WEBVTT

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This morning we have an elder panel. We're missing

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Jeff and Tan. You can pray for their safe return

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from Arkansas. Jeff led the memorial service

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for Jared Dawson yesterday. In addition to that,

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some of you might know it was Jeff's birthday

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yesterday. And so that was a bit rough, but a

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beautiful thing too. But if you didn't send him

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a happy birthday message, it's just an appeal

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from me. I'd encourage you, send something to

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him and think about how you can express thankfulness.

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for his life and for his ministry, something

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you're thankful for. I'm sure that would be a

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tremendous blessing for him to receive notes

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from many of you. Now, our theme today for this

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elder panel is together. Together. Together with

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God, partaking of his goodness. Together for

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God, partaking or partnering for his purposes.

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And together with one another, participating

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in life together. And our desire today is to

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cover these three aspects of biblical community,

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really to just encourage faithfulness, specifically

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among our members, but among any believer here.

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And we are a church that unapologetically and

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we think biblically promotes meaningful membership.

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Sometimes, though, our own personal backgrounds

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in church or in life, our own experiences, or

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even our own bad thinking, may misunderstand

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what that means. We don't always understand what

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being a meaningful member or being a participating

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member in a local church means. But here's one

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thing we can all affirm. There is always more

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to learn in following Christ. No one's arrived

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yet. If you had, you wouldn't be here. Right?

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That's the graduation. That's the graduation

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that Jarrett got. He gets to see Christ face

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to face now. For us, we're still here. That means

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in the song, the old hymn, there's something

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still to do or bear. There's growth. There's

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opportunity to grow. So we want to focus not

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just on our church covenant this morning and

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not just, hey, do these things, though it is

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derived from God's word. We want to focus on

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that theme, though, of being together. Oftentimes

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we miss some of the purposes, some of the intention

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of God's wisdom in drawing us together in a local

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body, a real body. And we're here together today.

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We're not with the church in Syria. We're not

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with the church in Iran. We're not with the church

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in Jerusalem. We're the church here at Oak Hill.

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And there's good work for us to do together.

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So as you think about that word together, the

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most important together is with God. And that's

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where we're going to start off this morning.

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Every other relationship can fail, but if we're

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with God, then we have hope. We have purpose

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in this life. And that's foundational. It's the

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key to walking as a faithful Christian. Every

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believer is a partaker of God's grace. And Grant

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is going to lead us and help us think biblically

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about being together with God. Practically, communion

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is going to be in view. That ordinance is intended

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to help us remember and honor the sacrifice of

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Christ. But the partaking of communion is something

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more than just doing something. It's more than

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just a checkbox to fill. It represents who we

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are. People that have been bought and paid for

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with the life, the death, and the resurrection

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of the Son of God. And being with God is the

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greatest gift. Everyone, everyone could fail

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you. But we know that God won't. That's the most

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important together. And that's why there's a

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regular celebration of that unity together with

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God at the communion table. I'm looking forward

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to hearing Grant encourage us to worship well

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in that regard and to consider communion as a

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response of worship, as not just that rote thing

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that we just do once a month, but it's a worshipful

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response and it's good. Next, Ken is going to

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help us think biblically about the implication

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or the outworking of being saved. It's that believers

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are together for God. So we're with God, but

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now we're for God. We're together for him. Now,

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a wrong way to look at salvation is to think

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that once you're saved, you can just sit back

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and relax. You got your get out of jail free

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card, right? Yeah, that's called heresy. It is.

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And it is a heresy, but there are countless pew

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sitters. I'm calling them that. I'm not trying

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to call you a pew sitter. I'm saying there are

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pew sitters. They think that being saved is just

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showing up to church. They said a prayer. They

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have their name on a church roster and therefore

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they are saved and they are good. Now, friends,

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we know there is no earning of salvation. We

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do not teach that because it's not biblical.

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Grace is free and it's an undeserved blessing.

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God saves based on his merit, not ours. And we

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say amen because none of us would measure up.

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However, if someone is saved, then they will

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be transformed. If, then. And that transforming

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will be for God's good pleasure. And it will

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involve that saved person living not for themselves

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anymore, but living for God. Believers are then

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to follow the example of Christ, who came to

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what? Serve. There we go. Bible class, remember

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this. He came to serve. That's what Jesus came

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to do. You might have heard seek and save the

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lost. It's another one. But he came to serve.

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He is the greatest servant. Philippians 2 gives

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that model an example. That means faithful Christians,

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little Chrites, those who follow Jesus, are going

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to model his life. They're going to be marked

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by service. Not because they have to, but because

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willfully they have an inward desire to please

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God because they're together with God. Then they're

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together fully. For God. With fellow saints.

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And Ken is going to help orient our hearts towards

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service, not as a means of grace, but as an evidence

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of having received it. And I pray that we have

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ears to hear. And finally, Dave is going to help

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us consider being together with one another.

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Together with one another. And that's going to

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be a timely reminder. Sometimes we get so focused

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on our personal salvation and even on service

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that we miss the forest for the trees. Being

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saved and serving God really should ignite our

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hearts toward genuine love for brothers and sisters

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in Christ. That's what being saved should do.

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That's the outworking of our faith, loving real

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tangible people. You can't say that you love

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God and yet hate your brother. That's what we

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learn. So we don't just serve other saints because

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we have to, but our new nature in Christ ignites

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a fervor for us to care for others, to seek to

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do good for others, to want to live life with

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other believers. And as much as communion and

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serving are part of the lifeblood of a local

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church, so is being present and being a participant

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in the community of faith. They all work together.

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You can't ignore one. There's a lot to unpack.

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I know Dave's going to cover a lot. He might

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go over his time limit. We don't know. He is.

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He's probably going to. But it will be foundational

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to really consider that a transformed heart desires

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to be with God's people. All those things then

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will make sense. You prioritize being at a member's

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communion night. You prioritize serving on a

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regular basis, responding to planning center.

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There's your plug, Laura. Responding to planning

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center requests. Some of you didn't say amen

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to that. Yeah, there we go. Prioritizing and

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being present on Sundays and even just regular

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life together, the things that just occur in

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between Sundays. And when thinking of such things,

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we may just focus on being present together,

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but I think that Dave's going to encourage us

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to really be participants with one another, participants

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in the church, giving our time, giving our resources

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to one another, not neglecting sacrificial worship.

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And yeah, finances will be in view and that schedules

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will be in view. I'm looking forward to hearing

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what the Lord will bring us through Dave and

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that focus of life together with one another.

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So after Dave concludes his teaching, I'll wrap

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us up with some closing encouragement. But without

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further ado, Mr. Fonda, lead us off, brother.

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Well, good morning, fam. It's so encouraging

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every time we have an elder panel to hear not

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just an echo chamber, but to hear consistencies

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of the truths of God's word proclaimed. And so

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much of what Adam has already shared are things

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that I'm going to be talking about a little bit

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this morning. And we didn't coordinate this,

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but we did coordinate it, but not word for word.

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So I have the privilege this morning of talking

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about communion, what it means to partake together

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with God. Friends, we have a unique privilege

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to come together as the body of Christ on a weekly

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basis for corporate worship, to hear the word

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preached, and many of us in this room also find

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great joy in coming together once a month to

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gather around the Lord's table to celebrate his

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death and resurrection in what is known as the

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sacrament of communion. We come together with

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God as one body, and as Adam has already said

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so well, a people purchased by his blood for

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his possession. In order to understand communion,

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we have to rightly understand that there is both

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a vertical and a horizontal relationship at work

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at the table. And my hope today is to help us

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understand a little bit more of how both the

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mystery and mercy of this sacrament that has

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been instituted by our Lord works and how we

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should worship together through our participation

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in it as a family. If you've been around Oak

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Hill for a few years, you might remember that

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four years ago, Pastor Jeff preached an extremely

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impactful and helpful four -part series that

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was actually called Mystery and Mercy. And this

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is the brief plug for you to go and to listen

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to that series sometime this week, either on

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our YouTube channel or the podcast, because Jeff

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digs into a plethora of passages, this is for

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Adam, and historical context in much greater

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depth than what we'll be able to do this morning.

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And it's helpful to also mention that a lot of

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what I'll be sharing this morning is a condensed

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version of that because it's been so helpful

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for myself and for many in our body understanding

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what communion is and what the transaction is

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that takes place. So as we dive in, I want you

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to either turn or tap in your Bible to Matthew

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26, as we'll be referencing it a couple times

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this morning. First, it's crucial for us to understand

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that communion both originates in Scripture and

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it is to be prioritized and protected by Christians.

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Communion is for Christians. We are to participate

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in it. We are to prioritize it and to protect

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it. In addition to the first communion that Jesus

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shared with his disciples that we see in the

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Gospels, God stresses the importance and significance

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of this supper and the new covenant throughout

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his word. We see the supper telegraphed through

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the Passover meal in the Old Testament and then

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subsequent references to and instructions for

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it throughout the New Testament, not in isolated

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instances. We see Acts 2, Acts 20, 1 Corinthians

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10 and 11. And friends, this teaches us communion

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is a big deal to God. Think about this. Jesus

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himself instructed us to participate in this

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ordinance to proclaim his death until he comes.

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And yet, this simple but very profound instruction

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to do this in remembrance of me is something

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that we often have sterilized and minimized in

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its importance. This command from the Lord to

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take and eat, drink from it, all of you, is often

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either viewed as a mere obligation and approached

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with stiffness, with callous hearts and rote

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practice, or we may instead swing the pendulum

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and view it as a casual event that we can simply

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attend to check a box. Neither one of these are

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right approaches. It's crucial for us to remember

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that communion should be approached with reverence,

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with intentionality, and is to be prioritized

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and protected. Jesus himself instituted the supper.

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Not a priest, not a pastor, not a disciple. And

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this should mean something to us who follow him.

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If we take his commandments to love one another,

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to go and make disciples seriously, then why

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on earth would we take a similar command to do

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this in remembrance of me as simply a casual

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and optional event in the life of a believer?

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Why would we say, Lord, I've got another commitment

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that night, or I have plans that I forgot about.

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when we are commanded to participate in this

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sacred meal. Jesus set aside a particular place

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in the upper room at a particular time in the

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evening to be with his chosen particular 12.

