WEBVTT 00:00:02.250 --> 00:00:05.250 Welcome to the Life Bible Church podcast. We 00:00:05.250 --> 00:00:07.669 want to thank you for joining us today and we 00:00:07.669 --> 00:00:10.169 hope you find today's sermon impacting as you 00:00:10.169 --> 00:00:12.689 listen to it wherever you are in your daily walk. 00:00:12.910 --> 00:00:15.949 To find service times and watch messages online, 00:00:16.190 --> 00:00:20.109 see our website at lifebiblechurch .org. Now, 00:00:20.129 --> 00:00:25.510 enjoy this week's message. Nothing but your blood, 00:00:25.730 --> 00:00:33.820 Lord, can pay for sin. Could pay to bring us 00:00:33.820 --> 00:00:38.859 back into fellowship with the Father. It was 00:00:38.859 --> 00:00:43.280 your life. And the reason blood was accepted 00:00:43.280 --> 00:00:48.780 Lord. As you said it. Life is in the blood in 00:00:48.780 --> 00:00:56.500 Leviticus. And Lord. Because the blood is the 00:00:56.500 --> 00:01:03.640 life. The blood. The lifeblood of your son, your 00:01:03.640 --> 00:01:11.000 son's life was given to restore fellowship, communion, 00:01:11.319 --> 00:01:22.180 encounter. Lord, and to know you, we thank you 00:01:22.180 --> 00:01:27.780 for giving your only son. Your son is the way, 00:01:27.819 --> 00:01:30.739 the truth, and the life. Your son is the door. 00:01:31.500 --> 00:01:38.060 It's the door to the Father. He is the reason 00:01:38.060 --> 00:01:42.439 we celebrate, the reason we worship. So this 00:01:42.439 --> 00:01:49.040 morning, Lord, we're asking you to help us, to 00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:51.599 help us honor you, to help us worship you the 00:01:51.599 --> 00:01:55.379 way. That you desire to be worshipped and honored. 00:01:55.439 --> 00:01:58.359 Lord we're asking you to help us. Lord remove 00:01:58.359 --> 00:02:03.140 barriers. And remove stanchions. Where our hearts 00:02:03.140 --> 00:02:07.859 have been fragmented. Or Lord segregated. We're 00:02:07.859 --> 00:02:10.310 asking the Lord. that you would help us open 00:02:10.310 --> 00:02:13.409 the doors, Lord, to old things, Lord, that they 00:02:13.409 --> 00:02:16.310 would be made new. Things that are not of you 00:02:16.310 --> 00:02:19.289 or of your nature, Lord, would be removed. Lord, 00:02:19.389 --> 00:02:23.990 today would be a day of cleansing. Today would 00:02:23.990 --> 00:02:27.530 be a day of great grace, releasing your love, 00:02:27.750 --> 00:02:32.330 and that we would experience what it means for 00:02:32.330 --> 00:02:36.610 you to draw near as we draw near. We love you. 00:02:38.060 --> 00:02:42.419 And we bless you this morning. In Jesus' holy 00:02:42.419 --> 00:02:48.000 name. Amen. You can be seated if you can. And 00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:50.159 as I'm doing that, I'm going to ask the ushers 00:02:50.159 --> 00:02:53.460 to come and prepare the communion table. Today 00:02:53.460 --> 00:02:56.759 is a day that we are going to take the table 00:02:56.759 --> 00:03:02.080 of the Lord. And you know, as I was preparing 00:03:02.080 --> 00:03:05.419 for this weekend and when it comes to communion 00:03:05.419 --> 00:03:15.259 Sunday, You know, it really is a holy, if I could 00:03:15.259 --> 00:03:18.580 say it, a holy pressure on me because it's one 00:03:18.580 --> 00:03:21.240 of those things where I end up preparing two 00:03:21.240 --> 00:03:25.939 things. I prepare a message of a theme that God 00:03:25.939 --> 00:03:29.039 has been on with us as the church. But then when 00:03:29.039 --> 00:03:30.900 it comes to communion, I'm always asking, Lord, 00:03:30.979 --> 00:03:33.979 what are you wanting to say in the breaking of 00:03:33.979 --> 00:03:37.520 the bread and in the taking of the cup? And that's 00:03:37.520 --> 00:03:42.460 a big deal. And as I was doing that, I felt the 00:03:42.460 --> 00:03:45.919 Holy Spirit really speak to me this morning, 00:03:46.039 --> 00:03:51.639 or this weekend, saying, I want you to spend 00:03:51.639 --> 00:03:57.780 time. You know, as we set the table and we put 00:03:57.780 --> 00:03:59.699 the elements out of the bread and the cup, and 00:03:59.699 --> 00:04:05.360 it has been... Kind of the revelation that God 00:04:05.360 --> 00:04:08.560 has given me over the years that we don't just 00:04:08.560 --> 00:04:12.539 take it as a ritual or we don't take it as just 00:04:12.539 --> 00:04:15.599 a thing that we do in a service. We actually 00:04:15.599 --> 00:04:20.199 end up allowing the message of communion of all 00:04:20.199 --> 00:04:22.079 the different things that we see in the scripture 00:04:22.079 --> 00:04:25.120 to come alive to us. And we regard it not only 00:04:25.120 --> 00:04:27.779 as sacred, but we regard it as God's word and 00:04:27.779 --> 00:04:30.300 God's message to us. And the Lord said to me, 00:04:30.319 --> 00:04:34.910 I want time this weekend. And he began to highlight 00:04:34.910 --> 00:04:38.490 this verse that I want to share with you this 00:04:38.490 --> 00:04:41.009 morning. And we're going to kind of do things 00:04:41.009 --> 00:04:43.670 a little bit different than what we normally 00:04:43.670 --> 00:04:45.569 have done. So if you're visiting here today, 00:04:45.709 --> 00:04:50.569 thank you so much for being here. This is a little 00:04:50.569 --> 00:04:53.490 bit unique. I'm trusting you're going to enjoy 00:04:53.490 --> 00:04:56.889 it. Because I believe that the Lord gave me a 00:04:56.889 --> 00:05:00.149 very specific strategy to work through today. 00:05:02.079 --> 00:05:07.879 And so I'm looking forward to that. I want you 00:05:07.879 --> 00:05:09.439 to turn in your Bibles, if you would, and we'll 00:05:09.439 --> 00:05:14.199 put it on the screen. Luke 22. Luke chapter 22, 00:05:14.399 --> 00:05:20.860 verse 8 and 9. Thank you, Jenny, for just a moment. 00:05:22.800 --> 00:05:24.500 I'm going to have you guys stay up here if you 00:05:24.500 --> 00:05:30.750 want to. It would be great. Luke 22. we understand 00:05:30.750 --> 00:05:38.129 that Jesus was, this was his last week in Jerusalem, 00:05:38.350 --> 00:05:42.350 okay? And if we take the book of John, you got 00:05:42.350 --> 00:05:45.009 Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the four gospels, 00:05:45.069 --> 00:05:49.370 four gospels, the four gospels, we find that 00:05:49.370 --> 00:05:55.209 John's version of the gospel is, of course, it 00:05:55.209 --> 00:05:59.040 fits. But there are parts of John's gospel that 00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:01.660 in the midst of the other testimony, he goes 00:06:01.660 --> 00:06:05.939 deeper because John relates, if you even read 00:06:05.939 --> 00:06:08.439 his gospel, he relates as the one, even as he 00:06:08.439 --> 00:06:11.319 writes in third person, I'm the one that Jesus 00:06:11.319 --> 00:06:15.180 loved. He said it this way, he goes, and the 00:06:15.180 --> 00:06:18.339 one that Jesus loved was laying on his chest. 00:06:19.220 --> 00:06:22.839 Who writes like that? Okay, first of all, he 00:06:22.839 --> 00:06:27.569 was saying, listen, I am. I am declaring to you, 00:06:27.610 --> 00:06:30.670 even from his perspective of the upper room and 00:06:30.670 --> 00:06:33.089 his perspective of all that was going to take 00:06:33.089 --> 00:06:37.089 place in this Passover going to turn to communion 00:06:37.089 --> 00:06:42.629 meal, John brings us more intimate facts of friendship. 00:06:44.050 --> 00:06:47.370 Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John deal with the aspect 00:06:47.370 --> 00:06:51.850 of what went on at the table. And what went on 00:06:51.850 --> 00:06:53.829 in various aspects, certain gospels highlight 00:06:53.829 --> 00:06:57.290 more of Judas' betrayal. Certain aspects highlight 00:06:57.290 --> 00:07:02.730 just how Jesus talked. But John's gospel, as 00:07:02.730 --> 00:07:05.050 you set it up, is the only gospel that has the 00:07:05.050 --> 00:07:08.069 foot washing in John 13. This is all part of 00:07:08.069 --> 00:07:11.050 the upper room experience. And Jesus' message 00:07:11.050 --> 00:07:15.170 through the gospel of John to the disciples was, 00:07:15.350 --> 00:07:18.230 everyone that was at that table, he said, you're 00:07:18.230 --> 00:07:25.339 all clean. But I need to wash you. Now, in a 00:07:25.339 --> 00:07:27.660 normal sense, we would just say, if we're all 00:07:27.660 --> 00:07:30.899 clean, why are you wanting to wash our feet? 00:07:31.000 --> 00:07:33.040 Well, there was many reasons why Jesus wanted 00:07:33.040 --> 00:07:37.339 to do it. But primarily, he was pointing at something 00:07:37.339 --> 00:07:40.959 that looked more than just physical cleanness. 