1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,000 Well, good morning. 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:08,000 If you have your Bibles, we're going to be in two passages, so go find Romans 6. 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:12,000 Put your finger there and then flip over to Luke 22. We're going to read both of those here 4 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:16,000 in just a second. Again, I forgot the page number. 5 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:20,000 So, ask a neighbor. But I'd highly 6 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:24,000 encourage you to just read, find the 7 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:28,000 passage and read along as we do that here in just a second. 8 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:32,000 When I was a kid 9 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:36,000 growing up, going to church, I lived in a 10 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:40,000 city that had a heavy Catholic presence. 11 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:44,000 I went to a Baptist church and a few of my friends 12 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:48,000 that went to church with me went to school with me, but most of my friends that I had 13 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:52,000 in school were Catholic. 14 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:56,000 And there were some other denominations in El Paso, we drive 15 00:00:56,000 --> 00:01:00,000 by them, but I didn't really know anything about them. And I didn't really know anybody 16 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:04,000 that went to those churches. And as a young kid, I remember driving by 17 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:08,000 these churches, the Catholic churches and the Lutheran churches. 18 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:12,000 And I remember beginning to wonder what made us, 19 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:16,000 my family, choose the church that we went to? Were we 20 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:20,000 right and everyone else wrong? Like those were the questions 21 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:24,000 I had. And I remember struggling with this idea, and nobody 22 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:28,000 told me this, but I remember struggling and remember 23 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:32,000 feeling that if you weren't a Baptist, then 24 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:36,000 somehow you were in the wrong. And as I got older, 25 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:40,000 I learned that that was wrong. And most 26 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:44,000 denominations are unified because of our belief 27 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:48,000 in Jesus. And as I have matured in my faith 28 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:52,000 and I have learned that even though 29 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:56,000 there's many distinctions between denominations, 30 00:01:56,000 --> 00:02:00,000 there are two primary ones that distinguish 31 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:04,000 Baptists from other Protestant denominations. And those 32 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:08,000 two differences are Baptism and Communion. 33 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:12,000 And so as we dive into our beliefs this morning 34 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:16,000 on these two topics, I'm going to invite Ali, 35 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:20,000 where's she at? Ali's going to come read our passages 36 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:24,000 this morning. The first one's going to be from Romans chapter 6. 37 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:28,000 I'd encourage you to stand as we honor the Lord's word together. 38 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:32,000 What shall we say then? Are we to continue 39 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:36,000 in sin that grace may abound? By no means. 40 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:40,000 How can we who have died in sin still live in it? 41 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:44,000 Do you not know that all who have been baptized into 42 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:48,000 Christ Jesus were baptized into death? We were buried 43 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:52,000 therefore with him by Baptism into death in order 44 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:56,000 that just Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father 45 00:02:56,000 --> 00:03:00,000 we too might walk in the newness of life. Amen. And Luke 22, we're going to 46 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:04,000 read verses 19, the start of verse 19. And he took the 47 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:08,000 bread and when he had gave thanks he broke it and gave it to them 48 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:12,000 saying, this is my body which has been given to you. Do this in 49 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:16,000 remembrance of me. And likewise the cup after 50 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:20,000 they had eaten saying, this is the cup poured out for you 51 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:24,000 in the new of covenant in my blood. Amen. Thank you 52 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:28,000 Allie. Let's pray Father. We pray that as we dive 53 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:32,000 into your word and as we look at these important topics 54 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:36,000 that you will just be in our midst. We pray Father that you will 55 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:40,000 help us see your word for what it is. And I pray Father for Allie and I thank you 56 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:44,000 for her willingness to read and I pray that you continue to give her a deep desire 57 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:48,000 to study your word. We ask all these things in your name. Amen. Thank you Allie. 58 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:56,000 Now depending on your background 59 00:03:56,000 --> 00:04:00,000 meaning where you grew, how you grew up in church 60 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:04,000 the words that are used to describe 61 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:08,000 these elements are sometimes referred to as sacraments, 62 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:12,000 sometimes referred to as ordinances, sometimes referred to as symbols. 63 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:16,000 Now I'm not going to be dogmatic in as to which 64 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:20,000 you choose to use but I think it's important to understand the difference 65 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:24,000 between these three words. If you grew up in a Catholic church, 66 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:28,000 a Presbyterian church, a Lutheran church, or even potentially some 67 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:32,000 Methodist churches, they will use the word to describe baptism 68 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:36,000 and communion as a sacrament. Now what that means 69 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:40,000 is that there's this belief that you, when you 70 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:44,000 participate in baptism or you participate in communion, those are 71 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:48,000 means of receiving grace. The Catholic Catechism states 72 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:52,000 that baptism is a sacrament which cleanses us from original 73 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:56,000 sin and makes us children of God. The Lutheran denomination 74 00:04:56,000 --> 00:05:00,000 says, Holy baptism is the washing of regeneration by 75 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:04,000 which the new birth is wrought. Since baptism is a means of grace 76 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:08,000 for salvation, we must not delay the baptism of 77 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:12,000 babies. Essentially what those denominations are saying 78 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:16,000 is that in order to receive grace, you 79 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:20,000 have to participate in these sacraments. And different denominations 80 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:24,000 will have a various amount of sacraments 81 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:28,000 that you must participate in to either become a member of 82 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:32,000 that church or some denominations will go as far as 83 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:36,000 saying that you need to participate in these 84 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:40,000 sacraments in order to receive salvation. 