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It was purposeful, and it was a guarded family

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time, and this is in part why we believe in a

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guarded communion table at Oak Hill, and we can

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talk about that later. But Jesus knew every single

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person at that table deeply and intimately. Acts

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2 shows us that after Jesus had descended into

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heaven, the early church devoted themselves to

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the sharing of communion with one another. Can

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we say the same for ourselves? Do we devote ourselves

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to the participation of communion? Each person

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who is in Christ should prioritize and protect

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the Lord's Supper in the same way that Jesus

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set an example for us to do so. Secondly, We

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must remember, friends, that Jesus is the host

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of this meal and we are his guests. This helps

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inform our attitude and posture of worship. He

00:14:26.009 --> 00:14:28.909
is the giver and we are the receivers in the

00:14:28.909 --> 00:14:31.230
same way on Sunday mornings that we come before

00:14:31.230 --> 00:14:35.769
his throne. We offer our response to what he

00:14:35.769 --> 00:14:39.970
has given to us. Matthew 26, beginning in verse

00:14:39.970 --> 00:14:42.049
26, if you're there with me, it says, while they

00:14:42.049 --> 00:14:44.669
were eating. Jesus took some bread and after

00:14:44.669 --> 00:14:47.470
a blessing, he broke it, gave it to the disciples

00:14:47.470 --> 00:14:52.710
and said, take, eat, this is my body. And when

00:14:52.710 --> 00:14:55.590
he had taken a cup and given thanks, he gave

00:14:55.590 --> 00:14:57.870
it to them saying, drink from it, all of you,

00:14:57.950 --> 00:15:00.730
for this is my blood of the covenant, which is

00:15:00.730 --> 00:15:03.710
poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

00:15:04.509 --> 00:15:06.570
Friends, take a second and look what's happening

00:15:06.570 --> 00:15:11.620
here. Jesus takes, Jesus blesses. Jesus breaks

00:15:11.620 --> 00:15:16.759
and Jesus gives. He alone is the host. He is

00:15:16.759 --> 00:15:20.220
the leader. He is the centerpiece of this meal.

00:15:20.700 --> 00:15:25.799
Not a disciple, not a priest, not a pastor, not

00:15:25.799 --> 00:15:31.440
you, and not I. Thomas Watson rightly said, to

00:15:31.440 --> 00:15:34.679
institute sacraments belongs by right to Christ

00:15:34.679 --> 00:15:39.570
alone. It is the flower of his crown. Friends,

00:15:39.590 --> 00:15:42.509
Jesus' disciples received from the Lord. They

00:15:42.509 --> 00:15:45.029
brought nothing to the table, but they simply

00:15:45.029 --> 00:15:48.490
received the gift of his body and his blood in

00:15:48.490 --> 00:15:50.269
remembrance of the forgiveness of their sins.

00:15:50.409 --> 00:15:53.970
His body was broken for your benefit and for

00:15:53.970 --> 00:15:57.009
mine. For all those who partake of the bread

00:15:57.009 --> 00:15:59.070
and the cup by faith, the disciples were not

00:15:59.070 --> 00:16:02.690
commanded to do anything except to receive from

00:16:02.690 --> 00:16:06.210
the Lord that night to eat and to drink. And

00:16:06.210 --> 00:16:09.230
in this, we see this beautiful downward motion,

00:16:09.330 --> 00:16:12.330
this picture of God reaching down and giving

00:16:12.330 --> 00:16:16.110
to mankind. We don't see a portrait of man reaching

00:16:16.110 --> 00:16:19.149
upward, of trying to reach towards heaven, but

00:16:19.149 --> 00:16:22.529
simply receiving what Christ has offered freely.

00:16:23.870 --> 00:16:26.049
It's critical for us to remember this picture

00:16:26.049 --> 00:16:30.049
that each believer has received from the Lord.

00:16:30.129 --> 00:16:32.070
And we see this throughout the New Testament.

00:16:33.580 --> 00:16:35.919
In the same way that no disciple at that first

00:16:35.919 --> 00:16:38.679
supper could offer any gift to the perfect lamb

00:16:38.679 --> 00:16:41.340
who would be offered up on their behalf, they

00:16:41.340 --> 00:16:46.960
and we are clothed in whose righteousness? Christ's

00:16:46.960 --> 00:16:51.120
righteousness. Friends, remember, no amount of

00:16:51.120 --> 00:16:54.419
our body broken, no amount of our blood poured

00:16:54.419 --> 00:16:58.279
out then or now or in eternity could forgive

00:16:58.279 --> 00:17:01.840
sins, but only the blood of a perfect sacrifice.

00:17:02.840 --> 00:17:07.400
He who is fully God and fully man. This great

00:17:07.400 --> 00:17:10.440
gift of the blood of Jesus, the bread and the

00:17:10.440 --> 00:17:13.160
wine was not subject to the feelings of the disciples.

00:17:14.019 --> 00:17:17.839
Jesus offered and instructed that they take and

00:17:17.839 --> 00:17:22.079
they eat and they drink. He is the teacher. He

00:17:22.079 --> 00:17:25.839
is the giver. He is the Lord. Jesus sets the

00:17:25.839 --> 00:17:31.109
terms. When we choose to reject partaking in

00:17:31.109 --> 00:17:33.490
communion because of how we feel about ourselves,

00:17:33.930 --> 00:17:37.710
how we feel about someone else in the room, how

00:17:37.710 --> 00:17:39.970
we feel about the Lord's command even, instead

00:17:39.970 --> 00:17:42.890
of simply responding in obedience and faith,

00:17:43.049 --> 00:17:45.890
we turn the tables and we actually suggest that

00:17:45.890 --> 00:17:50.250
we have some greater gift to offer him than what

00:17:50.250 --> 00:17:53.329
he has already offered once and for all to us

00:17:53.329 --> 00:17:57.049
as his true disciples. That, as Adam said rightly

00:17:57.049 --> 00:18:01.470
earlier, is heresy. Instead, when we willingly

00:18:01.470 --> 00:18:04.410
receive and obey, we individually and we corporately

00:18:04.410 --> 00:18:08.369
receive his ministry of mercy towards us through

00:18:08.369 --> 00:18:10.470
the Holy Spirit as we remember his death and

00:18:10.470 --> 00:18:13.750
the forgiveness of sins. Friends, picture this.

00:18:13.829 --> 00:18:16.309
We have been invited by the Lord of hosts to

00:18:16.309 --> 00:18:20.490
his table to receive both individually and as

00:18:20.490 --> 00:18:23.529
one body, the grace that he has poured out for

00:18:23.529 --> 00:18:27.440
those who he. When we gather together, we see

00:18:27.440 --> 00:18:30.420
Christ as the head. We recognize him as the head

00:18:30.420 --> 00:18:33.339
of the church, and we see one another as a people

00:18:33.339 --> 00:18:37.539
corporately in need of nourishment. We remember

00:18:37.539 --> 00:18:39.740
when we gather that we have no life in ourselves.

00:18:40.019 --> 00:18:43.740
We instead need a savior to rescue us. Is there

00:18:43.740 --> 00:18:48.539
a more beautiful picture than that? Third, we

00:18:48.539 --> 00:18:51.259
must believe in faith. that there is something

00:18:51.259 --> 00:18:53.259
that occurs in the celebration of the Lord's

00:18:53.259 --> 00:18:56.000
Supper that is outside the bounds of our intellect

00:18:56.000 --> 00:18:59.599
in both uniting us with Christ and uniting us

00:18:59.599 --> 00:19:03.579
as one family. And walk with me with this in

00:19:03.579 --> 00:19:06.740
a moment, because this is crucial to us understanding

00:19:06.740 --> 00:19:09.119
both the eschological premise of what is happening

00:19:09.119 --> 00:19:11.960
in both the here and the now, and what we talk

00:19:11.960 --> 00:19:13.740
about at Oak Hill a lot is the already not yet

00:19:13.740 --> 00:19:17.759
of communion. In John 6, Jesus proclaims that

00:19:17.759 --> 00:19:20.930
he is the bread of life. and says, truly, truly,

00:19:21.009 --> 00:19:23.630
I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the

00:19:23.630 --> 00:19:28.250
Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life

00:19:28.250 --> 00:19:33.829
in you. For my flesh is true food, my blood is

00:19:33.829 --> 00:19:36.630
true drink, and whoever feeds on my flesh and

00:19:36.630 --> 00:19:39.950
drinks my blood abides in me and I in him. Now,

00:19:39.970 --> 00:19:41.849
before you freak out and think that we are going

00:19:41.849 --> 00:19:45.009
Catholic, we are not. Those are Jesus' words

00:19:45.009 --> 00:19:48.410
in John 6. And so we need to take a second and

00:19:48.410 --> 00:19:50.769
acknowledge that this is a challenging passage.

00:19:51.190 --> 00:19:53.609
And by God's grace, we've already unpacked this

00:19:53.609 --> 00:19:55.910
at length in our study in John's Gospel commercial

00:19:55.910 --> 00:19:59.150
for the podcast and also in the second sermon

00:19:59.150 --> 00:20:01.789
of the Mystery and Mercy series. But friends,

00:20:01.829 --> 00:20:03.809
it's a crucial passage for us to come back to,

00:20:03.849 --> 00:20:06.009
to remember to understand how it fits into our

00:20:06.009 --> 00:20:10.490
theme today of being together with God. Jesus

00:20:10.490 --> 00:20:13.009
is helping us when he says this to understand

00:20:13.009 --> 00:20:16.930
that in him and in him alone, there is true spiritual

00:20:16.930 --> 00:20:20.589
nourishment. Apart from him, there is no life

00:20:20.589 --> 00:20:22.589
at all. When we share in communion together,

00:20:22.809 --> 00:20:26.049
we must remember that Jesus' physical gift to

00:20:26.049 --> 00:20:30.170
us is not simply a physical memorial or a remembrance,

00:20:30.289 --> 00:20:33.910
and likewise, it is also not simply a spiritual

00:20:33.910 --> 00:20:39.059
ritual, but it's in fact both. It's a time where

00:20:39.059 --> 00:20:41.599
together we receive Christ in the elements by

00:20:41.599 --> 00:20:44.900
the Holy Spirit, who unites us to Christ in heaven

00:20:44.900 --> 00:20:49.180
by faith. This invitation should lift our eyes

00:20:49.180 --> 00:20:51.500
and hearts heavenward, where we are able to mysteriously

00:20:51.500 --> 00:20:56.240
commune in the presence of the King. John Piper

00:20:56.240 --> 00:20:58.759
helps us understand by saying, we eat and we

00:20:58.759 --> 00:21:01.500
drink, that is, we take into our lives what happened