00:07:41.120 --> 00:07:44.399 It wasn't Jesus saying, listen, I'm a hygiene 00:07:44.399 --> 00:07:47.939 freak, and I just don't like dirty feet at the 00:07:47.939 --> 00:07:51.759 table. Now, he could have been that, but that 00:07:51.759 --> 00:07:54.220 wasn't the issue. He was basically saying to 00:07:54.220 --> 00:07:57.740 us, you're all clean, but I'm washing your feet 00:07:57.740 --> 00:08:01.920 because you need to understand spiritually that 00:08:01.920 --> 00:08:05.040 you can be clean and still pick up stuff along 00:08:05.040 --> 00:08:09.879 the way. Hello? You can be right before God. 00:08:10.589 --> 00:08:14.029 And your walk in the culture, your walk among 00:08:14.029 --> 00:08:17.810 the world, your walk among one another can get 00:08:17.810 --> 00:08:21.550 tainted. And you have to come to a place where 00:08:21.550 --> 00:08:25.870 you recognize your walk, your feet need to be 00:08:25.870 --> 00:08:28.430 cleansed. Even though your whole body, if you 00:08:28.430 --> 00:08:31.029 will, is cleansed because of my blood and my 00:08:31.029 --> 00:08:35.049 presence. Are you there? Now it's important that 00:08:35.049 --> 00:08:37.549 you understand that because feet always deal 00:08:37.549 --> 00:08:43.070 with the walk. And it was spiritually, symbolically 00:08:43.070 --> 00:08:47.070 letting us know that God understands our walk, 00:08:47.090 --> 00:08:50.389 but he creates a place where the water of his 00:08:50.389 --> 00:08:53.730 word and the picture, and there's so many things 00:08:53.730 --> 00:08:56.389 that can be drawn to that. The picture is Jesus 00:08:56.389 --> 00:08:59.669 now washing the disciples' feet. Before he ever 00:08:59.669 --> 00:09:04.009 says... Do this in remembrance of me or I have 00:09:04.009 --> 00:09:05.929 given you a model which you should do to one 00:09:05.929 --> 00:09:08.470 another. Before he ever deals with that, you 00:09:08.470 --> 00:09:13.149 see the son of God washing the feet of what? 00:09:13.269 --> 00:09:19.809 His bride. Not female. The ones that he would 00:09:19.809 --> 00:09:25.019 die for that would be the bride. It was a picture 00:09:25.019 --> 00:09:28.960 of how God was going to come through Jesus as 00:09:28.960 --> 00:09:33.100 the word, as the holy word of God and wash the 00:09:33.100 --> 00:09:37.450 walk during the day. people's journey he knew 00:09:37.450 --> 00:09:40.190 he was heading to heaven they had only heard 00:09:40.190 --> 00:09:42.590 that he was going to the cross they couldn't 00:09:42.590 --> 00:09:44.610 even grasp it they couldn't understand it from 00:09:44.610 --> 00:09:47.769 that meal right after that meal they would sing 00:09:47.769 --> 00:09:51.470 a hymn cross the brook of kindron crossing the 00:09:51.470 --> 00:09:54.149 what we would call right through the valley of 00:09:54.149 --> 00:09:56.529 the shadow of death representing the the very 00:09:56.529 --> 00:09:59.309 valley of hell and suffering itself and go to 00:09:59.309 --> 00:10:02.370 the garden of gethsemane where he would be tested 00:10:02.370 --> 00:10:06.159 in all things and the cross Would come and they 00:10:06.159 --> 00:10:08.639 would not see him for three days as they would 00:10:08.639 --> 00:10:12.440 bury him. He was starting this meal on the cusp 00:10:12.440 --> 00:10:15.019 of everything. And the thing that he wanted to 00:10:15.019 --> 00:10:16.700 show us. And the thing that I wanted to highlight 00:10:16.700 --> 00:10:19.500 to you this morning. Is that in John's gospel. 00:10:19.620 --> 00:10:23.559 He wants to make it clear. He's the one that 00:10:23.559 --> 00:10:29.679 washes you. With the water of his word. That's 00:10:29.679 --> 00:10:34.080 the picture. The king. Can I say it this way? 00:10:34.139 --> 00:10:36.360 In the Old Testament, there was all types of 00:10:36.360 --> 00:10:40.200 washings that had to be done by ritual. In the 00:10:40.200 --> 00:10:43.480 New Testament, it's all about the king washing 00:10:43.480 --> 00:10:50.200 you. Scripture I want to highlight this morning 00:10:50.200 --> 00:10:54.039 is Luke 22. We're all talking about this communion 00:10:54.039 --> 00:10:59.279 table. Let's deal with Luke 22. Jesus sent Peter 00:10:59.279 --> 00:11:05.899 and John. saying, go prepare the Passover for 00:11:05.899 --> 00:11:11.559 us that we may eat it. Now that is a very incredible 00:11:11.559 --> 00:11:13.740 thing. There's lots that we could talk about 00:11:13.740 --> 00:11:16.200 leading up to this, and I'll try to be careful 00:11:16.200 --> 00:11:18.240 that I don't prolong this, but the reality is 00:11:18.909 --> 00:11:21.990 This is the last Passover. It's significant because 00:11:21.990 --> 00:11:25.730 Jesus is now the Passover lamb. He'd attended 00:11:25.730 --> 00:11:28.710 other Passovers where it didn't stop, but this 00:11:28.710 --> 00:11:32.250 Passover was marked that the transfer of a natural 00:11:32.250 --> 00:11:37.669 lamb that would be the very last natural lamb 00:11:37.669 --> 00:11:43.690 would be... You're picking me up, huh? Siri, 00:11:43.870 --> 00:11:48.779 you disobedient AI. I bind you. In Jesus' name. 00:11:48.919 --> 00:11:58.960 All right. So, before Siri interrupted, the last 00:11:58.960 --> 00:12:04.240 natural lamb would give way to the only lamb 00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:08.960 of God. Jesus Christ, the lamb slain before the 00:12:08.960 --> 00:12:11.519 foundation of the world, that time, that Kairos 00:12:11.519 --> 00:12:15.320 time, that God -appointed time was now at this 00:12:15.320 --> 00:12:18.659 last Passover that the scriptures were highlighting. 00:12:18.980 --> 00:12:25.480 And in that process, they had to fulfill all 00:12:25.480 --> 00:12:28.500 that was in the Old Testament so that he could 00:12:28.500 --> 00:12:31.299 fulfill it, so that he could open up the door 00:12:31.299 --> 00:12:34.399 to the new covenant. That's why this is so important 00:12:34.399 --> 00:12:37.519 because Passover gives us some of the building 00:12:37.519 --> 00:12:41.220 blocks that we move into to understand what communion 00:12:41.220 --> 00:12:45.240 stands on of what it came out of. All that way 00:12:45.240 --> 00:12:48.990 back to Genesis 12 where the... picking of a 00:12:48.990 --> 00:12:51.830 lamb that was pure and spotless, put the blood 00:12:51.830 --> 00:12:54.490 on the doorposts and then the highlighting of 00:12:54.490 --> 00:12:57.629 how to treat this lamb and how to eat the meal 00:12:57.629 --> 00:13:00.470 and how to prepare yourself and to prepare your 00:13:00.470 --> 00:13:03.129 house. All that was there in the Old Testament 00:13:03.129 --> 00:13:06.070 is now brought up to the moment right before 00:13:06.070 --> 00:13:11.009 the cross and Jesus now becomes the lamb of God 00:13:11.009 --> 00:13:14.870 that shifts us from staying distant and just 00:13:14.870 --> 00:13:18.600 coming close but yet having someone intervene 00:13:18.600 --> 00:13:25.220 for us to now Jesus removing the person of the 00:13:25.220 --> 00:13:29.600 priesthood to actually being the priesthood and 00:13:29.600 --> 00:13:32.279 bringing us into the presence of God himself. 00:13:32.860 --> 00:13:37.039 That's a big deal. So Jesus sent Peter and John 00:13:37.039 --> 00:13:41.659 saying, go prepare Passover for us that we meet 00:13:41.659 --> 00:13:45.139 it. Now I find it's interesting that Jesus chose 00:13:45.139 --> 00:13:48.850 Peter and John. Because in other places, Jesus 00:13:48.850 --> 00:13:52.789 chose Peter, James, and John. They were the kind 00:13:52.789 --> 00:13:54.669 of, if you want to call it, they were the three 00:13:54.669 --> 00:13:58.370 among the 12. Kind of the, I called it the tri 00:13:58.370 --> 00:14:02.570 -council. Jesus was in the Trinity, your Father, 00:14:02.570 --> 00:14:04.830 Son, Holy Spirit. But he picked Peter, James, 00:14:04.909 --> 00:14:06.769 and John. Why? Because they would end up being, 00:14:06.870 --> 00:14:09.789 at each one of their scenarios, they would end 00:14:09.789 --> 00:14:12.610 up being part of the heads of the apostolic order 00:14:12.610 --> 00:14:15.809 over the church. But James is not invited here. 00:14:16.700 --> 00:14:19.179 if we understand what's about to take place, 00:14:19.360 --> 00:14:25.899 John would never betray the Lord and would be 00:14:25.899 --> 00:14:29.100 the one that would live, if you will, out of 00:14:29.100 --> 00:14:32.580 all the apostles. Even though he would suffer 00:14:32.580 --> 00:14:35.179 for his faith, he would be the longest lasting 00:14:35.179 --> 00:14:39.059 apostle and would not die as a martyr. Even though 00:14:39.059 --> 00:14:41.519 they tried to multiple times and they exiled 00:14:41.519 --> 00:14:45.039 him, he would be the one that would live. and 00:14:45.039 --> 00:14:48.879 live as a friend of God. He's known, if you read 00:14:48.879 --> 00:14:51.759 any of the works of John's writings, he would 00:14:51.759 --> 00:14:57.259 be known as the apostle of what? Love. That's 00:14:57.259 --> 00:14:59.779 what he was known for. No greater love than this. 00:14:59.860 --> 00:15:02.519 He would talk about the love of God. He would 00:15:02.519 --> 00:15:04.879 talk about the fellowship in the love of God. 00:15:05.139 --> 00:15:08.799 And yet Peter, there's a lot of incredible things 00:15:08.799 --> 00:15:12.340 about Peter, but Peter would be known what? In 00:15:12.340 --> 00:15:17.509 just a few, moments, I mean like hours, Peter 00:15:17.509 --> 00:15:22.049 would be known for forsaking Jesus, denying Jesus, 00:15:22.429 --> 00:15:26.149 taking a curse and an oath over himself that 00:15:26.149 --> 00:15:29.330 he was, even though he was lying, denying Christ 00:15:29.330 --> 00:15:32.850 and Christ would look at him. Peter would be 00:15:32.850 --> 00:15:35.809 shaken to the core. Jesus describes that Satan 00:15:35.809 --> 00:15:39.049 had come to sift you, Peter, but I have prayed 00:15:39.049 --> 00:15:41.809 for you and when you come back, how would you 00:15:41.809 --> 00:15:45.679 like to have that prophetic word? Everybody wants 00:15:45.679 --> 00:15:48.519 to have a great prophetic word. And the Lord 00:15:48.519 --> 00:15:53.820 would say, surely you'll be shaken like a flimsy 00:15:53.820 --> 00:15:57.019 reed. But when you come back after being broken 00:15:57.019 --> 00:16:03.100 and decimated, I will accept you. Nobody would 00:16:03.100 --> 00:16:07.279 like that word. You're like, ugh. You know, the 00:16:07.279 --> 00:16:09.580 other guy gets, oh, surely the Lord is going 00:16:09.580 --> 00:16:12.059 to bless you in favor and grace, and you will 00:16:12.059 --> 00:16:16.620 walk as though your feet are on oil. He receives 00:16:16.620 --> 00:16:21.639 that. Scott receives, well, when you come back, 00:16:21.639 --> 00:16:25.299 after you've done your moment of stupidity, I 00:16:25.299 --> 00:16:27.700 will receive you. I mean, that was, in essence, 00:16:27.960 --> 00:16:35.250 that was Peter's word over his life. And Peter, 00:16:35.490 --> 00:16:38.389 you have to understand, Peter, please hear me, 00:16:38.450 --> 00:16:42.090 when we get things from the Lord sometimes that 00:16:42.090 --> 00:16:45.710 he shares about our journey, oftentimes in our 00:16:45.710 --> 00:16:48.470 own pride of what we feel to ourselves, we shuck 00:16:48.470 --> 00:16:53.909 it off and go, oh, that can't be the Lord. And 00:16:53.909 --> 00:16:58.230 just a few hours later, Peter would deny Christ. 