leader who's following the Lord. But before all that happened, the sacrificial lambs were taken into a household. And God had said, "If the if the blood offered up by this little lamb is put on the doorpost of the house, my death angel that comes through Egypt to judge Egypt by killing the firstborn of every home." I love how the death angel, the angel that was tasked to bring judgment, was given an instruction. Look for the blood. Look for the blood. That's all. I mean I mean it says more than that, but it doesn't say anything more than that by qualifications. The lamb. Yes. I mean, yes, the lamb had to be without blemish. The lamb had to not have any broken bones. The lamb had to be a male. Had to be a year of age. Uh it had to be specific that way. Yes. But what always blows my mind is that God tells the death angel, the angel of judgment, "Look for the door of a house, and if it doesn't have the blood, then the firstborn within that home dies." Wow. And I've said this before, but I love saying it. What if an Egyptian home believed in Yahweh after hanging out with these Jews for who knows how long? What if they began to realize, you know what, your God is not like our gods. We've got so many gods and none of them are going to do anything for us. Uh we our house, we we think we're going to go with your God. Of course, what I'm saying right now, I speculate, but here's what's interesting. God didn't say, "Hey, angel, go and look for every Jewish home that has the blood." He didn't say that. He said, "Look for the blood." So, what if you had a household of six people and you're Jewish? And what if you know four Egyptians who believe and you bring them into your home and you have the number 10? What happened then? I don't want to give you some sort of a conundrum tonight. I want to actually bring your heart to a worshipful place. But here's the joy of, you know, somebody will say, "Well, you shouldn't speak what the Bible doesn't say." I agree. You shouldn't speak what the Bible doesn't say. And sometimes what the Bible doesn't say is an awesome truth. God is still speaking in silence. Look for the blood. If you see the blood, pass over that home. I'll spare that home. Is it possible, church, that if a Gentile had the blood of the lamb in their home at the doorpost, that that death angel would have gone right down the street and went right over their home? I think that's pretty sure-footed theology.
Jesus is celebrating that very event, but he institutes what we call communion. He takes the elements of Passover, but now he winds up fulfilling the Passover in himself. He is as John said in John 1 verse 29. John the Baptist said, "Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." So wait a minute, John, what you just said could also be said this way. Behold the lamb of God that takes away the judgment. Behold the lamb of God who takes away death. Behold the lamb of God who takes away our punishment. Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Not just Jewish sins, the sins of the world. Wow.
And so on this night when Jesus broke the bread, someone's French fries are ready. I can hear them. Sounds like the little machine at Chick-fil-A or something. um when he takes the bread. Uh so in a moment you're going to have matzah and the matzah bread. You know, listen, the matzah bread, we don't know who cooked it that night. It doesn't matter, but it would have been somewhat the size of of like a large a large pizza. Think of think of matzah coming out of the oven like about the size of a large pizza or maybe two or three frisbees in size. They bring it out. It's moatza bread. No leaven. Very flat like a gigantic saltine cracker. Holes poked through it. The Bible says it had to have had to be perforated and it had to be marked by the evidence of the oven of the heat of judgment. It's unleavened bread. Leaven is a symbol, church, of what? Sin. But there's no sin in this bread. It won't rise. It's just flat because symbolically there's no sin in the bread. symbolically, but it has to be pierced through. Well, that's interesting. The Jews have been doing that for thousands of years. I don't know. Did anyone ever say, "Hey, Mom, why are we piercing this bread? Why were we stabbing it like this, making sure it's got holes in it? And and why does it have to have all the markings on it from the hot oven, the fire when Jesus says here, okay, and he breaks the bread and he hands it to them and they pass it to one another. There's so much going on there. He institutes it. He's fulfilling the Passover and he's beginning the communion. and he distributes the bread because he's the bread of life. The Bible says they're taking the bread and they break it and they pass it to the next guy and they break it and they pack pass it to the next guy and they pass it all the way around in that culture and it's still true to this very day. I promise you if you ever go to Israel, somebody who a Jew in Israel, if they don't like you, you don't have to worry about being invited to their house for dinner. It's not going to happen. They don't put up with that stuff. It's just if they if they say to you, "Come for dinner tonight. You better come." There could be a third world war if you don't