85 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:44,000 That's the definition of sacrament. An ordinance is 86 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:48,000 describing the same thing, but the meaning is different. An ordinance is 87 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:52,000 essentially a religious ceremony. The ceremony 88 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:56,000 is a celebration of work that has already been done. 89 00:05:56,000 --> 00:06:00,000 For instance, a graduation ceremony is 90 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:04,000 not done at the beginning of high school, but after 91 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:08,000 the four years of work that have been completed. We don't 92 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:12,000 hold a celebration for you as a freshman because 93 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:16,000 we're not real sure you're going to make it through, right? 94 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:20,000 We celebrate after the work has been done. And once the 95 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:24,000 work has been accomplished, then we have a ceremony. 96 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:28,000 That's an ordinance. A symbol represents something else. 97 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:32,000 For instance, if you wear a wedding ring, you are 98 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:36,000 symbolizing that you were married. Or if you're a single gallon, you're wearing a wedding 99 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:40,000 ring, you're telling guys I don't want to talk to you, right? Like we're symbolizing something. 100 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:44,000 If we go out to the parking lot here in just a little while and I see 101 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:48,000 a bike rack on your car, you're symbolizing that you have a bike and 102 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:52,000 that you know how to ride it. If I were to drive around town 103 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:56,000 and see some sort of political sign in front of your house, 104 00:06:56,000 --> 00:07:00,000 they are potentially symbolizing 105 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:04,000 that you're not that bright, right? A symbol is 106 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:08,000 simply a representation of something else. 107 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:12,000 So with that in mind, I want to be careful. 108 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:16,000 I want to be careful because my goal is not to offend. 109 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:20,000 I am well aware that there are many of you here 110 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:24,000 that have a different background than me, that have a different heritage than 111 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:28,000 this church. And there is potential, I just want to call it out of the gate. 112 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:32,000 There is potential here that you will take a fence 113 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:36,000 and you will begin to think that I am questioning your 114 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:40,000 faith or that I'm even questioning your sincerity 115 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:44,000 with how you've 116 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:48,000 practiced these elements in the past. I want you to know 117 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:52,000 that's not the case. My hope is that as we go 118 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:56,000 through these things, the spirit of God will lead you through this message. 119 00:07:56,000 --> 00:08:00,000 So let's start by looking at baptism. Based 120 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:04,000 on the definitions I gave earlier, baptism is a symbol not a sacrament. 121 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:08,000 The practice of baptism is an ordinance 122 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:12,000 and not a sacrament. I'm going to read you some passages of scripture 123 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:16,000 and then we'll look to see how they are all connected. In Acts chapter 8 verse 36, 124 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:20,000 the Ethiopian eunuch, he comes up to Philip and he says, and he asks 125 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:24,000 Philip, see, here is the water. What prevents me from being baptized? 126 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:28,000 And Philip said, if you believe with all your heart, you may. 127 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:32,000 In Acts 2.41, so those who received 128 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:36,000 his word were baptized. In 129 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:40,000 Acts 16.30, the Philippian jailer, it was with Paul as Silas. He runs 130 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:44,000 up to Paul and Silas and he says, sir, what must I do to 131 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:48,000 be saved? And they said, believe in the Lord Jesus and 132 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:52,000 you will be saved. A couple verses later in Acts 16, 133 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:56,000 you see that he was baptized. Those verses describe 134 00:08:56,000 --> 00:09:00,000 why baptism is not a sacrament. Because first 135 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:04,000 it's the receiving and then it's the baptism. You 136 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:08,000 don't put on a uniform, on a soldier to make 137 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:12,000 him a soldier. You put a uniform on a soldier 138 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:16,000 because he is a soldier. You don't put on a wedding 139 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:20,000 ring to become married. You put on a wedding ring because 140 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:24,000 you are married. We don't baptize someone to 141 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:28,000 save them. We baptize because they have been saved 142 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:32,000 by the grace of God. Baptism is for believers. 143 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:36,000 Here's why we don't baptize infants. 144 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:40,000 Because they can't believe. 145 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:44,000 They don't understand that they are sinners. They don't understand 146 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:48,000 their need for a savior. They can't ask the question, what must I 147 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:52,000 do to be saved? They can't ask it. It is not until 148 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:56,000 they are older that they can receive that revelation from the 149 00:09:56,000 --> 00:10:00,000 Lord. Now if you were baptized as an infant, I'm not 150 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:04,000 questioning your salvation. And I'm not minimizing what your parents 151 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:08,000 that your parents were doing something good. But infant 152 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:12,000 baptism is a tradition. It's not based on scripture. Here 153 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:16,000 at Cornerstone, we will not baptize your baby, but we will encourage you 154 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:20,000 to dedicate them to the Lord. Hannah dedicated Samuel 155 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:24,000 before the Lord. When we dedicate our 156 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:28,000 children, we're standing before the congregation 157 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:32,000 and we're understanding and we're acknowledging 158 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:36,000 to the Lord that we believe salvation is in his hands, not in 159 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:40,000 ours. We are committing to raising our children in a 160 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:44,000 way that honors the Lord. We are declaring that unless the 161 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:48,000 Lord builds the house, those who labor in it will be in 162 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:52,000 vain. Baptism is an act of obedience and surrender to 163 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:56,000 the individual who comes to a saving faith in 164 00:10:56,000 --> 00:11:00,000 Jesus. It should be one of the first acts of obedience. 