00:16:58.690 --> 00:17:02.409 He would actually give up the ministry. He would 00:17:02.409 --> 00:17:05.029 actually go fishing, separate himself, try to 00:17:05.029 --> 00:17:07.730 hide from the shame that he felt internally. 00:17:07.990 --> 00:17:09.890 Then he would struggle with the fact that he 00:17:09.890 --> 00:17:12.269 wasn't worthy even to come back with Jesus. He 00:17:12.269 --> 00:17:15.089 went the full gamut. I mean, he went the full 00:17:15.089 --> 00:17:18.450 gamut. Because listen, he knew that God loved 00:17:18.450 --> 00:17:21.309 him and he knew that Jesus prayed for him, but 00:17:21.309 --> 00:17:24.009 he would do what many of us do and fight embarrassment 00:17:24.009 --> 00:17:25.970 and shame and say, well, I've ruined it all so 00:17:25.970 --> 00:17:28.190 it never can come back. I've blown it. No, no, 00:17:28.210 --> 00:17:34.589 no. God specifically chose Peter and John. Why? 00:17:34.730 --> 00:17:38.990 I think have two examples of the family of God, 00:17:39.029 --> 00:17:41.930 of two brothers that were related, that loved 00:17:41.930 --> 00:17:44.730 Jesus, and each of them made different decisions 00:17:44.730 --> 00:17:47.589 through their sufferings and their trials. And 00:17:47.589 --> 00:17:52.470 it was a marker to say, I want both of them to 00:17:52.470 --> 00:17:58.319 prepare me a place to meet with them. I don't 00:17:58.319 --> 00:18:02.140 just look for Johns. I don't just look for those 00:18:02.140 --> 00:18:06.640 that follow love and have never really walked 00:18:06.640 --> 00:18:09.480 away from things. I love them and I welcome them. 00:18:09.660 --> 00:18:12.980 But I am not partial only. I look for the Peters 00:18:12.980 --> 00:18:16.200 as well. I look for those that have stumbled. 00:18:16.380 --> 00:18:19.059 I look for those that have struggled. And I want 00:18:19.059 --> 00:18:22.339 you to be as much involved in the preparing of 00:18:22.339 --> 00:18:25.930 the room as the Johns. Are you there? The Peter 00:18:25.930 --> 00:18:30.589 and the Johns. Together, the two of them represent 00:18:30.589 --> 00:18:36.450 what? Preparing the room. Now you see, in the 00:18:36.450 --> 00:18:40.130 Old Testament, they prepared the room. And what 00:18:40.130 --> 00:18:42.630 that meant was, actually it wasn't even the room. 00:18:42.730 --> 00:18:47.720 They prepared the meal. If you read Jesus' statement 00:18:47.720 --> 00:18:49.579 in all the other gospels, he says, you'll find 00:18:49.579 --> 00:18:52.000 a man, follow the guy with the pitcher of water, 00:18:52.140 --> 00:18:54.339 tell them that the master's looking for a room. 00:18:54.380 --> 00:18:56.440 He will lead you to a room, notice what it says, 00:18:56.539 --> 00:19:00.640 that's already prepared. So what was Peter and 00:19:00.640 --> 00:19:03.519 James' responsibility? Their responsibility was 00:19:03.519 --> 00:19:06.599 to prepare the lamb. Their responsibility was 00:19:06.599 --> 00:19:10.240 to prepare the meal with all the herbs and spices, 00:19:10.380 --> 00:19:13.339 prepare what they were to drink, the wine. They 00:19:13.339 --> 00:19:15.740 were to get all of the cups and the plates and 00:19:15.740 --> 00:19:17.839 all of the meal of that Passover meal ready. 00:19:17.940 --> 00:19:20.180 And they were to make sure that the room was 00:19:20.180 --> 00:19:25.900 cleansed ceremonially from all the leaven. Cook 00:19:25.900 --> 00:19:28.480 the meat, prepare the meat, and ready to have 00:19:28.480 --> 00:19:31.200 the meal because this was keeping the Passover. 00:19:31.700 --> 00:19:34.880 That was Old Testament. They fulfilled it. You 00:19:34.880 --> 00:19:38.400 know what happens in the New Testament now? It's 00:19:38.400 --> 00:19:43.240 reversed. God has already prepared the lamb. 00:19:44.440 --> 00:19:46.960 It's not our job anymore to bring a lamb, to 00:19:46.960 --> 00:19:49.539 pick it out, to look at it, have it stay in our 00:19:49.539 --> 00:19:53.750 room, and then slaughter it. The Lord has already 00:19:53.750 --> 00:19:57.230 slaughtered the lamb once and for all for our 00:19:57.230 --> 00:20:00.150 behalf. So it's no longer about preparing the 00:20:00.150 --> 00:20:04.349 lamb. It's about what? Preparing the room. In 00:20:04.349 --> 00:20:06.670 the Old Testament, we prepared the lamb, picked 00:20:06.670 --> 00:20:09.289 the lamb because it was all about the perfect 00:20:09.289 --> 00:20:12.150 lamb. It's still all about the perfect lamb because 00:20:12.150 --> 00:20:15.190 God did that with his son. Our job now is to 00:20:15.190 --> 00:20:20.950 what? Prepare the room of our hearts. You see, 00:20:21.029 --> 00:20:26.089 Passover, took time to prepare the meal. Communion 00:20:26.089 --> 00:20:32.450 should take time to prepare your heart. But nevertheless, 00:20:32.650 --> 00:20:37.650 preparation is exactly what the Lord is asking 00:20:37.650 --> 00:20:40.630 us to do. You see, the whole process of preparation 00:20:40.630 --> 00:20:44.930 is important to communion as we give time and 00:20:44.930 --> 00:20:48.609 priority. preparation is involved. I want to 00:20:48.609 --> 00:20:50.930 say this to you. I felt the Holy Spirit so strong 00:20:50.930 --> 00:20:53.130 on this. When I asked him, Lord, what are you 00:20:53.130 --> 00:20:58.309 wanting to do? He said, I want time. He goes, 00:20:58.329 --> 00:21:04.789 I don't want to be fit in. I'm not talking about, 00:21:04.890 --> 00:21:09.019 I'm not talking about. Everybody else out there 00:21:09.019 --> 00:21:11.059 in Christendom, I'm talking here about Life Bible. 00:21:11.200 --> 00:21:13.900 I don't ever want to have a time where we fit 00:21:13.900 --> 00:21:17.279 communion in with the agenda of what we think 00:21:17.279 --> 00:21:21.740 is happening. The reality is communion is about 00:21:21.740 --> 00:21:26.259 what? Preparing your heart and your mind to receive 00:21:26.259 --> 00:21:31.900 the life of Christ at the table. It's an awesome 00:21:31.900 --> 00:21:38.309 thing. It's a heart thing. And if it's a heart 00:21:38.309 --> 00:21:40.430 thing, it means I need to honor the principle 00:21:40.430 --> 00:21:44.150 and the sacredness of it. That's why we would 00:21:44.150 --> 00:21:48.509 say there's many sacraments. The sacraments are 00:21:48.509 --> 00:21:51.509 what? The sacred holy thing. Marriage is a sacred 00:21:51.509 --> 00:22:00.319 event. Communion is a sacred event. Not sacrament, 00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:03.519 but sacred. It is both aspects that we need to 00:22:03.519 --> 00:22:05.960 understand of the holiness and the righteousness 00:22:05.960 --> 00:22:09.819 of God. It is both sacred. It has value. It should 00:22:09.819 --> 00:22:12.380 have deep appreciation in our heart. It should 00:22:12.380 --> 00:22:16.299 cause our hearts to honor and our minds to be 00:22:16.299 --> 00:22:20.680 expanded on who God is and how much he's done 00:22:20.680 --> 00:22:25.099 and what he continues to do. And as the disciples 00:22:25.099 --> 00:22:29.680 prepared the upper room, To eat, to reflect, 00:22:29.759 --> 00:22:33.940 and to hear, and sit, and experience Jesus with 00:22:33.940 --> 00:22:38.900 fellowship. So now we prepare the room of our 00:22:38.900 --> 00:22:43.519 heart. It should be the upper room. Why the upper 00:22:43.519 --> 00:22:48.880 room? It's a room above all rooms. Wherever else 00:22:48.880 --> 00:22:52.049 you live in your heart. The room that has priority 00:22:52.049 --> 00:22:55.490 over every feeling, over every emotion, over 00:22:55.490 --> 00:22:58.589 every thought, over every passion should be the 00:22:58.589 --> 00:23:01.230 upper room in your heart. It is the room you 00:23:01.230 --> 00:23:04.049 go to that is dedicated to the Lord. It's above 00:23:04.049 --> 00:23:07.829 every aspect of any part of your life. It's above 00:23:07.829 --> 00:23:10.670 your spouse. It's above your children. It is 00:23:10.670 --> 00:23:13.470 everything. It is the room of your heart that 00:23:13.470 --> 00:23:16.170 is given to the Lord where you meet with him. 00:23:18.309 --> 00:23:22.119 And as Passover, required a sweeping out of the 00:23:22.119 --> 00:23:25.259 leaven of the house. This points us to ask the 00:23:25.259 --> 00:23:29.660 Lord personally, search the rooms of our heart 00:23:29.660 --> 00:23:33.359 and our minds for anything that's not of you, 00:23:33.420 --> 00:23:37.000 Lord. Anything that's not clean. Anything that's 00:23:37.000 --> 00:23:43.779 not true. Anything that's false. We want your 00:23:43.779 --> 00:23:46.359 light on it because I don't want to live with 00:23:46.359 --> 00:23:50.559 it. That's a perspective. That's an opinion. 