go because it's a big deal. They opened up their home. They don't invite very many people. They There's something about you that they like. And when they say, "Come and eat with us." Why is it such a big deal? As it was back then, so it is today. when when you break off bread tonight, you're going to break off bread at our house. Lisa and I were at a Sabbath dinner at a home of a diplomat not too long ago in LA. It's just like that. When they invite, you go and it's so cute because when they invite, it's such an honor to be invited. Same is true, by the way, among reasonable Muslims. I was in a village. I mean, I was not in a village. I was in Jerusalem when when some leader of a of a village invited Lisa and I to their home. Uh it's all Muslim village. And so word got out to the tour agency. Jack and Lisa are going to go to that village. And the word came back to us. No, you're not. You're not going to go. It's too dangerous. We said, well, we told them we'd go. No, no one goes there. First of all, no Jews are allowed in there. And probably no one from America has ever been in that village. And that village has been there for about 800 years. So, it's not going to happen. No, we're going to go. We went. Lisa and I went. We escaped from Mousad and we made it. And we must have been the first Americans ever there because I kid you not, we're in their home and people were peeking through the windows of the house and we would look and they would hide. But it you can't say no. But in in in Israel and with the Jews, it's a big deal. Why is it a big deal? Because when we eat this food at the at the table, exactly what's going inside of you is going inside of me. And that makes us one. Mhm. It's It's amazing. Jesus is doing this. We're all one at the table.
And Jesus then goes out and enters the fire of judgment. He's scrutinized. He goes from, if you don't mind me saying so, from kangaroo court to kangaroo court because all of those court hearings that Jesus went to that night, all of them were illegal. Did you know that? Every single one of them were illegal according to a Jewish and Roman law. You could not have a court and judgment passed in the night. [clears throat] They did it anyway. And they they they they're scrutinizing him. They're making up lies about him. They hired people to lie about him. And Jesus, as it were, right, he's being condemned because you and I are condemned. He then goes being arrested, of course, taken, bound. He's lashed with the cat of Ninetales over and over again. the brutality of that. Again, Josephus writes about how most people who are flogged, like Jesus was flogged, died during the flogging. That's how bad it is. [clears throat] Jesus took it. There's the stripes coming down on him. Then they take him and they lay him upon the cross and they pierce him through. The bread of life judged, beaten. The bread of life perforated. The bread of life raised up on a cross. The cross, the brutal, hideous, embarrassing, embarrassing cross, the Roman cross. You guys, I don't know what we have today in our culture that could even come close. Like in your family, what could be the most shameful thing that your son or your mom or your dad or your uncle or your aunt or grandpa or grandma or grandkids, they committed some crime that is so bad it's hard to even imagine this because our world tolerates so much evil. We don't have the appreciation of. But if if if you had someone in your family who was crucified, you didn't let that out. That was ultimate shame. It wasn't it wasn't it wasn't enough to be crucified to the wooden cross. The worst thing was the what's the word? the ignamy, the mockery, the embarrassment, the shame. That's why Rome would put crucifixes up alongside roads leading into a Roman city. Because as you're coming into that Roman city to go on vacation to see the gladiators or something, I don't know, you would be reminded whatever you do, I'm sure dad would turn around and look in the back of the chariot and say, "Kids, whatever you do in this city, don't mess up. Nobody goofs up. We'll wind up like that." It was hideous. It was horrible.
I want I want to read something to you. And why this is important is because every synagogue already had this inside their synagogue scripture. They had this before Jesus was born. They had this. Keep this in mind. Psalm two or 22 I should say. Psalm two. Psalm 2 announces that God has a son. Psalm 22 says that the Messiah, who is the son, will be pierced in his hands, in his feet. That was written 3,000 years ago. This was written 2 800 years ago. 2750 years ago. So, if you're a skeptic tonight, if you're a doubter or you're an atheist or whatever, I mean, you don't believe in Jesus, you should change your mind. I'm not saying that so you can join our club. We don't have a club. I'm not saying you should change your mind to join our team. We don't have a team. You should you should change your mind to save your own soul. Amen. Because if Jesus did all that, the Bible says he did it for us because that's what we're supposed to receive. And without Jesus, you don't have a pass. You don't have a get out of jail cart. Without Jesus, you ain't got nothing. Think of that. You have nothing at all without him.