165 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:04,000 And I've seen so many people who have 166 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:08,000 surrendered to the Lord in this area of their life. 167 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:12,000 Be blessed as he calls them to greater things 168 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:16,000 because they walked in obedience. If you are not 169 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:20,000 willing to obey the Lord in baptism, 170 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:24,000 what else are you not obeying the Lord in? 171 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:28,000 Next we need to understand that biblical baptism is by 172 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:32,000 immersion, not sprinkling. 173 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:36,000 The Greek word for baptize literally means to 174 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:40,000 immerse. Acts 839 reads, they came up out 175 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:44,000 of the water. They had to be in the water to come 176 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:48,000 out of the water. When Jesus was baptized, he was immersed by 177 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:52,000 John. It is somewhat easy to track down 178 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:56,000 the history of where sprinkling came from because 179 00:11:56,000 --> 00:12:00,000 biblically, baptism was always by immersion. But traditionally 180 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:04,000 today, there are many who pour over the head 181 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:08,000 or sprinkle. So we have to track down how this practice 182 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:12,000 started. In 325 AD, the 183 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:16,000 Constantine, who is the ruler of Rome, becomes 184 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:20,000 a Christian. And that was a great thing, but it was also 185 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:24,000 a horrible thing for the church. The whole nation, 186 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:28,000 because Constantine became a believer, 187 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:32,000 the whole nation was then considered to be a Christian nation. 188 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:36,000 As a matter of convenience, as people came in and out of 189 00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:40,000 the city, they would sprinkle them with water and call 190 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:44,000 that good. Because it is hard to get thousands of people 191 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:48,000 into the baptism tank or down by the river. 192 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:52,000 And so they would sprinkle as you came in and out of the city. 193 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:56,000 And that is how the Roman Catholic tradition of baptism began. 194 00:12:56,000 --> 00:13:00,000 It then spread to other churches. It spread to other orthodoxies as time 195 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:04,000 went on. When the Bible was translated into 196 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:08,000 English by King James, the scholars who worked on 197 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:12,000 that literally made up a word as to not 198 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:16,000 offend those who had sprinkling as a form 199 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:20,000 of baptism. The word baptize 200 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:24,000 did not exist in the English language 201 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:28,000 until the scriptures were translated into English. 202 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:32,000 They just transliterated it from the Greek word 203 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:36,000 chiso, which means to plunge or submerse. 204 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:40,000 So, some might ask, why make a big deal about this? 205 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:44,000 Why make a big issue of this? 206 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:48,000 It is just a symbol. Why does it matter what method is used? 207 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:52,000 The fact is that it is a symbol. 208 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:56,000 But it is a symbol involving Christ. And if the Old Testament 209 00:13:56,000 --> 00:14:00,000 teaches us anything, it teaches us that the Lord takes his 210 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:04,000 symbols seriously. Moses wasn't able to enter 211 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:08,000 the promised land because he abused the symbol of Christ 212 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:12,000 by striking the rock twice. People would die 213 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:16,000 instantly if they touched the Ark of the Covenant. 214 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:20,000 The High Priest could fall down dead in the Holy of Holies if he didn't 215 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:24,000 handle the mercy seat correctly. God takes his symbols 216 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:28,000 seriously. And that is why we try to honor 217 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:32,000 the biblical method of baptism by immersion. 218 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:36,000 It is a symbol that we celebrate as an 219 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:40,000 ordinance. Finally, baptism is an act of 220 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:44,000 submission. The verse 221 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:48,000 that is usually used for baptism as a means of salvation 222 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:52,000 the verse that is usually used as a defense 223 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:56,000 onto why we baptize infants is Mark 1616. 224 00:14:56,000 --> 00:15:00,000 It reads, whoever believes and is baptized 225 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:04,000 will be saved. Whoever believes and 226 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:08,000 is baptized will be saved. But the issue is they forget the second half of that verse. 227 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:12,000 It reads, whoever believes 228 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:16,000 and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe 229 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:20,000 will be condemned. They only quote the first half of that verse 230 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:24,000 out of context. But where is the emphasis of that verse 231 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:28,000 on the baptism or on the believing? It's on the 232 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:32,000 believing. So how does one come to be damned to hell 233 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:36,000 by not believing? Or if you want to 234 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:40,000 apply it to water baptism then, well, the verse assumes 235 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:44,000 that a person who has seriously been saved, 236 00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:48,000 who has had their life changed by Jesus, naturally 237 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:52,000 will follow the Lord's leading in believers' baptism. 238 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:56,000 Now we need to keep an open mind 239 00:15:56,000 --> 00:16:00,000 to other people's opinions. We need to walk in grace 240 00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:04,000 but we also need to be careful not to take phrases out of context. 241 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:08,000 Because that verse does not say that if you are not 242 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:12,000 baptized you are condemned. It says if you don't believe 243 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:16,000 you are not, you are condemned. 