00:23:51.019 --> 00:23:55.279 It's a mindset that would not agree with who 00:23:55.279 --> 00:23:59.519 he is or what he has said. But anything that 00:23:59.519 --> 00:24:03.099 would distract us to say, well, I don't have 00:24:03.099 --> 00:24:06.579 to. No, no, no, no. Let the light of Christ come 00:24:06.579 --> 00:24:10.180 on my heart. And any place that I have lived 00:24:10.180 --> 00:24:14.880 in compromise or I have believed that is fractured, 00:24:14.880 --> 00:24:19.170 that is not in full truth, I now believe. Clean 00:24:19.170 --> 00:24:23.029 it and ask you to help me heal it. I can't heal 00:24:23.029 --> 00:24:26.930 myself. Help me bring the truth in the place 00:24:26.930 --> 00:24:31.869 of the lie. Let me just read for you a couple 00:24:31.869 --> 00:24:35.230 of things that will really point this out. Revelation 00:24:35.230 --> 00:24:39.970 chapter 19, verses six through 10 says this. 00:24:40.470 --> 00:24:45.269 I heard what seemed to be a voice of a great 00:24:45.269 --> 00:24:49.099 multitude. like the roar of many waters, like 00:24:49.099 --> 00:24:52.259 the sound of mighty peals of thunder crying out, 00:24:52.400 --> 00:24:57.900 Hallelujah! For the Lord our God Almighty reigns. 00:24:58.140 --> 00:25:01.900 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory 00:25:01.900 --> 00:25:08.140 for the marriage of the Lamb has come and his 00:25:08.140 --> 00:25:16.640 bride has made herself ready. Stop. I need you 00:25:16.640 --> 00:25:21.279 to see something right from the get -go. The 00:25:21.279 --> 00:25:24.819 Lamb of God, who is Jesus Christ, whose blood 00:25:24.819 --> 00:25:31.880 paid for our salvation, has a redemption in us, 00:25:31.960 --> 00:25:35.279 meaning he is going to get what he paid for. 00:25:36.359 --> 00:25:41.450 His blood... paid for us to be saved we now become 00:25:41.450 --> 00:25:44.950 his church his church who he is the head of the 00:25:44.950 --> 00:25:48.849 church and the church is called in many sections 00:25:48.849 --> 00:25:53.109 is called his bride what's the bride's responsibility 00:25:53.109 --> 00:25:57.589 well we couldn't be the bride unless he came 00:25:57.589 --> 00:26:00.250 to us and desired to be part of us and that's 00:26:00.250 --> 00:26:04.920 why he gave himself to us so that we he we We 00:26:04.920 --> 00:26:07.759 love him because he first loved us, the scripture 00:26:07.759 --> 00:26:10.940 says. But you need to understand something. In 00:26:10.940 --> 00:26:14.619 the process of preparation, even though he provided 00:26:14.619 --> 00:26:19.400 everything that we need in him to make ourselves 00:26:19.400 --> 00:26:24.140 ready, it's still our responsibility to make 00:26:24.140 --> 00:26:28.910 ourselves ready. Any bride in this room that 00:26:28.910 --> 00:26:31.910 has been married or is getting married, looking 00:26:31.910 --> 00:26:35.650 over here, hallelujah, in the room would find 00:26:35.650 --> 00:26:41.829 it super awkward, weird, and just awful. If the 00:26:41.829 --> 00:26:45.250 groom came in on the wedding day trying to dress 00:26:45.250 --> 00:26:51.029 you and prepare you, you'd say, out the door. 00:26:52.410 --> 00:26:54.970 I'm going to take care of myself. You will enjoy. 00:26:55.900 --> 00:26:59.579 When I get to the altar. Then you will look. 00:27:00.579 --> 00:27:06.700 Of how it is. Do you understand. That Jesus expects 00:27:06.700 --> 00:27:15.640 the bride. To be self -aware. That there is an 00:27:15.640 --> 00:27:19.180 awareness quotient. That is supposed to be happening 00:27:19.180 --> 00:27:22.779 in every person that has salvation on the inside. 00:27:22.940 --> 00:27:27.000 It means that there is a preparation, not just 00:27:27.000 --> 00:27:31.220 on wedding day, but a life of preparation that 00:27:31.220 --> 00:27:36.220 is constantly thinking about how to live clean 00:27:36.220 --> 00:27:39.700 because I'm engaged and betrothed to the one 00:27:39.700 --> 00:27:44.400 whose life is actually being put in me. So the 00:27:44.400 --> 00:27:47.779 bride has... Notice the scripture. Not to say 00:27:47.779 --> 00:27:51.799 the bride is making herself ready. It says in 00:27:51.799 --> 00:27:55.720 the Greek language, it has been going on. The 00:27:55.720 --> 00:28:04.119 bride has made herself ready. It means that we 00:28:04.119 --> 00:28:07.440 have a responsibility to partner with the Holy 00:28:07.440 --> 00:28:13.059 Spirit in sanctification, in cleansing. and in 00:28:13.059 --> 00:28:16.140 allowing our communication to actually open us 00:28:16.140 --> 00:28:18.680 up and to remove from us the things that are 00:28:18.680 --> 00:28:22.900 not of him. Think of it this way. It says this, 00:28:22.960 --> 00:28:27.380 it was granted to her to clothe herself in fine 00:28:27.380 --> 00:28:30.539 linen, bright and pure, for fine linen is the 00:28:30.539 --> 00:28:35.500 righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel 00:28:35.500 --> 00:28:37.859 said to me, or the messenger, it's literally 00:28:37.859 --> 00:28:39.619 in the Greek, it says, messenger said to me, 00:28:39.640 --> 00:28:43.539 write this. Blessed are those who were invited 00:28:43.539 --> 00:28:46.279 to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And then 00:28:46.279 --> 00:28:50.980 he said to me, these are the true words of God. 00:28:51.180 --> 00:28:56.339 I think that part just jumped out of the page 00:28:56.339 --> 00:29:00.299 at me. John is all right. seeing in Revelation 00:29:00.299 --> 00:29:04.240 19. He's in an atmosphere of, if you understand, 00:29:04.440 --> 00:29:07.400 Revelation 19 is what? The coming of the Lord 00:29:07.400 --> 00:29:10.279 of Jesus Christ. He sees the fullness of God 00:29:10.279 --> 00:29:13.859 coming with 10 ,000 times 10 ,000. He's seeing 00:29:13.859 --> 00:29:18.420 what Enoch saw years ago about the very coming 00:29:18.420 --> 00:29:21.380 of the presence of the Lord. He's seeing the 00:29:21.380 --> 00:29:24.680 saints. In that process, you think about the 00:29:24.680 --> 00:29:28.740 catching away as we meet him in the air. scene 00:29:28.740 --> 00:29:32.059 is filled with the revelation of God as he comes 00:29:32.059 --> 00:29:34.980 as faithful and true and in the midst of it this 00:29:34.980 --> 00:29:38.240 angel has to stop him and say I need you to understand 00:29:38.240 --> 00:29:43.460 something this isn't just a vision these words 00:29:43.460 --> 00:29:48.859 are true not only are they true to him coming 00:29:48.859 --> 00:29:53.759 back but they're true that the bride has prepared 00:29:53.759 --> 00:30:02.339 herself whoo Hebrews 10, 19 says it this way. 00:30:03.839 --> 00:30:06.460 Brothers, since we have confidence to enter the 00:30:06.460 --> 00:30:10.680 holy places. Man, I'd like to preach a whole 00:30:10.680 --> 00:30:14.619 message on that. Notice it doesn't say holy place. 00:30:16.660 --> 00:30:19.920 We think automatically we go right in. Yes, we 00:30:19.920 --> 00:30:22.880 get to. But you know there's other places that 00:30:22.880 --> 00:30:28.200 you can go that are holy? I enter his gates. 00:30:28.970 --> 00:30:31.750 With thanksgiving, where the gates of the Lord, 00:30:31.809 --> 00:30:37.049 they're holy. I enter his courts with praise. 00:30:37.109 --> 00:30:41.359 Those courts are holy. So the writer of Hebrews 00:30:41.359 --> 00:30:43.839 is talking about, listen, you need to understand 00:30:43.839 --> 00:30:47.019 something. When you begin to give praise and 00:30:47.019 --> 00:30:50.480 you begin to give thanksgiving, you get to go 00:30:50.480 --> 00:30:53.500 there not because you're giving praise and thanksgiving. 00:30:53.519 --> 00:30:56.720 Can I just say that? Not because you're giving 00:30:56.720 --> 00:30:59.240 praise and thanksgiving. Look at the caveat. 00:31:00.619 --> 00:31:06.480 Confidence to enter the holy places by the blood 00:31:06.480 --> 00:31:11.799 of Jesus. The reason you can give thanksgiving 00:31:11.799 --> 00:31:15.539 and enter his courts with praise is not because 00:31:15.539 --> 00:31:18.680 you're just doing that. It's because the blood 00:31:18.680 --> 00:31:23.019 of Jesus cleansed you, sanctified you, and made 00:31:23.019 --> 00:31:27.000 clean your sacrifice of praise. When you come 00:31:27.000 --> 00:31:29.759 to give it and you come to give praise and thanksgiving, 00:31:29.859 --> 00:31:32.950 you're already... in the blood of Christ and 00:31:32.950 --> 00:31:36.170 that's what brings you into a holy place. Are 00:31:36.170 --> 00:31:37.890 you doing okay? I feel like I'm preaching myself 00:31:37.890 --> 00:31:41.269 happy this morning. Do we understand what is 00:31:41.269 --> 00:31:44.130 taking place? He said, now you can come near 00:31:44.130 --> 00:31:49.670 by the new and living way. See, the writer of 00:31:49.670 --> 00:31:52.509 Hebrews is just knocking it out of the park. 00:31:52.990 --> 00:31:56.220 New and living way. Which was opposite of what 00:31:56.220 --> 00:31:58.480 the Old Testament, Old Covenant was. Which was 00:31:58.480 --> 00:32:01.160 what? The old way, which was what? The old and 00:32:01.160 --> 00:32:05.319 dead way. Why? Because when you approach God 00:32:05.319 --> 00:32:10.440 in the Old Covenant, everything had to die. And 00:32:10.440 --> 00:32:14.240 there was no resurrection. You brought your animal 00:32:14.240 --> 00:32:18.539 to the priest. Death. And then you did it again. 