00:21:01.500 --> 00:21:05.630
on the cross. By faith, by trusting in all that

00:21:05.630 --> 00:21:08.970
God has for us in Jesus, we nourish ourselves

00:21:08.970 --> 00:21:12.950
with the benefits that Jesus obtained for us

00:21:12.950 --> 00:21:18.730
when he bled and he died on the cross. Jesus'

00:21:18.930 --> 00:21:22.710
gift of communion unites us as one body, not

00:21:22.710 --> 00:21:25.349
as one person. Yes, that is true. He has saved

00:21:25.349 --> 00:21:28.769
each person individually, but he has also saved

00:21:28.769 --> 00:21:32.769
us as a people. 1 Corinthians 10 reminds us that

00:21:32.769 --> 00:21:35.089
the cup of blessing that we bless, is it not

00:21:35.089 --> 00:21:38.109
a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread

00:21:38.109 --> 00:21:40.490
that we break, is it not a participation in the

00:21:40.490 --> 00:21:44.490
body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we

00:21:44.490 --> 00:21:48.730
who are many are one body because we all partake

00:21:48.730 --> 00:21:53.069
of the one bread. The first communion was shared

00:21:53.069 --> 00:21:55.670
with 12 disciples from different walks of life,

00:21:55.829 --> 00:21:58.490
different levels of faith and understanding and

00:21:58.490 --> 00:22:00.950
trust in Jesus, different ages, different levels

00:22:00.950 --> 00:22:04.589
of spiritual maturity. Jesus extended the bread

00:22:04.589 --> 00:22:09.029
and cup to each of them, knowing each of these

00:22:09.029 --> 00:22:11.589
differences. Friends, this should be a great

00:22:11.589 --> 00:22:15.170
encouragement to us because we, in many respects,

00:22:15.250 --> 00:22:17.990
are no different. We each come to the table as

00:22:17.990 --> 00:22:20.799
a broken people. in need of a savior. Jesus'

00:22:20.920 --> 00:22:23.900
gifts to us transcends the boundaries of age,

00:22:24.059 --> 00:22:27.140
race, intellect, ability, and unites us as one

00:22:27.140 --> 00:22:29.640
bride. So before you go and think that you have

00:22:29.640 --> 00:22:31.660
something to offer or something better than the

00:22:31.660 --> 00:22:34.160
person next to you at the communion table, check

00:22:34.160 --> 00:22:37.259
yourself and think again and fix your eyes on

00:22:37.259 --> 00:22:41.769
Jesus. Revelation 7 -9 says, after I looked at

00:22:41.769 --> 00:22:45.210
this, behold, a great multitude that no one could

00:22:45.210 --> 00:22:48.490
number from every nation, from all tribes and

00:22:48.490 --> 00:22:51.910
peoples and languages, standing before the throne

00:22:51.910 --> 00:22:54.890
and before the Lamb. Friends, communion prepares

00:22:54.890 --> 00:23:00.730
us for that scene. It is an already not yet moment.

00:23:01.450 --> 00:23:03.789
As we share in remembrance together, we are the

00:23:03.789 --> 00:23:06.289
same people. who are purchased by the blood of

00:23:06.289 --> 00:23:09.309
the Savior, that will also one day worship together

00:23:09.309 --> 00:23:14.230
at the marriage supper of the risen lamb. When

00:23:14.230 --> 00:23:16.910
we come together at the Lord's table, we are

00:23:16.910 --> 00:23:20.609
that people. We are already, as Ephesians tells

00:23:20.609 --> 00:23:22.769
us, a part of the great multitude from every

00:23:22.769 --> 00:23:25.609
nation and tribe and people and language who

00:23:25.609 --> 00:23:27.609
have been seated with Christ in the heavenly

00:23:27.609 --> 00:23:32.250
places, and we should delight in that gift that

00:23:32.250 --> 00:23:36.339
brings us together. I understand that most of

00:23:36.339 --> 00:23:38.519
us at this moment in time have a zip code that's

00:23:38.519 --> 00:23:42.079
within five zip codes of one another, but we

00:23:42.079 --> 00:23:44.779
are also at the same time Italian and Irish and

00:23:44.779 --> 00:23:47.539
Egyptian and Greek and German, and our roots

00:23:47.539 --> 00:23:50.480
understanding comes from all corners of the globe,

00:23:50.559 --> 00:23:55.680
and we are united at once by Christ. So how do

00:23:55.680 --> 00:23:57.279
you wrap your mind and heart around this great

00:23:57.279 --> 00:24:00.990
mystery? Some of us... like my wife, are wired

00:24:00.990 --> 00:24:03.650
as more intellectual processors. And we tend

00:24:03.650 --> 00:24:06.569
to excel in the exhortation to examine ourselves

00:24:06.569 --> 00:24:09.690
before coming to the table. As we see in 1 Corinthians

00:24:09.690 --> 00:24:14.910
11, we do right to think, to be able to understand

00:24:14.910 --> 00:24:17.950
our need for mercy. But if left unchecked, we

00:24:17.950 --> 00:24:20.230
also may tend to fall into a pattern of thought

00:24:20.230 --> 00:24:23.720
that we haven't confessed enough. or bought enough

00:24:23.720 --> 00:24:26.059
offerings before the Lord, or be worthy enough

00:24:26.059 --> 00:24:28.420
to participate in the supper because our minds

00:24:28.420 --> 00:24:33.180
cannot conceive the mysterious of grace that

00:24:33.180 --> 00:24:36.660
is at work. We can see everything that is stacked

00:24:36.660 --> 00:24:40.079
against us. This perspective, if left unchecked,

00:24:40.079 --> 00:24:42.440
can also lead to self -righteousness, seeing

00:24:42.440 --> 00:24:44.380
everything that's stacked against every other

00:24:44.380 --> 00:24:48.359
person at the table. Some of us in the body,

00:24:48.460 --> 00:24:50.140
like me, and this may come as a shock to some

00:24:50.140 --> 00:24:52.920
of you, are more emotional processors. And I

00:24:52.920 --> 00:24:55.339
tend to excel in the exhortation to proclaim

00:24:55.339 --> 00:24:58.059
the Lord's death until he comes. It's easy for

00:24:58.059 --> 00:25:01.019
us to dwell on the joy set before him that we

00:25:01.019 --> 00:25:03.599
see in Philippians 2 that carried Christ to the

00:25:03.599 --> 00:25:06.359
cross on our behalf. It's easy for us to see

00:25:06.359 --> 00:25:08.839
the big picture of Jesus who was crucified, buried,

00:25:09.039 --> 00:25:12.680
resurrected, and coming again. But be careful

00:25:12.680 --> 00:25:15.519
because this thinking, also left unchecked, can

00:25:15.519 --> 00:25:18.680
easily cause us to forget that we are prone to

00:25:18.680 --> 00:25:21.880
wander. And we can neglect to rightly prepare

00:25:21.880 --> 00:25:24.299
our hearts and can just stumble into communion

00:25:24.299 --> 00:25:27.619
without intentional heart preparation and endangering

00:25:27.619 --> 00:25:30.400
us of eating and drinking in an unworthy manner.

00:25:31.839 --> 00:25:33.920
But friends, in God's great providence, look

00:25:33.920 --> 00:25:38.339
around the room for a moment. Only about 12 of

00:25:38.339 --> 00:25:40.890
you are looking. Actually, look around. God has

00:25:40.890 --> 00:25:43.509
given you, providentially, every single person

00:25:43.509 --> 00:25:46.289
in this room. He has given us his spirit, his

00:25:46.289 --> 00:25:48.769
word, and one another to help us remember how

00:25:48.769 --> 00:25:51.690
and why we should come to the Lord's table. To

00:25:51.690 --> 00:25:54.589
understand that in our difference, there is beauty.

00:25:54.829 --> 00:25:58.650
That there is balance. We are supernaturally

00:25:58.650 --> 00:26:01.990
joined together as one body for the possession

00:26:01.990 --> 00:26:06.829
of our Savior and none of us. No one is spiritually

00:26:06.829 --> 00:26:09.230
strong enough to say that we are worthy of being

00:26:09.230 --> 00:26:11.789
at the table on our own or even collectively.

00:26:13.250 --> 00:26:16.930
The essence of communion is a gracious God giving

00:26:16.930 --> 00:26:21.750
to sinners. Not just one, not just a few, many,

00:26:21.990 --> 00:26:27.750
many sinners. Us. Jesus did all the work. His

00:26:27.750 --> 00:26:30.990
friends simply received. Communion, guys, should

00:26:30.990 --> 00:26:34.930
defy our intellect. It is beautiful and glorious,

00:26:34.970 --> 00:26:37.049
and it is about broken people coming together

00:26:37.049 --> 00:26:40.589
to hear Jesus repeat to us, you are forgiven.

00:26:41.869 --> 00:26:46.990
That makes no sense. And yet, it is a continual

00:26:46.990 --> 00:26:50.309
reminder of an immense gift to each of us. We're

00:26:50.309 --> 00:26:52.349
reminded that God has made us alive together

00:26:52.349 --> 00:26:54.509
with Christ and seated us in the heavenly realms.

00:26:55.230 --> 00:26:57.950
Friends, this is mysterious. It is hard to take

00:26:57.950 --> 00:27:00.900
hold of. But Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians

00:27:00.900 --> 00:27:04.779
13, now we see in a mere dimly, only in part.

00:27:04.960 --> 00:27:07.900
Someday we will fully grasp it. Every time we

00:27:07.900 --> 00:27:09.940
gather around the Lord's table, we practice,

00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:12.660
we get a glimpse of our future at the marriage

00:27:12.660 --> 00:27:16.180
supper of the Lamb. So an application for us,

00:27:16.240 --> 00:27:19.380
how should we come to the table together, partaking

00:27:19.380 --> 00:27:23.740
together? First, we should come humbly. Ephesians

00:27:23.740 --> 00:27:27.019
2 reminds us that we are saved by grace through

00:27:27.019 --> 00:27:31.920
your works. No, by grace through faith, and it

00:27:31.920 --> 00:27:36.099
is absolutely of yourselves. No, it is not of

00:27:36.099 --> 00:27:41.460
ourselves, but it is the what? Gift of God. Jesus

00:27:41.460 --> 00:27:43.900
reminded his friends at the first communion that

00:27:43.900 --> 00:27:46.640
it was the blood of his covenant poured out many

00:27:46.640 --> 00:27:50.900
for the forgiveness of sins. Only by the blood

00:27:50.900 --> 00:27:54.220
of Jesus can we come to the table. Only by the

00:27:54.220 --> 00:27:57.420
blood of Jesus can we enter his presence. And

00:27:57.420 --> 00:27:59.710
when we come in humility, It puts in perspective

00:27:59.710 --> 00:28:04.529
that that meal is a gift from our Savior to us,

00:28:04.529 --> 00:28:07.670
his bride. It will help us to treasure it, to

00:28:07.670 --> 00:28:10.569
celebrate it, and to prioritize and protect it.