244 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:20,000 Baptism is a symbol that we celebrate here as an ordinance, a religious 245 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:24,000 ceremony. We don't believe that it's necessary for you 246 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:28,000 to receive salvation from God. Because the truth 247 00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:32,000 is there's nothing that we can do. There's nothing that we can do to earn our 248 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:36,000 salvation from God. Coming to church, being baptized, 249 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:40,000 serving, and giving money is nothing but filthy 250 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:44,000 rags before a holy God. If the motivation behind any of those 251 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:48,000 things is to earn favor from Him. 252 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:52,000 Baptism is an act of obedience. Stepping forward in baptism 253 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:56,000 is an act of surrender where we are saying we want 254 00:16:56,000 --> 00:17:00,000 to identify with Christ in His death and resurrection. 255 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:04,000 That's what it is symbolizing. We are now a new 256 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:08,000 creation and our life before 257 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:12,000 God is in the grave. It's under the water. 258 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:16,000 And we come up out of the water made new. 259 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:20,000 So as we wrap up our discussion on baptism 260 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:24,000 will you ask the Lord 261 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:28,000 will you ask Him, will you pray with, you know, pray in your 262 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:32,000 heart, is this something that He wants you to submit to? 263 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:36,000 If you've never been baptized 264 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:40,000 as a believer, my challenge to you is to consider it. 265 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:44,000 It's not going to save you. But you 266 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:48,000 were saying that I'm willing to surrender this area of my life. 267 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:52,000 I'm willing to surrender as He leads 268 00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:56,000 me. 269 00:17:56,000 --> 00:18:00,000 I do not get a commission check based on 270 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:04,000 how many people we baptize here. 271 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:08,000 This is an issue between 272 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:12,000 you and the Lord. If you don't want to get 273 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:16,000 baptized here, we're not going to shun you. We're not going to kick you 274 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:20,000 out of here. We're going to continue to love 275 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:24,000 you in grace. But as we're going through 276 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:28,000 our beliefs, I think it's important for you to understand this is where we stand. 277 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:32,000 So that is one distinction between the nominations. 278 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:36,000 The second is communion. Some traditions 279 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:40,000 will say that it is necessary for you to 280 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:44,000 receive salvation. You have to take communion. 281 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:48,000 What they will teach you is that when you take 282 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:52,000 communion, when you eat the bread and when you drink the 283 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:56,000 juice, you are literally taking in the body and blood of 284 00:18:56,000 --> 00:19:00,000 Christ. So when you hear things on the news, 285 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:04,000 when you hear things on the news about some political 286 00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:08,000 leader being rejected from taking communion, what 287 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:12,000 church is actually saying is not, hey, you can't celebrate communion. 288 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:16,000 What they're actually saying is that we are withholding Christ from you. 289 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:20,000 We are withholding Christ from you. Now 290 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:24,000 that is not true because no man has the authority, no man has 291 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:28,000 the power to decide who Christ saves and who the Holy Spirit 292 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:32,000 indwells. But that belief is based on tradition. It's not based on biblical 293 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:36,000 truth. We take communion very seriously here. 294 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:40,000 But if you think through this logically and 295 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:44,000 biblically, what exactly is Christ saying in Luke 22 when it says 296 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:48,000 He took the bread and He broke it and gave things, He then 297 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:52,000 passed it out to His disciples. They're all around 298 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:56,000 a table and He passes this out. And after He passes it out, He says, 299 00:19:56,000 --> 00:20:00,000 this is my body which is given for you. It was a symbol 300 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:04,000 because obviously Jesus didn't pluck some bread off of himself. 301 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:08,000 It wasn't a part of His body. Instead, it was 302 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:12,000 a symbol. Then a few short hours later, He was 303 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:16,000 symbolizing that His body would be broken 304 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:20,000 and it would be taken on the punishment of our sin. His body would never be 305 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:24,000 whole again. He's the only one in the eternity 306 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:28,000 in heaven that is going to continue to bear His scars. 307 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:32,000 And just like you can't break bread and put 308 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:36,000 it back together again, that is what His body is symbolizing. 309 00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:40,000 When He said the cup was a new covenant in His blood, He wasn't saying that 310 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:44,000 this is His literal blood. It's not like 311 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:48,000 He cut Himself and filled a cup full of His blood and made them 312 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:52,000 drink it. He was saying that His blood is 313 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:56,000 red. This drink is red. It was a symbol. Like the cup 314 00:20:56,000 --> 00:21:00,000 could be spilled over. His blood would be spilled for 315 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:04,000 our sins. And I think so many Christians forget that Christ 316 00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:08,000 has victory over death. 317 00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:12,000 That's why I struggle to look at crucifixes. 318 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:16,000 Because Christ is no longer on the cross. 319 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:20,000 It's why I struggle with certain denominations 320 00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:24,000 and how they do communion because they will hold up a piece of bread. 321 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:28,000 And they'll say this is Christ and they will put 322 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:32,000 Him on the altar and say He's on the altar, you have to receive Him. 323 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:36,000 So every time they take communion, 324 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:40,000 what they are doing is putting Christ back on the altar for us to receive Him. 325 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:44,000 That is not at all what I believe. I believe Jesus 326 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:48,000 when He said on the cross that it was finished. I believe 327 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:52,000 Him. There's no more need to place things on the 328 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:56,000 altar in order to receive salvation. 