00:32:18.740 --> 00:32:21.960 Death. And every year you lived in the nation 00:32:21.960 --> 00:32:25.680 of Israel. death after year, death year after 00:32:25.680 --> 00:32:29.400 year, death. It stayed with the putting off of 00:32:29.400 --> 00:32:32.799 sin and the mercy of God extending his mercy 00:32:32.799 --> 00:32:37.200 year after year after year until the one lamb 00:32:37.200 --> 00:32:39.279 would come. That's why the book of Hebrews says, 00:32:39.380 --> 00:32:43.539 now through the new and living way, by the veil 00:32:43.539 --> 00:32:52.680 of his flesh, the way is living. The blood, Is 00:32:52.680 --> 00:32:57.220 not dead animals blood. That covered and never 00:32:57.220 --> 00:33:01.160 speaks. The new and living way means that there's 00:33:01.160 --> 00:33:05.140 blood that moves you into the holy presence of 00:33:05.140 --> 00:33:09.440 God. That is new every morning. His mercies are 00:33:09.440 --> 00:33:13.319 new every morning. His faithfulness is guaranteed. 00:33:13.319 --> 00:33:16.160 That even when we're not faithful, he is faithful. 00:33:16.380 --> 00:33:20.099 It's new. It's living. And it's speaking grace 00:33:20.099 --> 00:33:25.299 and a better word than the blood of Abel. You 00:33:25.299 --> 00:33:27.140 see Hebrews is getting us to the point where 00:33:27.140 --> 00:33:31.099 we're seeing it. That Jesus opened up for us 00:33:31.099 --> 00:33:33.799 through the curtain. I mean the veil. That means 00:33:33.799 --> 00:33:37.759 through his flesh. And we have a great high priest. 00:33:37.960 --> 00:33:39.559 There's so much I could say but I gotta just 00:33:39.559 --> 00:33:43.880 say. Now it's not Aaron. According to the tribe 00:33:43.880 --> 00:33:48.400 of people elected. The high priest now is Melchizedek. 00:33:48.859 --> 00:33:53.660 The what? The priesthood of eternal. The eternal 00:33:53.660 --> 00:33:56.880 priesthood without genealogy that always has 00:33:56.880 --> 00:34:00.799 been, that was always there to administer eternally 00:34:00.799 --> 00:34:05.359 the way of life and offer God blessing. That's 00:34:05.359 --> 00:34:10.039 the priesthood we now come in. He says, now because 00:34:10.039 --> 00:34:13.179 of that, that was all introduction. Because of 00:34:13.179 --> 00:34:19.750 that, let us, who? Okay, three of you got it. 00:34:19.769 --> 00:34:23.429 That's kind of a we. Let's move to an us. Let 00:34:23.429 --> 00:34:30.469 us. Well, no, notice. Let us draw near with a 00:34:30.469 --> 00:34:37.409 true heart in full assurance of faith with our 00:34:37.409 --> 00:34:41.750 hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience 00:34:41.750 --> 00:34:48.110 and our bodies washed with pure water. Do you 00:34:48.110 --> 00:34:52.309 understand? He's taking the language of Old Testament 00:34:52.309 --> 00:34:55.949 sacrifices of what Aaron the high priest or Levi 00:34:55.949 --> 00:34:58.429 the high priest or the line of Levi would do. 00:34:58.590 --> 00:35:01.769 And that is what? Sprinkle the blood on the altar 00:35:01.769 --> 00:35:06.809 and then wash. His priestly hands and garments 00:35:06.809 --> 00:35:10.050 with the water in the basin to clean. He says 00:35:10.050 --> 00:35:13.530 that is done now according to the law. Now the 00:35:13.530 --> 00:35:16.909 principle of that is coming over into your new 00:35:16.909 --> 00:35:19.630 covenant relationship. And you now have what? 00:35:19.710 --> 00:35:23.829 You have now a new priest called Jesus Christ 00:35:23.829 --> 00:35:27.090 under the order of Melchizedek. And by his blood 00:35:27.090 --> 00:35:31.000 you can now. access it it will sprinkle you clean 00:35:31.000 --> 00:35:34.440 from an evil conscience or things that are bothering 00:35:34.440 --> 00:35:37.039 you where you've trespassed against his will 00:35:37.039 --> 00:35:41.079 and his word and you can be what washed by the 00:35:41.079 --> 00:35:44.300 water of the word the very presence of Jesus 00:35:44.300 --> 00:35:47.500 the living word himself so that you don't have 00:35:47.500 --> 00:35:50.579 to live separated but you can live in continued 00:35:50.579 --> 00:35:58.820 fellowship incredible And then he says, then 00:35:58.820 --> 00:36:01.980 you can hold fast to your confession of hope 00:36:01.980 --> 00:36:05.900 without wavering. For he who promised this is 00:36:05.900 --> 00:36:07.880 faithful. Now I've got to just finish up with 00:36:07.880 --> 00:36:09.380 this on the message and then we're going to move 00:36:09.380 --> 00:36:13.739 forward. Listen, when you hold something, you 00:36:13.739 --> 00:36:17.639 can't hold something at a distance very long. 00:36:18.760 --> 00:36:31.380 Okay? We're going to try something here. Just 00:36:31.380 --> 00:36:35.880 hold this out with one hand. Hold fast to your 00:36:35.880 --> 00:36:39.420 confession of faith without wavering for he who 00:36:39.420 --> 00:36:46.079 promised is faithful. How you doing? Okay, we'll 00:36:46.079 --> 00:36:52.340 just stay at it. We're waiting. The reality is 00:36:52.340 --> 00:36:56.260 we could do it for a while. Our own effort. She 00:36:56.260 --> 00:36:57.599 didn't know she was gonna get picked for this. 00:36:57.639 --> 00:36:59.739 No, keep it straight. Don't you work that down. 00:37:03.039 --> 00:37:05.679 She picked this, but seared by the mercies of 00:37:05.679 --> 00:37:07.699 God. Starting to hurt a little bit, isn't it? 00:37:07.699 --> 00:37:10.000 Yeah, that's all right. Endure for Jesus' sake. 00:37:11.900 --> 00:37:17.460 Okay. You see, in your own strength, this becomes, 00:37:17.599 --> 00:37:21.420 you're wavering. He who does not waver is faithful. 00:37:21.500 --> 00:37:25.179 Come on. He never wavers. Jesus never wavers. 00:37:25.820 --> 00:37:29.610 But how many know you and I waver? You're wavering, 00:37:29.610 --> 00:37:32.289 aren't you? A little bit. Yes. Okay. See, see 00:37:32.289 --> 00:37:34.349 what your own strength has. No, don't you use 00:37:34.349 --> 00:37:38.889 that. The whole, the whole point. See, the whole 00:37:38.889 --> 00:37:41.010 point is, thank you. You did a great job. Let's 00:37:41.010 --> 00:37:46.309 give her a big hand. Thank you. What's the whole 00:37:46.309 --> 00:37:50.070 point? The whole point is trying to do Christianity 00:37:50.070 --> 00:37:53.650 in your own strength from a distance is impossible 00:37:53.650 --> 00:37:58.750 long -term. And yet most of us want to only touch 00:37:58.750 --> 00:38:01.869 Jesus once in a while and just keep him at a 00:38:01.869 --> 00:38:05.929 distance. When you want to draw near, what do 00:38:05.929 --> 00:38:09.190 you have to do? I'll tell you what you have to 00:38:09.190 --> 00:38:14.010 do. In order to hold something fast, when the 00:38:14.010 --> 00:38:16.789 Bible says hold fast, you have to do what? You 00:38:16.789 --> 00:38:20.750 have to bring it in here. I can hold things a 00:38:20.750 --> 00:38:25.130 whole lot longer. I can walk the journey a whole, 00:38:25.269 --> 00:38:28.750 I can carry it through seasons, even though this 00:38:28.750 --> 00:38:31.250 will get tired. Ask any mother that brings their 00:38:31.250 --> 00:38:34.130 child up here. All of a sudden, they have learned 00:38:34.130 --> 00:38:38.269 the stamina of holding something near and on 00:38:38.269 --> 00:38:42.150 the process because that's the whole point. It's 00:38:42.150 --> 00:38:44.909 the carry position. Now, I don't, I got a love 00:38:44.909 --> 00:38:47.250 handle. I can set it on here, but for most of 00:38:47.250 --> 00:38:49.769 them with the hip and next to it, the reality 00:38:49.769 --> 00:38:54.599 is you can do this, what? Through the day. You're 00:38:54.599 --> 00:38:57.260 not just here a little, there a little. You're 00:38:57.260 --> 00:39:00.860 holding on. Why? Because each day, God gives 00:39:00.860 --> 00:39:04.420 us enough strength for that day. So he gives 00:39:04.420 --> 00:39:07.460 us the ability, if we want to actually go into 00:39:07.460 --> 00:39:09.539 fellowship with the Lord, guess what we gotta 00:39:09.539 --> 00:39:12.860 do? I can't hold him at a distance. I gotta do 00:39:12.860 --> 00:39:15.880 what? I gotta bring him near. And in bringing 00:39:15.880 --> 00:39:20.719 near causes me now to love him and be close to 00:39:20.719 --> 00:39:26.000 him, which means what? He sees it already, but 00:39:26.000 --> 00:39:29.119 he's now wanting to have fellowship in areas 00:39:29.119 --> 00:39:35.960 that I had originally put distance in. Well, 00:39:36.059 --> 00:39:39.059 I didn't really want you to deal with that area. 00:39:39.840 --> 00:39:43.900 I kind of like this opinion. I kind of want... 00:39:44.969 --> 00:39:47.969 Well, see, if I'm gonna hold fast to the confession 00:39:47.969 --> 00:39:51.690 of my faith, and I'm gonna draw, so now draw 00:39:51.690 --> 00:39:55.650 near, which means what? I gotta bring him in 00:39:55.650 --> 00:39:59.449 close. Notice he says, and he will, doesn't say, 00:39:59.550 --> 00:40:02.650 and he will draw near. Do you see that? You're 00:40:02.650 --> 00:40:05.250 sprinkled with the blood for a clean conscience. 