00:28:11.369 --> 00:28:13.849
Secondly, we should come prayerfully. We should

00:28:13.849 --> 00:28:16.569
pray that the Lord would help us to see him and

00:28:16.569 --> 00:28:19.170
ourselves as we ought. We should pray for one

00:28:19.170 --> 00:28:21.789
another to be able to have faith in the Lord's

00:28:21.789 --> 00:28:24.430
meeting us, to understand that there is something

00:28:24.430 --> 00:28:27.670
mysterious and wonderful about this transaction.

00:28:28.460 --> 00:28:30.779
to be able to receive his gift in the ministry

00:28:30.779 --> 00:28:34.099
of the Holy Spirit. We should pray not that we

00:28:34.099 --> 00:28:36.700
would be freed from sin, for one day we will

00:28:36.700 --> 00:28:38.900
be if we are in Christ, but that we will instead

00:28:38.900 --> 00:28:42.599
flee from sin to rightly honor the sacrifice

00:28:42.599 --> 00:28:47.200
of Christ, who we come to celebrate. Third, we

00:28:47.200 --> 00:28:51.519
should come in unity. Friends, don't forget there

00:28:51.519 --> 00:28:54.900
is one giver at the communion table. There are

00:28:54.900 --> 00:28:59.109
many who receive. There is one savior. There

00:28:59.109 --> 00:29:03.250
are many who are saved. Jesus is and should remain

00:29:03.250 --> 00:29:06.490
the center of the supper. When we allow our petty

00:29:06.490 --> 00:29:09.029
preferences and our personal prejudices to join

00:29:09.029 --> 00:29:11.750
us at the supper, we actually place ourselves

00:29:11.750 --> 00:29:14.750
at the middle of the table and we obscure the

00:29:14.750 --> 00:29:17.349
beauty of the greatest sacrifice that we have

00:29:17.349 --> 00:29:21.670
ever known. Our sin and self -righteousness has

00:29:21.670 --> 00:29:24.789
no place. at the table of the one who became

00:29:24.789 --> 00:29:28.950
sin for us so that we would become the righteousness

00:29:28.950 --> 00:29:32.529
of God. And lastly, we should come worshipfully.

00:29:33.849 --> 00:29:35.930
Consider this scene for a moment that the prophet

00:29:35.930 --> 00:29:38.970
Isaiah lays out. On this mountain, the Lord of

00:29:38.970 --> 00:29:42.390
hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich

00:29:42.390 --> 00:29:46.450
food, a feast of well -aged wine, of rich food

00:29:46.450 --> 00:29:50.990
full of marrow. of aged wine, well refined. He

00:29:50.990 --> 00:29:53.930
will swallow up death forever and the Lord God

00:29:53.930 --> 00:29:58.089
will wipe away tears from all faces and the reproach

00:29:58.089 --> 00:29:59.849
of his people he will take away from all the

00:29:59.849 --> 00:30:03.430
earth. Friends, the Lord's Supper is really an

00:30:03.430 --> 00:30:05.849
appetizer feast, if you will, that prepares us

00:30:05.849 --> 00:30:10.230
for the marriage supper of the Lamb. Now we remember

00:30:10.230 --> 00:30:12.650
the sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins and

00:30:12.650 --> 00:30:16.150
Christ's victory over death and the sustenance

00:30:16.150 --> 00:30:19.420
that we receive through him. Then, we will receive

00:30:19.420 --> 00:30:22.839
the victory of the conquering king and we will

00:30:22.839 --> 00:30:25.799
celebrate with all the nations. Both the here

00:30:25.799 --> 00:30:29.220
and now and the already not yet should stir our

00:30:29.220 --> 00:30:32.140
hearts and our intellect to love Jesus more.

00:30:33.240 --> 00:30:35.960
And so with worshipful hearts, as you look across

00:30:35.960 --> 00:30:37.680
the table the next time that you come to communion,

00:30:37.880 --> 00:30:43.519
see the faces of who he has redeemed. Sinners

00:30:43.519 --> 00:30:46.859
saved by grace. Friends, the first communion,

00:30:47.400 --> 00:30:49.799
The wedding feast and every Lord's Supper in

00:30:49.799 --> 00:30:52.799
between should draw our gaze outward and upward

00:30:52.799 --> 00:30:56.279
and should help us to celebrate the family that

00:30:56.279 --> 00:31:00.079
God has brought together. This is a great mystery

00:31:00.079 --> 00:31:03.960
and a great mercy. And Ken's going to come up.

00:31:07.619 --> 00:31:13.220
So when I was a kid, many weekends were filled

00:31:13.220 --> 00:31:16.390
with home projects with dad. I was the only boy

00:31:16.390 --> 00:31:18.589
in a family with three sisters, so I liked that

00:31:18.589 --> 00:31:20.710
I could get outside and be with him. I was probably

00:31:20.710 --> 00:31:23.549
four or five when I first received my first tool

00:31:23.549 --> 00:31:27.690
belt. And I would follow after him with nails

00:31:27.690 --> 00:31:29.490
and a little hammer and a little combination

00:31:29.490 --> 00:31:33.430
square. And I helped with the building of a barn

00:31:33.430 --> 00:31:35.049
for our sheep and our goats and our chickens.

00:31:35.170 --> 00:31:37.910
I helped with the building of a retaining wall

00:31:37.910 --> 00:31:40.450
around the garden. I helped with the building

00:31:40.450 --> 00:31:42.170
of the deck that stretched across the back of

00:31:42.170 --> 00:31:45.230
the house. In those moments, I would often feel

00:31:45.230 --> 00:31:48.470
like I was a big help to my dad. I would hand

00:31:48.470 --> 00:31:51.309
him nails. I would hold on to the measuring tape

00:31:51.309 --> 00:31:53.829
as he would make marks or I would snap the chalk

00:31:53.829 --> 00:31:56.589
line. In reality, without my dad being there,

00:31:56.750 --> 00:31:59.049
those projects would have never started. Those

00:31:59.049 --> 00:32:01.930
projects would have never finished. But my dad

00:32:01.930 --> 00:32:04.630
was pleased to be with me. I grew in my understanding

00:32:04.630 --> 00:32:07.450
of how things worked. I grew in confidence. I

00:32:07.450 --> 00:32:10.549
grew in my appreciation of him. Though I thought

00:32:10.549 --> 00:32:13.450
I was being the one. Though I thought I was the

00:32:13.450 --> 00:32:16.970
one helping, I was being helped far more. Adam

00:32:16.970 --> 00:32:19.349
opened us up, and we're looking at the theme

00:32:19.349 --> 00:32:21.869
of together. With the time that we have, I want

00:32:21.869 --> 00:32:24.950
to highlight together for God, or how believers

00:32:24.950 --> 00:32:28.549
are partnering with God for his glory. This partnering

00:32:28.549 --> 00:32:32.430
is a dual -sided blessing. We are blessed when

00:32:32.430 --> 00:32:35.109
we get to serve God and one another, and we are

00:32:35.109 --> 00:32:37.569
blessed when we are cared for by the service

00:32:37.569 --> 00:32:40.339
of others. So let's dive into each of those two

00:32:40.339 --> 00:32:42.880
points and look at the biblical principles surrounding

00:32:42.880 --> 00:32:46.099
them. So Christ perfectly modeled sacrificial

00:32:46.099 --> 00:32:50.619
service for us. Matthew 20, 28 says, just as

00:32:50.619 --> 00:32:54.240
the son of man did not come to be served, but

00:32:54.240 --> 00:32:57.660
to serve and to give his life as a ransom for

00:32:57.660 --> 00:33:01.779
many. When people are given power or authority

00:33:01.779 --> 00:33:04.539
in this world, our default is to lord it over

00:33:04.539 --> 00:33:08.220
those who are under. or to exercise authority

00:33:08.220 --> 00:33:12.359
that's given to them. But Christ, though he had

00:33:12.359 --> 00:33:14.859
every right as the God in human form, did not

00:33:14.859 --> 00:33:17.519
do that. Rather, he submitted to the Father in

00:33:17.519 --> 00:33:20.440
perfect obedience and loved and served the people

00:33:20.440 --> 00:33:23.440
around him. We see further examples of this from

00:33:23.440 --> 00:33:25.859
Paul in his letter to the Philippians, verses

00:33:25.859 --> 00:33:29.839
2, verses 5 through 8, says, I have this way

00:33:29.839 --> 00:33:33.039
of thinking in yourselves, which was also in

00:33:33.039 --> 00:33:36.000
Christ Jesus. who, although existing in the form

00:33:36.000 --> 00:33:38.920
of God, did not regard equality with God a thing

00:33:38.920 --> 00:33:41.740
to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking

00:33:41.740 --> 00:33:44.640
the form of a slave, by being made in the likeness

00:33:44.640 --> 00:33:47.339
of man, being found in appearance of man, he

00:33:47.339 --> 00:33:50.420
humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point

00:33:50.420 --> 00:33:54.000
of death, even death on a cross. So how do we

00:33:54.000 --> 00:33:57.740
as followers of Jesus respond to this? Paul continues

00:33:57.740 --> 00:34:03.599
in Philippians 2, verses 12 through 13. Just

00:34:03.599 --> 00:34:07.059
as you have always obeyed, not in my presence

00:34:07.059 --> 00:34:10.280
only, but now much more in my absence, work out

00:34:10.280 --> 00:34:12.760
your salvation with fear and trembling, for it

00:34:12.760 --> 00:34:16.739
is God who is at work in you, both to will and

00:34:16.739 --> 00:34:20.780
to work for his good pleasure. Our responsibility

00:34:20.780 --> 00:34:23.760
is to follow after Christ in being humble and

00:34:23.760 --> 00:34:26.980
seeking to love and serve others. Verse 13 tells

00:34:26.980 --> 00:34:29.739
us that we can do this because God is at work

00:34:29.739 --> 00:34:33.610
in us. both to will and to work. This verse does

00:34:33.610 --> 00:34:36.789
not only imply our dependence, but actually assures