329 00:21:56,000 --> 00:22:00,000 All you need for salvation is to believe. We celebrate communion 330 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:04,000 as a way to remember. This is why Jesus says on Luke 22, 331 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:08,000 do this in remembrance of me. He doesn't say do this to receive me. 332 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:12,000 You do this to remember me. But instead 333 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:16,000 remember that I laid down my life for you. 334 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:20,000 Communion is a time where we focus on 335 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:24,000 our relationship with God. We reflect on His great love for us 336 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:28,000 that caused Him to give us His only Son as a sacrifice for 337 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:32,000 our sins. He's had victory over death. 338 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:36,000 We receive Him by the Holy Spirit. 339 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:40,000 We don't have to continue to put Him on the altar. It is an 340 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:44,000 internal communion. 341 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:48,000 In 1 Corinthians 11, 28 Paul writes, let a person examine 342 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:52,000 himself then. And so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 343 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:56,000 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats 344 00:22:56,000 --> 00:23:00,000 and drinks judgment on himself. So when we 345 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:04,000 enter into a time to remember Jesus 346 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:08,000 as sacrifice for us, we need to evaluate our 347 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:12,000 hearts. I'm sure we've all had this conversation 348 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:16,000 in our minds. Maybe just me. Where we wish we could go back 349 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:20,000 in time and handle a situation differently. 350 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:24,000 We look at some mistakes we made and wish 351 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:28,000 for a do-over because we've seen the effects of our actions. 352 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:32,000 And if we knew then what we know now, we would have done things 353 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:36,000 differently. Anybody else have that conversation in their mind? 354 00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:40,000 That's essentially what Paul is saying here. If you think back 355 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:44,000 to your walk with the Lord over the last month, 356 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:48,000 what are some things you wish you would have done differently? 357 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:52,000 Maybe not slept in? 358 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:56,000 Maybe been obedient when he gave you the 359 00:23:56,000 --> 00:24:00,000 opportunity. He placed it right in front of you to share your faith and you 360 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:04,000 didn't do it over this last month. 361 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:08,000 Could you have had more patience with your spouse or your kids? 362 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:12,000 When you think about what 363 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:16,000 Christ endured on the cross on your behalf, because 364 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:20,000 of your sin that was placed on him, 365 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:24,000 what brings conviction to you? 366 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:28,000 Because when we take communion, 367 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:32,000 we are remembering what Jesus did for us. 368 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:36,000 And if we take communion without 369 00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:40,000 considering what that means, 370 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:44,000 it says we eat and drink judgment 371 00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:48,000 on ourselves. I love Psalm 19 because 372 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:52,000 it says who can discern his errors, declare me 373 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:56,000 innocent from my hidden faults. 374 00:24:56,000 --> 00:25:00,000 Meaning God, I respect you enough and I honor you enough 375 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:04,000 to understand that you are holy. 376 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:08,000 And as I sit and remember the love that you have 377 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:12,000 for me, as I remember the love 378 00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:16,000 you have for me, the sacrifice that Jesus made for me, 379 00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:20,000 the hope that his resurrection brings me, 380 00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:24,000 if there is anything in my life that has 381 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:28,000 grieved you that I'm not even aware of, please forgive me. 382 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:32,000 Here's the things I 383 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:36,000 I mean we say here's the things I wish I could do over. 384 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:40,000 I could have handled that situation better. I could have walked in love in here. 385 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:44,000 I could have given more grace. Here are the things I know 386 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:48,000 that I messed up and are sinful. 387 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:52,000 But if there's anything else in my life that has dishonored you 388 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:56,000 that I'm not even aware of, please forgive me. 389 00:25:56,000 --> 00:26:00,000 I don't want to remember this in an unworthy way. 390 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:04,000 I don't want to eat this bread and drink this cup in an unworthy way. 391 00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:08,000 Communion is internal. 392 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:12,000 But scripture also says that communion is also external. 393 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:16,000 1 Corinthians 17 says 394 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:20,000 for we, though many, are one bread and one body 395 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:24,000 for we all partake of that one bread. 396 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:28,000 Communion is a time where we are 397 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:32,000 to be mindful that we are not on an island by ourselves. 398 00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:36,000 As children of God we are living 399 00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:40,000 we are a living part of the body of Christ. 400 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:44,000 Our lives touch others as the lives of others touch us. 401 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:48,000 We're all interconnected. Communion should remind us 402 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:52,000 that remind us that are Christians that we all share 403 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:56,000 the same fallen condition. 404 00:26:56,000 --> 00:27:00,000 Every single one of us shares the same fallen condition. 405 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:04,000 We've all been redeemed by the death and resurrection of Jesus. 406 00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:08,000 This is where we come together. This is what the church is. 407 00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:12,000 We come together and we meet on level ground because all of us are fallen. 408 00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:16,000 Not one of us is better than the other. 409 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:20,000 And we meet here in Ephesians 2.16 Paul writes that Jesus might reconcile us both to God 410 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:24,000 and one body through the cross. 411 00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:28,000 Thereby killing the hostility. 