This is what God says about the Messiah Jesus. God says, "Behold, my servant shall deal prudently. He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. Just as many were astonished at you, so his visage." Wow. His physical human appearance was marred more than any man. Disfigured. The word marred. Disfigurement. This is a bizarre prophecy, friend. If you if you don't believe in Jesus, what is going on here? Marred more than any man and his form more than the sons of men. So shall he sprinkle many nations. That's a that's a talk from Leviticus about an offering. The blood of the offering would be sprinkled. He will sprinkle many nations. He will be the salvation of many nations. kings shall shut their mouths at him. For what had not been told them they shall see, and what they had not heard, they shall consider. Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? The arm of the Lord is the strength or the saving power of God. Uh God loves you if you're left-handed, but it's a reference to the right hand of God. Speaks of his power and of his ability to deliver. For he shall grow up. So whoever the Messiah is shall grow up before him h as a tender plant and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness and when we see him there is no beauty that we should desire him. Translation Jesus looked common. This offends a lot of people. I want you to know this. People who are religious and they want to make sure that God stays far away from them. They have an interesting psychological response to this. They can't cope with him being personal in your life. So they defy him in a human way and they make him untouchable and they make him something other than he would so to speak uh when he walked his feet didn't touch the earth. Wherever he goes, like some of the medieval paintings and oils, there would be that golden ring around him, the aura. He was bigger than life. No, he wasn't. He was more beautiful than anything. No, he wasn't. He was He had the the cutest nose, the most beautiful eyes, the perfect ears. No, he didn't. Does that shock you? No, the Bible says if you just looked at him naturally, you would you would not say anything about his physical appearance. Some people can't handle that. Aren't you glad? I don't know about you. I mean, if you're ugly like me, this is very encouraging. It's like, yeah, thank you, Lord. So precious. Verse three says, "And he is despised and rejected by men." Mankind, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. This is an amazing statement. A man of sorrows acquainted with grief. Um, an often overlooked thing about this is when Jesus, do you remember when they were the scribes and Pharisees were arguing with with Jesus about his deity and Jesus said, uh, they said, "We have Abraham as our father." And and Jesus said, "If Abraham were your father, you'd believe in me." Because Abraham rejoiced to see my day. Abraham saw me and they said to him, "You're not even 50 years old." Isn't that a weird response? You ever think about that? They said, "You're not even 50." 50? What does that have to do with anything? Abraham had been dead for a thousand years. They said, "You're not even 50. two things. Number one, they believe that at the age of 50, you come into all knowledge and wisdom. You've matured supposed to be anyway. Watch this. Jesus carried the grief of the world apparently on his face. He didn't have like beef tallow. I had somebody tell me that the other day. I said, "You look good." He goes, "Yeah, beef tallow." I did not know what that meant. I went, "Yeah, right on." And then I asked my daughter, "What's beef tallow?" Jesus had the lions of the world upon him. And we hid, as it were, and we hid as it were our faces from him. He was despised and we did not esteem him. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. This is amazing. But he was wounded for our transgressions. My Jewish friends, you need to hear this. Who in the Bible is going to be the one that takes away your sins? answer. The one who will grow up before the Lord, the one who will be beaten, the one who will be an outcast, the one who will be rejected, the one who will be wounded for our transgressions. No one in the history of man has ever even claimed to be wounded for our sins. Wow. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace was upon him. And by his stripes, there's those the markings upon the bread. By his obedience, by the whips, we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and he was afflicted yet he opened not his mouth. What did Jesus when when they were nailing Jesus to the cross? What what did he say? No. When they were nailing him to the cross, he didn't say anything. He didn't say that until they raised up the cross. And he's hanging there and he says, "Father, forgive them. They don't know what they don't know what they do." And then and then he pays the price at the end he says it is finished. Right. Father into your hands I commend my spirit. It's amazing to me that here an ancient prophecy regarding the Messiah says, you know, you could dissect this and and walk away with maybe 20 