00:34:36.789 --> 00:34:40.190
us that we can work or serve because God is at

00:34:40.190 --> 00:34:44.050
work in us. Is that not encouraging and fortifying

00:34:44.050 --> 00:34:46.550
for our faith that God is working through us

00:34:46.550 --> 00:34:50.260
to bring about his blessing in others? Paul,

00:34:50.260 --> 00:34:53.639
while giving the goodbyes to the elders at Ephesus

00:34:53.639 --> 00:34:57.519
in Acts 20, 35, says, remember the words of the

00:34:57.519 --> 00:35:00.599
Lord Jesus that he himself said, it is more blessed

00:35:00.599 --> 00:35:03.440
to give than to receive. We often think about

00:35:03.440 --> 00:35:05.800
that when it comes to Christmas or maybe birthdays,

00:35:05.920 --> 00:35:09.920
but do we often run to this when it comes to

00:35:09.920 --> 00:35:12.980
serving one another? I can personally tell you

00:35:12.980 --> 00:35:15.360
that God has used service in the church to grow

00:35:15.360 --> 00:35:18.800
my love of him and my love of others. From serving

00:35:18.800 --> 00:35:21.260
in youth ministry to clicking the slides to morning

00:35:21.260 --> 00:35:24.139
setups to men's ministry, all of these are opportunities

00:35:24.139 --> 00:35:27.860
to worship God and to love his people. One of

00:35:27.860 --> 00:35:31.300
the blessings with that is those whom you serve

00:35:31.300 --> 00:35:34.139
with, if you're doing it out of love, typically

00:35:34.139 --> 00:35:36.019
you're going to grow in friendship with them

00:35:36.019 --> 00:35:38.159
as well. And you're going to be more fulfilled

00:35:38.159 --> 00:35:40.199
because you're using the gifts that God has given

00:35:40.199 --> 00:35:43.039
you to worship him and he's pleased with that.

00:35:43.849 --> 00:35:46.369
On the contrary, on the other side of that, often

00:35:46.369 --> 00:35:50.030
when we're tempted to sin, it's because we are

00:35:50.030 --> 00:35:52.929
seeking our own desires. We want to fulfill what

00:35:52.929 --> 00:35:56.050
makes us happy. Rather, put that thinking off.

00:35:56.369 --> 00:35:58.250
Remind yourself that I have been bought with

00:35:58.250 --> 00:36:00.929
a price. I seek to serve God and his people and

00:36:00.929 --> 00:36:03.869
then follow through with serving. Serving others

00:36:03.869 --> 00:36:06.230
practically helps us not to think of ourselves.

00:36:06.610 --> 00:36:08.730
And when the whole community of the church is

00:36:08.730 --> 00:36:11.429
sacrificially serving one another, that makes

00:36:11.429 --> 00:36:13.690
for a very tight -knit and beautiful community.

00:36:14.150 --> 00:36:17.130
And the rest of the world sees that. It was sweet.

00:36:17.170 --> 00:36:20.510
This last Thursday, we had a men's event called

00:36:20.510 --> 00:36:22.710
Chilling and Grilling. Guys came over. We're

00:36:22.710 --> 00:36:25.369
sharing barbecued foods. Adam was sharing a story

00:36:25.369 --> 00:36:29.150
about East Africa, totally Muslim village that

00:36:29.150 --> 00:36:32.300
welcomed Christians. Why? It's because of their

00:36:32.300 --> 00:36:34.639
love and care for all people. When COVID hit,

00:36:34.659 --> 00:36:36.480
many people didn't have enough food for themselves

00:36:36.480 --> 00:36:39.199
or even their families. The Muslims couldn't

00:36:39.199 --> 00:36:42.360
even care for their own. But the Christian church

00:36:42.360 --> 00:36:45.239
came in, they shared, they cared for these people.

00:36:45.960 --> 00:36:48.920
Many have now come to saving faith because of

00:36:48.920 --> 00:36:52.059
God working or doing a work in their hearts and

00:36:52.059 --> 00:36:54.559
using his people who are willing to serve for

00:36:54.559 --> 00:36:58.300
his glory. It's beautiful. So the second point,

00:36:59.239 --> 00:37:01.940
of blessing of serving one another is when we

00:37:01.940 --> 00:37:05.599
get to be served. Now, caveat, we're not supposed

00:37:05.599 --> 00:37:08.699
to seek that out, right? That's not what it's

00:37:08.699 --> 00:37:11.760
for, but it's a byproduct. But if we are properly

00:37:11.760 --> 00:37:13.980
a part of a healthy body, we're gonna be served.

00:37:14.780 --> 00:37:17.059
What a blessing it is to have others around you

00:37:17.059 --> 00:37:19.539
who pray for you, who want you to grow in your

00:37:19.539 --> 00:37:21.400
understanding of God's word and practically serve

00:37:21.400 --> 00:37:24.179
you each and every week. There's many great examples

00:37:24.179 --> 00:37:26.179
here at Oak Hill who serve you each and every

00:37:26.179 --> 00:37:29.340
week from Jeff, to the Women's Council, to the

00:37:29.340 --> 00:37:32.400
elders, to the Kellys, to Alex, to Blake, to

00:37:32.400 --> 00:37:35.460
Connor, to Meredith, to Cassie, to Micah. The

00:37:35.460 --> 00:37:39.920
list goes on and on. Then it is sweet to hear

00:37:39.920 --> 00:37:43.099
on a weekly basis when you see Church Center

00:37:43.099 --> 00:37:45.360
pop up and it's like, hey, I need a ride to LAX.

00:37:46.460 --> 00:37:49.440
And yet you guys fulfill it. That's wonderful.

00:37:50.079 --> 00:37:52.559
It's a blessing to be a part of a church that

00:37:52.559 --> 00:37:55.039
serves one another. God gets all the praise.

00:37:55.929 --> 00:37:58.489
He is the one who is working in our hearts to

00:37:58.489 --> 00:38:01.170
grow. He is the one who is giving us opportunities

00:38:01.170 --> 00:38:04.349
to love and to serve one another. We are just

00:38:04.349 --> 00:38:08.210
like the story of that little kid at the start

00:38:08.210 --> 00:38:11.050
who holds the tape measure, but God's doing all

00:38:11.050 --> 00:38:13.989
the work, but he's pleased with our worship of

00:38:13.989 --> 00:38:18.690
him. So as we recap these blessings, God uses

00:38:18.690 --> 00:38:21.409
his people to partner with him to bring about

00:38:21.409 --> 00:38:23.809
his grace, to bring about his mercy, to bring

00:38:23.809 --> 00:38:27.719
about his goodness. Think about it. Are we not

00:38:27.719 --> 00:38:30.219
blessed that Oak Hill has a team that comes in

00:38:30.219 --> 00:38:33.579
two to three hours before you get here to set

00:38:33.579 --> 00:38:37.860
all of this up, to set up poles and drapes and

00:38:37.860 --> 00:38:41.079
run cords, to set up the kids ministry or the

00:38:41.079 --> 00:38:43.559
band who gets in early to practice and they're

00:38:43.559 --> 00:38:44.940
practicing throughout the week, but then they

00:38:44.940 --> 00:38:47.539
come together to practice or the children's ministry

00:38:47.539 --> 00:38:50.139
team that spends hours prepping crafts and Bible

00:38:50.139 --> 00:38:53.880
stories. It's a blessing that we don't just get

00:38:53.880 --> 00:38:58.110
saved. and then sit around, but we get to be

00:38:58.110 --> 00:39:01.489
used by God for his glory. God doesn't need us,

00:39:01.510 --> 00:39:04.210
but rather he chooses us to be ambassadors of

00:39:04.210 --> 00:39:07.150
Christ to the world and to the followers of Christ

00:39:07.150 --> 00:39:10.190
around us. So let's seek the blessing of partnering

00:39:10.190 --> 00:39:13.090
by serving others, and let's be thankful that

00:39:13.090 --> 00:39:16.010
we get to receive that blessing when others care

00:39:16.010 --> 00:39:21.949
for us as well. Dave, you want to come up? Well,

00:39:22.030 --> 00:39:25.739
thank you, Grant. And Ken, that was a blessing.

00:39:25.820 --> 00:39:28.579
So I'd like to spend a few minutes talking about

00:39:28.579 --> 00:39:31.900
what it means to be an active church participant

00:39:31.900 --> 00:39:35.380
and how do we live life together. So our member

00:39:35.380 --> 00:39:38.659
covenant tells us to not forsake the assembling

00:39:38.659 --> 00:39:42.260
together of the saints. This is taken from Hebrews

00:39:42.260 --> 00:39:45.599
10 .25, and this verse tells us that we should

00:39:45.599 --> 00:39:49.840
be in regular fellowship. But sadly, many Christians

00:39:49.840 --> 00:39:53.329
don't see much value in regular fellowship. and

00:39:53.329 --> 00:39:56.829
developing deep relationships in church. And

00:39:56.829 --> 00:39:59.510
this can be especially true in large churches

00:39:59.510 --> 00:40:03.110
where it's easy to get lost and have no accountability

00:40:03.110 --> 00:40:07.750
and few meaningful relationships. But Christ's

00:40:07.750 --> 00:40:11.010
design for the church is for all of us to be

00:40:11.010 --> 00:40:14.449
very connected with one another. There is so

00:40:14.449 --> 00:40:17.469
much more to Christ's design for the body than

00:40:17.469 --> 00:40:21.050
just Sunday morning attendance. So getting back

00:40:21.050 --> 00:40:24.030
to our question, what is an active church participant

00:40:24.030 --> 00:40:27.489
and what should it look like? There's a great

00:40:27.489 --> 00:40:31.469
model for us to follow, and it's found in Acts

00:40:31.469 --> 00:40:33.730
2. We read it during our call to worship. So

00:40:33.730 --> 00:40:38.070
if you could turn in your Bibles to Acts 2. In

00:40:38.070 --> 00:40:41.170
Acts 2, we find a great description of the early

00:40:41.170 --> 00:40:44.110
church right after Pentecost and how they lived

00:40:44.110 --> 00:40:47.769
life together. So Acts 2, we're going to start

00:40:47.769 --> 00:40:55.059
in verse 42. 2 .42, they, meaning the early church,

00:40:55.239 --> 00:40:58.699
early Christians, were continually devoting themselves

00:40:58.699 --> 00:41:01.539
to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship,