00:40:05.309 --> 00:40:07.949 You're washed by the water of the word. Now, 00:40:07.949 --> 00:40:10.550 do you notice the participation? You would think 00:40:10.550 --> 00:40:13.030 as the Holy Spirit, the blood of Christ cleanses 00:40:13.030 --> 00:40:15.690 you and the water of the living word is now around 00:40:15.690 --> 00:40:18.769 you and over you. That's him near. And then there's 00:40:18.769 --> 00:40:24.800 still another command. Yeah, you draw near. See, 00:40:24.840 --> 00:40:27.440 so many times religion tries to tell us that 00:40:27.440 --> 00:40:30.940 God will do all of it. God does his part, but 00:40:30.940 --> 00:40:34.940 he always is wanting you to participate. And 00:40:34.940 --> 00:40:41.579 the drawing near is part of the fellowship. You 00:40:41.579 --> 00:40:44.880 see, our focus at communion is on the sacred. 00:40:45.760 --> 00:40:48.219 It's on the holy nature of his righteousness. 00:40:48.800 --> 00:40:53.260 Our focus is on sharing the life of God on how 00:40:53.260 --> 00:40:59.280 we now have been given Christ. Our focus is on 00:40:59.280 --> 00:41:03.480 the love of God, his grace that he gave to us, 00:41:03.480 --> 00:41:08.000 and what? And the fact that our proximity to 00:41:08.000 --> 00:41:12.840 him is supposed to be near, because why? He wants 00:41:12.840 --> 00:41:19.559 fellowship. Let me just give you a few verses 00:41:19.559 --> 00:41:24.659 for fellowship. First John 1 .3. And indeed, 00:41:24.820 --> 00:41:30.539 our fellowship is with the Father and with his 00:41:30.539 --> 00:41:35.239 Son, Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1 .9, God is 00:41:35.239 --> 00:41:41.659 faithful by whom you were called into the fellowship 00:41:41.659 --> 00:41:47.159 of his Son, Jesus Christ. You see, here's a key 00:41:47.159 --> 00:41:50.280 truth that you will hear in the world. You've 00:41:50.280 --> 00:41:55.449 heard it said this way. Who you are surrounded 00:41:55.449 --> 00:42:05.389 by, you'll become like them. Another way of saying 00:42:05.389 --> 00:42:09.030 is that you become like the people who you spend 00:42:09.030 --> 00:42:13.809 time with. The scripture that people use to define 00:42:13.809 --> 00:42:18.230 that is, do you not know that bad company corrupts 00:42:18.230 --> 00:42:22.079 good morals? What are we saying? We're saying, 00:42:22.159 --> 00:42:24.019 and you've noticed it, you know it your whole 00:42:24.019 --> 00:42:27.539 life. Depending on the kind of people that you 00:42:27.539 --> 00:42:30.940 spend time with the most, you will become like 00:42:30.940 --> 00:42:33.579 that circle of people. That will be your influence. 00:42:33.920 --> 00:42:38.400 That will be the reference point. The question 00:42:38.400 --> 00:42:42.099 is, as we have about 45 minutes here, as we begin 00:42:42.099 --> 00:42:48.039 to move into communion, are you spending time? 00:42:48.889 --> 00:42:53.909 in fellowship with the Lord where you are actually 00:42:53.909 --> 00:42:59.510 exchanging your life for his. You see, because 00:42:59.510 --> 00:43:05.849 fellowship, the word means more than relationship, 00:43:05.909 --> 00:43:12.070 it means frequency of relationship. Let me say 00:43:12.070 --> 00:43:16.690 it again. Fellowship means frequency of relationship. 00:43:17.500 --> 00:43:21.099 That's why in the 80s, so many people started 00:43:21.099 --> 00:43:24.420 changing the name of church. They were trying 00:43:24.420 --> 00:43:26.619 to be relevant. Yes, I understand that. But on 00:43:26.619 --> 00:43:29.559 the same token, they had really caught this idea 00:43:29.559 --> 00:43:32.980 of small groups and koinonia. And so what did 00:43:32.980 --> 00:43:35.219 they change? Was the part of the church that 00:43:35.219 --> 00:43:38.639 I, when I moved from the Mennonite congregation, 00:43:39.000 --> 00:43:41.619 Mennonite church in Albany, Fairview Mennonite, 00:43:41.639 --> 00:43:45.940 and we found Eugene Christian Fellowship. why 00:43:45.940 --> 00:43:49.000 did they name it fellowship because fellowship 00:43:49.000 --> 00:43:55.159 meant we come here frequently in a lifestyle 00:43:55.159 --> 00:43:57.820 where people didn't want to be associated and 00:43:57.820 --> 00:43:59.960 go to church what did they do they changed the 00:43:59.960 --> 00:44:02.179 name because they were saying it's we're still 00:44:02.179 --> 00:44:04.559 the church we are people are the church we're 00:44:04.559 --> 00:44:07.619 part of the fellowship which what meets frequently 00:44:07.619 --> 00:44:09.860 which was the end of that verse by the way in 00:44:09.860 --> 00:44:13.210 hebrews encourage one another To meet together 00:44:13.210 --> 00:44:15.250 all the more as you see the day approaching. 00:44:15.349 --> 00:44:20.710 Because why? You've been drawn near. It's fellowship. 00:44:21.110 --> 00:44:23.650 Fellowship then means what? It's relationship. 00:44:23.789 --> 00:44:27.630 It's frequency. It means participation in sharing 00:44:27.630 --> 00:44:33.329 of life. Listen to how John puts it in 1 John 00:44:33.329 --> 00:44:39.789 1 .7. If we walk in the light as he is in the 00:44:39.789 --> 00:44:45.079 light. We have fellowship with one another and 00:44:45.079 --> 00:44:49.599 the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. 00:44:50.780 --> 00:44:55.960 Think about that. That's what we're dealing with 00:44:55.960 --> 00:45:00.119 here in communion this morning. We have been 00:45:00.119 --> 00:45:04.199 afforded the opportunity, the great honor to 00:45:04.199 --> 00:45:09.860 prepare the Holy Spirit with, how I can say, 00:45:10.269 --> 00:45:13.429 in partnership with the Holy Spirit, a place 00:45:13.429 --> 00:45:21.610 to have Jesus share a meal with us. God gives 00:45:21.610 --> 00:45:25.449 us a role to prepare our hearts for him. We have 00:45:25.449 --> 00:45:30.170 a role in the fellowship with the Lord. We have 00:45:30.170 --> 00:45:32.889 a greater responsibility now because of the new 00:45:32.889 --> 00:45:37.090 covenant with one another to live in this place 00:45:37.090 --> 00:45:42.840 of fellowship with him. and one another. So here's 00:45:42.840 --> 00:45:47.059 some questions this morning. And here's the different 00:45:47.059 --> 00:45:50.340 part. Instead of just rising and going through 00:45:50.340 --> 00:45:53.219 the communion table, I'm gonna give us four or 00:45:53.219 --> 00:45:56.340 five questions this morning. And I'm gonna lead 00:45:56.340 --> 00:45:58.440 us into some prayers and then we're gonna give 00:45:58.440 --> 00:46:00.659 some time for you just to pray before the Lord. 00:46:01.880 --> 00:46:05.500 We're gonna create space in the upper room of 00:46:05.500 --> 00:46:09.099 your heart to meet with Jesus. and to prepare 00:46:09.099 --> 00:46:12.539 your heart to have and share that meal. Here's 00:46:12.539 --> 00:46:17.559 my first question to you this morning. Lord, 00:46:17.659 --> 00:46:23.260 as we come before you, Lord, our first responsibility 00:46:23.260 --> 00:46:28.360 according to 1 Corinthians 11 is Lord, that we 00:46:28.360 --> 00:46:33.719 would actually allow ourselves to look inside 00:46:33.719 --> 00:46:38.530 and take inventory. Lord, you use the word, if 00:46:38.530 --> 00:46:40.909 we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged 00:46:40.909 --> 00:46:44.630 with the world. We use that word judge and what 00:46:44.630 --> 00:46:47.070 it means, it means that we take inventory of 00:46:47.070 --> 00:46:52.070 self. Lord, I'm asking for your grace. I'm asking 00:46:52.070 --> 00:46:55.449 for the light of your truth. I'm asking for your 00:46:55.449 --> 00:46:59.989 love to help me, point out to me, show me any 00:46:59.989 --> 00:47:04.809 place in my heart where there is unconfessed 00:47:04.809 --> 00:47:09.780 sin. Where there are things that I'm doing that 00:47:09.780 --> 00:47:15.199 are in opposition to your word. Reveal those 00:47:15.199 --> 00:47:20.920 to me. Ask the question. Is there anything in 00:47:20.920 --> 00:47:26.000 your heart? Any sin that you're currently in. 00:47:27.000 --> 00:47:30.900 That you're living and you know it. The conviction 00:47:30.900 --> 00:47:33.179 of the Holy Spirit has been there but you put 00:47:33.179 --> 00:47:36.019 it off. Anything that you know that you're not 00:47:36.019 --> 00:47:38.719 in right alignment with the Lord as he lives 00:47:38.719 --> 00:47:41.800 in you, you keep closing the door on the Holy 00:47:41.800 --> 00:47:44.780 Spirit. For some of you in this room, that means 00:47:44.780 --> 00:47:47.780 you've made some... financial decisions. Maybe 00:47:47.780 --> 00:47:50.840 you're living in sin with somebody. You're sharing 00:47:50.840 --> 00:47:53.679 a bedroom or you're sharing a place and you know 00:47:53.679 --> 00:47:55.920 that you shouldn't, but because of financial 00:47:55.920 --> 00:47:58.619 concessions, you got yourself in a place that 00:47:58.619 --> 00:48:01.119 you shouldn't be. And the spirit of God keeps 00:48:01.119 --> 00:48:03.739 quickening. And what it's done is it's actually 00:48:03.739 --> 00:48:06.320 opened doors. You've actually opened more doors. 