different prophecies and you all you have all you have to do is be be convinced of one because these are so unique even if they were of themselves standing alone. But you put them all together, my friend skeptic, put them all together in the same recipe and they completely dovetail the actual events all based upon ancient prophecies. You could have been 2,000 years ago at the foot of the cross of Jesus with the scroll of Isaiah open and you could have been looking like this. Yeah, watch this. Something like this is going to happen next. Something like this is going to happen next. Let's see what happens. Where do you get this? How can you not believe in him? Listen to this. He was taken from prison and from judgment. And who will declare his generation? That means you you're ashamed of him. For he was cut off from the land of the living for the transgressions of my people. He was stricken. Who's God's people? Israel. Israel. The gospel went to Israel first. And they made his grave with the wicked, but with the rich at his death. Okay, come on. Seriously? Really? This is amazing. You need to accept Christ right now. Hurry up. Because when Jesus was crucified, he was crucified in the middle of two wicked people. When Jesus died, where did Nicodemus and Joseph of Arythea take his body to be intombed? in a poor man's tomb or does the Bible say a rich man's tomb? Yes, you can accept Jesus right now. That's it. That's enough. Because he had done no violence, nor was any deceit found in his mouth. So, whatever you know about Jesus, h uh who do you beat up? Uh who do you smack around? Who'd he throw an arrow at? Um who what did he lie about? Yep. None. None of that. Yet it pleased the Lord. Watch this verse 10. It pleased the Lord to bruise him. What? He was He has put him to grief when you make his soul an offering for sin. The father, as painful as it was, knowing that his son would take away the sins of the world in the pain and the suffering, he looked beyond that for what would be the reward. By the way, that's how life is like that. You know, if if if you're living life and you think you just it's all got to be easy all the time, you'll never make it. And I'm not being funny. If you think that you that life is easy and smoothgoing and no harm comes to you and no bad stuff happens, you're not going to make it to the end of your lifespan. You're going to go nuts. This world is mean. This world is cruel. But glory be to God, God has announced that there is an answer for the wicked. There is an answer for our transgressions. There is an answer for violence. There is an answer for deceit. Jesus comes and defeats all of that. And he says, "So when you make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed. He shall see his descendants. and shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the labor of his soul and be satisfied. By his knowledge, my righteous servant, Jesus, is the servant, shall justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. Wow. For he shall bear their iniquities. You should become a Christian now. Christ follower. Therefore, I will divide him a portion with the great and he he shall divide the spoil with the strong because he poured out his soul unto death. Meaning Jesus was obedient all the way through to death itself. He was numbered with the transgressors. How many of them? Two of them. And he bore the sin of many. See, why does it say all? He did bear the sin of all. He he died for the sins of the entire world. But this is a reference. The many is the reference to a very very specific group of people. I wonder if you know Jesus died for the sins of the entire world. But not everybody goes to heaven. Only the many are blessed by what Jesus did. Who are the many? The many who believe in him as Lord and Savior, as Messiah, as the sacrifice, as the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. You should be in the many and made intercession for the transgressors. A person who does something wrong intentionally is a transgressor. It's different than a sinner. Both are bad, don't get me wrong. A sinner means you missed the mark. a sinner. Like when you tell your kid, "Don't whatever you do, um, don't touch the windows. I just had them cleaned. Go play somewhere else." And your kids are running around the house. And the one kid throws, you know, the toy, whatever it is, goes right past the intended target and hits the window and breaks the window. doesn't he didn't get it dirty. He just broke it. He gasped. He knows he's going to be slain shortly for his for his what? For his sin. He sinned. He knew he wasn't supposed to do it and intended not to do it, but he did it. And now he's mortified because of it. A transgressor says, "Wait, what did you say? You said don't don't touch the window." Yeah, don't touch the window. Just had them cleaned. And a transgressor goes like this. So, you do not want me to touch this window. Do I Do I have that right? That's transgression. Transgression is to know that it's wrong. You've been warned that it's wrong and you do it anyway. The Bible says, "Eve sinned, but Adam transgressed." Wow.