412 00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:32,000 That Jesus might reconcile us both to God 413 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:36,000 and one body through the cross. Therefore killing any hostility. 414 00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:40,000 In the context of that verse 415 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:44,000 Paul is discussing the relationship between Jew and Gentile. 416 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:48,000 That relationship was loaded with hostility. 417 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:52,000 If not hatred 418 00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:56,000 towards each other. The Jews didn't think that Gentiles 419 00:27:56,000 --> 00:28:00,000 should have access to God because they weren't God's chosen people. 420 00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:04,000 The Gentiles didn't like the Jews because they were viewed as outsiders of this 421 00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:08,000 promise. 422 00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:12,000 I mean that's real hostility. 423 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:16,000 There were wars over this stuff. That's hostility 424 00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:20,000 that Paul says is dead because Jesus unites 425 00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:24,000 both parties. He reconciled all to God 426 00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:28,000 through his blood and through his sacrifice. It's amazing to me 427 00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:32,000 how often people in churches, believers 428 00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:36,000 forget that part. 429 00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:40,000 And they view others in the church as their enemies. 430 00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:48,000 And we hold on to bitterness 431 00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:52,000 because of how someone treated us. 432 00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:56,000 Or we hold on to bitterness because we heard a rumor about somebody else 433 00:28:56,000 --> 00:29:00,000 in the church that may or may not be true. 434 00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:10,000 When we look at the cross, and y'all are looking at it, when we look at that cross 435 00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:18,000 it's empty. 436 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:22,000 And we should be reminded that all the hostility that exists 437 00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:26,000 between believers is dead because of what was 438 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:30,000 accomplished on it. If you feel hostility 439 00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:34,000 if you feel tension with another brother 440 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:38,000 or sister in Christ and have not tried to make 441 00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:42,000 amends, you have not called out their sin, you have not sought 442 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:46,000 forgiveness, you are allowing the enemy to win. 443 00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:50,000 Jesus came to kill the hostility. He tells us in 444 00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:54,000 Matthew 5, if you are offering your gift at the altar, 445 00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:58,000 and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there 446 00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:02,000 before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother 447 00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:06,000 and then come and offer your gift. 448 00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:10,000 The beauty of the church 449 00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:14,000 is that we can come together as imperfect people 450 00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:18,000 and worship together a perfect God. 451 00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:22,000 So many times we think that we are the perfect ones. 452 00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:26,000 We are the perfect ones and others, they're the ones 453 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:30,000 that have messed up. As we think about communion being 454 00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:34,000 external, let us remember James 4, 6 455 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:38,000 God opposes the proud but gives grace to the 456 00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:42,000 humble. My hope is that we will humble 457 00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:46,000 ourselves this morning and kill 458 00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:50,000 the evil. Through the power of God's spirit, any 459 00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:54,000 hostility that exists between us. 460 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:58,000 Finally, communion is eternal. 461 00:30:58,000 --> 00:31:02,000 Everything about communion has 462 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:06,000 eternal significance. The bread symbolizes the sinless 463 00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:10,000 body of Christ, the blood symbolizes that our sin has been forgiven 464 00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:14,000 and that he has made a way for us to be reconciled 465 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:18,000 and to be reconciled for eternity. 466 00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:22,000 Eternity has two options. Relationship with God 467 00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:26,000 and heaven or separated from him and hell forever. 468 00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:30,000 All the arguments of theology, all the 469 00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:34,000 intricacies and complexities of Bible doctrine can be 470 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:38,000 boiled down to this reality. You either spend eternity 471 00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:42,000 with him forever by believing in your heart that Jesus 472 00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:46,000 was the only one who was righteous and 473 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:50,000 was worthy enough to take your sin and he's the only 474 00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:54,000 one who can help make peace between you and God. 475 00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:58,000 Or you reject that reality and you spend 476 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:02,000 eternity and hell separated from him. You don't need a lot of Bible 477 00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:06,000 knowledge to understand that. We are dealing 478 00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:10,000 with eternal things when we take communion. 479 00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:14,000 We are remembering that we are 480 00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:18,000 sinners. We are remembering 481 00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:22,000 that Jesus willingly gave himself for us. 482 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:26,000 We are remembering that on the third day he rose 483 00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:30,000 from the grave and we are remembering that right now 484 00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:34,000 he is reigning and ruling at the right hand of the Father. 485 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:38,000 But it also gives us hope and we are looking forward. 486 00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:42,000 We are looking forward to when he rips open the sky 487 00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:46,000 and returns to make all things new. 488 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:50,000 That's why we celebrate communion. 489 00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:54,000 So I'm going to invite our elders and deacons to come 490 00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:58,000 forward and we're going to do this together. 491 00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:02,000 We are now switching into ordinance 492 00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:06,000 mode. 493 00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:10,000 We are symbolizing 494 00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:14,000 the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. 495 00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:26,000 Through the 496 00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:30,000 resurrection of Jesus. We are 497 00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:34,000 symbolizing the death, burial, and 498 00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:38,000 resurrection of Jesus. Through a piece of bread 499 00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:42,000 and a cup of juice. 