00:41:01.760 --> 00:41:05.320
to the breaking of the bread, or communion, and

00:41:05.320 --> 00:41:08.420
to prayer. So note that they were continually

00:41:08.420 --> 00:41:12.239
devoted to these things. Church life together

00:41:12.239 --> 00:41:14.619
and building community through deep fellowships

00:41:14.619 --> 00:41:18.139
was a high priority, as it should be for all

00:41:18.139 --> 00:41:22.659
of us. Verse 43, everyone kept feeling a sense

00:41:22.659 --> 00:41:25.239
of awe and many wonders and signs were taking

00:41:25.239 --> 00:41:29.239
place through the apostles. And all the believers

00:41:29.239 --> 00:41:33.440
were together and had all things in common and

00:41:33.440 --> 00:41:37.119
they would sell their property and possessions

00:41:37.119 --> 00:41:41.199
and share with them all to the extent that anyone

00:41:41.199 --> 00:41:46.780
had a need. Day by day, continuing with one mind

00:41:46.780 --> 00:41:50.000
in the temple and breaking bread from house to

00:41:50.000 --> 00:41:52.760
house, they were taking their meals together

00:41:52.760 --> 00:41:57.219
with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising

00:41:57.219 --> 00:42:01.119
God and having favor with all the people. And

00:42:01.119 --> 00:42:03.820
the Lord was adding to their number day by day

00:42:03.820 --> 00:42:07.099
those who were being saved. This is an incredibly

00:42:07.099 --> 00:42:10.300
practical model for us to follow and gives us

00:42:10.300 --> 00:42:15.420
so much insight should look like. It's our example

00:42:15.420 --> 00:42:20.079
to follow. Going back to verse 42, it says that

00:42:20.079 --> 00:42:22.159
they were continually devoting themselves to

00:42:22.159 --> 00:42:24.179
the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to

00:42:24.179 --> 00:42:27.699
breaking of the bread, and to prayer. Fellowship

00:42:27.699 --> 00:42:30.119
was very important to them. Their attendance

00:42:30.119 --> 00:42:33.659
at meetings was consistent and regular, and they

00:42:33.659 --> 00:42:36.420
were spending a lot of time together, even going

00:42:36.420 --> 00:42:39.199
from house to house and sharing meals together.

00:42:40.199 --> 00:42:43.800
Going down to verses 44 and 45, it says there

00:42:43.800 --> 00:42:46.920
that they had all things in common with each

00:42:46.920 --> 00:42:50.659
other. Imagine that kind of community. They were

00:42:50.659 --> 00:42:54.860
acting self -sacrificially and were even selling

00:42:54.860 --> 00:42:57.980
their property and possessions and using the

00:42:57.980 --> 00:43:01.659
money to meet each other's needs. They were so

00:43:01.659 --> 00:43:04.780
committed to each other that they had all things

00:43:04.780 --> 00:43:08.579
in common so that if anyone had a need, the need

00:43:08.579 --> 00:43:12.289
was met. Covenant number eight of our member

00:43:12.289 --> 00:43:14.949
covenant says that we will contribute cheerfully

00:43:14.949 --> 00:43:17.190
and regularly to the support of the ministry

00:43:17.190 --> 00:43:20.150
and the expenses of the church and the relief

00:43:20.150 --> 00:43:23.429
of the poor. Notice that the early Christians

00:43:23.429 --> 00:43:27.849
had glad and generous hearts. They gave of all

00:43:27.849 --> 00:43:30.590
of their resources, their time, their possessions.

00:43:31.489 --> 00:43:34.690
Financially, they gave gladly and generously.

00:43:34.690 --> 00:43:38.489
And why did they do this? A couple of reasons.

00:43:38.650 --> 00:43:41.969
One, because they were born again and God had

00:43:41.969 --> 00:43:44.389
given them new and generous hearts. They were

00:43:44.389 --> 00:43:47.949
totally different people. And two, because they

00:43:47.949 --> 00:43:51.389
understood that they had died to self and they

00:43:51.389 --> 00:43:53.829
knew that their lives belonged to Jesus. Their

00:43:53.829 --> 00:43:57.090
time, their homes, their money, everything belonged

00:43:57.090 --> 00:44:00.539
to him. And this practice of generous giving

00:44:00.539 --> 00:44:03.360
spread throughout the early church into different

00:44:03.360 --> 00:44:05.900
regions of the world. Here's what Paul has to

00:44:05.900 --> 00:44:10.079
say in 2 Corinthians 8 about the church in Macedonia.

00:44:10.360 --> 00:44:13.219
Speaking of the Macedonians and the financial

00:44:13.219 --> 00:44:16.320
gifts that they gave to the Christians in Jerusalem,

00:44:16.360 --> 00:44:29.360
Paul says, have overflowed in a wealth of generosity

00:44:29.360 --> 00:44:34.139
on their part. Wow. For they gave according to

00:44:34.139 --> 00:44:39.039
their means, and as I can testify, beyond their

00:44:39.039 --> 00:44:42.699
means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly

00:44:42.699 --> 00:44:46.239
for the favor of taking part in the relief of

00:44:46.239 --> 00:44:49.719
the saints. And this, not as we expected, but

00:44:49.719 --> 00:44:53.159
they gave themselves first to the Lord and then

00:44:53.159 --> 00:44:56.269
by the will of God to us. Note that even though

00:44:56.269 --> 00:44:59.710
they were afflicted and they lived in extreme

00:44:59.710 --> 00:45:03.530
poverty, they gave financially beyond their means.

00:45:03.650 --> 00:45:07.469
And they did it joyfully and generously. Why?

00:45:07.889 --> 00:45:11.630
Because the text says that they gave themselves

00:45:11.630 --> 00:45:18.449
first to the Lord. And all that they had belonged

00:45:18.449 --> 00:45:20.809
to Jesus and they wanted to share it with others.

00:45:21.679 --> 00:45:24.699
But in the preamble to our member covenant, it

00:45:24.699 --> 00:45:27.739
says that we joyfully covenant with one another.

00:45:28.159 --> 00:45:31.659
All of us giving of ourselves, including our

00:45:31.659 --> 00:45:35.260
financial resources, it gives us joy to give.

00:45:35.579 --> 00:45:38.900
As church members, we have an ongoing obligation

00:45:38.900 --> 00:45:42.019
to contribute financially to the needs of the

00:45:42.019 --> 00:45:46.260
body. And what compels us to give is a new heart

00:45:46.260 --> 00:45:50.829
that finds joy in giving generously. So going

00:45:50.829 --> 00:45:53.769
back to Acts 2, verse 46 says that they were

00:45:53.769 --> 00:45:57.869
of one mind, so that there was also unity in

00:45:57.869 --> 00:46:01.090
their fellowship. Notice that they took unity

00:46:01.090 --> 00:46:03.550
and sharing a common life together seriously

00:46:03.550 --> 00:46:07.150
because of the depth of their love for Jesus

00:46:07.150 --> 00:46:11.130
and for each other. Their commitment to each

00:46:11.130 --> 00:46:15.400
other was a high priority in their lives. Verse

00:46:15.400 --> 00:46:18.440
46 says that they were sharing meals together

00:46:18.440 --> 00:46:23.219
from house to house with gladness. This is why

00:46:23.219 --> 00:46:26.380
our member covenant says that we joyfully covenant

00:46:26.380 --> 00:46:28.940
with one another. To the early church, their

00:46:28.940 --> 00:46:32.460
commitment to fellowship was a joyful experience,

00:46:32.639 --> 00:46:36.199
not simply a duty to follow, but one where they

00:46:36.199 --> 00:46:39.420
experienced true joy in their fellowship with

00:46:39.420 --> 00:46:42.469
one another, their unity with one another. and

00:46:42.469 --> 00:46:46.110
their generosity toward each other. So it's obvious

00:46:46.110 --> 00:46:49.289
from this passage in Acts that the early Christians

00:46:49.289 --> 00:46:52.769
placed a high priority on church life that extended

00:46:52.769 --> 00:46:56.110
well beyond just attendance on Sunday mornings

00:46:56.110 --> 00:47:00.250
or once a week. This is our model to follow today.

00:47:00.369 --> 00:47:03.409
As brothers and sisters in Christ, we should

00:47:03.409 --> 00:47:06.449
place a priority on forming deep relationships

00:47:06.449 --> 00:47:09.989
in the church as an expression of our love for

00:47:09.989 --> 00:47:13.500
each other, where the needs of other church members

00:47:13.500 --> 00:47:17.559
become our needs, where we love and serve one

00:47:17.559 --> 00:47:21.360
another. Our relationship with each other is

00:47:21.360 --> 00:47:25.539
a spiritual relationship that manifests itself

00:47:25.539 --> 00:47:29.900
in tangible ways. We read earlier in Romans 12,

00:47:30.119 --> 00:47:34.820
Romans 12, 5 says, So we, though many, are one

00:47:34.820 --> 00:47:38.559
body in Christ and individually members of one

00:47:38.559 --> 00:47:42.599
another. We share in a spiritual union with Christ

00:47:42.599 --> 00:47:46.320
and each other, and this is the basis of our

00:47:46.320 --> 00:47:50.019
fellowship. We are one body and individually

00:47:50.019 --> 00:47:52.579
members of one another. We are knit together

00:47:52.579 --> 00:47:56.420
or joined together as members of Christ's body.

00:47:56.519 --> 00:48:01.159
We need to let that sink in. We are, as Jesus

00:48:01.159 --> 00:48:05.739
prayed in John 17, unified with each other. as

00:48:05.739 --> 00:48:09.340
the Father and the Son are unified. That's an

00:48:09.340 --> 00:48:12.280
incredible thought. But the spiritual aspect

00:48:12.280 --> 00:48:16.460
of our relationships also has a very practical

00:48:16.460 --> 00:48:20.539
or has practical implications. We are actively

00:48:20.539 --> 00:48:23.079
involved with each other's lives. It means that

00:48:23.079 --> 00:48:25.539
we suffer when one of our members suffer. It

00:48:25.539 --> 00:48:28.340
means that we rejoice with one another. It means

00:48:28.340 --> 00:48:31.320
that we share the gospel ministry with each other.

00:48:31.840 --> 00:48:34.059
That we share in church life together and we

00:48:34.059 --> 00:48:37.559
share in humble service to each other and pray

00:48:37.559 --> 00:48:40.880
and study the word and take communion together.