I know we have a big time of celebration tonight on Wednesday nights during the summer months of July. It's awesome. And you're going to have a great time when this communion service is over. But I got to tell you right now, for those of you who might be here right now, or maybe you're watching right now, I I I wish somehow we had the ability to just entertain your argument as to why you're not a Christian. These are the number one. Number 10, I I promise you they're all stupid. Your your your excuses are stupid because you know what? You're gonna say, "I'm not a Christian because what? Because I knew a priest or a pastor and this he did this and he did the other." Or, "Christians are always Yeah. Oh, probably true. Church is full of hypocrites." How often do you hear that? Church is full of hypocrites. Yeah. Come on in and join us. You don't have a good reason. Well, I believe in science. No, you don't. You honestly don't. You really don't. You think you do. You've talked yourself into that. You don't believe in science. You just say you do. Whatever your reason is, it's so silly. It's going to But right now, you can be an atheist and unbeliever because you're probably doing okay. And then, you know, over time, life's going to come up and punch you right in the face. Life does that. I guarantee you right now, you may be an atheist here right now. You might be an atheist watching right now. If there was a 7.5 earthquake right now, the next two minutes, there'll be a lot of people coming to Christ really quick. You notice that? Your neighbors, your friends, your family who hate Jesus, and then there's an earthquake. Oh, Jesus. Jesus. Oh, Jesus. Have you noticed what's the old saying among soldiers of World War I or two? There's no atheists in foxholes. You want You want to come to Christ, go to war. You You'll be met immediately with your mortality. You can die any second.
We're going to bow our heads in a moment. We're going to pray and then I'm going to segue in that prayer to preparing our hearts for communion. And then there's tables in the back. You don't have to come up front. There's three tables up front. There's uh tables in the back as well. Uh make your way there alone or with your family, with a friend, I don't know. But one thing is certain, you cannot. The Bible makes it incredibly clear. 1 Corinthians chapter 11, you cannot partake of communion tonight. If you're not a believer, if you're not the If you're not a believer, you cannot off you cannot have it. That's why we do it on Wednesday nights and we don't rarely ever announce it because we don't want any non-believers coming in. Why don't you do it on Sundays? Because we don't know who's here on Sundays. You know what I'm talking about. We minimize the the possibility on Wednesday nights. I mean, you somehow you're somewhat committed coming in on a Wednesday night. Sunday, it's like, you know, Satan could pull up and park here. You don't know. There's people, you know, look at last Sunday. The Fourth of July was Saturday, Sunday was the next day. It's like nobody was at church. Why? I don't know. No, I'm kidding. Not really. Um, you got to be a believer. The Bible even says if you're a believer and you're living in sin, don't take communion. Do you know that? Wow. God takes it very seriously. Why? Because we're coming to the table. We're partaking of the meal, the bread, and we're becoming one.
Heavenly Father, we thank you. We pray, Lord, tonight that as we soon will worship you in spirit and in truth, we will sing these songs to you. They're not songs for us. They're songs for you. And in doing this, Lord, we approach you and we search our hearts, God. We make sure that we've done every possible attempt to make right strained relationships or if there's something you'll be speaking to us in a moment where you're going to tell us individually something about what needs to be dealt with. You might say this about that and you might say the other about this thing or who knows. It's it's personal and you'll speak. And Lord, I pray that as a family of God that is knit together, not by DNA, not by blood, way more powerful than all of that, but by the Holy Spirit of God, that we would, Lord, come to the table tonight so thankful that you died on the cross for our sins and rose again from the dead. And that right now, even tonight, those here, small groups, home away groups, someone tuning in right where they're at, they can grab some bread, they can grab a cup of milk. If they don't have that, they can get water, they can get Pepsi, they can get a cracker, they can get a donut. It doesn't matter. So long as they've made Jesus the one who has been made to be the sin that takes away the sins of the world. That you would say to Jesus tonight, my friend, Lord, I'm sorry for all of my lying and all of my lust and all of my violence and all of my selfishness. Lord, all by myself, I'm a sinner. And I thank you that I understand tonight that you came and you died on the cross for me and you you you fulfilled all of this ancient prophecies so that I might have life. Yes, I accept you tonight. Friend, wherever you're at tonight, sanctuary is dark. I can't see. It doesn't matter. God can see that you right now, wherever you're at, you would say to him, "Jesus, come into my life. Wash away my sins. Put your Holy Spirit in me. I am giving my life to you tonight, right now. I want to be a follower of Jesus and I want to live my life by having you, Lord, live your life through me. I surrender to you. Take the wheel. Drive my life. As we begin to worship, as God begins to speak to you, there's no rush. on your own. You can make your way to the tables and you can thank him for the bread that represents his body and the cup that represents his blood. And you're remembering him tonight. And you you are remembering and renewing your unity with him. oneness as we eat of the bread in Jesus name. And all God's people said, amen. Amen.