00:48:06.440 --> 00:48:08.860 You've tried to shut certain doors and other 00:48:08.860 --> 00:48:11.179 doors keep opening. Why? Because you're living 00:48:11.179 --> 00:48:14.780 in a place of conflict. Today is a day that you 00:48:14.780 --> 00:48:17.860 can bring that to the Lord and say, God, I ask 00:48:17.860 --> 00:48:20.300 you to forgive me. And I'm asking you to now 00:48:20.300 --> 00:48:24.739 to give me the grace to actually live out how 00:48:24.739 --> 00:48:29.260 to walk with you. No longer am I gonna ask forgiveness 00:48:29.260 --> 00:48:32.059 and just go right back to the same thing. That's 00:48:32.059 --> 00:48:36.559 not repentance. That's remorse. I'm asking you 00:48:36.559 --> 00:48:40.300 to give me grace now to walk out what it means 00:48:40.300 --> 00:48:45.150 to be, to live with you, In the purity and sincerity 00:48:45.150 --> 00:48:51.409 of truth of your spirit. Help me. Help me live 00:48:51.409 --> 00:48:54.869 clean. Help me by your grace. I can't do it on 00:48:54.869 --> 00:48:58.949 my own. Your grace has to help me. But I'm going 00:48:58.949 --> 00:49:05.309 to bend my will to your will. Let's just ask 00:49:05.309 --> 00:49:07.250 the Holy Spirit. Are there any things? Are there 00:49:07.250 --> 00:49:12.739 any philosophies? Some of you. You know the Lord 00:49:12.739 --> 00:49:16.199 has been speaking to you about compromise with 00:49:16.199 --> 00:49:21.699 different forms of medications. Even marijuana. 00:49:21.699 --> 00:49:25.659 Some of you crossing the line with forms of alcohol. 00:49:25.860 --> 00:49:31.460 You know this. And the Holy Spirit comes actually 00:49:31.460 --> 00:49:35.139 as a loving representative to say today is a 00:49:35.139 --> 00:49:39.079 day. That not only do I come to cleanse of sin 00:49:39.079 --> 00:49:42.059 if it's repentant of, but I come to give grace 00:49:42.059 --> 00:49:45.159 to help you walk out of those cycles. For some 00:49:45.159 --> 00:49:48.300 of you, you're living with anger. For some of 00:49:48.300 --> 00:49:54.320 you, you're living with offense. Lord, cleanse 00:49:54.320 --> 00:50:00.880 me. Wash me. Remove from me. And God, give me 00:50:00.880 --> 00:50:05.139 the grace and the strength. Lord, to walk now 00:50:05.139 --> 00:50:10.059 in obedience. Lord, I know I might not do it 00:50:10.059 --> 00:50:12.440 perfect. You're not asking for perfect, but you're 00:50:12.440 --> 00:50:15.639 asking for surrender and you're asking for sincerity 00:50:15.639 --> 00:50:21.019 of heart to obey, to desire to obey. Give me 00:50:21.019 --> 00:50:29.579 that, Lord. Give me that, Lord. Just take some 00:50:29.579 --> 00:50:40.360 time. Now as we come to the table, the next question 00:50:40.360 --> 00:50:43.699 is this as you're sitting there. Am I coming 00:50:43.699 --> 00:50:49.699 to the table of the Lord? I've confessed sin 00:50:49.699 --> 00:50:52.440 that I've been knowledge of participating in 00:50:52.440 --> 00:50:56.440 and I've forsaken. But now I come to that place, 00:50:56.500 --> 00:51:00.519 Holy Spirit, in the upper room. Lord, help me 00:51:00.519 --> 00:51:06.230 come with a pure heart, with gratitude. And humility 00:51:06.230 --> 00:51:13.730 of spirit. Psalms 24 verse 3 says. Who shall 00:51:13.730 --> 00:51:17.829 ascend to the hill of the Lord. And who shall 00:51:17.829 --> 00:51:24.050 stand. In his holy place. The one who has clean 00:51:24.050 --> 00:51:28.030 hands and a pure heart. The one who does not 00:51:28.030 --> 00:51:35.480 lift up. What is false. And does not swear deceitfully. 00:51:37.360 --> 00:51:40.940 By coming to the table with a pure heart. And 00:51:40.940 --> 00:51:46.739 with gratitude. Do I understand. How much you've 00:51:46.739 --> 00:51:51.920 done for me Lord. Lord if you never did another 00:51:51.920 --> 00:51:56.440 thing for me. If you never did one other thing 00:51:56.440 --> 00:52:01.119 for me Lord. Would I be grateful just for inclusion. 00:52:02.079 --> 00:52:06.159 And for having you on the inside and knowing 00:52:06.159 --> 00:52:08.940 my name is written in your book and that I've 00:52:08.940 --> 00:52:13.920 passed from death to life. God, forgive me. And 00:52:13.920 --> 00:52:16.519 this is where we get now in the cleansing part 00:52:16.519 --> 00:52:19.400 of removing the leaven from the upper room. Forgive 00:52:19.400 --> 00:52:27.159 me for comparing my life with other people. Lord, 00:52:27.199 --> 00:52:30.420 every time that I'm not rejoiced deeply from 00:52:30.420 --> 00:52:33.360 the heart when somebody else has blessed, when 00:52:33.360 --> 00:52:36.719 somebody else has favor, when somebody else actually 00:52:36.719 --> 00:52:40.219 has prayers answered and mine seem to still be 00:52:40.219 --> 00:52:44.699 on the hot plate of heaven. Lord, forgive me 00:52:44.699 --> 00:52:49.380 of every time I've held a grudge on the inside 00:52:49.380 --> 00:52:53.159 because someone else is walking in something 00:52:53.159 --> 00:52:58.300 I felt like I didn't. should have too. I've not 00:52:58.300 --> 00:53:01.199 been grateful for my portion. I've not been grateful 00:53:01.199 --> 00:53:05.159 with my lot. I've secretly allowed things to 00:53:05.159 --> 00:53:09.980 even shape my faith. It's eroded certain things 00:53:09.980 --> 00:53:14.179 because I've allowed my experience in my own 00:53:14.179 --> 00:53:18.300 mind and heart to be shut down against believing 00:53:18.300 --> 00:53:21.320 your word and staying in faith and cleanness. 00:53:24.840 --> 00:53:27.659 I've tried to alter the promises of God. I've 00:53:27.659 --> 00:53:31.019 tried to actually make the promises of God happen 00:53:31.019 --> 00:53:34.880 over my life by my strength and my own mind. 00:53:35.000 --> 00:53:47.099 God, cleanse me. Cleanse me. Cleanse me. Just 00:53:47.099 --> 00:53:50.239 allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you on gratitude 00:53:50.239 --> 00:53:53.889 and a pure heart. As they play before the Lord 00:53:53.889 --> 00:54:02.469 here a little bit. Jesus, Jesus. As you're standing 00:54:02.469 --> 00:54:07.969 now, are we coming to the table? The next question 00:54:07.969 --> 00:54:14.250 is with a genuine spirit of love and surrender 00:54:14.250 --> 00:54:17.610 and worship to the risen Lord for everything 00:54:17.610 --> 00:54:23.019 he's done and everything his life gives us. See, 00:54:23.059 --> 00:54:26.940 this question gets to the very center where Jesus 00:54:26.940 --> 00:54:31.219 said when a lawyer of the Old Testament scriptures 00:54:31.219 --> 00:54:35.800 said, which is the greatest commandment? And 00:54:35.800 --> 00:54:41.260 he said, this all hangs of the law and the prophets. 00:54:41.360 --> 00:54:43.440 Everything that was trying to be communicated 00:54:43.440 --> 00:54:46.860 from God in the Old Testament hangs on this truth. 00:54:47.199 --> 00:54:51.480 You shall love the Lord your God with all your 00:54:51.480 --> 00:54:56.550 heart. all your mind, all your strength, and 00:54:56.550 --> 00:55:00.710 all your emotion. And the second is like it. 00:55:01.130 --> 00:55:05.849 You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The 00:55:05.849 --> 00:55:08.329 question we asked the Lord this morning in communion, 00:55:08.710 --> 00:55:14.869 Lord, where have I put restraints? Because of 00:55:14.869 --> 00:55:18.719 fear? Because of fear what others may say? Because 00:55:18.719 --> 00:55:21.539 of fear of not wanting to look foolish? Where 00:55:21.539 --> 00:55:25.159 have I restrained my love for you? Where have 00:55:25.159 --> 00:55:29.119 I restrained my worship with you? Where have 00:55:29.119 --> 00:55:34.179 I been uncomfortable to bring my flesh to yield 00:55:34.179 --> 00:55:38.619 to the truth of your word and your spirit? God, 00:55:38.679 --> 00:55:42.760 why have I not allowed this word in John 4, 23? 00:55:44.079 --> 00:55:46.980 For the hour is coming and now is here that true 00:55:46.980 --> 00:55:50.159 worshipers will worship the Father in spirit 00:55:50.159 --> 00:55:54.420 and in truth. For the Father is seeking such 00:55:54.420 --> 00:55:57.599 people to worship him. God is spirit and those 00:55:57.599 --> 00:56:01.639 who worship him must worship him in spirit and 00:56:01.639 --> 00:56:06.010 in truth. Lord, remove from me places that I 00:56:06.010 --> 00:56:09.349 have not surrendered. Remove the staves. Remove 00:56:09.349 --> 00:56:13.090 the excuses. Remove the limitations. And God, 00:56:13.190 --> 00:56:17.329 let me serve you with all my strength, all my 00:56:17.329 --> 00:56:21.190 heart, all my understanding. I may be older. 00:56:21.409 --> 00:56:24.150 This room might be older. Might never be able 00:56:24.150 --> 00:56:27.230 to stand the whole service. That doesn't matter. 