00:48:41.900 --> 00:48:45.039
We live life together. How do we do any of this

00:48:45.039 --> 00:48:48.400
if we have low expectations for the church and

00:48:48.400 --> 00:48:51.699
ourselves? It's easy to write off the early church

00:48:51.699 --> 00:48:55.090
and to write off what I'm saying. as those were

00:48:55.090 --> 00:48:57.690
unique times. But this is today, and certainly

00:48:57.690 --> 00:49:00.030
we couldn't be expected to live this kind of

00:49:00.030 --> 00:49:03.630
life today, could we? And the answer is absolutely

00:49:03.630 --> 00:49:08.150
yes. The passages here in Acts 2 and Romans 12

00:49:08.150 --> 00:49:12.409
and 2 Corinthians 8 all serve as examples for

00:49:12.409 --> 00:49:16.230
us to follow. But sadly, in some church circles,

00:49:16.389 --> 00:49:19.829
the word fellowship means little more than a

00:49:19.829 --> 00:49:23.050
church social activity on Sunday or Sunday service.

00:49:24.139 --> 00:49:26.920
But church is not an event that you go to and

00:49:26.920 --> 00:49:29.940
watch happen. It's not a spectator activity.

00:49:30.179 --> 00:49:34.139
Church involves fellowship. And fellowship requires

00:49:34.139 --> 00:49:37.559
building relationships and sharing the common

00:49:37.559 --> 00:49:40.980
life that we have together as believers. And

00:49:40.980 --> 00:49:44.059
not just one morning a week. Fellowship is so

00:49:44.059 --> 00:49:47.239
fundamental to our faith and the design of the

00:49:47.239 --> 00:49:49.960
body of Christ that the church wouldn't be the

00:49:49.960 --> 00:49:53.019
church without it. And kids? We've got a lot

00:49:53.019 --> 00:49:55.340
of kids here. Kids, I'm talking to you. This

00:49:55.340 --> 00:49:58.699
message is for you, too. Please listen to this.

00:49:59.159 --> 00:50:02.400
Kids, you are a part of the Oak Hill Church family,

00:50:02.559 --> 00:50:06.119
and we want you to be part of Oak Hill's church

00:50:06.119 --> 00:50:11.159
life. That means you're in fellowship, too, and

00:50:11.159 --> 00:50:14.800
you love and serve and care for others. These

00:50:14.800 --> 00:50:18.519
are things that we all do joyfully. Here's some

00:50:18.519 --> 00:50:20.460
more things that we do as part of our church

00:50:20.460 --> 00:50:23.880
life. We carry each other's burdens, like Chris

00:50:23.880 --> 00:50:26.900
was talking about earlier. Galatians 6 .2. We're

00:50:26.900 --> 00:50:29.119
patient with each other, bearing with one another

00:50:29.119 --> 00:50:33.039
in love. Ephesians 4 .2. We are kind and compassionate

00:50:33.039 --> 00:50:36.619
to one another. Ephesians 4 .32. We submit to

00:50:36.619 --> 00:50:39.320
one another out of reverence for Christ. Ephesians

00:50:39.320 --> 00:50:42.880
5 .21. In humility, we consider others better

00:50:42.880 --> 00:50:46.539
than ourselves. Philippians 2 .3. We build up

00:50:46.539 --> 00:50:49.960
each other, 1 Thessalonians 5 .11. We encourage

00:50:49.960 --> 00:50:53.659
one another daily, Hebrews 3 .13. We confess

00:50:53.659 --> 00:50:56.000
our sins to each other and pray for each other,

00:50:56.139 --> 00:50:59.840
James 5 .16. We offer hospitality to one another

00:50:59.840 --> 00:51:04.280
without grumbling, 1 Peter 4 .9. We use whatever

00:51:04.280 --> 00:51:07.000
gift we've received to serve one another, 1 Peter

00:51:07.000 --> 00:51:10.980
4 .10. These things should describe us here at

00:51:10.980 --> 00:51:13.960
Oak Hill. How do we fulfill these responsibilities

00:51:13.960 --> 00:51:17.280
if we're not in deep fellowship and intentional

00:51:17.280 --> 00:51:20.320
building relationships with each other? How do

00:51:20.320 --> 00:51:23.320
we fulfill our membership covenant to care for

00:51:23.320 --> 00:51:25.679
each other, to serve one another, to use our

00:51:25.679 --> 00:51:28.780
spiritual gifts to build up each other if we're

00:51:28.780 --> 00:51:31.519
not building relationships and spending time

00:51:31.519 --> 00:51:34.860
with each other? How do we rejoice with those

00:51:34.860 --> 00:51:37.659
who rejoice and weep with those who weep if we're

00:51:37.659 --> 00:51:40.320
not dedicated to times of committed fellowship?

00:51:41.150 --> 00:51:44.010
We come together corporately as worshipers of

00:51:44.010 --> 00:51:48.110
Christ, bound to each other spiritually, and

00:51:48.110 --> 00:51:52.170
that relationship shows itself every day in practical

00:51:52.170 --> 00:51:56.250
ways. Being a member of Christ's church is a

00:51:56.250 --> 00:52:00.010
great gift. As fellow believers, we are joined

00:52:00.010 --> 00:52:03.530
together. We are joint heirs with Christ, all

00:52:03.530 --> 00:52:07.829
of us, having been adopted as God's children

00:52:07.829 --> 00:52:12.650
into his family. As believers, we're all members

00:52:12.650 --> 00:52:16.369
of God's eternal family. We are all brothers

00:52:16.369 --> 00:52:20.769
and sisters eternally. This is the foundation

00:52:20.769 --> 00:52:23.730
of our deep relationships with each other, that

00:52:23.730 --> 00:52:27.329
though we are many, we are one body in Christ

00:52:27.329 --> 00:52:30.769
and individually members of one another. We are

00:52:30.769 --> 00:52:34.809
all eternally connected with Christ and with

00:52:34.809 --> 00:52:38.869
each other. Fellowship is a responsibility, which

00:52:38.869 --> 00:52:41.610
includes giving our time, our possessions, our

00:52:41.610 --> 00:52:44.789
money, our resources, and we need to be faithful

00:52:44.789 --> 00:52:47.710
in those things. But it's not a responsibility

00:52:47.710 --> 00:52:50.869
that's a drudgery, but it's an expression of

00:52:50.869 --> 00:52:54.269
the joy that we have in Christ. Our care and

00:52:54.269 --> 00:52:57.789
concern for others flows out of thankful hearts

00:52:57.789 --> 00:53:01.449
because we are fellow partakers of the body and

00:53:01.449 --> 00:53:04.820
the blood of Christ. Our care for one another

00:53:04.820 --> 00:53:07.900
will not let us forsake either the spiritual

00:53:07.900 --> 00:53:12.599
or the physical well -being of our fellow family

00:53:12.599 --> 00:53:16.099
members. We love and encourage with words, but

00:53:16.099 --> 00:53:19.920
we also love sacrificially and in tangible ways.

00:53:20.260 --> 00:53:24.260
This is how Christ designed the church to function,

00:53:24.420 --> 00:53:27.480
that we would love and care for one another as

00:53:27.480 --> 00:53:30.900
we care for ourselves. These are some of the

00:53:30.900 --> 00:53:33.980
most important elements of what it means to be

00:53:33.980 --> 00:53:37.860
an active church participant and what it means

00:53:37.860 --> 00:53:41.639
to live life together. If a Christian loves Jesus,

00:53:41.820 --> 00:53:45.639
then they will love his church. As covenant believers

00:53:45.639 --> 00:53:49.519
at Oak Hill, we need to have a very, very high

00:53:49.519 --> 00:53:52.360
view of fellowship and of serving the church

00:53:52.360 --> 00:53:56.239
body. It's absolutely essential to our own spiritual

00:53:56.239 --> 00:54:00.369
health and the health of our church body. Adam,

00:54:00.389 --> 00:54:08.809
back to you. Amen. Thank you, Dave. Thank you,

00:54:08.829 --> 00:54:11.590
Grant. Thank you, Ken. These are great encouragements

00:54:11.590 --> 00:54:13.269
this morning. I mean, you think about the foundation

00:54:13.269 --> 00:54:16.789
of gratitude and worshiping from a sincere heart

00:54:16.789 --> 00:54:20.030
of praise, seeking to serve as a response of

00:54:20.030 --> 00:54:22.590
that thankfulness and then pursuing. faithful

00:54:22.590 --> 00:54:25.730
fellowship with one another in every part of

00:54:25.730 --> 00:54:28.090
our lives. Each of those was a mini meal that

00:54:28.090 --> 00:54:30.769
you guys gave. We're grateful for that. And isn't

00:54:30.769 --> 00:54:33.389
it a grace to have teaching elders who love the

00:54:33.389 --> 00:54:36.530
body, who love Christ and honor the word and

00:54:36.530 --> 00:54:39.909
who desire to see every single member in this

00:54:39.909 --> 00:54:43.110
body equipped to grow in Christ likeness. Now,

00:54:43.130 --> 00:54:46.010
as we wrap up today, I wanted to give one encouragement

00:54:46.010 --> 00:54:48.489
regarding what you've heard. to give some perspective

00:54:48.489 --> 00:54:50.630
on what you've been listening to this morning.

00:54:50.710 --> 00:54:54.389
There's this idea in 1 Thessalonians 4, verses

00:54:54.389 --> 00:54:56.289
9 and 10. You don't have to turn there if you

00:54:56.289 --> 00:54:58.329
don't want to. I'm going to read it. Paul says

00:54:58.329 --> 00:55:19.190
this, Now listen to this. Brothers, excel still

00:55:19.190 --> 00:55:25.090
more. Excel still more. Now, I think that's interesting

00:55:25.090 --> 00:55:28.150
because Paul emphasizes the people are doing

00:55:28.150 --> 00:55:31.429
a good job. They're loving one another. But then

00:55:31.429 --> 00:55:36.230
he says they're urged to excel still more. Now,

00:55:36.269 --> 00:55:38.289
as a kid growing up, whether it was in school

00:55:38.289 --> 00:55:40.750
or sports, I always wanted to feel like something

00:55:40.750 --> 00:55:43.840
could be finished, be done, right? You want to

00:55:43.840 --> 00:55:45.679
work towards something. You want to see it done.

00:55:45.780 --> 00:55:48.199
It would almost be a motivation, right? To finish

00:55:48.199 --> 00:55:50.960
something. You finish the drill. Ah, now we can

00:55:50.960 --> 00:55:53.480
rest. You complete the assignment. Now my brain

00:55:53.480 --> 00:55:56.199
can turn into mush again, right? Be done with

00:55:56.199 --> 00:55:58.619
the chore. My kids always want to be done with

00:55:58.619 --> 00:56:00.579
the chores, right? The dishes are never done.

00:56:01.280 --> 00:56:06.260
But as a believer, that dynamic in life is different.