Let's worship him. The hill I could not climb though to bear was mine. A s's death you chose. And with love and grace of uncovered by the blood of Jesus. It's all under the blood of Jesus. All sin and shame is washed away. My debt is pain cuz I'm covered by the blood. Oh, what a mystery. The cross has ransomed me that I would find new life, crucified with Christ. Oh, I'm alive in Christ. I'm covered by the blood of Jesus. It's all under the blood of Jesus. All sin and shame is washed away. My daddy's pain cuz I'm covered by the mud. Let all the saints proclaim his glory. Sing worthy is the lamb. He's worthy. The empty grave of testimony. Sing worthy is the lamb. Sing worthy. Let all the saints proclaim his glory. Sing worthy is the lamb. See worthy the empty grave morning. See worthy is the lamb. See worthy. Let all the saints proclaim his glory. Sing worthy is the lamb. worthy. The empty grave are testimony. Sing worthy Isel. Sing worthy. Sing worthy. He's worthy. Sing worthy is the lamb. Sing worthy. He's worthy. Sing worthy is the lamb. I'm covered by the blood of Jesus. It's all under the blood of Jesus. All sin and shame is washed away. My debt is paid cuz I'm covered by the blood. I'm covered by the blood of Jesus. It's all under the blood of Jesus. All sin and shame is washed away. My debt is paid. Cuz I'm covered by the blood. At the cross. At the cross. Where I first saw the light. And the burden of my heart rolled away. It was there by faith. I receive my sight. And now I am happy. all the day. At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light and the burden of my heart rolled away. It was there by faith. I receive from my sight. And now I am happy all the day.
You were the word at the beginning, one with God the Lord most high. Your hidden glory creation now revealed to you our Christ. What a beautiful name it is. What a beautiful name it is. The name of Jesus Christ, my king. What a beautiful name it is. And nothing compares to this. What a beautiful name it is. The name of Jesus. You didn't want heaven without us. So Jesus, you brought heaven down. My sin was great, your love was greater. What could separate us now? What a wonderful name it is. What a wonderful name it is. The name of Jesus Christ my king. What a wonderful name it is. Nothing compares to this. What a wonderful name it is. The name of Jesus. What a wonderful name it is. The name of Jesus. Death could not hold you. The veil tore before you. You silence the bo and rain. The heavens are roaring. the praise of your glory for you are raised to life again. You have no rival. You have no equal now and forever. God, you reign. For yours is the king now. Yours is the glory. Yours is the name above all names. What a powerful name it is. What a powerful name it is. The name of Jesus Christ, my king. What a powerful name it is. Nothing can stand against. What a powerful name it is. The name of Jesus. Oh, you have no rival. You have no equal now and forever. God, you reign. Yours is the king. Yours is the glory. Yours is the name of all. What a powerful name it is. What a powerful name it is. The name of Jesus Christ, my king. What a powerful name it is. And nothing can say it is. What a powerful name it is. The name of Jesus. What a powerful name it is. The name of Jesus. What a powerful name it is. The name of Jesus. Sing. What a beautiful name. What a beautiful name it is. What a beautiful name it is. The name of Jesus Christ my king. What a beautiful name it is. Nothing compares to this. What a beautiful name it is. The name of Jesus. What a wonderful name it is. What a wonderful name. The name of Jesus Christ my king. What a wonderful name it is. And nothing compares to this. What a wonderful name it is. The name of Jesus. And what a powerful name it is. What a powerful name it is. The name of Jesus Christ, my king. What a powerful name it is. And nothing can stand against. What a powerful name it is. The name of Jesus. I'm covered by the blood of Jesus. It's all under the blood of Jesus. All sin and shame is washed away. My debt is paid cuz I'm covered by the blood. Prone to wonder. Prone to give my heart away to every anious thought. to every lesser love. Prone to worry, prone to doubt. You're in control of every rise and fall, but you transcend it all. Teach me your way, oh Lord, and I'll walk in your truth. Come unite my heart to fear you. All I am is yours. And Lord I'll praise you. You can have my heart undeidied. Lord, we just sang about your your love for us, Lord, and the sacrifice you made for us, God. We sang of your great love. We sang of how beautiful, how wonderful, and how powerful you are. And yet, we are still a people who are so prone to wander. May we be a people who are wholly yours, God. Not split in different directions, Lord, but giving you our whole and undivided heart. Prone to wonder, prone to give my heart away to every anxious thought. To every lesser love, prone to worry, prone to doubt. You're in control of every rise and fall. But you transcend it all. Teach me your way, oh Lord, and I'll walk in your truth. Come unite my heart to fear you. All I am is yours. And Lord, I'll praise you. You can have my heart undivided. Oh, I am yours, God. Oh, you are God and I am not. You're God and I am not. You're worthy of my divided heart. You're God and I am not. You're God and I am not. You're worthy of my undeided heart. You're God and I am not. You're God and I am not. You're worthy of my delighted heart. Oh, teach me your way, oh Lord, and I'll walk in your truth. Communite my heart to fear you. All I am is yours. And Lord, I'll praise you. You can have my heart. undeided. Teach me your way. Oh Lord, and I walk in your truth. Come unite my heart to fear you. All I am is yours. And Lord,
I'll praise you. You get out of my heart undeided. We are your people. You are our God. We are your temple. Make us holy like you are. We are your children. You set us apart. God for your glory. Make us holier. We are your people. We are your people. You are our God. We are your temple. Make us holy like you are. We are your children. You set us apart, God, for your glory. Make us holy. Sing it again.