500 00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:46,000 It's not going to save you. 501 00:33:46,000 --> 00:33:50,000 So here's how I would like to do it this morning. 502 00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:54,000 These fine gentlemen are going to pass these out to you. 503 00:33:54,000 --> 00:33:58,000 You'll have the option to take 504 00:33:58,000 --> 00:34:02,000 one, there's two cups stacked on top of each other and 505 00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:06,000 we're going to ask you to hold those things. 506 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:10,000 And as you look at that bread and as you look at that juice 507 00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:14,000 and as you look at that empty cross 508 00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:18,000 I want you to remember what that means. 509 00:34:18,000 --> 00:34:22,000 We don't have a crucifix here 510 00:34:22,000 --> 00:34:26,000 because he's already accomplished it. 511 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:30,000 We don't have a crucifix here 512 00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:34,000 because he's already accomplished it. 513 00:34:34,000 --> 00:34:38,000 We're not putting him back on the altar. 514 00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:42,000 And I want you to think internally, God, what do I need to confess to you? 515 00:34:42,000 --> 00:34:46,000 Some things we know, we need to confess those things, we know it, but 516 00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:50,000 then there's others. 517 00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:54,000 God, maybe there's some hidden things in my life that I'm not even aware of. 518 00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:58,000 I want you to forgive those things as well. 519 00:34:58,000 --> 00:35:02,000 We need to internally 520 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:06,000 examine where we are this morning. 521 00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:10,000 But we also need to think externally. 522 00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:14,000 Is there hostility between 523 00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:18,000 brothers and sisters in this room that I need to make right? 524 00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:22,000 Is there some tension that I need to cut? 525 00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:26,000 I'm going to hope and pray 526 00:35:26,000 --> 00:35:30,000 that we will humble ourselves before the Lord. 527 00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:34,000 But so many times, at least for me, I'll speak for me, 528 00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:38,000 there's so many times that somebody has wronged me. 529 00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:42,000 And in my pride I will say, well, they need to come to me. 530 00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:46,000 That's not what that verse means, is it? 531 00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:50,000 Let's humble ourselves before the Lord. 532 00:35:50,000 --> 00:35:54,000 And he will give us grace. And finally, let's think about the eternal implications of this. 533 00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:58,000 If you've not professed Jesus as your Savior, 534 00:35:58,000 --> 00:36:02,000 if you've not called upon His name, 535 00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:06,000 if you don't believe 536 00:36:06,000 --> 00:36:10,000 with all your heart that He saved you 537 00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:14,000 and He's the only one that could, 538 00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:18,000 will you call upon His name today? 539 00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:22,000 If you've not called upon His name, 540 00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:26,000 call upon His name today. 541 00:36:30,000 --> 00:36:34,000 There's somebody in this room that needs to do that. 542 00:36:38,000 --> 00:36:42,000 He brings hope. 543 00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:46,000 And He brings peace. And I think so many times we think, 544 00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:50,000 I've got to get my life together before He'll accept me. And I'm telling you, that's not the case. 545 00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:54,000 If I waited until I got my life together 546 00:36:54,000 --> 00:36:58,000 until He accepted me, I'd still be waiting. 547 00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:06,000 So if you hear Him calling you, if you feel Him 548 00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:10,000 calling you, will you accept that today? 549 00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:14,000 I love nothing more than talk to you about that. 550 00:37:14,000 --> 00:37:18,000 But I have no doubt in my mind that there's somebody in this room right now 551 00:37:18,000 --> 00:37:22,000 who can call upon His name. 552 00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:26,000 And so as these things get passed out, I'm going to just ask that we, we're going to sing a song together. 553 00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:30,000 Maybe we'll just give it a few minutes. 554 00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:34,000 Just to examine ourselves internally, examine ourselves externally, 555 00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:38,000 and also think about the eternal implications of that. 556 00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:42,000 And I'm just going to ask the Spirit of the Lord to fall on this room 557 00:37:42,000 --> 00:37:46,000 like He already has, and speak to each and every one of our hearts. 558 00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:50,000 And you respond in obedience to whatever He's letting you to do. 559 00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:54,000 Can we do that? 560 00:37:58,000 --> 00:38:02,000 If you are not a member of this church, 561 00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:06,000 we still invite you to the table. If you have professed faith in Jesus. 562 00:38:06,000 --> 00:38:10,000 If you need gluten-free, just raise your hand and they will bring you some gluten-free. 563 00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:16,000 Amen. 564 00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:44,000 Thank you. 565 00:39:10,000 --> 00:39:14,000 Thank you. 566 00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:50,000 And what He did for me, a comrade is more than enough. 567 00:39:50,000 --> 00:40:04,000 I trust in God, my Savior, the One who will never fail. 568 00:40:04,000 --> 00:40:10,000 He will never fail. 569 00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:24,000 I trust in God, my Savior, the One who will never fail. 570 00:40:24,000 --> 00:40:32,000 He will never fail. 571 00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:42,000 I trust in God, my Savior, the One who will never fail. 572 00:40:42,000 --> 00:40:52,000 I trust in God, my Savior, the One who will never fail. 573 00:40:52,000 --> 00:41:06,000 This is my song. I praise Him, my risen King and Savior of the dead. 574 00:41:06,000 --> 00:41:20,000 I trust in God, my Savior, the One who will never fail. 575 00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:24,000 He will never fail. 576 00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:38,000 I trust in God, my Savior, the One who will never fail. 577 00:41:38,000 --> 00:42:02,000 He will never fail. 578 00:42:02,000 --> 00:42:18,000 I sought the Lord, and He heard, and He answered. 579 00:42:18,000 --> 00:42:22,000 That's why I trust Him. 580 00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:36,000 I sought the Lord, and He heard, and He answered. 581 00:42:36,000 --> 00:42:42,000 That's why I trust Him. 582 00:42:42,000 --> 00:42:56,000 I sought the Lord, and He heard, and He answered. 583 00:42:56,000 --> 00:43:00,000 That's why I trust Him. 584 00:43:00,000 --> 00:43:12,000 I sought the Lord, my Savior, the One who will never fail. 585 00:43:12,000 --> 00:43:16,000 He will never fail. 586 00:43:16,000 --> 00:43:28,000 I trust in God, my Savior, the One who will never fail. 587 00:43:28,000 --> 00:43:32,000 He will never fail. 588 00:43:32,000 --> 00:43:36,000 He will never fail. 589 00:43:36,000 --> 00:43:42,000 I sought the Lord, and He answered. 590 00:43:42,000 --> 00:43:52,000 I sought the Lord, and He heard, and He answered. 591 00:43:52,000 --> 00:43:58,000 That's why I trust Him. 592 00:43:58,000 --> 00:44:16,000 I sought the Lord, and He heard, and He answered. 593 00:44:16,000 --> 00:44:28,000 My Savior, the One who will never fail. 594 00:44:28,000 --> 00:44:42,000 He will never fail. 595 00:44:42,000 --> 00:44:46,000 I believe that to be true. When we seek Him, He will find Him. 596 00:44:46,000 --> 00:45:08,000 He'll answer us. 597 00:45:08,000 --> 00:45:20,000 Are you ready for the bread? 