00:56:27.510 --> 00:56:32.039 But is my heart, my soul, my mind. and my strength 00:56:32.039 --> 00:56:35.659 giving you all that I have. Remove from me the 00:56:35.659 --> 00:56:41.000 fleshly carnal restraints and bring to me a joy 00:56:41.000 --> 00:56:44.559 of liberation. Lord, for all that you're doing 00:56:44.559 --> 00:56:48.099 and all that you want to do in my life. And I 00:56:48.099 --> 00:56:52.639 worship you in spirit and in truth. And as we 00:56:52.639 --> 00:56:54.800 do and we wait on the Lord now and just that, 00:56:54.900 --> 00:56:58.000 we're going to sing this song together in Jesus' 00:56:58.139 --> 00:57:00.360 name. Just wait a little bit as the band just, 00:57:00.960 --> 00:57:07.920 Moves us into that place. Thank you, Jesus. Remove 00:57:07.920 --> 00:57:16.139 from me, Lord. Cleanse me, Jesus. I want to give 00:57:16.139 --> 00:57:22.760 you all that I am. Now, Lord, at this table, 00:57:22.820 --> 00:57:30.099 Lord, as we are surrendering to you, Lord, we've 00:57:30.099 --> 00:57:32.480 asked you to remove the leaven. We've asked you, 00:57:32.500 --> 00:57:36.500 Lord, to search us. And now, Lord, we're asking 00:57:36.500 --> 00:57:39.659 for that place in our heart as the light of Christ 00:57:39.659 --> 00:57:45.760 is shining. Lord, begin to point out the place 00:57:45.760 --> 00:57:52.539 of faith. Lord, faith. Not only our faith in 00:57:52.539 --> 00:57:56.099 you, but faith for the promises that you've given 00:57:56.099 --> 00:58:01.420 us. Faith in... to obey your word, faith, to 00:58:01.420 --> 00:58:06.039 believe all that you've said. Lord, we bring, 00:58:06.059 --> 00:58:10.960 Lord, our faith before you. Even as the disciples 00:58:10.960 --> 00:58:14.460 cried out multiple times, God, help our faith, 00:58:14.539 --> 00:58:17.920 strengthen our faith. Lord, as we come to this 00:58:17.920 --> 00:58:21.159 table this morning, it represents, Lord, the 00:58:21.159 --> 00:58:24.139 bread, represents your word, it represents your 00:58:24.139 --> 00:58:27.179 body, it represents, Lord, what it was said in 00:58:27.179 --> 00:58:30.119 the scriptures that by your stripes and by your 00:58:30.119 --> 00:58:33.559 suffering and by the very condemnation you took 00:58:33.559 --> 00:58:36.500 in our place, your stripes have made us whole. 00:58:36.619 --> 00:58:40.929 You've brought healing. Lord, Remove from us 00:58:40.929 --> 00:58:43.949 everything that stood in front of that faith, 00:58:44.090 --> 00:58:48.230 whether it's experience, whether it's time, whatever 00:58:48.230 --> 00:58:52.090 lie that has tried to capture our faith and keep 00:58:52.090 --> 00:58:55.289 it small. I'm asking, Lord, as we bring it to 00:58:55.289 --> 00:58:58.550 you, whatever promise you've made to us, because 00:58:58.550 --> 00:59:01.530 you said all the promises were yes and amen in 00:59:01.530 --> 00:59:05.750 Jesus. And I'm asking, Lord, that we would come 00:59:05.750 --> 00:59:11.070 to this table with expectancy. Taking the bread, 00:59:11.289 --> 00:59:16.110 releasing your life of your word inside of our 00:59:16.110 --> 00:59:19.010 bodies personally and inside of this congregation. 00:59:20.250 --> 00:59:23.710 Drinking the cup, walking in the righteousness 00:59:23.710 --> 00:59:27.530 of God by his own blood, walking in the truth 00:59:27.530 --> 00:59:30.809 of the newness of life. It's not by works that 00:59:30.809 --> 00:59:33.469 we have obtained it, but by your favor and your 00:59:33.469 --> 00:59:37.949 grace. And we now walk in expectation. that you're 00:59:37.949 --> 00:59:41.309 speaking to us, guiding us, and that we're walking 00:59:41.309 --> 00:59:45.690 with you. Lord, even as we bring our tithes and 00:59:45.690 --> 00:59:48.849 offerings this morning, Lord, it speaks at the 00:59:48.849 --> 00:59:53.090 table. It speaks to the expectancy that we put 00:59:53.090 --> 00:59:56.389 our trust in you, that you're the God that provides. 00:59:56.989 --> 01:00:01.429 You're the God who said, test me in that, in 01:00:01.429 --> 01:00:04.469 the old covenant. You're so, if that was true 01:00:04.469 --> 01:00:10.150 then, it is so true now. that you provide. You're 01:00:10.150 --> 01:00:13.110 the God who gives the laws of sowing and reaping. 01:00:13.170 --> 01:00:17.329 Lord, we trust you, not just for overflow. We 01:00:17.329 --> 01:00:21.949 trust you, Lord, when there is strain. We trust 01:00:21.949 --> 01:00:25.710 you when there is in the natural, seemingly provision 01:00:25.710 --> 01:00:29.630 that is lacking. We're asking you, God, bring 01:00:29.630 --> 01:00:34.510 our faith back to fullness, to believe your promises. 01:00:36.170 --> 01:00:39.510 Lord, I thank you right now. Even as you're speaking 01:00:39.510 --> 01:00:43.130 to people of situations with their homes, with 01:00:43.130 --> 01:00:49.329 their business, you are breathing fresh grace 01:00:49.329 --> 01:00:54.750 and restoring their faith. Bring it into fullness 01:00:54.750 --> 01:01:00.570 for them to believe. Lord, the great lesson that 01:01:00.570 --> 01:01:04.510 you told us in Mark chapter 11, verse 22, that 01:01:04.510 --> 01:01:07.929 said, When you speak now to a circumstance, a 01:01:07.929 --> 01:01:11.110 tree, a mountain, and say, be plucked up and 01:01:11.110 --> 01:01:13.289 removed that's standing in the way that needs 01:01:13.289 --> 01:01:18.590 faith. You said, have the faith of God. Have 01:01:18.590 --> 01:01:22.309 the faith of God, which means what? Jesus had 01:01:22.309 --> 01:01:25.949 God's faith. He was God. He believed in God. 01:01:26.030 --> 01:01:30.670 No place of doubt. Remove from us the doubt. 01:01:31.849 --> 01:01:36.000 We don't want any unbelief. remove from us the 01:01:36.000 --> 01:01:38.800 doubt that you will do what you said you would 01:01:38.800 --> 01:01:41.420 do if we stand in the place. And then he says, 01:01:41.480 --> 01:01:44.900 as you confess it and having the faith of God, 01:01:45.000 --> 01:01:49.380 as you stand there, if praying and you know of 01:01:49.380 --> 01:01:51.780 anyone that's offended you or you've offended 01:01:51.780 --> 01:01:55.909 them, ask for forgiveness, release them. Or go 01:01:55.909 --> 01:01:59.190 to them personally as it says in Matthew 5 and 01:01:59.190 --> 01:02:02.349 forgive them. Leave your gift at the altar and 01:02:02.349 --> 01:02:08.349 go be reconciled and be aligned and right. As 01:02:08.349 --> 01:02:11.449 we're standing here in this moment asking faith 01:02:11.449 --> 01:02:19.289 to spring up. Remove from us any offense, any 01:02:19.289 --> 01:02:27.280 little thing. We forgive. We release them. And 01:02:27.280 --> 01:02:31.800 we ask to be released ourselves. Removed from 01:02:31.800 --> 01:02:39.980 us. Unforgiveness. Now let joy begin to fill 01:02:39.980 --> 01:02:45.400 our hearts. The expectation that we are not eating 01:02:45.400 --> 01:02:49.000 something of ritual, but we are eating something 01:02:49.000 --> 01:02:52.780 that is to quicken our spirit, where our faith 01:02:52.780 --> 01:02:56.639 and our strength fills us. We are eating now 01:02:56.639 --> 01:03:01.820 of the life of Christ. Let the joy of the Lord 01:03:01.820 --> 01:03:05.260 begin to flood in as we release and as we have 01:03:05.260 --> 01:03:08.139 stood in the light and we've given you the time. 01:03:08.179 --> 01:03:11.079 We worship you and we say now with expectation 01:03:11.079 --> 01:03:14.960 as we come around this table, speak to us, fill 01:03:14.960 --> 01:03:18.360 us. Anoint us. Lord let the light of your glory 01:03:18.360 --> 01:03:21.440 come. And Lord that we might have fellowship 01:03:21.440 --> 01:03:26.960 at your table this morning. In Jesus name. In 01:03:26.960 --> 01:03:29.760 Jesus name. I'm going to pray for this table. 01:03:30.340 --> 01:03:32.440 I'm going to ask you to bring your tithes and 01:03:32.440 --> 01:03:34.960 offerings to the table. Because we're just going 01:03:34.960 --> 01:03:38.519 to do this all in one sweep. As we just honor 01:03:38.519 --> 01:03:41.079 the Lord in our giving and coming with our life. 01:03:41.300 --> 01:03:47.980 Father I bless. The bread. I bless the word of 01:03:47.980 --> 01:03:52.219 God. I bless, Lord, your body that was given 01:03:52.219 --> 01:03:57.699 to us. And I ask it to bring healing and wholeness 01:03:57.699 --> 01:04:01.480 to people personally and to our church. Lord, 01:04:01.619 --> 01:04:06.739 I bless the cup. Lord, the blood of Jesus that 01:04:06.739 --> 01:04:12.420 opened the door. I bless the blood that cleanses. 01:04:12.860 --> 01:04:16.639 makes me pure and holy. I bless it on them that 01:04:16.639 --> 01:04:20.380 they would live in the reality of your salvation, 01:04:20.619 --> 01:04:25.500 righteous, clean, true, the gift and grace of 01:04:25.500 --> 01:04:30.239 God fully on their life. As you come around the 01:04:30.239 --> 01:04:32.659 table, please use both sides. You can take the 01:04:32.659 --> 01:04:35.800 bread and the cup. Take it with you. We'll drink 01:04:35.800 --> 01:04:38.679 it and eat it together as a family, all together. 01:04:38.739 --> 01:04:46.230 But please come as we worship the Lord. We are 01:04:46.230 --> 01:04:50.570 so grateful for those who tune in each week and 01:04:50.570 --> 01:04:53.849 have given generously to this ministry. If you 01:04:53.849 --> 01:04:56.429 would like to give, click the link in the episode 01:04:56.429 --> 01:04:59.570 description below. You can also help us by subscribing 01:04:59.570 --> 01:05:02.110 to this podcast and sharing it with your friends 01:05:02.110 --> 01:05:05.469 and family. Lastly, if you are in need of prayer, 01:05:05.630 --> 01:05:11.429 send us a text message at 541 -625 -1365. We 01:05:11.429 --> 01:05:12.630 would love to pray with you.