We are your people. We are your people. You are our God. We are your temple. Make us holy like you are. We are your children. You set us apart, God, for your glory. Make us holy like you are. Teach us your way, God.
Teach me your way, oh Lord, and I'll walk in your truth. Come unite my heart to fear you. All I am is yours. And Lord, I'll praise you. You can have my heart undeided.
Teach me your way, oh Lord, and I'll walk in your truth. Come unite my heart to fear you. All I am is yours. And Lord I'll praise you. You can have my heart undeided.
Here is my heart. Here is my heart. Jesus undeided. Here is my heart. Here is my heart. Jes undeided.
You're turning over tables and calling for return to our lives upon the altar. The things we did at first. You're clearing out the temple. You're cleaning out the dirt. For we are your territory, Lord. We are your church. We are your people. You are our God. We are your temple. Make us holy like you are. You see a holy nation, a flock to consecrate, a chosen generation, a people called to pray. So help us God to please you where only you can see. For every moment matters in eternity.
We are your people. You are our God. We are your temple. Make us holy like you are. We are your children. You set us apart, God, for your glory. Make us holy like you are, Lord. Make us holy. Make us holy like you are. Mark your people with your presence. Make us a place where you delight to dwell in. May we heed yourction. Oh Lord our shepherd. You do all things well. Your love as firm as it is tender. Your law is perfect and your judgement's true. Oh, as we run to reender, you will restore what we return to you.
You are restoring as we renew. We are your people. You are our God. We are your temple. Make us holy like you are. We are your children. You set us apart, God for your glory. Make us holy like you are. Oh, holy, holy, holy is the Lord our God.
If you're calling, we're coming. We're now walking. We're running. God, we need resender. So we reser. If you're calling, we're coming. We're not walking. We're running. God, he'd resurrect. So we surrender. If you're calling, we're coming. But now walking, we're running. God, we need surrender. So we surrender. If you're calling, we're coming. We're now walking. We're running God. We need surrender. So we surrender. If you're calling, we're coming. We're not walking. We're running. God, we need surrender. So we surrender. If you're calling, we're coming now. We're on it. God, we need surrender. So we surrender.
We are your people. You are our God. We are your temple. Make us holy like you are. We are your children. You set us aart, God, for your glory. Make us holy like tonight.