00:56:07.239 --> 00:56:10.940
It's different. There's no aspect of being done

00:56:10.940 --> 00:56:15.719
this side of glory. There's no figuring it all

00:56:15.719 --> 00:56:18.559
out, becoming a super Christian and everything

00:56:18.559 --> 00:56:22.320
is easy and makes sense. It's not how it works.

00:56:22.940 --> 00:56:25.900
But there is an aspect of being a follower of

00:56:25.900 --> 00:56:28.940
Christ where we are considering ourselves in

00:56:28.940 --> 00:56:30.860
process or even as our call to worship reminded

00:56:30.860 --> 00:56:34.079
us, a living sacrifice. You know what sacrifices

00:56:34.079 --> 00:56:38.219
are? I know we have children in here, but sacrifices

00:56:38.219 --> 00:56:43.889
are animals that are being put to death. Friends,

00:56:43.889 --> 00:56:47.690
living sacrifices is what we are called to be.

00:56:48.690 --> 00:56:53.150
And let's not ignore these truths for our young

00:56:53.150 --> 00:56:56.969
ones, but teach them that this is following God.

00:56:58.269 --> 00:57:02.690
We are putting to death our way so that we can

00:57:02.690 --> 00:57:09.530
live God's way. Now, this reality of excelling

00:57:09.530 --> 00:57:11.349
still more, let me just encourage you. Are you

00:57:11.349 --> 00:57:13.949
good? Are you good at celebrating life in Christ?

00:57:14.050 --> 00:57:16.650
Are you good at celebrating communion? I hope

00:57:16.650 --> 00:57:22.090
so. But if you are, excel still more. Are you

00:57:22.090 --> 00:57:24.590
good at serving? Do you always say yes on Planning

00:57:24.590 --> 00:57:28.929
Center? Laura knows if you do. Do you always

00:57:28.929 --> 00:57:31.130
show up when there's a need? Are you the driver

00:57:31.130 --> 00:57:33.829
that Kenny was talking about to LAX? Somebody's

00:57:33.829 --> 00:57:39.130
racking up those miles. You can excel still more.

00:57:41.449 --> 00:57:44.510
Are you faithful at being with one another, desiring

00:57:44.510 --> 00:57:48.210
to be present, to give of your time, to give

00:57:48.210 --> 00:57:52.630
of your finances? Are you always saying yes on

00:57:52.630 --> 00:57:55.329
those needs that pop up, the meals that pop up,

00:57:55.409 --> 00:57:57.809
the child watching that pops up? We have a lot

00:57:57.809 --> 00:58:01.550
of children. Don't you hear them in here? Excel

00:58:01.550 --> 00:58:06.489
still more. Now, if you're not great at any of

00:58:06.489 --> 00:58:09.440
those, if you recognize there are shortcomings

00:58:09.440 --> 00:58:12.340
in your understandings or the outworking of your

00:58:12.340 --> 00:58:18.519
faith, then guess what? You can excel still more.

00:58:19.699 --> 00:58:24.059
Isn't that marvelous? Now, we don't pursue this

00:58:24.059 --> 00:58:28.239
to try to prove anything. We don't do this to

00:58:28.239 --> 00:58:31.320
puff ourselves up or to pretend like we're okay

00:58:31.320 --> 00:58:33.800
and have it all figured out. In fact, in that

00:58:33.800 --> 00:58:36.900
same passage, First Thessalonians chapter four,

00:58:37.000 --> 00:58:39.659
Paul continues. He makes it clear why this is

00:58:39.659 --> 00:58:42.400
happening. He says, make it your ambition to

00:58:42.400 --> 00:58:45.639
lead a quiet life, to attend to your own business,

00:58:45.840 --> 00:58:49.260
to work with your hands, just as we commanded

00:58:49.260 --> 00:58:53.019
you that you would walk properly toward outsiders

00:58:53.019 --> 00:58:59.480
and not be in any need. And the last part is

00:58:59.480 --> 00:59:02.960
clear, to walk properly toward outsiders and

00:59:02.960 --> 00:59:06.090
not be in any need. Now, as you think about what's

00:59:06.090 --> 00:59:07.570
been taught today, and I would encourage you,

00:59:07.590 --> 00:59:10.070
go back and listen again, but consider that a

00:59:10.070 --> 00:59:13.369
faithful response as a believer is not to make

00:59:13.369 --> 00:59:17.090
you look good, but to represent Christ well,

00:59:17.369 --> 00:59:22.510
to be a light in a dark world, to not be a burden

00:59:22.510 --> 00:59:26.090
to others. Now, yes, as Dave noted, we can share

00:59:26.090 --> 00:59:28.769
our needs. We can receive help, and that's not

00:59:28.769 --> 00:59:31.230
bad. That's a gracious thing, but we're encouraged

00:59:31.230 --> 00:59:35.170
to focus on being a blessing. not just receiving

00:59:35.170 --> 00:59:39.449
them. A faithful walk with the Lord ensures that

00:59:39.449 --> 00:59:41.829
we, whether we have much or whether we have little,

00:59:42.010 --> 00:59:45.170
we will be able to walk and to live according

00:59:45.170 --> 00:59:49.130
to His ways, excelling still more in every aspect

00:59:49.130 --> 00:59:51.550
of our lives. And I just want to finish with

00:59:51.550 --> 00:59:53.429
this, to underscore the nature of the encouragement,

00:59:53.610 --> 00:59:56.809
verse 1 of this passage, this chapter, gives

00:59:56.809 --> 00:59:59.449
us the greatest clarity. He says, Finally then,

00:59:59.489 --> 01:00:02.489
brothers, We ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus

01:00:02.489 --> 01:00:05.269
that as you receive from us how you ought to

01:00:05.269 --> 01:00:10.090
walk and to please God. Pause. What's the goal?

01:00:11.650 --> 01:00:17.269
Is the goal to please ourselves? No. We're called

01:00:17.269 --> 01:00:21.829
to please God. We should consider questions like

01:00:21.829 --> 01:00:25.329
this. Am I living a life that pleases God? Are

01:00:25.329 --> 01:00:29.239
my priorities in order? Or is my life consumed

01:00:29.239 --> 01:00:34.360
with myself and what I want? How am I using my

01:00:34.360 --> 01:00:38.260
gifts, my abilities? Am I using them in service

01:00:38.260 --> 01:00:42.519
of the Lord or in my own service? Am I living

01:00:42.519 --> 01:00:46.960
a God -centered life or a life centered around

01:00:46.960 --> 01:00:51.860
self? Why is it so important? Why should this

01:00:51.860 --> 01:00:58.619
type of sacrificial life be pursued? We follow

01:00:58.619 --> 01:01:02.360
the one who sacrificed himself for us. We follow

01:01:02.360 --> 01:01:05.039
the one who gave his own life in order to bring

01:01:05.039 --> 01:01:08.099
us to God. That's at the root of why we obey

01:01:08.099 --> 01:01:10.760
these things. We should thank the Lord. We should

01:01:10.760 --> 01:01:13.679
thank Jesus that he was not selfish when he came

01:01:13.679 --> 01:01:16.639
to this world. He was not focused on his desire.

01:01:16.719 --> 01:01:20.559
He willingly laid down his life for our redemption,

01:01:20.739 --> 01:01:24.539
our forgiveness, our future. So may we imitate

01:01:24.539 --> 01:01:28.000
him in that kind of love to others. So thank

01:01:28.000 --> 01:01:31.500
you, Grant, Ken, Dave, for bringing these topics

01:01:31.500 --> 01:01:34.659
to us today, giving us a perspective on being

01:01:34.659 --> 01:01:38.480
together for God, with God, with one another.

01:01:38.719 --> 01:01:40.739
And in light of that, friends, let's pray as

01:01:40.739 --> 01:01:45.159
we orient our hearts to sing praises. God, we

01:01:45.159 --> 01:01:49.460
are grateful for Jesus Christ. We are grateful

01:01:49.460 --> 01:01:52.800
to consider that our motivation is not to gain

01:01:52.800 --> 01:01:55.960
something, but the reality of having been given

01:01:55.960 --> 01:02:00.019
something. We thank you that our communion is

01:02:00.019 --> 01:02:04.719
first with you through Christ and also with one

01:02:04.719 --> 01:02:08.500
another. So we're thankful for a church body

01:02:08.500 --> 01:02:13.139
that is growing in the likeness of Christ. We're

01:02:13.139 --> 01:02:16.780
thankful to see areas of service, whether it's

01:02:16.780 --> 01:02:20.139
on a Sunday set up or serving with our acorns.

01:02:21.480 --> 01:02:24.780
whether it's giving rides to the airport or meals,

01:02:25.119 --> 01:02:27.880
whether it's spending time with one another in

01:02:27.880 --> 01:02:32.159
the midweek, being part of a small group, giving

01:02:32.159 --> 01:02:36.760
of our tithes, our offerings, giving of our time,

01:02:36.820 --> 01:02:39.800
and all these things, we are grateful, and yet

01:02:39.800 --> 01:02:44.840
we ask, Father, help us to excel still more.

01:02:45.619 --> 01:02:50.030
Help us to be zealous, to be with you. to be

01:02:50.030 --> 01:02:54.809
zealous to work for you, and to be zealous to

01:02:54.809 --> 01:02:59.849
love other believers. So we ask, help us to lift

01:02:59.849 --> 01:03:02.789
our voices, not just in the singing today. Yes,

01:03:02.889 --> 01:03:05.730
help us to do that well for your glory, but help

01:03:05.730 --> 01:03:09.570
us to lift our voices day in and day out, to

01:03:09.570 --> 01:03:13.269
both sing and to extol your magnificent grace

01:03:13.269 --> 01:03:18.099
in Christ Jesus. We recognize that you have saved

01:03:18.099 --> 01:03:21.280
a people, not just a person, but a people for

01:03:21.280 --> 01:03:24.820
your own pleasure, for your good purposes. And

01:03:24.820 --> 01:03:27.840
we praise you. So ignite our hearts to desire

01:03:27.840 --> 01:03:30.559
your glory above everything else and to submit

01:03:30.559 --> 01:03:34.440
our ways to you. Your ways are best. So lift

01:03:34.440 --> 01:03:36.739
our eyes that we would see your wisdom in the

01:03:36.739 --> 01:03:39.400
gospel. and that we would see the beauty of your

01:03:39.400 --> 01:03:42.440
bride, the church. Help us to love you and to

01:03:42.440 --> 01:03:45.659
love others and lift our hearts as we sing praises

01:03:45.659 --> 01:03:48.239
to your great name in Christ, whose name we pray.

01:03:48.719 --> 01:03:49.199
Amen.