598 00:45:20,000 --> 00:45:26,000 Lord Jesus, thank you. Thank you for coming and living among us and showing us a glimpse of who you are. 599 00:45:26,000 --> 00:45:30,000 And then Lord, for your obedience of going to the cross. 600 00:45:30,000 --> 00:45:36,000 And you did that for me, and you did that for all who you are going to call to yourself, Lord. 601 00:45:36,000 --> 00:45:44,000 And you just continue to remind us on a daily basis what you have done for us by having your body put to a cross and broken for us. 602 00:45:44,000 --> 00:45:48,000 Thank you for that Lord in Christ's name. Amen. 603 00:45:48,000 --> 00:45:56,000 Scripture says, then, on the night He was betrayed, Jesus was with His disciples, He took bread, and He broke it, symbolizing His future broken body. 604 00:45:56,000 --> 00:46:06,000 He says, every time you do this, do this, and remember incident. 605 00:46:06,000 --> 00:46:10,000 Fred, are we ready for the juice? 606 00:46:10,000 --> 00:46:14,000 Father God, thank you for the blood that you shed for us on the cross. 607 00:46:14,000 --> 00:46:20,000 We are so thankful that you're no longer there, and we get to live in the freedom that we are forgiven. 608 00:46:20,000 --> 00:46:28,000 Nothing we can do could ever earn what you did for us. Thank you for this blood. 609 00:46:28,000 --> 00:46:42,000 After that, He took the cup, and He said, this is a new covenant. My blood, every time you drink this, do this, and remember it to me. 610 00:46:42,000 --> 00:46:44,000 Amen. 611 00:46:44,000 --> 00:46:58,000 One of our responses to God's generosity towards us is to care for His church. 612 00:46:58,000 --> 00:47:02,000 And so every month we take an offering, and we're going to do that right now. 613 00:47:02,000 --> 00:47:12,000 And all of the money that's collected goes to help meet needs of our church members that are faithfully worshiping here. 614 00:47:12,000 --> 00:47:22,000 So as needs come up for medical expenses, or rent, or things of that nature, we are able to pay for those things with this offering. 615 00:47:22,000 --> 00:47:28,000 And so there's no obligation at all to give to this offering, but if you have a few extra dollars that you want to contribute, 616 00:47:28,000 --> 00:47:35,000 we're going to take that offering now, and these guys are going to pass this out as we sing one more song together. 617 00:47:35,000 --> 00:47:46,000 Let me pray for it. Father, I pray right now that as we collect this money for needs that you already know about, 618 00:47:46,000 --> 00:47:51,000 I pray that you will impress upon our hearts how to give. 619 00:47:51,000 --> 00:47:56,000 And I pray, Father, that you will bless every giver, no matter the amount. 620 00:47:56,000 --> 00:47:59,000 I pray, Father, that you will bless the heart of every giver. 621 00:47:59,000 --> 00:48:05,000 And I pray, Father, that you will continuously help us be good stewards of the money that is about to be collected. 622 00:48:05,000 --> 00:48:07,000 Help us honor you with everything that we do. 623 00:48:07,000 --> 00:48:30,000 We give this time to you. Let me pray. 624 00:48:37,000 --> 00:48:47,000 I pray that you will be able to give. 625 00:48:47,000 --> 00:48:57,000 I pray that you will be able to give. 626 00:48:57,000 --> 00:49:10,000 Oh, blood is healed. How can you heal? There's a God who heals. There's a God who believes. 627 00:49:10,000 --> 00:49:30,000 Oh, praise Him. Who would reach for me? Hallelujah to the Son of Suffering. 628 00:49:30,000 --> 00:49:43,000 To imagine Him, our debts still live on board. But you chase the Son and most of all, we're sinning. 629 00:49:43,000 --> 00:50:04,000 Sinning you, the grace, the broken you, the grace. In the end, the proof is in yours. 630 00:50:04,000 --> 00:50:18,000 Oh, blood is healed. How can you heal? There's a God who heals. There's a God who believes. 631 00:50:18,000 --> 00:50:37,000 Oh, praise Him. Who would reach for me? Hallelujah to the Son of Suffering. 632 00:50:37,000 --> 00:50:48,000 Your cross is my freedom. Your stripes my healing. Oh, praise King Jesus. 633 00:50:48,000 --> 00:51:09,000 Who would reach to God in heaven? Your blood still spills. Your will of still reaching. Oh, praise King Jesus. Who would reach to God in heaven? 634 00:51:09,000 --> 00:51:36,520 Who would reach to God in heaven? Who would reach to God in heaven? Who would reach to God in heaven? Who would reach to God in heaven? 635 00:51:36,520 --> 00:51:44,520 Your grace my freedom, Your stripes my King, 636 00:51:44,520 --> 00:51:48,520 Your grace, King Jesus, 637 00:51:48,520 --> 00:51:54,520 Your grace, God, and Your love still speak, 638 00:51:54,520 --> 00:52:00,520 Your love still reach, Your grace, 639 00:52:00,520 --> 00:52:07,520 King Jesus, Your grace, God, and Your love still speak, 640 00:52:07,520 --> 00:52:15,520 Your grace, King Jesus, Your grace, King Jesus, 641 00:52:15,520 --> 00:52:26,520 Your grace, King Jesus, Your grace, King Jesus, 642 00:52:26,520 --> 00:52:34,520 Your grace, King Jesus, Your grace, 643 00:52:34,520 --> 00:52:41,520 Your grace, God, and Your love still speak, 644 00:52:41,520 --> 00:52:51,520 Your grace, King Jesus, Your grace, King Jesus, 645 00:52:51,520 --> 00:52:59,520 There's a God who weeps, There's a God who weeps, 646 00:52:59,520 --> 00:53:07,520 O praise the Lord, who will reach for me, 647 00:53:07,520 --> 00:53:28,520 Hallelujah to this earth's suffering, 648 00:53:28,520 --> 00:53:36,520 Amen. 649 00:53:36,520 --> 00:53:39,520 I encourage you to be seated for one second as we just, 650 00:53:39,520 --> 00:53:42,520 as we wrap up our time together. 651 00:53:42,520 --> 00:53:48,520 He's so good to us because there's nothing that we can do to earn it. 652 00:53:48,520 --> 00:53:53,520 He bleeds for us. He loves us. He's gracious to us. 653 00:53:53,520 --> 00:53:57,520 And I hope that you experienced that in this place today. 654 00:53:57,520 --> 00:53:59,520 I want to leave you with a couple announcements. 655 00:53:59,520 --> 00:54:04,520 The first one being next Sunday, we've advertised for four, 656 00:54:04,520 --> 00:54:08,520 but we're going to move it to five, so it's not so hot. 657 00:54:08,520 --> 00:54:13,520 But next Sunday at five, we're going to meet down at the Wopsie, 658 00:54:13,520 --> 00:54:17,520 and we're going to celebrate what God has done in so many of our lives. 659 00:54:17,520 --> 00:54:23,520 And so if you want to be baptized, if you want to take that step of obedience, 660 00:54:23,520 --> 00:54:28,520 will you let me know today so we can celebrate with you? 661 00:54:28,520 --> 00:54:37,520 The next announcement being in a couple weeks on September 8th, 662 00:54:37,520 --> 00:54:43,520 we're going to have somewhat of an outreach event in Jason Gray, 663 00:54:43,520 --> 00:54:48,520 and Jordan St. Cyr, and Bay Turner are going to be in the sanctuary. 664 00:54:48,520 --> 00:54:50,520 And tickets aren't on sale yet. 665 00:54:50,520 --> 00:54:52,520 We'll send out a link this week where you can register. 666 00:54:52,520 --> 00:54:54,520 You'll have to get a ticket. 667 00:54:54,520 --> 00:54:57,520 But we'd encourage you not only to come but bring somebody with you 668 00:54:57,520 --> 00:55:01,520 because they will hear the gospel message in this place on September 8th. 669 00:55:01,520 --> 00:55:03,520 I'd love for you to be here for that. 670 00:55:03,520 --> 00:55:10,520 Finally, a couple days later on September 6th is the concert. 671 00:55:10,520 --> 00:55:13,520 September 8th, for those of you who don't know, 672 00:55:13,520 --> 00:55:16,520 we just recently did a church health survey. 673 00:55:16,520 --> 00:55:21,520 And on September 8th, Sunday night here, we're going to shoot for five o'clock. 674 00:55:21,520 --> 00:55:26,520 We're going to show and share the results of that survey. 675 00:55:26,520 --> 00:55:31,520 We're going to show and share the plan moving forward. 676 00:55:31,520 --> 00:55:36,520 And then we're going to have some coffee and desserts afterwards. 677 00:55:36,520 --> 00:55:39,520 So it's going to be a time of information and then a time of fellowship. 678 00:55:39,520 --> 00:55:42,520 I highly encourage you to be a part of that. 679 00:55:42,520 --> 00:55:44,520 This is such a great church. 680 00:55:44,520 --> 00:55:46,520 If you're new, this is your first time. 681 00:55:46,520 --> 00:55:49,520 I hope you experience that today. 682 00:55:49,520 --> 00:55:51,520 The spirit of God is in this place. 683 00:55:51,520 --> 00:55:54,520 There's nowhere else I'd rather be on a Sunday morning than right here with you. 684 00:55:54,520 --> 00:55:58,520 So as we end our communion service like we always do, 685 00:55:58,520 --> 00:56:03,520 I invite you to stand as we declare this truth over our lives. 686 00:56:03,520 --> 00:56:05,520 Will you join me? 687 00:56:05,520 --> 00:56:13,520 I am totally accepted, fully pleasing, deeply loved, completely forgiven. 688 00:56:13,520 --> 00:56:19,520 I want you to live a new life in Christ because of the cross and resurrection of Jesus. 689 00:56:19,520 --> 00:56:20,520 Amen. 690 00:56:20,520 --> 00:56:22,520 Man, I hope you'll have a good week. 691 00:56:22,520 --> 00:56:51,520 See you next Sunday. 692 00:56:52,520 --> 00:56:53,520 God bless you.