You may be here this evening and you have a great need in your life and we want to make sure that that's lifted up before the throne room of God in heaven. He's asked us to pray. He's commanded us to pray. Believing makes total sense. When you talk to your husband or your wife or your friends, you speak to them in meaningful terms. God desires the same from you tonight. He wants to hear us. He wants to hear from us when we pray. Maybe it's one of the reasons why we are so often not praying that when we pray, we are expressing by action our great dependence upon God. We are confessing without confessing that we need him so desperately. Are you desperate tonight for him? How bad do you want him to take what is burdening you away or to bring as it were diamonds out of it. Maybe it's a horrific situation that's resembles coal and you feel like you're being crushed. The wind has been taken out of you. You can hardly feel your lungs. Your breath is so shallow. And you've been carrying this load. Actually, you've not even been carrying it. It's just slowly crushing you. And he wants to take it from you. But you know, no one can do that for you. You've got to bring it to him yourself. It's your faith. It's my faith that is being tested. And so maybe in the silence of your soul right now, you would be speaking to him. Maybe you have actually resigned to the fact that you're just always going to be sick or you're always going to be depressed or you're always going to be this way or that way. and you've just kind of kind of just given up and it's tried everything. You've read everything. You've talked to everybody. You even asked AI what can be done about it. But you know AI didn't make you. Neither did anybody else in your life but God alone. He knows everything. And if you're his child tonight, even the sorrow and the difficulty you're going through, he's making good come out of it. I know just can't see it. You feel like he's not hearing you, but he is. But maybe tonight is the night. And only for his glory. It's just because he's good. It's not for any show. That's for sure. I think God runs away from cameras, if that's possible for him to run away. I don't think he likes the light of Hollywood, so to speak. No, he associates with those in need and common people. And so maybe tonight you're asking him, "Lord Jesus, please heal me. I need a physical healing, Lord, in my life. I've asked you a thousand times. I've tried everything. I'm just going to ask again. I'm going to ask even though I don't want to ask because I don't want to be let down again. Help me to trust you, Jesus. Maybe tonight is the night that God removes from you this struggle that you've been going through, whatever that might be. 1 Peter chapter 5:7 says, "Cast all of your cares upon him because he cares for you."
Some of you are seeking direction in your life. Everybody's telling you, "You should do this, you should do that, you should be this, you should be that." And they mean well. They all mean well, but none of them are the voice of the Lord. Some of you are seeking an answer or a word from God. And God is saying to you, "Get alone with me. I'll tell you, stop listening to people. Just go get alone and I'll tell you." And if you know, if people can tell you to do this or that, thinking that it's the Lord, well, so many people told me, "Well, you know what? If people can tell you, people can also tell you not. If somebody can convince you, somebody else can convince you out of it. Rather to have God speak it to you, friend, and he wants to tell you. You say, "Well, why doesn't he make it easy? Why doesn't he just say it?" Listen, he has already announced the rules for the engagement. Seek me with all of your heart and then I'll be found by you. He's jealous for you. He wants you to know his voice so that when he says what he wants you to know, angel or demon couldn't stop you from fulfilling that call on your life. And maybe to all of us, the Lord is saying to us, run to me. Don't run away in the world that you're living in right now. Run to me. Not run away. It's not going to answer anything. I think we need to be reminded, church family, that we're not in heaven yet. And I think it's wrong for us to try to make heaven on earth. For those of you who are born again by the spirit of God, the worst day that you could possibly have in this world is as close to hell as you'll ever get. That's good news. No matter how bad it gets here, it's as bad as it gets for us because heaven awaits. We put our trust in you, Lord. And we pray, Father God, your healing, your touch, your restoration, your reconciliation and broken homes and marriages and relationships, jobs, employment. Father, you've got the answers. And Lord, we thank you. We praise you as the pastors, as we prayed tonight before service. Lord, we thank you that it was even a a beautifully hot day today. I think what, 93 degrees today. People think they're going to die. No, it's the seasons. It's exactly what your Bible says. Nations can set off bombs and nations can move this or move that, but who who's got the power to usher in summer and then have it run its course and then to tell it to go back as you call out fall. You're the only one who can do that. You are awesome. And you're the one who says, "Do not worry about anything." If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without me knowing about it, I can care for you. He loves you. Celebrate him. In a world that's growing ever darker, be brighter. Rejoice the more because great is your God and your salvation is secure in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit's job is to escort you into heaven and he never misses and he'll never lose you. So be bold, stand strong, rejoice. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for all that you've done for us. And may we go out tonight now and have some fun all over campus. Fellowship, eating, crazy stuff, whatever we're going to do. I'm not even sure. But may friendships be made tonight. May the body of Christ be tightened up tonight. We love you, God. We pray in Jesus name. And all God's people said, "Amen."
Amen. God bless you guys. Um, do you have a song or do you want to just No, you guys go. She's She has worked too hard. Give Gia a hand for just blessing you in song. God bless you guys. We love you. Let's all stand. We love you and get out. God bless. How are you?